When the Canton City Council ended its February 14 meeting, councilors commented that they may have set a new record for shortest meeting – the meeting began at 6 p.m. and ended at 6:08 p.m., just eight minutes long. With no members of the public present, few reports, and no old business to revisit, councilors were able to make quick work of things.
A few points which were discussed include Clerk Anne Koliha’s continued progress on the audit, and Jon Nordsving’s recent work with the DNR. The DNR assessed that the city had pumped 6,400,000 gallons of water in the previous year.
Fire, police, and planning did not have anything specific to report.
Kristy Zeigler had attended the joint Mabel Canton School/Council meeting. She shared a few things discussed at the meeting. The school is looking into starting a pickleball team due to the sport’s growing popularity. They are looking for an old tennis or badminton court to repurpose for this use. There was also discussion of AI, and its positive and negative implications for teachers and students. There was a desire from the school for residents to understand that the summer programs are provided by the city and not the school, so complaints regarding scheduling of games should not be directed to the school.
Two items of new business were discussed. The Canton Softball League would like to use some of its leftover funds to make improvements to the ballfield. Specifically, they want to raise the dugouts so people no longer hit their heads, and to work the infield to loosen it up a little. Jon Nordsving was concerned that their plan to rake the infield with a tractor rake would bring up large rocks. This item did not require a formal vote from the council – councilors simply suggested the League proceed with the dugout improvements but investigate the plans for the infield a little more.
Finally, the counselors approved a $3,220 contribution to the summer rec program with Mabel. This money had already been included in the budget.
The next council meeting will be March 13, at 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend.