VILLAGE OF ELLSWORTH, WISCONSIN BOARD PROCEEDINGS

2/1/2010

Pres. DeWolfe called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Board Room located in Village Hall.

Members present: Trustees Curt Wandmacher; Rick Sweig; Dick Hines; Kenny Manfred; Neil Gulbranson and David Deiss

Staff present: Clerk; Peggy Nelson, Chief of Police; Greg Place and Public Works Director; Greg Engeset, Police Adm. Sec.; Karen Meyer

Others present: Pierce County Herald; Sean Scallon, Village Attorney; Robert Loberg (7:45 p.m.), Attorney Lars Loberg, Attorney Joe Boles, Ellsworth Creamery; Paul Bauer, Dennis Nelson and Frank Falkofske

Approval of minutes: MSC Deiss/Manfred to accept minutes of regular meeting 1/4/10 as submitted. Unanimous.

Approval of bills: MSC Gulbranson/Sweig to approve payment of vouchers submitted for audit to date. Unanimous.

#18907-18915, 18941-19003, 19023-19079

General fund- $812,610.13

Water fund - 11,893.70

Sewer fund - 41,982.24

CDBG fund - 145.00

Public comment on non-agenda items: Attorney Joe Boles, candidate for Pierce County Judge, addressed the board giving a brief overview on his background and qualifications for the position along with ideas for improvement listed on his website and handouts. Pres. DeWolfe commented that the key is for people to get out and vote.

Senior Grad Nite donation request: MS Manfred/Hines to donate $200, same as past years. Motion carried with Wandmacher opposed.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/RECOMMENDATIONS:

ETZ: 1/26/10 Trustee Kenny Manfred – Jeff & Mary Hines, W5990 Hwy 63, Town of Ellsworth, rezone property from Primary Agriculture to Commercial (Increase from 10 acres to 15.100 acres) which would then not generate a review by the P.C. Dept. of Land Management for soil suitability of a CSM. MSC Manfred/Deiss to accept recommendation and approve rezone. Unanimous. MSC Wandmacher/Gulbranson to adopt Ordinance #603 rezoning property. Unanimous.

Street & Sidewalk: 1/15/10 Trustee David Deiss – committee met with Ellsworth Creamery and Wisconsin D.O.T. representatives to discuss options for improved access to Hwy 10 & 63 to meet future demands of the Ellsworth Creamery. Pres. DeWolfe recommended that we engage engineering firms to meet with the committee to ask for proposals to move the project forward and proceed with grant applications. He stated he felt that the intersection should have been looked at years ago. Trustee Dick Hines reported that he has rec’d comments in the past couple of weeks, since coming out in the paper, in regard to if the Creamery is looking to expand and double plant size why not spend a little more money to clean up the smell and whey issue. He feels it is great they are growing but if the village is helping with the project they need something in return, issues dealt with. PWD Engeset informed the board that the initial meeting with the D.O.T. was to get specs, scope of what the state is requiring to pass on to the engineers, meeting should be scheduled with all parties to get bids back for the March 1st board meeting. Pres. DeWolfe reported that since this meeting he has met with Paul Bauer from the Creamery and David Crosby from Consolidated Energy (Cenex) and that Cenex has a 5 year plan in place to re-do their store and station which would fit in with the intersection improvements. MSC Manfred/Gulbranson to give the Street & Sidewalk Committee the authority to hire an engineering firm to move forward with the project. Unanimous.

Salary & Labor: 1/21/10 Trustee Neil Gulbranson – denied a police union grievance (Sick leave pay-out) and instructed the Clerk’s Office to continue with past practice to follow sick leave pay-out procedure as it has been since 1998. Gulbranson reported that the next step is arbitration.

