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CITY COUNCIL Possible annexation of land approved

One alderman takes issue with decision

BY JEFF HELFRICH

jhelfrich@oglecountynews.com

The Polo City Council approved a petition on May 18 to get the ball rolling on the possible annexation of 40 acres of undeveloped land bordering the city’s western limits – at least in part to help the elected city clerk keep her job, the mayor admitted.

The land, between the Buffalo Creek subdivision and Oregon Trail Road, belongs to David and Laurie Sherrick, who want to build a subdivision with some sort of city support, or sell it to the city so it can develop it. They filed the petition seeking the annexation, which could be voted on as soon as the June 1 meeting.

City Clerk Sydney Bartelt recently purchased property contiguous to the Sherricks’ and outside city limits that, were she to move there, would force her to give up the position. If the Sherricks’ land is annexed, though, hers could be next, which is one of the reasons for the petition, Mayor Doug Knapp said at Monday’s council meeting.

It’s not the main reason, though, Knapp said.

He also cited potential tax revenue from the development of the Sherrick property or other development on Oregon Trail Road, and the desire to have the sewer treatment plant inside the city limits, although he said he was “not sure” what the benefits of that would be.

Alderman Donald Sanders Jr. was the lone vote against the annexation petition, which he said is being put forth solely to later annex Bartelt’s land and save her job, at least until the next election.

“I’m not for drawing new lines so one elected official can be annexed in,” Sanders said.

Bartelt ran unopposed for city clerk in April 2017, taking over from Susie Corbitt, who declined to run again after holding the job for 24 years.

Her term is up in 2021, and to be city clerk, she must live within city limits.

Sanders claimed that Knapp, Bartelt and City Attorney Tom Suits held “secret meetings” on the issue that didn’t involve the entirety of the council.

“That’s absolutely a false accusation,” Knapp said. “Everything was done with economic development. The reason [council members] weren’t involved yet is because we weren’t far enough yet.

“There were no undocumented meetings.”

It would be a violation of the Open Meetings Act if three voting council members discussed the issue together in private. A meeting between Knapp, Bartelt and Suits wouldn’t be a violation, because only Knapp has voting power.

Pine Creek News

Other meetings were held between Knapp, Alderman Randy Schoon and the city’s economic development committee regarding the Sherrick annexation.

Sanders said he thinks the Sherricks agreed to the annexation of their land because they want the city to buy it.

“The Sherricks own a subdivision,” Sanders said. “They asked us to reorganize it. Now there’s a group of people in town on the economic development committee and some on the council that want the city to purchase that land and develop it. We don’t need to be in the real estate business.”

It’s clear that, in addition to buying the subdivision, the city wants eventually to annex Bartelt’s land – the sewage treatment plant being outside city limits never was an issue until now, Sanders said

Knapp said it’s possible the city will buy the subdivision in the future, but the Sherricks agreed to support the annexation regardless.

It’s “not a guarantee” that the annexation of Bartelt’s land will happen, he said, but later said it likely will be on an agenda that’s “coming up.”

Knapp doesn’t see a conflict if the city choose to annex Bartelt’s land.

“It’s in my heart that she’s the best person for the job,” Knapp said. “She goes above and beyond.”

By

Karen Merlak

The unofficial start of summer is here. It feels good to open the windows and bring fresh air into the house. With each change of the seasons, we can count on the constant presence of our heavenly Father. Our God is an awesome god.

This morning for church, Pastor Charlotte Hoppe shared a Facebook message from guest preacher, Pastor Eli Rolon Jeong, regional staff minister from the Christian Church in Illinois and Wisconsin. Charlotte enjoyed a well-deserved week of vacation.

This afternoon, I had a nice long phone visit with my son, Matt. He shared stories about his work, fishing, his pets, and his wife, Ema. Ema is able to return to work starting next week. In the meantime, they have both been working on projects around the house.

Early Saturday morning, I drove up to Minneapolis, Minnesota to visit with Stephanie and her boyfriend, João Halab. They have solidified their plans to make the move to Houston. The movers are coming in a couple of weeks and they are leaving June 13.

I made it up in time for lunch. While some places have started opening, we elected to stay in. João’s mom, Lucy, joined us for dinner. Stephanie has turned into an amazing cook, far exceeding my own skills.

We had a great visit hearing about their new apartment and new job for João. Their new place is also dog-friendly so Stephanie will finally get to have a dog. Since she will be working from home, she will be able to take care of their new addition.

On Sunday morning, Stephanie made breakfast for us before I headed back home. This is most likely my last trip to the area since they are leaving. I still remember the first time we moved her into her dorm room in 2012.

Over the past years, I have made several trips to this area. Traveling in every season, Stephanie has shown us around to popular tourist places and little known restaurants. She is going to miss her friends and spending summers in Minneapolis.

When Stephanie was a senior in high school, she came to me and said she found the school she wanted to attend. This was the first time I had ever heard of St. Catherine University. She asked that we visit two schools, St. Kate’s, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

We were glad to take her to both choices. She has always loved the city. She was very excited at the prospect of attending school in Chicago. We planned the trip to Minneapolis to visit the school in May, in fact, the same day as her senior prom.

Stephanie loved both schools, but quickly made her decision to attend St. Kate’s in St. Paul. That decision opened many opportunities for her, including working for Target in their corporate office, which led to her current job, and meeting João.

There are many situations where it is obvious that God played a part in making it happen. I have several friends that I’ve met by chance and we realize that it was supposed to be. Every decision, good or bad, can be made into a blessing when God is at the center.

I hope to see your “check-in” next Sunday as we meet on Facebook Live with Pastor Charlotte Hoppe back from vacation. Please continue to be safe as we move into the next phase of the quarantine.

We are looking forward to opening the doors of our new church building. Even more so, we are looking forward to spending time with our church family. Until then, we will continue to worship in our homes where our love for God and each other knows no bounds.