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Village of Fall Creek · Eau Claire County · Minutes

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Village of Fall Creek Regular Board Meeting Minutes 11/13/17 Page 1 of 5 1. Call to Order: 6:30 p.m., Village Hall Meeting Room, 122 E. Lincoln Ave., Fall Creek 2. Pledge to Flag 3. Roll Call: Members Present: Village President Chester Goodman, Trustees Tina Jacobson, Bob Jenkins, Matt Mattoon, Karen Strasburg, Wayne Steinke, Dane Zook. Members Absent: none. Staff Present: Police Chief Chad Dachel, Public Works Director Bryan Kaatz, Library Director Laura Tomcik, Clerk-Treasurer Renee Roemhild. Also Present: 2 citizens. 4. Certify Open Meeting Law Requirements Have Been Met: A notice of the meeting and an agenda was posted in the three public places and newspapers were notified. 5. Adopt Agenda:  MOTION (Steinke/Mattoon) to adopt the agenda as printed. PASSED, without negative vote. 6. Act on Minutes  MOTION (Mattoon/Zook) to approve the 10/9/17 Regular Board, 10/17/17 Special Board, 10/24/17 Special Board, 11/2/17 Public Safety Committee, and 11/2/17 Finance & Personnel Committee meeting minutes. PASSED, without negative vote. 7. Citizen Input: None. 8. Correspondence: A thank you from the Fall Creek Booster & Pep Clubs was read. 9. Budget Comparison Report/Financial Considerations:  MOTION (Mattoon/Steinke) to approve the 10/31/17 Budget Comparison Report and the Clerk-Treasurer's Monthly Report. PASSED, roll call vote: Jacobson-yes, Jenkins-yes, Mattoon-yes, Steinke-yes, Strasburg-yes, Zook-yes, Goodman-yes. 10. Consider Bills:  MOTION (Steinke/Zook) to approve bills #23857-23919, V17354-17387. PASSED, roll call vote: Jenkins-yes, Mattoon-yes, Steinke-yes, Strasburg-yes, Zook-yes, Goodman-yes, Jacobson-yes. 11. Scheduled Speakers/Issues of Interest A. Introduction of New Library Director Laura Tomcik: Laura Tomcik introduced herself, giving a summary of her background, stating she is happy to be of assistance to the Village Board and is looking forward to working with them. B. Village Board Discussion on 2018 Proposed Budgets: Two proposals were discussed in detail. Dane Zook proposed the Village Board look at handling employee compensation and employee benefits differently - to grant a 1 raise and to cover half of the increased cost in health insurance premiums, adjusting the employee share of premiums to cover the remaining increase. Clerk-Treasurer Roemhild detailed a plan in which substantial savings could be gained in the Sewer Fund by a "supplemental" payment from General Fund to pay down on the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) debt. Then to later use the supplemental payment to save for a future WWTP so that the burdensome financial state we find ourselves in now does not repeat itself in the future. Roemhild expanded on research that was done before recommending this plan. As Fall Creek is such a small utility with only a little over 500 customer accounts, extremely large capital projects such as a WWTP are nearly impossible to afford because there isn't a large enough customer base to spread the cost over. In review, the Wisconsin DNR required the Village construct a new wastewater treatment plant in 2006. Fortunately, we received a $1 million dollar grant from USDA Village of Fall Creek Minutes of Public Hearing & Regular Village Board Meeting November 13, 2017 Village of Fall Creek Regular Board Meeting Minutes 11/13/17 Page 2 of 5 Rural Development to help offset the $3.5 million dollar cost, but the remaining debt service has still proved too difficult for the Utility to manage. Our hope had been that economic growth would be able to ease some of the financial burden, but this has not adequately happened. It is acceptable for a Utility to receive supplemental revenue from the General Fund. As it seems likely that the high water/sewer bills may be a significant deterrent to the economic growth desired, this may be a good time to consider a financial strategy in which some revenue freed up by paying off General Fund loans and some tightening of a few expense accounts in the General Fund, could result in a significant change in the financial picture of the Sewer Fund now and for the years to come. Roemhild provided two examples for the Board's consideration: - If an additional payment of $80,000 was made yearly on the WWTP debt, the loan would be paid off 14 years sooner and $250,000 would be saved in interest costs. After paying off the loan, if that same payment of $80,000 was then put into savings for the remaining 14 years (including the normal scheduled debt payment), $1.9 million would accumulate for when the WWTP would need to be