VILLAGE OF BRUCE
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
August 5th, 2024
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a scheduled monthly meeting of the Village Board was held on Monday, August 5th, 2024.
Village President Shane Trott presided and called to order the meeting at the Village Hall facility at 7:00 p.m. Board members present were Galen Brainerd, Kim Grasley, Darlene Wundrow and Jim Johnson. Tim Dolan and Mark Zimmer were absent. Clerk/Treasurer Jessica Hayes attended also.
– PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE –
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Grasley to approve the July 1st, 2024 Regular Monthly Board Meeting Minutes, carried.
TREASURER’S REPORT: Motion by Johnson, seconded by Grasley to approve the Treasurer’s report as given, carried.
EMPLOYEE’S REPORT: Casey Gudis attended the meeting to inform the Board that the water line dig on South Main Street last month has saved roughly 20,000 gallons of water already thus far.
Pull Behind Mower Purchase: The pull behind mower needs to be replaced. Gudis obtained a quote for a new one at $4,900.00. Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Johnson to approve the purchase of the pull behind mower for $4,900.00, carried.
Tree Removal at Park: Several trees need to be taken down at the park for the extension of the Veteran’s Mural wall at the park. Gudis obtained a quote from Keystone for $1,800.00 to remove the trees and stumps. Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Grasley to move forward with the work, carried.
Recycling Plant Location: Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Johnson to send the item to committee to discuss further, carried.
Water Fountain Purchase: The water fountain at the Village Hall needs to be replaced. The cost of a new one is between $1,100.00 – $ 1,500.00. Motion by Johnson, seconded by Wundrow to approve the purchase, carried.
Water Line Replacement at 435 S. Main Street: The property has no water pressure, and the line needs replaced. Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Johnson to have A-1 Excavating complete the work, carried.
PETITIONERS-CITIZEN COMPLAINTS AND REQUESTS:
CCF Bank Proposal: Representatives of CCF Bank, Ronda Johnson, Cole Paulson and Stacey Bunkelman attended the meeting to discuss with the Board the possibility of moving accounts to them. They would offer 2.5% interest on the Village’s general checking account. Currently the Village receives 1.5% from current accounts’ holder, Chippewa Valley Bank. The Board asked the CCF reps to put together a proposal to bring to the next meeting.
APPLICATIONS:
Operator’s Licenses:
Motion by Grasley, seconded by Johnson to approve an operator’s license to Coral L. Burch, carried.
Motion by Johnson, seconded by Grasley to approve an operator’s license to Tracey L. Larsen, carried.
Building Permit:
Motion by Grasley, seconded by Johnson to approve a building permit to Michael Newman to install a fence on his property located at 620 N. 2nd Street, carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Utility:
Garbage Contract Discussion: The building is being constructed. A fence will need to be installed around the building. The truck will need to be picked up in the next couple of weeks. A meeting will be scheduled soon to discuss the recycling plant location. Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘Garbage Contract Discussion’ item until the September, 2024 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Public Works:
LRIP (Local Road Improvement Program) Funds: Nothing new to report this month. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Wundrow to table the ‘LRIP (Local Road Improvement Program) Funds’ item until the September, 2024 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Sewer Line Replacement – Alley Between North Main & Alvey Street: The project is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2025. A tabulation sheet will be drafted for special assessments to property owners. Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘Sewer Line Replacement – Alley Between North Main & Alvey Street’ item until the September, 2024 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Water Filtration Project – Corrective Work on Village Wells & River Avenue:
-DISCUSSION & ACTION-
– UPDATE –
Well #1 will be taken offline the week of August 12th and chemically treated. This will take roughly a couple months.
Motion by Grasley, seconded by Johnson to table the ‘Water Filtration – Corrective Work on Village Wells & River Avenue’ item until the September, 2024 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Public Welfare:
Bruce Park Concession Stand/Contract between Bruce School & Village Discussion: Trott is working on getting a meeting scheduled with the school. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Wundrow to table the ‘Bruce Park Concession Stand/Contract between Bruce School & Village Discussion’ item until the September, 2024 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Library Rent Increase: Motion by Johnson, seconded by Grasley to increase the Library rent 4%, effective March 1st, 2025, carried.
Committee Meeting 7/10/24 Minutes/Report: A committee meeting was held on July 10th, 2024. Below are the minutes from that meeting:
The committee met to inspect unsightly properties throughout the Village. Several letters will be mailed out to the property owners/landlords. There will be a thirty-day notice given to have the properties cleaned up. After the thirty days, an additional inspection will be scheduled and if the properties are not satisfactory, fines will be imposed.
The committee is recommending setting ordinance violation fines for unsightly properties at $100.00 for the 1st offense, $500.00 for the second offense and $1,000.00 for the 3rd and any number of offenses thereafter.
Motion by Johnson, seconded by Brainerd to approve the committee’s recommendations, carried.
Administration:
Ordinance Section 13-1-142 Revision: The current ordinance regarding fences, states that a fence has to be 3 feet away from the adjoining property line. Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Johnson to revise the ordinance to state fences can be installed directly on the property line and to also add that if a dispute arises between the property owners over lot lines due to the fence location, the costs of a survey is split between the affected property owners, carried.
Finance:
Cemetery Rates Increase: Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Grasley to increase the current cemetery rates 3% across the board, effective August 5th, 2024, carried.
Building Permit Fees Increase: Motion by Johnson, seconded by Grasley to increase the current rate schedule for building permits, $20.00 per every $1,000.00, effective August 5th, 2024, carried.
NEW BUSINESS: The September 2024 Regular Monthly Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
APPROVAL OF BILLS: Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Grasley to pay vouchers and electronic payments totaling $228,127.55, carried.
CORRESPONDENCE: Embrace: October – Domestic Abuse Awareness Month: The Village was approached by the Embrace Shelter in Ladysmith to ask about putting purple ribbons with contact information notecards on the light poles for Domestic Abuse Awareness Month in October. Motion by Johnson, seconded by Brainerd to approve the request, carried.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Cruise Nights-Classic Auto Collision Center has set the calendar for Cruise Night in the parking lot at 705 N. Main Street in Bruce, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. August 20th. Contact Classic Auto Collision Center at 715-868-CARS or classicauto@brucetel.net for more details.
ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Grasley to adjourn, carried. Adjournment was at 8:18 p.m.
Jessica Hayes
Clerk/Treasurer