VILLAGE OF BRUCE
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
September 6th, 2022
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a scheduled monthly meeting of the Village Board was held on Tuesday, September 6th, 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 Mark Zimmer. Clerk/Treasurer Jessica Hayes attended also. Jim Johnson was absent.
– PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE –
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Motion by Grasley, seconded by Zimmer to approve the August 1st, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting Minutes, carried.
TREASURER’S REPORT: Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to approve the Treasurer’s report as given, carried.
EMPLOYEE’S REPORT: Casey Gudis attended the meeting and provided the Board with warranty offers for the new generator. The Board asked him to get an itemized list from the provider on what all the warranty covers and present it at the next meeting.
Gudis has completed his sanitary survey with the DNR and water tower inspections need to be scheduled. The regular annual inspection is $1,250.00 for the current year and $1,950.00 for year 2023. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Brainerd to approve having Gudis schedule both inspections with Lane Tank at the mentioned costs, carried.
PETITIONERS-CITIZEN COMPLAINTS & REQUESTS:
Rick Ensenbach – Wreaths Across America: Rick Ensenbach did not attend the meeting. The Board discussed reviewing where the budget is at the next meeting and deciding on a donation at that time. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Wundrow to table the item until the October Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
APPLICATIONS:
Building Permits: Motion by Grasley, seconded by Brainerd to approve a building permit to Shane Trott to replace siding and install new doors on his garage he owns at 520 E. Trails End Avenue, carried.
Operator’s Licenses:
Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to approve an operator’s license to Traci J. Tucker, carried.
Bow Hunting Permit:
Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Grasley to approve a bow hunting permit to Jim O’Donnell to hunt with his bow on Village owned property, carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Utility:
Discussion and Action Regarding Corrective Work on Village Wells: Larry Gotham from Morgan & Parmley attended the meeting to give the Board an update on the project. Plans are still being reviewed by the DNR. Approval needs to be granted before bids can be sought. Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘Discussion and Action Regarding Corrective Work on Village Wells’ issue until the October, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Sewer Rate Increase: Nothing new to report this month. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Brainerd to table the ‘Sewer Rate Increase’ issue until the October, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
W. River Avenue Sewer Line Replacement – Bid Opening: An ad requesting bids was placed in the Ladysmith News for four weeks for the sewer line replacement project on W. River Avenue. Three bids were submitted. A-1 Excavating, LLC submitted a bid for $99,300.00, H&S Excavating, LLC submitted a bid for $31,000.00 and Northern Group USA, LLC submitted a bid for $227,114.00. Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Grasley to approve the bid submitted by H&S Excavating, LLC in the amount of $31,000.00 to do the work for the sewer line replacement project, carried.
Public Works:
Public Works Committee Meeting 8/25/22: A committee meeting was held on August 25th to discuss the Veteran’s memorial park site. The following was discussed:
– Recommends to approve the contract for the land lease with Bruce Telephone
– Brainerd will get a materials list together and also talk to the Legion to get a group together for the build
– Get a bid from Barry’s Builders for the supplies
– Looking for Board approval to start construction
– Looking for Board approval on the design
– Tentatively looking at getting our first set of murals delivered by Veteran’s Day 2023
Motion by Beebe, seconded by Grasley to approve the minutes from the August 25th, 2022 Public Works Committee Meeting, carried.
Veteran’s Memorial Park Site: Brainerd submitted drawn plans for the Veteran’s site. Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Grasley to approve the submitted plans, carried. Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘Veteran’s Memorial Park Site’ issue until the October, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Bruce Telephone Veteran’s Lot Contract: A contract was drawn up between Bruce Telephone and the Village to lease the vacant lot Bruce Telephone owns on the corner of Highway 8 and Alvey Street for the site location for the Veteran’s memorial. Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Brainerd to approve the contract, carried. The contract will be for a ten year term and renewable at that time.