replaced. - If an additional payment of $50,000 was made yearly on the WWTP debt, the loan would be paid off 12 years sooner and $100,000 would be saved in interest costs. After paying off the loan, if that same payment of $50,000 was then put into savings for the remaining 12 years (including the normal scheduled debt payment), $1.3 million would accumulate for when the WWTP would need to be replaced. C. Public Hearing Regarding 2018 Budgets at 7:30 p.m.: President Goodman opened up the public hearing. Citizen Richard Ziemann spoke thanking the Board and the staff for the time they spent working on the budgets. With no further comments, President Goodman closed the public hearing. D. Consider Adoption of 2018 Budgets and Capital Plans:  MOTION (Zook/Mattoon) adopting the following: 1) the Capital Equipment Plan as presented, and 2) the 2018 budgets as listed below including a:  1% raise for designated staff (full-time personnel & part-time police) and,  increasing the employee cost share for health insurance premiums by 2% to 9%, resulting in the village covering half of the health insurance premium increase,  putting the savings from the two expense decreases above into Account #110-57130 Village Share Road Reconstruction, and  planning to discuss at a later date the proposal of a General Fund supplement to help the Sewer Fund with its WWTP debt and later capital needs. PASSED, roll call vote: Goodman-no, Jacobson-yes, Jenkins-no, Mattoon-yes, Steinke-no, Strasburg-yes, Zook-yes. General Fund Revenues Expenses Taxes 446,050 General Government 149,150 Intergovernmental Revenues 347,000 Public Safety 328,850 Licenses & Permits 6,000 Public Works 191,000 Fines, Forfeitures & Penalties 1,000 Culture, Recreation, Education 53,500 Public Charges for Services 7,750 Conservation & Development 3,200 Misc. Revenues 7,200 Capital Outlay 89,300 Other Financing Sources 0 Other Gen Fund Exp. 0 Total Revenues 815,000 Total Expenses 815,000 Village of Fall Creek Regular Board Meeting Minutes 11/13/17 Page 3 of 5 E. Consider Adoption of Village Levy:  MOTION (Zook/Steinke) to set the 2017 levy (to be paid in 2018) for the Village of Fall Creek at $453,580 (not including the library county levy). PASSED, roll call vote: Jacobson-yes, Jenkins-no, Mattoon-yes, Steinke-yes, Strasburg-yes, Zook-yes, Goodman-yes. 12. Police Department A. Monthly Report: Police Chief Dachel presented the monthly report of cases/calls for service. B. Consider Agreement with Eau Claire County Humane Association: The services provided by the EC County Humane Association was discussed. No action was taken. C. Consider Ordinances re: Group Homes, Possible First Reading: Chief Dachel reported on the Public Safety Committee's recommendations of 11/2/17. However, after discussions with the Village Attorney, he is recommending no change be made to the current village ordinances. D. Consider Bartender Operator License Application:  MOTION (Jenkins/Steinke) approving a bartender operator license application for the remainder of the 2017/2018 license year to Ashia Holum. PASSED, without negative vote. 13. Public Works Department A. Monthly Report: Public Works Director Kaatz gave his monthly report on various matters concerning the public works and utility departments. B. Consider Well #3 & #4 Project, Including But Not Limited To, Contractor's Pay Request for Test Well Drilling, Consider Drawing Up CSM for Land Purchase:  MOTION (Mattoon/Steinke) authorizing payment of $6,712 to Sam's Well Drilling for the final pay request for the Test Well #3 Drilling. PASSED, roll call vote: Strasburg-yes, Zook-yes, Goodman-yes, Jacobson-yes, Jenkins-yes, Mattoon-yes, Steinke-yes.  MOTION (Mattoon/Zook) authorizing Davy Engineering for a cost of $1,500 to complete a CSM for the land division for purchasing land from Tom & Sue Dahl for Well #3 & #4. PASSED, roll call vote: Zook-yes, Goodman-yes, Jacobson-yes, Jenkins-yes, Mattoon-yes, Steinke-yes, Strasburg-yes. C. Award Bid for Rental of Village Land (Water Tower, Seepage Cells, Industrial Park): Bids were opened.  MOTION (Jenkins/Mattoon) to award the rental of the village land to the highest bidder Scott & Tami Geske at $151 per acre. PASSED, without negative vote. D. Consider Rental of Land from Doug Raether near Well #2 and Re-Rental of Such Land:  MOTION (Jenkins/Strasburg) to not rent the Doug Raether property this year. FAILED, roll call vote: Mattoon-no, Steinke-yes, Strasburg-yes, Zook-no, Goodman- no, Jacobson-no, Jenkins-yes.  