Village Board

Village of Withee Phone: 715-229-4319 Fax: 715-229-4451 511 Division * P.O. Box A * Withee, Wisconsin 54498 The Village of Withee Board met on September 8, 2025, in the Municipal Building Conference Room at 6:30 pm for the regular board meeting. ROLL CALL- President Klabon called the meeting to order. Roll call was answered by Klabon and Trustees Amacher, Kroeplin, and Kalepp. Trustee Shelton arrived at 6:54 pm. Clerk Niemi recorded the minutes. Also, present were DPW Derek Schad, Megan Kelsey, Chief Patrick Fehlman, Officer Jacob Haugstad, and Wesley Hoem of Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (virtually). MINUTES-An Amacher/Kalepp motion to approve the minutes of August 11, 2025, regular meeting carried with all ayes. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS-A Kroeplin/Amacher motion to approve the monthly financial statements for the General, Water, and Sewer Accounts carried with all ayes. PAYMENT OF BILLS-An Amacher/Kalepp motion to approve General Account checks 37336 thru 37353, Water Account checks 7555 thru 7566, and Sewer Account check 2625 and online payments as presented carried with all ayes. PAYROLL REPORT-The board reviewed the employee time cards and payroll report. COMMUNITY INPUT-No community input was given. COMMITTEE REPORT-Trustee Kroeplin reported that the library board meets 9/09/2025. Trustee Amacher presented the CCEDC 2025 Business Expo & Career Fair Directory booklet and 2026 Expo date which is for students in the area. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS-Wesley Hoem reviewed his sewer analysis worksheet with four years of expenses/incomes and projected revenue for incremental increases for the meters and usage fees. The primary goal of the increase is to make the sewer fund self-sufficient and then possibly pay back the general fund or build the sewer fund to make repairs for short term assets. President Klabon asked if the rate increase would cover the expenses which Hoem felt it should; however, the revenue will depend on if residents use less water, especially as water rates increase. Hoem stated rates should be raised every one to two years to keep pace with inflation. DPW Schad needs funds for lining mains, televising, and emergency repairs. The county plans to redo Division/Hwy T and Mill/Hwy X and then the mains will need to be examined for replacement. By making the sewer account self-sufficient, there won’t be any extra funds in the general account, as it will receive less PILOT from the water plant and the TID increments decreased. An Amacher/Kroeplin motion to postpone setting the sewer rates with updated rates from the City of Owen until the October meeting carried with all ayes. Schad has internet/phone issues at the water plant and the clerk’s phone bill has almost doubled in two years. Schad stated that the water plant has a generator, so there shouldn’t be a concern for VoIP phones not having service. A Shelton/Kroeplin motion to approve the Yellowstone Computing VoIP Phone upgrade for $2,060, UniFi Phone service of $75/month, and Spectrum Enterprise Internet for $125/month for five years at the water plant carried with all ayes. VILLAGE ATTORNEY-An Amacher/Shelton motion to accept with regrets Attorney Bonnie Wachsmuth’s resignation carried with all ayes. A Kroeplin/Kalepp motion to send the RFP for Village attorney to four firms with a submittal deadline of October 8, 2025, carried with all ayes. POLICE REPORT- Officer Haugstad stated the report didn’t include all traffic offenses of which they had 4 OWIs, 20 citations, and 19 warnings, due to a change in the system. K-9 Jimi’s deployments of 4-5 times per month, usually for mutual aid, were not listed as it isn’t in that system. Trustee questions were answered by Chief Fehlman and Officer Haugstad about report terminology, address redacting, case times, mutual aid billing, and school sniffs. GENERAL DEPARMENT-A Kroeplin/Amacher motion to accept the 2% increase from GFL for garbage and recycling and to charge $18 per month per residence effective January 1, 2026, carried with all ayes. An Amacher/Kalepp motion to approve the 2026 Statement of Work agreement from CliftonLarsonAllen not to exceed $19,950 carried with all ayes. A Kroeplin/Shelton motion to accept the municipal website quote from TownWeb of $920 per year for 2026, 2027, and 2028 carried with all ayes. An Amacher/Kalepp motion to approve the annual maintenance and support contract with Yellowstone Computing for a rate of $255 per month carried with all ayes. A Shelton/Amacher motion to approve the National See Tracks? Think Train® Week Proclamation carried with all ayes. The Board was informed that because of the electric company power line and highway setback issues, Esker Properties is building a smaller building. Due to the lower-than- expected construction and a reduced value increment due to equalized value in the TID, the cash analysis done by MSA showed there is no capacity to offer development incentives as previously planned in December 2024. A Kalepp/Amacher motion to adjourn at 8:28 pm carried with all ayes. Ellen Niemi, Village Clerk *** These minutes are unofficial and will be formally approved at the next regular board meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, October 13, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. ***