Ashby includes residents in decision-making
Published Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Many communities talk about open communication between residents and city government, but Ashby takes extra steps to see that this takes place. A prime example is the Ashby City Council holding an open forum prior to each council meeting.
“People are invited to discuss their issues with two councilmembers at this meeting,” Ashby Mayor Tom Grover said. “The idea is to provide a better line of communication between the public and the council. This allows people to voice their concerns without having to attend a full council meeting.”
Council meetings are held the first Tuesday of the month. The open forum starts at 6:30 p.m. prior to each council meeting.
Council members include Kristyn Fick, Lynn Jensen, Carl Ulrich and Peter Hoff. Coordinating council meetings is city clerk/treasurer Val Martin. City Hall is located at 203 West Main. The phone number is 218-747-2876.
Police chief is Thor Tollefson and city works superintendent is Paul Teicher.
Community growth and community betterment always are on the minds of council members, city employees and town residents as a whole. That’s where the Ashby Community Growth Fund comes into play.
The fund was established in 1994 for the purpose of maintaining and improving the quality of life for people living in the Ashby area. Objectives include providing grants for public and charitable purposes, developing the Ashby Education Foundation to benefit Ashby schools and providing a revolving loan, gap-financing fund to help with business start-ups and expansions.
Since 1994 the growth fund has provided grants and loans for the purchase of a bike rack for downtown, contribution to air conditioning at the Senior Citizen building and funding for the rails to trails project that goes through Ashby.
The most recent project is matching funds for donations to the Thorson-Larson Park playground equipment which was installed in April and May of 2006. The total donations, with matching funds, is close to $10,000.
The Ashby Community Growth Fund is a component fund of West Central Initiative. A volunteer Advisory Committee in Ashby monitors the fund's assets and growth, makes recommendations on grants and loans and keeps the area informed of the fund's activities.
Contributions are sought to build both endowed and accessible assets of the fund for the benefit of the Ashby area.
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