Village Board

P.O. Box 338 - 314 E Forest St. - Lone Rock WI 53556 - (608) 583-0088. 2025-06-10 Public Hearing & Village Board Meeting Meeting minutes Roll Call The hearing was called to order @ 6:00 PM. A roll call was conducted with the following members present Dan Quinn, Mary Litviak, Brad Wilson, Brandon Bindl, and Brad Seymour. Adam Reno and Corey Ewers were noted as absent. Also in attendance: Elizabeth Gieck, Chris Conner, Cameron Quinn, Christa Quinn, Sandra Creasey, Pat Christianson, Jen Merrison, C. Catherine Dion, Peggy Adank, Bruce Creasey, Betty Ruhland, Rachel Stanely, Shawn Underwood, and Bart Nies. ZOOM: Linda Schwanke (Independent Star News) and Valley Sentinels AI Notetaker. Public Hearing – Sewer Rate Increase Bart Nies, owner of Delta 3 Engineering and the Village's engineer, provided an overview of the proposed 2025 sewer plant upgrade, forced main replacement, and lift station number 2 replacement. He explained that the total project cost was estimated at $4,670,000 in September 2024, but bids came in at about $4,480,000 in February 2025. The village received a $1 million grant from the CDBG program and a DNR clean water fund loan of approximately $3,400,000 at a 1.32% interest rate for 20 years. Bart presented two options for the sewer rate increase. Option 1 included all three loans, while Option 2 excluded the school forest development loan. Both options proposed a 218% increase in the first year, with subsequent annual increases. He emphasized that the significant increase was partly due to the village not having raised rates since the early 1990s. Resident’s and Board members expressed concerns about the impact on residents, particularly retirees and businesses. Bart acknowledged the difficulty of the situation but stressed the necessity of the upgrade to avoid potential fines and legal consequences. The public hearing for the sewer rate increase was closed. Brad Wilson made a motion to close the public hearing on the sewer rate increase. Brad Seymour seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Public Hearing – Myrtle Street Vacation The hearing was called to order. A roll call was conducted with the following members present Dan Quinn, Mary Litviak, Brad Wilson, Brandon Bindl, and Brad Seymour. Adam Reno and Corey Ewers were noted as absent. The board discussed the proposed vacation of a portion of Myrtle Street between Dr. B. Reynolds and Forest Street as part of the School Forest project. It was explained that closing this section would result in gaining almost two extra building lots. The board noted that there were no utilities in this section of the street, eliminating the need for easements. The public hearing for the Myrtle Street vacation was closed. Brad Seymour made a motion to close the public hearing on vacating Myrtle Street. Brad Wilson seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Approve Sewer Rate Increase – Effective 07/01/2025. The board discussed and voted on the sewer rate increase options presented during the public hearing. After some deliberation, a vote was taken on Option 2. Brandon Bindl made a motion to approve Option 2 for the sewer rate increase. Brad Wilson seconded the motion. A roll call vote was conducted, resulting in a 3-2 vote in favor of Option 2. Approve Mrytle Street Vacation Brandon Bindl made a motion to approve Vacating Mrytle Street. Brad Wilson seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Approval of 05/13/2025 Minutes Mary Litviak made a motion to approve the minutes of the May 13, 2025, meeting. Brandon Bindl seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Proposed 2025 Wastewater Treatment Facility Improvements – Lone Rock - Pay Application #1 – Ewer's Contracting, Inc. - $187,223.00 The board discussed the first pay application for Ewer's Contracting, Inc. for the force main work of the sewer plant project. It was noted that this payment would not be funded by the CDBG grant but by the DNR loan. The board was advised to wait for instructions from Jamie (Delta 3) regarding how to process the payment. Brad Wilson made a motion to approve Pay Application #1 to Ewer's Contracting for $187,223.00. Brad Seymour seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Resolution 2025-01: 2024 CMAR (LR Wastewater Treatment Facility) Chris Conner presented the annual report for the DNR, which outlines how the wastewater treatment facility is performing. He noted that while BODs and DSSs are not good, which is why the upgrade is necessary, other aspects are doing well. Brad Wilson made a motion to accept Resolution 2025-01 for the 2024 CMAR. Brad Seymour seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Resolution 2025-02: Royal Bank Line of Credit The board discussed a line of credit of $1,000,000 at 4.98% interest for 12 months from Royal Bank. It was explained that this line of credit would be used until the DNR funds are received. Brad Wilson made a motion to approve Resolution 2025-02 for the Royal Bank Line of Credit. Mary Litviak seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Village Credit Cards The board discussed the need to update the village credit cards due to a new compliance officer at Royal Bank. The proposal was to keep the same credit card numbers but change the name on the cards from Esther Marshall to Tammy Christianson for the $13,000 limit card, and to approve a $5,000 limit card for Chris Conner. Brad Wilson made a motion to approve the two credit card limits for Chris Conner and Tammy Christianson. Brandon Bindl seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. 