MOTION ( Zook/Jacobson) to rent the Doug Raether property for one more year for the purpose of having more control over what is planted in order to ensure the safety Special Revenue Funds Revenues 101,300 Expenses 100,600 Debt Service Funds Revenues 390,600 Expenses 390,600 Capital Projects Funds Revenues 305,950 Expenses 221,192 Enterprise Funds Revenues 639,100 Expenses 668,400 Village of Fall Creek Regular Board Meeting Minutes 11/13/17 Page 4 of 5 of the water near Well #2 until Well #3 & 4 is constructed. It was noted that Well #2 was pulled from use when the nitrate levels became a concern. PASSED, roll call vote: Steinke-no, Strasburg-no, Zook-yes, Goodman-yes, Jacobson-yes, Jenkins-no, Mattoon-yes. E. Consider Water Break at 344 W Lincoln Ave, and Possible Share in Replacement Cost:  MOTION (Jenkins/Mattoon) to pay the entire bill of $1,715 for the replacement of lateral at 344 W Lincoln Ave because the workmanship was faulty when installed. PASSED, roll call: Mattoon-yes, Steinke-yes, Strasburg-yes, Zook-yes, Goodman- yes, Jacobson-yes, Jenkins-yes. F. Consider Request for Capital Purchase: Furnace at WWTP:  MOTION (Jenkins/Steinke) to accept the quote from Bartingale Mechanical in the amount of $2,421 for a 84,000 BTU 2 stage propane furnace for the WWTP. PASSED, Steinke-yes, Strasburg-yes, Zook-yes, Goodman-yes, Jacobson-yes, Jenkins-yes, Mattoon-yes. 14. Committee Related A. Community & Economic Development 1. Recognition for Efforts to Enhance Community: Tabled. B. Finance & Personnel 2. Update Employee Review Process: MOTION (Mattoon/Zook) to accept all the Finance Committee's recommendations regarding the employee review process, as listed in the 11/2/17 minutes. PASSED, without negative vote. 3. Consider Village's Policy re: Employee Maternity Leave: Tabled. C. Parks & Recreation 1. Consider Plan for Tree Replacement at Keller Park: Tabled. 2. Consider Summer Rec Program, Including Thank You to Past Coordinator: Tabled. D. Public Property & Health 1. Consider Directional Signage for Park & School: Tabled. 2. Consider Signage for Keller Park Pavilions: Tabled. 3. Consider Request from Lions Club to Place Christmas Tree in Memorial Park:  MOTION (Jenkins/Mattoon) granting the request of the Lions Club. PASSED, without negative vote. 15. General Business A. Consider Village Hall Façade Project, Including Contractor's Pay Request:  MOTION (Jenkins/Steinke) denying the request for payment from the contractor until the project is fully completed. PASSED, without negative vote. B. Consider Amendments to 2017 Budget:  MOTION (Jenkins/Steinke) to amend the 2017 budget as follows: 110-51600-775 Hall-Cleaning & Paper Products Decrease $1,200 to $1,000 110-55200-770 Park-Restroom Mtnce & Supplies Increase $ 700 to $1,500 110-55200-775 Park-Lumber, Paint, Bolts, Misc Increase $ 500 to $1,000 PASSED, roll call vote: Jenkins-yes, Mattoon-yes, Steinke-yes, Strasburg-yes, Zook-yes, Goodman-yes, Jacobson-yes. C. Authorize Placement of Delinquent Utility, Special Charges, and Special Assessments on Tax Roll:  MOTION (Jenkins/Mattoon) authorizing the Clerk-Treasurer to place the delinquent utility, special charges, and special assessment charges on the tax roll. PASSED, roll Village of Fall Creek Regular Board Meeting Minutes 11/13/17 Page 5 of 5 call vote: Mattoon-yes, Steinke-yes, Strasburg-yes, Zook-yes, Goodman-yes, Jacobson-yes, Jenkins-yes. D. Consider Recycling Special Charge for 2017/Payable 2018 Tax Bill:  MOTION (Mattoon/Strasburg) approving a recycling charge of $12.00 per single- family home, duplex, triplex, and four-plex, as requested by the Eau Claire County Planning & Development. PASSED, without negative vote. E. Consider Motion Regarding Health Insurance Renewal:  MOTION (Mattoon/Steinke) approving the renewal of health insurance Silver #3 HDHP Plan with Group Health Cooperative. PASSED, without negative vote. F. Consider Agreement for Mat Service: Clerk-Treasurer Roemhild outlined the bids for mat service.  MOTION (Mattoon/Steinke) approving a 3-year contract for mat and shop towel services to the low bidder, Aramark Uniform Services. PASSED, roll call vote: Steinke-yes, Strasburg-yes, Zook-yes, Goodman-yes, Jacobson-yes, Jenkins-yes, Mattoon-yes. G. Consider Resolution #2012-0514A (Revised 09/09/13) re: Fee Waiver for Local Organizations and Consider Request for Use of Village Hall: The request from Randy Voetmann of Faith Evangelical Free Church discussed at last month's meeting was withdrawn because he found another location.  MOTION (Mattoon/Jacobson) revising RESOLUTION #2012-0514A to state "occasional" use by local churches…. PASSED, roll call vote: Strasburg-yes, Zook- yes, Goodman-yes, Jacobson-yes, Jenkins-yes, Mattoon-yes, Steinke-yes. 16. Adjourn:  MOTION (Jacobson/Steinke) @ 9:25 p.m. PASSED, without negative vote. Renee Roemhild, Clerk-Treasurer

Source: Village of Fall Creek website. First collected Oct 9, 2026.