E. Washington Avenue Resident Issue: The TRO between the resident and Village crew has been granted for four years. All items that remained in the right-of-way have been cleared. Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to remove the ‘E. Washington Avenue Resident Issue’ item from the agenda, carried.
North Main Street Reconstruction Project:
-DISCUSSION-
The project is fully completed with the anticipation of one final invoice from Morgan & Parmley at a later date. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Zimmer to table the ‘North Main Street Reconstruction Project Discussion’ item until the October, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Public Works Committee Meeting Minutes 8/17/22: A committee meeting was held on August 17th, 2022 to discuss how the Village will proceed with special assessments pertaining to the North Main Street reconstruction Project. The following is what the committee is recommending:
– The initial (or full) special assessment is due and payable December 31st, 2022
– Beginning January 1st, 2023, the unpaid special assessment balance will be charged an interest rate of 2.5% per year
– The maximum repayment term for all special assessments will be 10 years
– The minimum annual payment for special assessments shall be $500.00
– Annual payments for special assessments will be placed on the tax roll and due and payable by January 31st of each year
Motion by Grasley, seconded by Zimmer to approve the recommendations from the August 17th, 2022 committee meeting, carried. A full report of the meeting can be obtained at the Village Hall upon request.
Resolution #22-07 – Preliminary Resolution Declaring Intent to Exercise Special Assessment Powers under Wis. Stat. 66.0701, 66.0703 and Title 3, Chapter 2 of the Village of Bruce’s Ordinances for Levying Special Assessments for the North Main Street Project: Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Brainerd to approve Resolution #22-07, a preliminary resolution declaring intent to exercise special assessment powers under Wis. Stat. 66.0701, 66.0703 and Title 3, Chapter 2 of the Village of Bruce’s Ordinances for levying special assessments for the North Main Street Project, carried.
Set Date for Special Assessment Hearing: Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Zimmer to set the hearing date for September 27th, 2022 at 3:30 p.m., carried. All residents with questions concerning the special assessments from the North Main Street Project are encouraged to attend.
Public Welfare:
Bruce Park Concession Stand Discussion: Nothing new to discuss at this time. A meeting will be scheduled in September to meet with school Administrator Pat Sturzl. Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘Bruce Park Concession Stand Discussion” item until the October, Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Administration:
Committee Meeting 8/15/22 Report: A committee meeting was held on August 15th, 2022 to discuss employees requests for wages and benefits for 2023. An additional meeting was requested.
Employee Wage Negotiations: Motion by Grasley, seconded by Brainerd to table the ‘Employee Wage Negotiations’ item until the October, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Approval for Amendments of Ordinance Title 3, Chapter 2 of the Village of Bruce Ordinances: After review of the ordinance, there was one line item that needed to be removed and also the addition of one word added in a line. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Brainerd to approve the amendments for Ordinance Title 3 Chapter 2, carried. A copy of the full ordinance can be viewed at the Village Hall upon request.
Finance:
Rusk County Sheriff’s Department Contract Discussion & Action: Nothing new to report at this time. Motion by Brainerd, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘Rusk County Sheriff’s Department Contract Discussion & Action’ item until the October, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Ambulance Garage Building Discussion & Action: The Village has still not received payment from the three townships for their portion of the ambulance expenses. Trott will give the Townships a call. The item will be left on the agenda for an update next month. Motion by Grasley, seconded by Wundrow to table the ‘Ambulance Garage Building Discussion & Action’ item until the October, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
Plow Truck Purchase Discussion & Action: Gudis was asked to obtain some quotes to present to the Board next month. Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to table the ‘Plow Truck Purchase Discussion & Action’ item until the October, 2022 Regular Monthly Board Meeting, carried.
APPROVAL OF BILLS: Motion by Wundrow, seconded by Grasley to pay vouchers and electronic payments totaling $216,597.40, carried.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
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.
ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Zimmer, seconded by Grasley to adjourn, carried. Adjournment was at 8:09 p.m.
Jessica Hayes
Clerk/Treasurer