Village Board

PROCEEDINGS OF THE OXFORD VILLAGE BOARD The Village Board of the Village of Oxford, Marquette County, Wisconsin met in regular session at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, July 6, 2022 in the Council Room of the Oxford Village Hall. The meeting was called to order by President Meyer with the Pledge of Allegiance. The following Board Members were present: Trustees Drinkwater, Rozek, Sorensen, O’Brien, and Holden. Not in attendance was Trustee Bohringer. Also in attendance were Chief Kowalski, Terry Berndt, Dennis Zacharias, Jesse Ramsey, Jamie Zacharias, and Matt Riesselmann. Kathy Terwelp arrived at 6:47 PM. Motion made by Rozek/Holden to approve the agenda as printed. Motion made by Drinkwater/Holden to accept the minutes of the June 1, 2022 regular board meeting as printed. Motion made by Rozek/Sorensen to accept the minutes of the June 20, 2022 Public Safety Committee meeting as printed Motion made by Sorensen/O’Brien to approve the Treasurer’s Report as printed. All motions carried. Citizen Inquiries: Jamie Zacharias inquired about the timeframe the park restrooms are opened on weekdays. The Board advised the Public Works Department will have them opened in the mornings as soon as possible, and they are to be locked when the Department leaves for the day. Dennis Zacharias inquired about the addition of sidewalks at various locations on Ormsby St. President Meyer advised the State did not install any new sidewalks during the highway project that didn’t already exist prior to the project. Public comments were made regarding the progress rate of the 115 W. Ormsby St. improvement project. New Business: Terry Berndt addressed the Board regarding his improvement project at 115 W. Ormsby St. Mr. Berndt advised there has not been any progress on the improvement project. He inquired about purchasing the alley located between two of his parcels. President Meyer stated it would not even be considered until the building rehabilitation is resolved. Mr. Berndt stated he is unsure of the future plans for the building. President Meyer instructed Mr. Berndt to have a plan for the property by the next meeting, or the raze order will be in effect. Trustee Drinkwater clarified the plans must be specific, and President Meyer stated the plans must stipulate whether the building is being repaired or razed. An update on the Village Hall well project was provided by President Meyer. The DNR has recommended a 10-inch cement casing for the first 60 feet of the well. It is not a requirement at this time, but a recommendation. A test for VOC (volatile organic chemicals) contamination is being performed at a cost of $325.00. Sam’s Well Drilling revised their previous proposal to include the 10-inch casing for the first 60 feet, adding $3,150.00 to the original estimate of $15,340.00 for a total of $18,490.00. Trustee O’Brien stated the current plan to use bentonite would work as long as it remains wet. Motion made by Drinkwater/O’Brien to approve the revised proposal from Sam’s Well Drilling and go ahead with the DNR’s recommendation of the cement contingent upon the test results showing no contamination. Motion carried. The Community Room drinking fountain-water bottle refilling station discussion was tabled until the well project and the E. Vrooman St. storm sewer project is complete to see if any ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds remain available. The E. Vrooman St. storm sewer project was not able to be addressed due to availability issues and may be addressed next month. ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) fund expenditures were tabled until more information is available on the storm sewer project. Park and Recreation Chairperson Drinkwater updated the Board on the recent park playground purchases. In addition to those already purchased, she proposed purchasing a double-seated teeter-totter for $6,566.00 for the toddler playground area. Motion made by Drinkwater/Holden to add the teeter-totter to the playground area using remaining 2021 Park Improvement Project funds. Motion carried. The park surveillance cameras may be addressed next month, if more information becomes available. Trustee Sorensen addressed the Board regarding the financial status of the Municipal Court. Revenue has been down. The Municipal Court Board is requesting a $1,000.00 stipend from the participating municipalities to meet the financial operational expenses. Motion made by Sorensen/Rozek to put another $1,000.00 into the Municipal Court treasury. Motion carried. Public Safety Committee Chairman Sorensen addressed the Board regarding incentives for the part-time police staff and turned the discussion over to Chief Kowalski. Chief Kowalski informed the Board of the incentives the Public Safety Committee discussed and compared incentives offered by other departments in the Page 1 of 3 July 6, 2022 area. Motion made by Rozek/Sorensen to implement a Police Department weekend pay differential of $1.50 from Fridays beginning at 6:00 PM and ending on Sundays at 6:00 PM and offering the incentive of the Fraternal Order of Police Legal Defense membership to police staff working 12 hours per month for a minimum of 144 hours annually, effective