Library Board: 1/26/10 Rep. Trustee Curt Wandmacher

–Circulation 4683, 18 new cards

-Program attendance; 5 Teen Read, 35 American Girl Program, 12 Legos Program, 19 Mystery Quilt, 6 PJ Story hour, 18 Thurs. Story hour, 37 Kid’s movie, 10 seniors movie/supper

-Shelley will serve on the IFLS Long Range Planning Committee and chair the Continuing Education subcommittee

-2010 Act 150/240 allocations to village accounts, any leftover funds at end of 2010 are retained by the Library

-Library audit not necessary because financial records should be maintained by the municipality or county that serves as the library’s fiscal agent

-2009 Act 150 money to be transferred to a CD

-Approved director’s 2010 HSA village contribution at $3500

-Next meeting date 2/23

Public Safety: 1/18/10 Ellsworth Fire Services Assoc. – Rep. Trustee Neil Gulbranson

-Approved 2010 Officers

-Update on grant application for new hall, Gulbranson reported that a letter has been rec’d since from the Dept. of Commerce denying the application

-Approved purchase of a new brush unit, DNR has approved a grant up to $9600 with 50% match

-FEMA grant application for a new water truck has not been acted on, action tabled

-2009 Financial Reports approved

-Next meeting date 9/20, 7:00 p.m.

1/19/10 Ellsworth Area Ambulance Service quarterly meeting – Rep. Trustee Rick Sweig

-Minutes and treasurer’s report approved

-Life Quest report approved as printed, $66,832.56 spent in 2009 for services

-2010 $10.50 per capita assessment same as 2009

-$100.00 donation rec’d from Jim and Marcy Kenall

-Discussed 2011 capital investments with the possible replacement of 6201 vehicle verses doing a remount of the body on chassis

-Lewis Powers retired after 27 years of service

-Approved 2010 Officers

-EAAS billing rates for 2010 will remain same as 2009 rates

-Approved to end cooperation on the new building project with the Ellsworth Fire Services Assoc. if the grant is not awarded at 50% funding by 1/31/10, cost incurred by service to date to write the grant is $7100

-Approved a 3% raise increase for full-time employees for 2010

-Next meeting date 4/20, 7:30 p.m.

Reports:

Chief of Police:

-January/February training; Chief – Law Enforcement Management Conference

Officers – Drug Interdiction and Fatal Fire Investigation.

-Emergency Detention Diversion; effective 2/1 law enforcement started a program with Public Health to save time and expense.

-Snowmobile Safety Instruction; helping with a course at the middle school.

-Humane Society Policy regarding Feral Cats; looking at options as they do not want to house feral cats which do not adapt living as pets in close contact with people.

-Police Dept./Library Staff Partnering on 2010 Take 25 Campaign on National Missing Children’s Day 5/25/10; program funded thru the Dept. of Justice to keep kids in the community safe.

Public Works Director:

-Request to add to Water & Sewer Committee agenda for 2/17, 5:30 p.m., well chlorination requirement.

-Update on property at 254 S. Chestnut St. questioning if this should go back to Plan Commission. Trustee David Deiss stated that the owner has not followed thru on any promises, board decisions were based on promises he made, noting it is still a warehouse business, not zoned for such.

Clerk:

-Closed on Crossing Meadows property land re-purchase with Lonnie Feuerhelm on 1/21/10.

-2/10 tax settlement with taxing jurisdictions.

-2009 audit completed week of 1/18, meeting will be scheduled with auditor when preliminary report is ready.

Old business:

Trustee Gulbranson questioned if the Finance Committee should be meeting to do a budget amendment to transfer excess money out of the department budgets for the savings on insurance realized by switching companies not known at budget time.

New business:

-Trustee Wandmacher questioned if the village should be giving some type of recognition to Justin Hoyer, Gold Metal winner at the Winter X Games.

-Attorney Robert Loberg, candidate for Pierce County Judge, addressed the board giving a brief overview on his background and qualifications for the position along with ideas for improvement that are listed on his website.

-Dennis Nelson and Frank Falkofske, S. Piety St. residents, addressed the board in regard to a meeting held on 11/18/09 at the school in regard to the Safe Routes to School project, questioning why they have not heard anything since that meeting on questions they had that Cedar Corp. representatives said they would bring to village representatives for answers. Agreed to contact Cedar Corp. and see where this is at and schedule a Street & Sidewalk Committee meeting if necessary.

Adjournment: MSC Hines/Sweig, 8:08 p.m. Unanimous.

Respectfully submitted: Peggy A. Nelson-Clerk

Published March 10, 2010 10 1C

Tags: public notices, general legals