Township approves aid agreements

By RICHARD JENKINS

[email protected]

Ironwood Township — The Ironwood Township Volunteer Fire Department will continue to help, and receive help from several area departments, as needed after the township board of trustees renewed mutual aid agreements with a number of neighboring communities Monday.

The agreements are with five other municipalities in Gogebic County — the cities of Ironwood, Bessemer and Wakefield, as well as Bessemer and Marenisco townships — and Hurley, Montreal, Kimball, Oma and Pence in Wisconsin.

An additional agreement with the Saxon-Gurney Fire Department, which is key given its proximity to the northern end of the township along Lake Superior, is being finalized.

“I think, for our Little Girl’s Point residents, that would be a huge one to have,” Supervisor Jay Kangas said, adding that Saxon-Gurney sometimes arrives on the scene first when there are emergencies at the Point because they are closer.

The mutual aid agreements allow the fire departments to respond to emergencies outside their own communities when needed, such as providing additional tanker trucks during a structure fire.

They also “play a key role” in helping the township’s ISO rating, according to Kangas, which impacts home insurance prices.

In other business:

—The board agreed additional information was needed before it could act on the Gogebic County Road Commission’s 2021 road plan in the township and hope road commission representatives would be able to attend a future board meeting.

—Kangas reported the township formally owns the Lake Road spring near Little Girl’s Point.

—The board voted to switch its insurance carrier to the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority. The switch is expected to save the township between $10,000 and $12,000 on premiums without any significant coverage changes, according to information presented during the meeting

—The board decided to maintain the clerk and treasurer’s health care contributions at the present $150-a-month for 2021 calendar year.

—The board approved the $5,075 contribution to the Gogebic County Veterans Council, while a more formal agreement with the council is being completed. The contribution is down a little over 2% from last year’s request, according to information presented at the meeting, and is less than the $5,300 budgeted for the expenditure, according to information presented at the meeting.

—The board passed Resolution 2021-01 regarding the township’s annual poverty exemption.