Canton commission approves salaries, appointments and contracts; tables lease transfer

At its regular meeting, the Canton City Commission handled a series of routine but required actions covering personnel, appointments, communications and infrastructure contracts.

The commission adopted the 2026 salary resolution required by state statute; the resolution implements a 3.3% cost-of-living adjustment and one-step increases for employees who received positive evaluations, with new wages effective on the first paycheck of 2026.

The commission appointed Matt Van Dam to a three-year term on the recreation board after a motion and roll-call vote. It also approved a $1,000 annual increase to the city's newsletter feature from the application vendor to enable multi-format newsletters for web, app, social and print distribution; commissioners discussed outreach strategies across generations before approving the increase.

The commission approved a 10-year contract with Maguire Iron for disinfection and clean-out service of the groundwater reservoir at $3,850 per service when performed. Staff clarified the contract is cancellable and frequency will reflect need.

A raffle application from a school booster group for a Dads for Basketball fundraiser (300 tickets at $50 each, prize a 2026 Club Car plus $500 in upgrades) was approved. A city official warned that raffle ticket sales require Department of Revenue approval and that unapproved sales could carry criminal penalties.

The commission tabled an airport hangar lease transfer from Philip Wollman to Steve Kane to allow further review of lease escalation clauses and airport profitability concerns, following KLJ's recommendation to examine lease structure during transfers.

Meeting business closed with commissioner dialogue about snow removal enforcement and a vote to enter executive session for contract negotiations.