St. Albans Township/Alexandria Merger Commission Meeting

Agenda/Minutes 2/5/25

1. Call to order, pledge of allegiance

Chairperson Carianne Meng calls to Order the St. Albans Township/Alexandria Merger Commission Meeting of February 5, 2025 at 7:07PM

2. Committee Member Roll Call:  

Baer: Present / Not Present 

Barnes: Present /Not Present 

Burton: Present/ Not Present

Lodder: Present / Not Present

Meng: Present / Not Present 

Robertson: Present / Not Present 

Schiller: Present / Not Present 

Taylor: Present / Not Present

Thorpe: Present / Not Present  

Zanks: Present / Not Present 

Additional Attendees:

Mr. Lees, Mr. VanNess, Zac Walker (Plank Law Firm), Bill Custer

3. Review and Approval of Minutes

Minutes from St. Albans Township/Alexandria Merger Commission Meeting 1/22/25

Baer made a motion; seconded by Lodder, to approve the 1/22/25 minutes. All in favor?

Chair declares motion failed / carried. 

4. Old Business 

Ensuring quorum for next meeting, February 19 or 26

Zac Walker and Merger Conditions
-Plank Law Firm has started to work on the document; some changes are recommended. -Recommends being as clear as possible throughout the document
-Walker took a photo of school districts to confirm for the document – no change
-Staggered elections recommended, firm will advise
-Zoning Administrator/Inspector? Because of Charter Status, we would utilize a Zoning Inspector
-Firearms section – needs refinement to be as specific as possible from Day 1 (1.3) Concern about telling the new Council that they must do something and leaving it to chance. Action: flesh out 1.3.
-Put a Charter Commission on the ballot at the same time for the new municipality.
-Petitions to run for Council: discussion of which number of voters we use to put something on the ballot. Use the combined area for numbers (township A, township B + village)
-Case examples for annexation, de-annexation

Earned Income

Earned Income Extrapolation
$180,956 / population of ~500 for the Village

Township Earned Income Extrapolation: $859,971

Schiller did a summary review of the financial findings
Finances and summary will be on the website

PR talking points & examples (intangibles)

• Home Rule – lawyer working on an example
• Control water/sewer, and perhaps other services
• Control over annexation
• Accountable government
• A larger, consolidated entity may have more influence at the county, state, and regional levels. A single governing body could improve efficiency in policy making, reducing bureaucratic redundancies.
• Expand community services
• Promote community pride: a unified government could foster a stronger sense of shared purpose and identity among residents.
• A larger, more structured entity could attract more resident participation in governance and community initiatives.
• Attract new investments 
• Enhanced local control. A unified approach to development, zoning, and long-term planning can provide more cohesive growth strategies.
• Better public facilities
• Reinstate Alexandria Community Assoc
• Road traffic control (excl SR’s).
• Some state and federal grants prioritize larger municipalities, potentially bringing more investment to the area.
• Uniform services: residents benefit from more uniform services, such as road maintenance, emergency response, and community events.
• Better representation – 7 members of council vs. 3 Township
• More opportunity for dialogue among officials because it’s not a small group of trustees
• Better leverage for municipal contracts
• More financial flexibility (bonding)
  
  
  
  

5. New Business

Schiller will work on line-items for the tax forms (1040) re: what will be taxed

Drafting Merger Conditions

Each member of the Commission will need to have a statement/report that is read into the minutes that summarizes why they voted the way they voted about putting the merger on the ballot.

Target date: Wednesday, April 23 is the latest date for lawyered conditions to be in the Commission Members’ hands

Target date: Wednesday, May 7 is our deadline to have the Commission Decision about whether to put the merger on the ballot. We will meet on this date at 7PM.

General Updates:

6. Citizen Comments (3-minute time limit)

7. Meeting Announcements
Next meeting is February 26, 2025 at 7PM at the St. Albans Firehouse Meeting Room

8. Adjournment
Lodder made a motion; seconded by to Baer adjourn.
All in favor? Chair declares motion carried / failed. 

Chairperson Meng declares the meeting adjourned at 8:52pm.