Village Board Meeting

VILLAGE BOARD MEETING MINUTES January 27, 2025 at 6:00 PM Kronenwetter Municipal Center - 1582 Kronenwetter Drive Board Room (Lower Level) 1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER Village President Chris Voll called the January 27, 2025 Village Board Meeting to order at 6 p.m. A. Pledge of Allegiance All those in attendance were invited to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. B. Roll Call PRESENT: Village President Chris Voll, Trustee Chris Eiden, Trustee Ken Charneski, Trustee Kelly Coyle, Trustee Alex Vedvik, Trustee Aaron Myszka, Trustee Craig Mortensen STAFF: Police Chief Terry McHugh, Fire Chief Theresa O’Brien, Public Works Director Greg Ulman, Community Development Director Peter Wegner, Clerk Jennifer Poyer 2. ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLOSED SESSION 3. PUBLIC COMMENT Sean Dumais – 839 Oak Road, Kronenwetter, WI 54455 – Dumais commented on agenda items H, P, and Q. He said the kennel permit should be approved; questioned why the alcohol licensing took so long to be addressed; and said the board has no authority to deputize a person. Bernie Kramer, 2150 Highway 153, Peplin, WI 54455 – Kramer commented on a recent letter to the editor published in the Wausau Pilot and Review. He talked of trustee antagonism. He encouraged hiring good staff that can make good decisions for the Village. He also commented on the amount of training required to be a paramedic. He said the Village is fortunate to have Riverside serving the Village. 4. REPORTS FROM STAFF AND VENDORS C. Public Works Director Report Public Works Director Greg Ulman presented his report. He mentioned the broken furnace at the Well House that had to be changed; filtration facility update; TID 1 road project; upcoming lift station bid; and future park plan. D. Community Development Director Report Community Development Director Peter Wegner presented his report. He commented on zero lot line language; the possible sale of Village owned property; and a requested certified survey map for Happy Hollow Road. E. Village Attorney Report Village Attorney Lee Turonie presented 11 discussion items. (See packet.) He offered information on each item and fielded questions from board members and staff regarding the items. 5. OLD BUSINESS F. Increase of Committee Member Compensation Motion by Coyle/Vedvik to increase the pay for committee citizen members to $40 per month; trustee pay to $400 per month; and Village president pay to $700 per month with an effective date of January 2026 for committee citizen members; April 2026 for newly elected trustees in the even year cycle; and April 2027 for the newly elected trustees and Village president in the odd year cycle. Motion carried by roll call vote. 6:1. Voting nay – Trustee Charneski. Minutes prepared by Jennifer Poyer. Approved by Village Board on February 10, 2025.  Discussed the possibility of suspending board pay until 15% reserve fund is at capacity as an example of accountability; members’ ability to not accept pay; and an increase of pay allowing a greater number of people able to serve in these roles. G. Role and Duties of Village President During Absence of an Administrator Motion by Coyle/Vedvik to bestow upon Village President Chris Voll the title of interim administrator. Motion carried by roll call vote. 6:1. Voting nay – Trustee Charneski. Discussed the reasoning behind this item; role of President Voll; and needs from staff. H. Kennel Permit Renewal - Crossroads K9 Rescue; 839 Oak Road, Kronenwetter Motion by Coyle/Vedvik to approve kennel permit for Crossroads K9 Rescue contingent upon his renewing his conditional use permit (CUP). Motion carried by roll call vote. 7:0. Discussed past permits and CUP; requirements of the permit and CUP; and the need for renewing the CUP. I. Hiring a Special Prosecutor for Municipal Court Case Motion by Coyle/Myszka to hire a special prosecutor. Motion carried by roll call vote. 6:1. Voting nay – Trustee Charneski. Discussed legal abilities of Village Board vs. the municipal court and the legal obligation to have a prosecutor for the court. 6. NEW BUSINESS J. Letter and Invoice from Mosinee School District Motion by Vedvik/Coyle to disallow the claim by Mosinee School District in the amount of $2,250. Motion carried by roll call vote. 6:1. Voting nay – Trustee Charneski. Discussed election events leading to the invoice. K. Wage Increase for Part-time Employees Motion by Vedvik/Myszka to approve 3% wage increase for part-time employees. Motion carried by roll call vote. 7:0. Discussed what employees would be affected by this increase. L. Update to Part-Time On-Call Contract for 2025 Motion by Voll/Vedvik to approve the Part-Time On-Call Contract for 2025. Motion carried by roll call vote. 7:0. M. Union Wage Increase for Planning Tech Motion by Vedvik/Myszka to adjust the wage of the planning tech to $24.35 as listed. Motion carried by roll call vote. 7:0. N. Interim Finance Director Motion by Coyle/Mortensen to consummate the contract with Robert Half with John J. to become our part-time finance director at $78.50 per hour for 23 hours per week. Motion carried by roll call vote. 6:1. Voting nay – Trustee Eiden. Discussed the need for this position; possibility of a background check; other possibilities; and the proposed candidate. O. Ambulance Service RFP Committee Process Guidance Motion by Charneski/Voll to assign to CLIPP to review the ambulance contract with the fire chief and determine any concerns, and see if they can be dealt with. Motion carried by voice vote. 4:3. Voting yea – Chris Voll, Chris Eiden, Ken Charneski, Craig Mortensen. Voting nay – Kelly Coyle, Aaron Myszka, Alex Vedvik. Discussed the previous work of Ambulance Subcommittee and whether the members should help with the Ambulance Service RFP; discussed problems with current contract presented by Fire Chief Theresa O’Brien; and discussed ambulance options available to the Village. P. Alcohol Sales at Village Events and Raffle License Issues Motion by Coyle/Voll to send this to the CLIPP Committee to review the ordinance (Chapter 325) to make sure it is compliant. Motion carried by voice vote. 7:0. Discussed the raffle and licensing issues and possible solutions. Minutes prepared by Jennifer Poyer. Approved by Village Board on February 10, 2025.  Q. Deputy Treasurer Appointment - Sarah Fisher No action taken. 7. CONSENT AGENDA R. January 13, 2025 Village Board Meeting Minutes Delay action until further verification. 8. PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES FROM COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES S. October 21, 2024 Plan Commission Meeting Minutes T. November 18, 2024 Plan Commission Meeting Minutes U. November 19, 2025 Ambulance Subcommittee Meeting Minutes Committees were thanked for their minutes. 9. CLOSED SESSION Motion by Eiden/Myszka to convene into closed session. Motion carried by roll call vote. 7:0. Trustee Coyle did not attend closed session. Consideration of motion to convene into closed session pursuant to Wis. Stat. 19.85 (1)( c ) for consideration of employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility – to wit staff compensation for added duties. 10. RECONVENE OPEN SESSION Consideration of motion to reconvene into open session. Motion by Myszka/Mortensen to reconvene into open session. Motion carried by voice vote. 7:0. 11. ACTION AFTER CLOSED SESSION Motion by Voll/Mortensen to approve a one-time bonus for office staff of $2000. Motion carried by roll call vote. 6:1. Voting nay – Trustee Charneski. 12. CONSIDERATION OF ITEMS FOR FUTURE AGENDA  Attorney RFP 13. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Voll/Vedvik to adjourn the January 27, 2025 Village Board Meeting. Motion carried by voice vote. 7:0. Meeting adjourned at 10:49 p.m. Minutes prepared by Jennifer Poyer. Approved by Village Board on February 10, 2025.