VILLAGE OF BRUCE
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
August 7, 2017
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a scheduled monthly meeting of the Village Board was held on Monday, August 7, 2017.
Village President Mike Newman presided and called to order the meeting at the Village Hall facility at 7:00 p.m. Board members present were Shane Trott, Gayanne Skogen, Bobbi Jo Fillion, John Hoiby and Galen Brainerd. Terry Hegeholz attended also.
Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to approve the Agenda, carried.
Motion by Trott, seconded by Brainerd to dispense of the reading and approve the minutes of the July 3, 2017 Regular Board Meeting, carried.
TREASURER’S REPORT: Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to approve the Treasurer’s report as given, carried.
EMPLOYEE’S REPORT: Darlene Wundrow attended the meeting and reported that the log cabin at the Village Park is being washed, stained and new shingles will be installed later this month. Midwest Testing was here and tested the required meters. Sewer jetting is being done this month. Wundrow reported she learned that if the Village replaces water meters with electronic readers, an application will have to be filed with the PSC to approve them before they can be purchased. The PSC considers it an upgrade in technology and the lengthy application is required. The Clerks will assist her with the application. Repairs to the plow truck box were discussed.
PETITIONERS-CITIZEN COMPLAINTS AND REQUESTS: None.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: Karen Hanson attended the meeting and informed the Board that she is living back in Bruce after five years of living in Texas. In September she will be holding seminars, free to the public, to help rebuild Bruce. She plans to have input from businesses and community members and will stimulate small businesses in the area to help them succeed in the community. She wants to inspire new businesses to come to Bruce and wants to meet with existing ones here already. Untapped resources are available that she wants to share with them. Newman will meet with Hanson this month to discuss what’s been going on in the recent years and share ideas that have been discussed. The Board thanked Hanson for attending the meeting and look forward to working with her.
APPLICATIONS:
Operator’s Licenses: Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to approve a regular operator’s license for Tina L. Kahl, carried. Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to approve a regular operator’s license for Dawn M. Kelley, carried.
Building Permits: Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to approve a building permit for Jim Wester to re-roof his house at 920 N. 2nd Street, carried.
Temporary Class “B”/Picnic License: Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to approve a Temporary Class “B”/Picnic License for the Bruce Kiwanis Club to sell fermented malt beverages at the Bruce Village Park on October 15, 2017, carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Utility:
Committee Meeting August 1, 2017 Report: Newman reported a committee meeting was held on August 1st to discuss replacing the obsolete water meters that are currently being used in the Village. The Committee recommends purchasing thirty new water meters at $120.00 each and purchasing a hand held reader for approximately $400.00.
Recommendation to Purchase New Water Meters: Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to approve purchasing thirty new water meters for $120.00 each and a hand held reader for approximately $400.00 contingent on the PSC ‘s approval, carried. New meters will have to be purchased each year to continue to replace the old ones and eventually software will have to be purchased to complete the upgrade.
Water Simplified Rate Increase-Preliminary Study: Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to approve having a preliminary study done by the Village’s auditor for a water simplified rate increase, carried.
Public Works:
Potential New Village Shop: Nothing new to report. Motion by Fillion seconded by Trott to approve tabling the “Potential New Village Shop” issue until the September, 2017 Regular Board Meeting, carried.
Plow Truck Dump Box Liner Repairs: Options were discussed to repair or replace the truck dump box on the plow truck. Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Fillion to approve purchasing a used dump box and have repairs made for approximately $6,000.00, with Trott abstaining from voting, carried.
Public Welfare:
Park Playground Equipment: Newman reported fundraising is going well for new playground equipment at the Village Park. Close to $13,000.00 has been raised. Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to table the “New Playground Equipment at the Village Park” issue until the September, 2017 Regular Board Meeting, carried.
Committee Meeting July 10, 2017 Report: A Committee meeting was held on July 10th to inspect several properties for unsightly issues and recommends pursuing legal action on two of them.
Continue to Pursue Legal Action of Clean Up on E. Washington Avenue Property: Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Hoiby to pursue legal action to move forward with the clean-up at a property on E. Washington Avenue, carried. The Village’s legal counsel will be contacted to draft notices and guide the Board through the process.
Continue to Pursue Legal Action to Raze Building on W. Railroad Avenue: Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to approve continuing to pursue legal action to raze a building on a property on W. Railroad Avenue, carried.
Administration:
Committee Meeting July 10, 2017 Report: A Committee Meeting was held on July 10th to discuss both updating ordinances and employee wage negotiations.
Update Ordinances: A Committee meeting will be scheduled to review Ordinance Title 11 for possible updates. Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to table the “Update Ordinances” issue until the September, 2017 Regular Board Meeting, carried.
Employee Wage Negotiations: A meeting will be scheduled in August to review employee’s requests. Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to table the “Employee Wage Negotiations” issue until the September, 2017 Regular Board Meeting, carried.
Industrial Site:
Committee Meeting July 20, 2017 Report: Newman reported a Committee meeting was held on July 20th to discuss a proposal by Larry Meisegeier of the Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative to construct a sheep dairy creamery in the Bruce Industrial Park. The Industrial Site Committee recommends continuing to explore this venture.
Explore Options for Business Request: Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Hoiby to approve continuing to explore options for a business in the Industrial Park, including contacting the Village’s legal counsel for guidance on the issue, carried.
NEW BUSINESS:
Bruce Area Girl Scout Day Camp-Annual Donation Request: Motion by Trott, seconded by Fillion to approve donating one hundred dollars to the Bruce Area Girl Scout Day Camp, carried.
Rusk County Sheriff’s Dept.-Edge Program Donation Request: Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Trott to approve donating fifty dollars to the Rusk County Sheriff’s Department Edge Program, carried.
Schedule September Board Meeting-Holiday Conflict: Motion by Trott, seconded by Hoiby to approve scheduling the September Board Meeting for Tuesday, September 5th, 2017 at 7:00 p.m., carried.
Bruce Historical Society Address Change: Newman reported John Cameron contacted him about the address that is assigned to the Bruce Historical Building on River Avenue. The history of the numbered address will be researched to see if it should be changed. Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to table the “Bruce Historical Society Address Change” issue until the September, 2017 Regular Board Meeting, carried.
APPROVAL OF BILLS: Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to pay vouchers and electronic tax payments totaling $52,356.77 carried.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Fillion, seconded by Trott to adjourn, carried. Adjournment was at 7:58 p.m.
Terry Hegeholz
Clerk/Treasurer