920 Whitewater Street It was reported that there had been no response from the residents regarding the address changes on Whitewater Street. The board discussed the need to change three house numbers due to emergency management requirements and to resolve issues with duplicate addresses. Liquor Licenses The board reviewed and discussed the liquor license applications for various establishments in the village. Mary Litviak made a motion to approve the liquor licenses for the establishments listed on the agenda. Brad Seymour seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Operators’ Licenses Discover Driftless: Holly Puzon Filling Station: Rachel Stanley and Kaity Armstrong Lone Rock Mart: Christopher J Gschwind; Jody M Brown; Leann L Schultz; Lee S Cornelius; Stephanie K Hildbrand & Buffy M Lugo. The board reviewed and discussed the bartender's (operator's) license applications for various individuals. Brad Seymour made a motion to approve the operator's licenses for the individuals listed above. Brad Wilson seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Tobacco Licenses The board reviewed tobacco license applications for Dollar General, Lone Rock Mart, and Lone Rock Shell. Brad Wilson made a motion to approve the tobacco licenses for the three listed establishments. Brandon Bindl seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Ordinance Committee Report and Recommendations Brad Seymour reported on the recent Ordinance Committee meeting. He discussed the committee's review of Ordinance 10-1-28 regulating parking of large vehicles in the village, noting that the attorney was re- reviewing the ordinance after some concerns were addressed. The committee also discussed enforcement of village ordinances and the role of the sheriff's department deputy in being more proactive in looking for violations. Zoning Board of Appeals: Dan Quinn informed the Board that two new members, Tim Quinn and Hayden Garrelts, were appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals, bringing the total to five members. Brad Seymour made a motion to approve the appointment of Tim Quinn and Hayden Garrelts to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Brad Wilson seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Zoning Administrator Report Brad Seymour provided the Zoning Administrator report, noting that revisions to Chapter 13 were at a standstill. He reported issued four zoning approval permits: one for an accessory building and three for fences. He also mentioned ongoing zoning issues with specific properties and an inquiry about requirements for a hoop-supported structure. Zoning (B. Seymour) and/or Building (D. Butteris) Permit(s): approved. Brad Seymour made a motion to approve the zoning approval permit for construction of an accessory building at 221 South Pine Street. Brad Wilson seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Brad Seymour made a motion to approve the zoning approval permit to erect a fence at 146 West Richland Street. Brandon Bindl seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Brad Seymour made a motion to approve the zoning approval permit to erect a fence at 557 West Union Street. Brad Wilson seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Brad Seymour made a motion to approve the zoning approval permit to erect a fence and construct a deck at 454 East Exchange Street. Mary Litviak seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. 4th of July Celebration Requests Brad Wilson made a motion to approve the temporary alcohol license for July 3-4. Brad Seymour seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Brad Seymour made a motion to approve operator's licenses for Mary Litviak, Elizabeth Gieck, Angela Larson, Ryan Larson, and Tootie Pulvermacher. Brandon Bindl seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Brad Wilson made a motion to approve the purchase of porta-potties for $3,475.00. Brandon Bindl seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Brad Wilson made a motion to approve the use of 12 tables and chairs from the Community Center. Brad Seymour seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, and the motion carried. Fire District Brad Wilson reported that elections were held for the Fire District. Floyd Bartow was elected as the new Fire District President, a gentleman from Clyde (name not recalled) as Vice President, and Angela Larson as Secretary. EMS Jen Merrison reported that EMS had 20 patient contacts for May, and a camera has been installed in the ambulance. Police The board reviewed police reports for April and May. In April, there were 69.25 hours of service, resulting in $3,601 in charges. There were 13 calls for service and 4 citations issued. In May, there were 52 hours of service, resulting in $3,471.00 in charges. The police department requested some special instructions for the Fourth of July celebration. Library Brad Semour reported in May, the library had 123 visitors and 116 checkouts, with an additional 83 checkouts on the Libby online account. The library removed old books, updated the paperback section, and announced summer events starting on June 12th with squirt gun painting. Events will continue through August 28th, with details available on the library's website. Public Works Department – Chris Conner & Cameron Quinn Chris Conner reported that there was nothing to report on for the Public Works Department. Public Input - none Next Board Meeting – July 8, 2025 - 7:00 PM at the Village Office Review Check Register/Bills The board reviewed the check register and bills. Adjourn 7:10 PM. Respectfully submitted by Tammy Christianson, Clerk.