VILLAGE OF BRUCE
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
October 3rd, 2022
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a scheduled monthly meeting of the Village Board was held on Monday, October 3rd, 2022.
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 Kim Grasley, Loren Beebe, Galen Brainerd, Darlene Wundrow and Jim Johnson. Clerk/Treasurer Jessica Hayes attended also. Mark Zimmer was absent.
– PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE –
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Motion by Beebe, seconded by Grasley to approve the September 7th, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting Minutes, carried.
TREASURER’S REPORT: Motion by Johnson, seconded by Brainerd to approve the Treasurer’s report as given, carried.
EMPLOYEE’S REPORT: Casey Gudis attended the meeting and reported that the crew has completed rodding the sewers throughout town.
The blacktop on West River has been torn up for the sewer line replacement project. H & S Excavating, LLC will dig the old sewer line up on October 5th and replace with new. The project should take a couple days.
Two water lines on 2nd Street have been replaced and two more water lines scheduled to be replaced in the next couple months on 1st Street and in the Alley between Main Street and 1st Street.
Lastly, Gudis requested to have a committee meeting set to review the Village ordinance regarding the costs of installing new sewer and water laterals to properties. The original ordinance was adopted in 1999 and needs to be updated.
New Generator Warranty: A warranty for the new generator was discussed. Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Wundrow to deny paying for a warranty for the generator, carried.
PETITIONERS-CITIZEN COMPLAINTS & REQUESTS:
Rick Ensenbach – Wreaths Across America: Rick Ensenbach attended the meeting and asked the Board for a donation for Wreaths Across America, which is a program that puts wreaths on every Veteran’s cemetery grave for the holiday season. Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Grasley to donate $1,000.00 to the Wreaths Across America program, carried.
APPLICATIONS:
Building Permits: Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Johnson to approve a building permit to Jeff Bierwerth to replace shingles on his garage that he owns at 1038 N. Alvey Street, carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Utility:
Discussion and Action Regarding Corrective Work on Village Wells: Nothing new to report this month. Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘Discussion and Action Regarding Corrective Work on Village Wells’ issue until the November, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Sewer Rate Increase: Nothing new to report this month. Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘Sewer Rate Increase’ issue until the November, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
W. River Avenue Sewer Line Replacement Project: The blacktop has been removed from Hanson Street to River Avenue. The sewer line is scheduled to be replaced on October 5th. The blacktop will then be replaced in the Spring of 2023 during the Water Filtration Project.. Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Grasley to table the “W. River Avenue Sewer Line Replacement Project’ until the November, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Public Works:
Veteran’s Memorial Park Site: The project is on schedule for completion by Veteran’s Day, 2022. Construction of the wall and sidewalk removal will begin in the next month. Motion by Beebe, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘Veteran’s Memorial Park Site’ issue until the November, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
North Main Street Reconstruction Project:
-DISCUSSION-
The project is complete. The clerk is working on finalizing all paperwork with the DNR & CDBG. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Beebe to table the ‘North Main Street Reconstruction Project Discussion’ item until the November, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
September 27th, 2022 Public Hearing Minutes: Motion by Beebe, seconded by Grasley to approve the September 27th, 2022 Public Hearing Minutes, carried.
Public Welfare:
Committee Meeting 9/6/22 Report Only: A committee meeting was held on September 6th, 2022 to meet with school administrator Pat Sturzl to discuss the costs incurred by the Village to upkeep the Bruce Park and discussion was had on possibly charging annually or by game to use the facilities. Another meeting was requested.
Bruce Park Concession Stand Discussion: Nothing new to discuss at this time. A meeting will be scheduled in October/November to meet with school Administrator Pat Sturzl. Motion by Johnson, seconded by Wundrow to table the ‘Bruce Park Concession Stand Discussion” item until the November, Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Bruce Lion’s Club Project Approval: The Bruce Lion’s Club approached the Board to request putting in an oversized Adirondack chair in the Bruce Park like the chair Ladysmith Lion’s Club constructed in the Ladysmith Memorial Park at no cost to the Village. Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Grasley to approve letting the Bruce Lion’s Club proceed with the project, carried.
