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, March 12, 2025, in the Council Room of the Oxford Village Hall. The meeting was called to order by Deputy Clerk-Treasurer Kimmie Kongslie in President Meyer’s absence and asked for a motion to select an acting president for the meeting. Motion made by J. Drinkwater/L. Drinkwater to appoint Trustee Sorensen for acting President. Motion carried. Acting President Sorensen led with the Pledge of Allegiance. The following Board Members were present: Trustees L. Drinkwater, Holtz, Sorensen, Wastart, Zacharias, J. Drinkwater and Chief Kowalski. Also, in attendance were Terry Berndt, Ivy Yanez and Claudius Chambers (arrived at 6:45p). Clerk-Treasurer Maier and Deputy Clerk- Treasurer Kongslie. Motion made by L. Drinkwater/Holtz to approve the agenda as printed with additions d, e and h. Motion made by Wastart/J. Drinkwater to accept the minutes of February 5, 2025, regular board meeting. Motion by J. Drinkwater/Holtz to approve the Treasurer’s Reports for February 28, 2025. All motions carried. Citizen Inquiries: None New Business: 134 S. Depot St – Ivy Yanez – This property just went up for sale and Ms. Yanez is interested in relocating her family salvage business to Oxford. Their current property has been purchased to allow an interstate expansion project. Ms. Yanez left at 6:56pm. Mr. Berndt left at 6:59pm. Set Date for Open Book – March 27, 2025 from 1-3pm. The date for the Board of Review and Board training will be set at a future meeting. School Sewer Rates – Last year’s usage was higher than expected, which was a fluke. The rate was not raised in 2024, to see if it went down over the year, which it did. The normal rate will continue. Marquette County Nurse –The Marquette County nurse called the clerk’s office requested permission to include Oxford in a story for the Marquette County Tribune. The board agreed it is ok to add the Village to the article. LRS Update – LRS has been purchased by GFL Environmental. More information to come. Regular Board & Library meetings in the future – there was some discussion to possibly change the meetings to the 2nd Wednesday of the month. More discussion to follow in future meetings. Results of Public Safety meeting and any possible action to be taken – Chief Kowalski stated that he will be posting for a Part Time Police Officer. This position will be posted at the Sheriff’s Office and the Village website. Chief Kowalski will be enrolling in training with the Wisconsin School Safety Coordinators Association (WSSCA). This training will qualify him to assist in safety reviews and audits with schools. Ballistic Vests– Chief Kowalski stated that Officer Mayer will be working full-time for Westfield and remain part-time at the Village of Oxford. Motion made by Wastart/L. Drinkwater to sell Officer Mayer’s vest to Westfield at a prorated amount. Motion carried. Motion by J. Drinkwater/Holtz to purchase Officer Spanske’s vest and a new vest for the position that is being posted with a signed MOU (Memorandum of Understanding). Motion carried. Final Budget vs Actual 2024 for Board review & Form C 2024 from Johnson Block CPAs – there was a short discussion, and the Board decided to move money from the bank account to the LGIP account per 2024 Budget, subject to CPA adjustments which are not finalized yet. Building Permits – No permits for February 2025. Approval of licenses - none Committee Reports: Public Safety: Chairman Sorensen spoke a little more on the ballistic vests that need to be purchased. No further updates. Municipal Court – Chairman Sorensen states that no updates/meetings at this time. Police Report – Chief Kowalski’s monthly report was distributed to the Board. He states he has sent 16 letters for various reasons to residents so far this Spring. Parks & Recreation Report – Chairman L. Drinkwater states that the park is closed. The food stand plans are being developed by MSM Design. The building inspector will review upon completion and will determine if any changes need to be made. This will be submitted to the Board for approval and obtain costs. Also, the infield reconstruction has been scheduled for Spring. Koehn excavating has inspected it and will start as soon as it is dry enough. The Lions Club grant will cover the cost for this. The total timeframe for the work is 2-3 days. Library Board Report – Chairman L. Drinkwater reported that the library had 5 new cards issued in February. There is a new library volunteer, Peter Eichstaedt. He is doing very well. A new printer has been purchased as the old one had stopped March 12, 2025 pg. 2 working. The new one should be much more economical. The Annual Report has been completed and submitted. The Book Sale is coming up, watch for updates. All other programs are continuing as is with great success. Public Works – Chairman Zacharias gave report. There were 2 snowfalls that required plowing in February. The County treated the roads with salt twice in February. Public Works was able to remove all snow without any contract work. The County Highway Commissioner has stated that Red Bridge is at 92% sufficiency out of 100%. It would only qualify for grant funds if it was below 50%. The Commissioner will give an estimate of the costs to repair as soon as he is able. The estimate will be given to the Board as soon as available. All vehicles have been washed, and maintenance has been performed. Team Laboratories will begin the sludge removal program as soon as the water temperature in the wastewater ponds reaches 58-60 degrees. The sludge bugs have arrived, and an update will be provided when available. Motion by L. Drinkwater/Wastart to approve payment of the vouchers. Motion carried. to adjourn. Motion carried. Motion by Trustee Sorensen adjourn at 7:58 pm and to set the April meeting date subject to the call of the Village President, seconded by Wastart. Motion carried and the meeting was declared adjourned. ____________________________________ Kimmie Kongslie, Deputy Clerk-Treasurer Village of Oxford Marquette County, Wisconsin Page 2 of 2