Marengo, IL Township Board Recap: September 21, 2026

Marengo Township's board met for 23 minutes Monday night, approved its bills and financial reports without dissent, and put off the one decision on its agenda. A health insurance renewal for the two elected officials on the township's plan came in 17 percent higher than this year, and Supervisor Heather Greenquist told the board the township's broker has been asked for cheaper options before the board votes in October.

All five board members were present. The highway commissioner and the supervisor gave reports. There was no assessor's report.

Bills, and a Bill for the Audit

The board approved the August 17 minutes, the monthly financial reports and $10,919.30 in bills, $7,208.83 for the road district and $3,710.47 for the town, plus a $5,800 bill from G.W. & Associates that arrived the day of the meeting and was added at the table. Greenquist said it is a partial payment for the township's annual audit and is split evenly between the town and the road district.

The audit itself is nearly done, Greenquist said; the firm had two questions and got answers. The board talked about whether to have the auditor come present the finished audit, as happened last year, or to read it and call with questions, and left that for when the report arrives. The firm files the audit with the state comptroller and the county on the township's behalf. Property tax distributions are winding down for the year, with one more expected in September and possibly a small one in November, and Greenquist said the levy will be on the agenda in the coming months.

Health Insurance: 17 Percent More, Decision in October

The only item of new business was the renewal of the township's health insurance, which covers the two elected officials on the township plan, the highway commissioner and the assessor. The road district's employees are covered under a separate budget. Greenquist said the current premium is $3,632.59 a month and the renewal quote is $4,252.82, a difference of $620 a month that brings the annual cost to more than $51,000, for medical coverage only. The people covered pay 10 percent of the premium.

"That's not dental insurance, that's just medical insurance," Greenquist said, calling the increase too much and telling the board the broker has been asked to price an HMO, a different PPO and a high-deductible plan. The township's two policies renew on different dates, November 1 for the road district and December 1 for the town, and the township is trying to move both to January 1. No vote was taken. The board expects to decide at its October 19 meeting.

Salt: Marengo Township Has a Contract

During the roundtable, Highway Commissioner Jake Adamson brought up the news coverage of towns left without state salt bids this winter. The township is not one of them. Adamson said the township did get its state contract, which guarantees it 1,200 tons, while seven or eight agencies in the area did not get a contract and have been buying from Conserv FS at about $140 a ton. The township's price went from about $75 a ton last year to about $94 this year, "up almost $20 a ton." State award records put Marengo Township's supplier at Morton Salt at $94.52 a ton, the same price the City of Marengo received.

Asked how the township decides how much to order, Adamson said it depends on what is left in the shed, roughly 800 tons right now, and that each truck leaves with 10 to 12 tons.

Highway Report

Adamson's crew did the monthly garbage run, ditch work, tree trimming, and repairs on the skid loader, and picked up a demonstration mini excavator. An electrical short somewhere under the new parking lot in front of the new building has been causing electrical problems at the back sheds. Rather than tear up the lot, Associated Electrical Contractors will bore conduit from the old shed to the main building and run a new 100-amp service to both buildings, a job Adamson priced at $12,850.

Around the Township

• Greenquist and Adamson attended a loss-control meeting put on by the township insurance pool, TOIRMA, at Algonquin Township on September 15, on the difference between insuring equipment for what it is worth and for what it would cost to replace.
• The township now offers notary services; details are on its website. Greenquist is working with the county on whether the township can become a passport acceptance site.
• Greenquist and Adamson will meet with IDOT in the next few weeks about the intersection of Route 23 and River Road, and will report back.
• The back-to-school backpack program is finished for the year. Greenquist thanked the sponsors: Prairie Bank, St. Vincent de Paul, the Knights of Columbus and the MORE Center.
• Greenquist said a free county tire recycling event will be held October 2 and 3 at Nunda Township, by appointment, and that the flyer is posted on the township website under county news releases. Greenquist also said the Marengo Park District is hosting the Secretary of State's mobile unit next week.
• The assessor's office received one records request in September, a commercial request for property record card data, which was filled.

The board adjourned at about 7:23 p.m. Its next regular meeting is Monday, October 19, at 7 p.m. at the township hall, 4010 N. Illinois Route 23.