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Residents of area townships have the chance this week to make decisions related to their local governments.
Grassroots government will take center stage on Tuesday, in town halls near Ely and all around the state of Minnesota.
Annual meetings are set for that night, and the once-a-year gatherings give residents who attend the power to determine numerous key issues - including their own local tax levy.
The meetings coincide with elections in two local townships - Morse and Fall Lake - although only one is contested.
Morse will have a new supervisor following the passing of longtime board member Len Cersine.
Mike Velcheff is on the ballot along with Cersine, but Carolin Dehnhostel has since announced a write-in candidate.
Across the 55731 zip code in Fall Lake Township, Craig Seliskar, an incumbent, is running unopposed.
Fall Lake is also seeking applications for a vacant board seat following the recent resignation of supervisor Sheila Gruba.
The Morse and Fall Lake meetings will start just after polls close at 8 p.m.
Eagles Nest Township will convene its session at 7 p.m. as it holds its elections in the fall.
It’s been a quiet year on the township election front, which has often been the case in recent years.
Once ballots are counted in both Morse and Fall Lake, township meetings will be convened.
A tax levy for 2026 is decided at each annual meeting, and residents will also set a township budget for the following year.
Morse Township has kept its property tax levy flat for several years and that figures to be the case again, as town board members have recommended no change to the existing levy.
Voters in each township will elect a moderator, and the meetings give any resident who attends a chance to weigh in on local government.
The annual meetings are unique to township government. Cities have no similar events and decisions related to tax levies, budgets and other governmental matters are left exclusively to elected officials.
There are approximately 918,256 township residents in 1,776 townships in Minnesota. Townships exist in every area of the state, including the metropolitan area.
The tradition of a town meeting has roots in colonial America. New England town meetings gave citizens a way to exercise local authority. Those meetings were especially important in the development of democracy because it emphasized problem-solving through group efforts.
