Town Board — Minutes

1 REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES DATE: September 10, 2024 Chairman Fred Stoll called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. Supervisors Myron Olson and Kevin Mackie, Diane Nelson, Clerk; Amy Eliot, Treasurer, Keith Kesler, Fire Chief; and Mark Johnson, Streets Dept also attended. Seventeen residents and Andy Carlson from the ballfields also attended. Minutes: Myron motioned, seconded by Kevin to approve the minutes of last month ’s board meeting, motion passed. Financial Report : The financial report showed: $12,922.71 in checking, $289,622.60 in the general money market account which includes $165,112.92 in a sub-account dedicated to the town garage, $29,572.37 in real estate tax account, $ 16,795.79 in personal property tax account, $35,962.83 in equipment account, and $30,043.32 in the ARPA Grant account. Kevin motioned, seconded by Myron to accept the financial report, and authorize paying the bills, motion passed. Public Comments: Andy Carlson asked about the draft agreement he submitted for the town and the ball association to sign. The board indicated they needed to review it more . Andy also mentioned some recent vandalism at the ball fields where a hand washing station was wrecked. He indicated they would be done using the fields at the end of September. County Supervisor’s Report: Scott was unable to attend but provided information on upcoming meetings, resolutions, ordinance corrections, and recognition of youth representatives on the board, Amelia Gollins as employee of the quarter and Cheryl Westmand retiring from the clerk’s office. Town Officers Reports: Myron discussed the application of funding for the Co-op Park Rd, DNR indicated funds won’t be available until 2026 or 2027. Myron instructed Brent to instruct people to dispose of recycling if bins are full if they don’t want to bring it back home, as some complaints have been received when the recycling bins are full. Road Report: Culverts have been installed on Bellwood Pit and River Rds. Kauppi and Wentala have been graveled, Birch still needs more gravel . Amy Cronk needs pictures of culvert installation; Myron will get them sent. Fire Chief Report: They have had 2 medical calls, 1 false alarm, and 1 mutual aid call. Brent joined the department. New Business: Zoning: Nothing needed approval. Leah Crist, Dementia Care Specialist : Leah presented information on the services offered by the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Douglas County. Rooster discussion: Jake Mohr submitted a request to add an agenda item for the board to consider banning roosters in the town. Mr. Mohr was not present . Brent Koehn presented a petition he had circulated among Brule residents which he read: “This petition advocates for the preservation of existing policies that permit residents of the T own of Brule to raise and own poultry, with a specific emphasis on the right to own a rooster . We aim to gather 2 community support to present to the T own Board of B rule.” The petition was signed by approximately 100 people. In addition, 16 Brule residents attended the meeting to speak on the pros and cons of raising poultry and being good neighbors. They questioned the slippery slope of banning first roosters, then maybe dogs, then maybe noisy children as an extreme. The overall sentiment was not only would it be a bad idea to implement a ban but would also be virtually impossible for the board to enforce. Old Business: Garage Update: Myron will set up a meeting with the Sanitary Board to discuss the need for an additional pond and where on the new land it would be situated. T his would help in evaluating the new site and the site across th e road by the dump for b est fit to house the new garage. He emphasized the need to plan for the future when building. He expects the town to purchase a quad -axel in the future , and w e wouldn’ t want to build it now to find out new equipment didn’t fit, like with the new grader. He also stressed the need to evaluate wants vs needs. Once some initial planning has occurred he will schedule an informational meeting for the residents. Fire Dept. Water Source: The well installation is currently in process and Mr Butterfield is overseeing the project. It is expected to be completed by the end of the week. There will also be electrical needs once the well is in. It appears we will get a good supply of water. Town correspondence was reviewed. The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 PM. Respectfully submitted, Diane Nelson, Clerk