immediately and prorated for 2022. Motion carried. The Marquette County Treasurer’s Office has reached out to municipalities to inquire if there is any interest in the option for residents to pay for taxes and possibly municipal sewer bills with credit cards and e-checks through the Marquette County website. The taxpayer/resident would pay a 2.3% fee for using a credit or debit card or a $1.50 fee for e-checks. Motion made by O’Brien/Drinkwater to join the credit card option through the County website. Motion carried. The building permit report was reviewed. Terry Berndt departed at 8:54 PM. Operator license applications for Margaret Fasano, Diane Free, and Drew Kalepp were presented. All have been received police approval and have completed the Responsible Beverage Server Course. Motion made by Drinkwater/Holden to grant the licenses presented. Motion carried. Committee Reports: Healthy Communities Healthy Youth (HCHY) Report-Trustee Rozek advised there was a virtual meeting on June 23rd. HCHY will be handing out drug lock boxes at the fair. New billboards have been put up on I-39 and Hwy 23. A meeting will be held to discuss if limits could be established for failed compliance checks. An officer’s meeting is scheduled for July 25th. The next coalition meeting is August 25th. Public Safety-Chairman Sorensen stated that the meeting agenda items have covered the Public Safety and Municipal Court reports. Police Report-The monthly police report prepared by Chief Kowalski was distributed. Chief Kowalski advised all grass letters sent out by the Police Department and Clerk’s office have been complied with. Fifteen letters were distributed regarding terrace ordinance compliance, reminding residents not to stake off the four feet of the Village’s right-of-way. The drug take-back box is here and will be installed when a camera is installed, which should be within the next week. The phone company may be installing a camera at the ball field for baseball games to be televised. There were issues with parking on the new sidewalk on the east side of the park. An update was provided on the coverage for the 4th of July events. Sheriff Konrath provided coverage on Saturday, and Chief Kowalski and Officer Cutrell covered multiple days over the 4th of July events. The Board expressed appreciation for their dedication to the Village. Park & Recreation-Chairperson Drinkwater stated Cintas provided five new toilet paper dispensers for the park restrooms at no charge. The parking and handicap accessible ramp to the large pavilion has been completed. All of the handicap parking signs have been painted. There is the one on the south side, two on the east, and two on the west. The awnings have been installed on the press box and were paid for by the Lions Club. Everything has been cleaned up from the 4th of July events with no damage occurring this year. The lights and poles of the ball field will be inspected, and an update will be provided next month. One small tree died in the park over the winter. It’s been removed and will not be replaced due to its inconvenient location. Security cameras are being looked into. Library Report-Trustee Drinkwater reported check-outs are up significantly. There are fifty-one Summer Reading Program participants. The electrical upgrade is complete. Trustee Sorensen advised the Director is also providing an arts and crafts program in addition to reading programs. Public Works-Chairman O’Brien read a report prepared by Public Works Director Mullens on the recent activities of the Public Works Department. Four dead ash trees were removed from across the post office. All the flags have arrived and have been installed on Ormsby St. The speed sign was installed on Franklin Ave. Kohn Excavating had to put the storm sewer project on hold due to the 4th of July events. The five-year wastewater plant inspection has been completed, and everything went well. A sludge test will be performed this winter to determine the depth. If it exceeds the DNR’s limits, a plan will be made for removal. The five-year DNR wastewater plant permit application has been submitted. The tree and stumps in the alley between Chauncey and Jaeger have been removed, and the excavating should be completed in July for the water flow. The maintenance shop printer failed and had to be replaced. Water samples were sent out today for the VOC’s. This is needed prior to the new well being drilled and should take approximately three weeks for the results. Chairman O’Brien expressed appreciation for the patience of the citizens involved in the alley regrading project. Page 2 of 3 July 6, 2022 President Meyer updated the Board on DNR suggestions for weed abatement at the sewer pond. Trustee Drinkwater stated two trees on Jaeger St. need to be removed. Dennis Zacharias, Jesse Ramsey, Jamie Zacharias, Matt Riesselmann, and Kathy Terwelp departed at 8:21 PM. Motion made by Rozek/Holden to approve payment of vouchers presented. Motion carried. The minutes of this meeting were read by the Village Clerk. Motion made by Sorensen/Drinkwater to adjourn at 8:47 PM. Motion carried. ____________________________________ Shannon McMullin, Clerk-Treasurer Village of Oxford Marquette County, Wisconsin Page 3 of 3