The following are brief reports of items discussed during a Dec. 8 meeting of Minden Hills council.

Insurance premiums for the township will rise about six per cent – or about $17000 – to bring the total for 2017 to approximately $295000.

The increase is based on a number of factors including that the average age of township employees has gone up and the Ontario Dental Association increases its fees by approximate six per cent each year.

Evaluating firefighters

Minden Hills councillors discussed having members of its volunteer fire department assessed in performance appraisals. Currently there are no performance appraisals done for firefighters. It’s likely such evaluations would be done every other year as opposed to annually.

Orde Street main break

The cost for an emergency repair of a sewer line break along Orde Street in Minden will cost the township $15000. Property and environmental operations manager Ivan Ingram told councillors the break was caused by a large rock near the pipe causing damage over time.

Snowmobile races

The Minden Kin Club will bring vintage snowmobile racing to its ice oval at the Minden fairgrounds this winter. Scheduled dates for the events are Jan. 21 and March 11. Those weekends bookend the club’s regular car ice racing series which takes place over a number of weekends during the winter. The club is expected as many as 50 participants 100 pit crew and 300 spectators for the snowmobile events.