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, September 6, 2023 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, Zacharias, and O’Brien. Also in attendance were Chief Kowalski, Deb Walters, Terry Berndt, Kimmie Kongslie, and Amy Maier. Motion made by Rozek/Drinkwater to approve the agenda as printed. Motion made by Drinkwater/O’Brien to accept the minutes of the August 2, 2023 regular board meeting as printed. Motion made by Rozek/Sorensen to accept the open and closed session minutes of the August 28, 2023 special board meeting as printed. Motion made by Drinkwater/Sorensen to approve the Treasurer’s Report as printed. All motions carried. Citizen Inquiries: None. New Business: The printing and distribution of annual tax bills was discussed. Marquette County is considering outsourcing the printing of the tax bills. Many municipal clerks and treasurers from Marquette County attended an informational meeting with the County Treasurer and representatives from American Business Technologies, Inc. on August 24th to discuss the services available and the breakdown of costs associated with each service. The Clerk-Treasurer recommended keeping the 2023 tax bill printing and distribution status quo for 2023 and outsourcing the printing of the bills, only, for 2024. The Clerk stated the benefits of having the office of the Village Clerk-Treasurer handle the actual stuffing of the envelopes, including control of individual inserts enclosed and costs associated with the outsourcing. The consensus of the Board was to agree with the Clerk’s recommendation. The Board discussed the Safety and Bloodborne Pathogen policies update project. The matter will be referred to the Finance Committee to address and report back to the full board at the next board meeting. President Meyer announced that, per the agenda, a closed session, per Wis. Stat. § 19.85 (1)(e), is proposed for deliberating or negotiating the purchasing of public properties, the investing of public funds, or conducting other specified public business, whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session. Motion made by O’Brien/Bohringer to move to closed session pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.85 (1)(e), is proposed for deliberating or negotiating the purchasing of public properties, the investing of public funds, or conducting other specified public business, whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session for the purpose of reviewing contracts presented by the candidates for the Office of Village Assessor. Motion carried on a roll call vote with all present voting aye. Chief Kowalski, Deb Walters and Terry Berndt departed the Council Room at 7:23 PM. The closed session per Wis. Stat. § 19.85 (1)(e) began at 7:23 PM in order to review contracts to be considered from Assessor John Blader and from Associated Appraisal Consultants, Inc. for the Office of Village Assessor. Present were the village board members, the Clerk-Treasurer, and the Deputy Clerk- Treasurers. Per the agenda, the Board reconvened into open session at 7:30 PM on a Motion made by Zacharias/Drinkwater and roll call vote unanimously in favor. Present were the village board members, Chief Kowalski, the Clerk-Treasurer, and Deputy Clerk-Treasurers. A discussion ensued regarding the selection between the potential candidates for the Office of Village Assessor. Motion made by Zacharias/Sorensen to hire John Blader as Village Assessor and approve his contract presented. Motion carried. The building permit reports for April through August were reviewed. An operator license application for Aaron Sengbusch was presented. He has received police recommendation and has completed the Responsible Beverage Server Course. However, a copy of the course certificate was not submitted with the application. Motion made by Drinkwater/Rozek to approve the license contingent upon the submission of a Responsible Beverage Server Course certificate. Motion carried. Committee Reports: Healthy Communities Healthy Youth (HCHY) Report-Trustee Rozek stated there was nothing to report as there was no meeting this past month. Public Safety-Chairman Sorensen advised the Committee will be interviewing potential patrol officers at the Public Safety Committee budget meeting. Municipal Court-Trustee Sorensen stated the Committee will be meeting September 20th. Police Report-The monthly police report prepared by Chief Kowalski was distributed. Chief Kowalski stated the flashing school Page 1 of 2 September 6, 2023 zone signs will be programmed again to reflect when children are present before and after school. The Chief provided an update on recent citations issued. Park & Recreation-Chairperson Drinkwater stated the GFI outlet in the large pavilion has been replaced. The gate to the tennis court was adjusted. Graffiti in the small pavilion has been painted over. DLD Tree Service hasn’t yet looked at the tree by the volleyball court. Library Report-Trustee Drinkwater advised many new library cards have been issued. A free Dell laptop was received due to a county grant. There have been record checkouts. Plans are being made for the holiday parade. The library will be a warming station and will be selling coffee, cookies, and hot chocolate. The Director is taking classes in the fall. Programming is still in the development process. Public Works- Chairman O’Brien reported there was no Committee meeting this past month. Several signs have been installed in accordance to safety inspections. Several street signs have been replaced, and a few rotting posts needed to be changed. The Director is working on road ratings for the DOT (Department of Transportation). A powerhouse dam inspection is scheduled for September. The new part for the chipper is expected around September 20th, and chipping will be completed at that point. President Meyer extended a thank you on behalf of the Village to Kathy Terwelp for donating chairs for the Community Room and for the senior mealsite program. 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 Drinkwater/Zacharias to adjourn at 8:18 PM. Motion carried. ____________________________________ Shannon McMullin, Clerk-Treasurer Village of Oxford Marquette County, Wisconsin Page 2 of 2