2023 Library Budget Approval: Bruce library director Kathy Stempf submitted her proposed 2023 budget to the Board. Total budget would be $50,944.78, which is a 4.18% increase from 2022. Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Johnson to approve the Library’s 2023 budget of $50,944.78, carried.
Administration:
Committee Meeting 9/7/22 Report Only: A committee meeting was held on September 7th, 2022 to discuss employees requests for wages and benefits for 2023. An additional meeting was requested.
Committee Meeting 9/13/22 Minutes: A committee meeting was held on September 13th, 2022 to meet with employees regarding their requests for wages and benefits for 2023. The committee recommended the following to the Board:
– New Year’s Eve as a paid holiday
– Moving Gudis to $26.11 and Hayes to $22.26, which is the average pay for the positions
– Plus 3% Raise across the board to all employees with Ewald & Weinert at a flat rate of $14.00
– Move Meeting pay for employees who are required to attend meetings to $50.00 per meeting
Employee Wage Negotiations: Motion by Beebe, seconded by Brainerd to approve the committee’s recommendations from the September 13th, 2022 Administration Committee Meeting with the following; adding New Year’s Eve as a paid holiday, increase Gudis to $26.11/hr and Hayes to $22.26/hr, plus a 3% raise across the board to all employees with Ewald and Weinert at a flat rate of $14.00 and increasing meeting pay for employees who are required to attend meetings to $50.00 per meeting. With Johnson and Wundrow abstaining, the motion was carried.
Employee Manual Updates: Motion by Beebe, seconded by Grasley to update the employee manual accordingly with the new employee wages and benefit information for 2023, carried.
Finance:
Rusk County Sheriff’s Department Contract Discussion & Action: After the Budget Workshop on October 12th, 2022, a committee meeting will be scheduled to discuss the item further. Motion by Johnson, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘Rusk County Sheriff’s Department Contract Discussion & Action’ item until the November, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Ambulance Garage Building Discussion & Action: Nothing new to report at this time. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Brainerd to table the ‘Ambulance Garage Building Discussion & Action’ item until the November, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Plow Truck Purchase Discussion & Action: Gudis requested quotes from Monroe Trucking and several other companies and is waiting to hear back from them. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Brainerd to table the ‘Plow Truck Purchase Discussion & Action’ item until the November, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Industrial Site:
Committee Meeting 9/29/22 Report Only: A committee meeting was held on September 29th, 2022 to meet with Blue Hills Dairy, LLC to discuss potentially building a new business facility at the Village’s Industrial Site. The business plans are as follow:
– In 3-5 years, hope to employ 50 employees
– Would need 50 acres to start but the lot is only 24.58 acres
– May be possible interested in buying or leasing land nearby
– Use local farmers for milk
– Starting sheep herd at 500 and hopefully expanding to 5,000
– They would sell the waste whey and manure
No recommendations were given from the committee at this time.
Blue Hills Dairy, LLC: A second committee meeting was requested by Blue Hills Dairy, LLC. Motion by Johnson, seconded by Brainerd to table the ‘Blue Hills Dairy, LLC’ issue until the November, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
APPROVAL OF BILLS: Motion by Beebe, seconded by Grasley to pay vouchers and electronic payments totaling $40,456.93, carried.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Budget Workshop – Wednesday, October 12th, 2022 – 4:00 p.m.
Bruce Community Farmer’s Market-Friday’s from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., June 24th through October 7th. The market will be located in the Bruce Telephone lot.
Fall Clean-Up – October 14th & 15th, 2022, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Grasley, seconded by Beebe to adjourn, carried. Adjournment was at 8:23 p.m.
Jessica Hayes
Clerk/Treasurer