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, December 7, 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, Bohringer, O’Brien, and Holden. Also in attendance were Chief Kowalski, Dennis Zacharias, Terry Berndt, Kathy Terwelp, Deb Walters, Damien Wesolowski, and Duane Dornacker. Tom Wastart arrived at 6:40 PM. Motion made by Drinkwater/Holden to approve the agenda as printed. Motion made by Rozek/Holden to accept the minutes of the November 2, 2022 regular board meeting as printed. Motion made by O’Brien/Drinkwater to accept the minutes of the Budget Public Hearing and Special Board Meeting of November 21, 2022. Motion made by Rozek/Holden to approve the Treasurer’s Report as printed. All motions carried. Citizen Inquiries: None. New Business: A proposal from WI Asbestos Removal and Demolition LLC to remove asbestos and other hazardous materials at 115 W. Ormsby St. was presented. Motion made by O’Brien/Rozek to accept the proposal from WI Asbestos Removal and Demolition LLC for the amount of $18,680.00. Motion carried. An additional proposal from WI Asbestos Removal and Demolition LLC to remove scrap metal, non- salvageable contents, and any remaining personal property was presented. The Village is also waiting for information from an auction company with additional options to empty the building in preparation for razing. Motion made by Drinkwater/Holden to authorize Trustee O’Brien to determine which option is most advantageous to reduce the overall cost of the raze project. Motion carried. Chief Kowalski presented information relating to a 2023 park surveillance equipment project for the park. $7,500.00 of the project is being paid for with a Law Enforcement Agency Grant from the State of Wisconsin to be used on public safety expenditures. The remaining funds will come from the park improvement fund. Options presented from Marquette Adams Telephone Cooperative for maintenance plans and warranty were reviewed. Motion made by Drinkwater/Rozek to pay for the project amount not covered by the $7,500.00 grant and the 5-year warranty/maintenance plan all at once using remaining funds from the 2021 Park Improvement Project. Motion carried. Chief Kowalski addressed the Board regarding a solar upgrade to the Village’s radar speed sign. The cost would be $990.00 to ship the sign and have it reprogrammed for the solar charging. A trickle charge will be used for the battery. Motion made by Sorensen/Drinkwater that Item 6(d) (Police Equipment Purchase-Radar and Solar Charging System) on the agenda be approved. Motion carried. Chief Kowalski presented a proposed expense of $1,159.00 for traffic barricades and barricade lighting to be paid for with remaining funds in the 2022 Police Budget. Motion made by Drinkwater/Rozek to purchase the barricades and the lights. Motion carried. Replacements and upgrades to the parade detour signs were discussed. The proposed signs would be reflective. The cost would be $355.40 and come from the Marquette County Highway Department. Motion made by Drinkwater/Holden to purchase and upgrade the parade detour signs. Motion carried. A renewal proposal from Baer Insurance Services, Inc. was presented for the Village’s insurance plan for 2023. Motion made by Sorensen/Holden to approve the renewal. Motion carried. The Village’s current sex offender ordinance was discussed. The Village Attorney reviewed the ordinance and is not recommending any changes at this time. Chief Kowalski was in agreement. Motion made by Drinkwater/Sorensen to table the matter until it needs to be addressed again in the future. Motion carried. Repeated ordinance violations and citizen complaints regarding 128 S. Depot St. was discussed. Chief Kowalski addressed the Board to advise of the Police Department’s interactions with the property owners. No action has been taken by the owners to resolve any issues. Chief Kowalski presented options suggested by the Village Attorney that the Village has to pursue compliance. Motion made by Drinkwater/Rozek to go ahead with the Village Attorney’s suggestion 2(b) (Abatement by court action - S. 22-172(b)) on his email to Chief Kowalski dated 12-1-2022 and continue with abatement by court action upon issuance of a final warning. Motion carried. Terry Berndt departed at 7:40 PM Page 1 of 2  December 7, 2022 Possible changes to the Employee Policy were discussed. Motion made by Sorensen/O’Brien that the Employee Policy update be referred to the Finance Committee. Motion carried. There was no building permit report to be reviewed. Operator license applications for Ariana Landgraf and Kay Walters were presented. Both have completed the Responsible Beverage Server Course and have received Police Department recommendation. Motion made by Rozek/Drinkwater to issue the licenses. Motion carried. Committee Reports: Healthy Communities Healthy Youth (HCHY) Report-Trustee Rozek reported an alcohol compliance meeting was held December 6th. Three establishments in Marquette County have begun using ID scanners borrowed from Manitowoc County. Feedback will be presented to see if HCHY will invest in purchasing one. Letters are being drawn up to send to establishments to notify them that compliance checks will begin. The next alcohol compliance meeting is February 9th. Public Safety-Chairman Sorensen stated no report. Municipal Court-Trustee Sorensen advised the new payroll system is being set up. Police Report-The October and November monthly police reports prepared by Chief Kowalski were distributed. The Neighborhood Watch Program is doing well. ID cards for the kids at the school have been ordered. New signs have also been ordered. A theft is being investigated. A deer carcass issue has been handled. Other than one citizen complaint regarding road closures, the Lighted Holiday Parade went well. Park & Recreation- Chairperson Drinkwater described the locations of the park surveillance cameras and reported Marquette Adams Telephone Cooperative has implemented a third camera into the plan. Library Report-Trustee Drinkwater advised the Library Board has accepted the resignation of the Library Director. An applicant from the last interviews was selected to fill the position, unless she is selected for another position elsewhere. Sandy Eberlein will be filling in until June and will resign from the Library Board in order to do so. Director Meyer will stay on until the end of January to assist with the annual report. Public Works-Chairman O’Brien read a report prepared by Public Works Director Mullens on the recent activities of the Public Works Department. The 2022 road ratings report has been completed and submitted to the DOT. The Village had a 10-year DNR dam inspection completed and we’re just waiting for the report. Red bridge has also been inspected with only a few minor issues to be addressed. The vegetation on the west side of the powerhouse has been cut down and sprayed. Vegetation will be burned off on the banks of the wastewater ponds after the first significant snowfall. All Christmas lights have been installed. There were some socket problems on Miller and Abbott Streets. Miller has been resolved, but we are waiting on Alliant Energy to fix the pole on Abbott Street. The Fandrich St. lift station panel box and electronics have been replaced. The storm sewer on Vrooman St. is being worked on and is anticipated to be completed by the end of the week. Tom Wastart suggested adding a light switch to the pole near the park restroom for the 4th of July fireworks event and will contact the Public Works Department. Duane Dornacker, Deb Walters, Damien Wesolowski, Kathy Terwelp, and Tom Wastart, departed at 8:10 PM. Motion made by Rozek/Drinkwater to approve payment of vouchers presented. Motion carried. The minutes of this meeting were read by the Village Clerk. Motion made by Rozek/Holden to adjourn at 8:34 PM. Motion carried PM. ____________________________________ Shannon McMullin, Clerk-Treasurer Village of Oxford Marquette County, Wisconsin Page 2 of 2