Manhattan Township Briefs

Township Approves $81,000 Assessor Budget: Manhattan Township trustees unanimously approved the 2025-2026 assessor’s office budget request of $81,000 during their Jan. 14 meeting. The budget includes increases for employee salaries and office supplies, with Assessor Joe Oldani noting that education class funding could be drawn from office supplies if needed.

Generator Study Planned for Township Hall: Trustee Paul Woodcock will research backup generator options for Manhattan Township Hall to ensure power for food pantry freezers during extended outages. Woodcock will report back to the board with pricing and installer information.

Baker Road Bridge Project Advances: Highway Commissioner Jim Baltas will attend a pre-construction meeting Jan. 24 at 1 p.m. for the Baker Road Bridge Project. The township’s new truck has arrived, with the road district planning to take a loan for the chassis cost and repay it by June 2025.

Newsletter Deadline Set: Manhattan Township residents have until Feb. 11 to submit items for the village newsletter, with the final deadline for submissions set at Feb. 13, Clerk Kelly Baltas announced.

Property Reassessments Underway: Assessor Joe Oldani reported that property reassessments have begun for the township. The assessor’s office also responded to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Enrich Data.

Comprehensive Plan Update Suspended: Discussion with Northern Illinois University about updating Manhattan Township’s comprehensive plan has been suspended at this time, Clerk Baltas reported.

Democratic Group to Meet: The Manhattan Township Democrats will host a meet and greet Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Manhattan Township Community Hall, with organizers inviting anyone interested in becoming more involved with the group.