board_meeting_minutes_september_2026.pdf

Village of Siren is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. Complaints of discrimination should be sent to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington DC 20250-9410 VILLAGE OF SIREN - VILLAGE BOARD MEETING WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 MINUTES The Regular Village Board meeting held on September 24, 2025, was called to order at 4:30 p.m. by Village President Steve Young. Members Present: Dave Doty Sr., Kelly Gunderson, Nick Haessly, Ed Johnson, Sara Reimann, John Tinman, Steve Young Others Present: Ann Peterson, Clerk/Treasurer; Jim Jaskolka; Public Works Director; Trevor Thiex, Police Chief; Teresa Anderson, MSA; Becky Strabel, Burnett County Sentinel; Jerry Becker President Young called for Public Comments. None were offered. A motion was made by Dave Doty Sr. and seconded by Kelly Gunderson to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried without negative vote. A motion was made by Dave Doty Sr. and seconded by John Tinman to approve the following minutes: • Regular Village Board meeting of August 27, 2025 • Special Village Board meeting of August 28, 2025 • Special Village Board meeting of September 4, 2025 • Special Village Board meeting of September 15, 2025 • Streets & Utilities Committee meeting of September 15, 2025 • Buildings, Grounds & Parks Committee Meeting of September 15, 2025 • Personnel & Finance Committee meeting of September 16, 2025 • Public Safety Committee meeting of September 16, 2025 Motion carried without negative vote. A motion was made by Ed Johnson and seconded by Sara Reimann to approve payment of the bills in the amount of $73,403.41 general vouchers and checks cut since the last regularly scheduled board meeting in the amount of $41,788.26 for a grand total of $115,191.67. Motion carried without negative vote. President Young gave the President’s Report. The Village received a thank you from the family of former Village President Bob Lee for the flowers that were sent for his funeral. Clerk/Treasurer Peterson reported on the meeting she had on Tuesday with Chuck Paske from the Dept of Revenue as it relates to the TID error from 2024 taxes payable in 2025. There will be a correction in our TID 2 increment in 2025 & 2026; TID 3 will only be impacted in 2025, and the impact won’t be for the entire increment of TID 3 so the Village will still receive an increment next year. Chief Thiex presented the August Police Report. The 2024 Dodge Durango has been taken to the dealership in Hopkins for additional follow-up. The dealership began looking at the squad earlier this week. Stellantis is updating Chief Thiex on the status of the repairs. Board member John Tinman reported on the Siren Fire Association. The Association has agreed to the purchase of a new truck which is coming from Illinois. There are some items that need to be changed on the truck such as the color of the lights. The current truck will be put out for bid, and the Association will retain any funds received to be used for other items needed. The Association is going to work on updating the existing by- Village of Siren is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. Complaints of discrimination should be sent to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington DC 20250-9410 laws for the Association. STANDING COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS & REPORTS Public Safety Committee Police Chief Thiex informed the Board that the only option that is available to try and slow traffic on Ellis Avenue would be speed bumps. There are no requirements for signage of speed bumps, however, having “Bump Ahead” signs is recommended to avoid potential incidents with slowed/stopped traffic. Public Works Director Jaskolka reported that he contacted the Town of Jackson, and they are willing to sell the three bumps they have for $250. The Village would need to purchase the anchors that would go in the pavement. The cost of the signs would be minimal as the Village has the base for the signs. A motion was made by Dave Doty Sr. and seconded by Steve Young to purchase temporary speed bumps from the Town of Jackson at a cost of $250. The Village can then determine how they work and then the Village can discuss next year if more should be purchased. Motion carried without negative vote. OLD BUSINESS Jerry Becker provided an update on the Homer Pearson buck project in Crooked Lake Park. He has spoken with the area newspapers to garner interest in the project as well as Whitetail Unlimited and Burnett County Economic Development. A 20’ tall fiberglass statue would be around $35,000. He would like to have some members of the Village Board and the Siren Chamber be a part of this project. The Board discussed having a life-sized statue as opposed to a large statue like the Jordan Buck statue that located in Danbury. President Young indicated that the Siren Chamber, Tourism Commission, and the Village need to all meet to determine how they want the statue to look. Ordinance Enforcement and Building Permit Issuance – President Young reported that he and Chief Thiex worked on an ordinance last year to issue citations for ordinance violations. Chief Thiex has issued a few citations, and President Young would like to make sure that the officers are also familiar with that requirement. The Village Building Inspector issued a land-use permit for a garage on Tewalt Road. President Young has done some research, and he has discovered that the garage should have gone through the UDC permit process as it appears that there are living quarters in the garage. Our current UDC inspector is REM Inspections out of Amery. Clerk/Treasurer Peterson explained that if someone approaches the Village for a new one-or-two family dwelling the applicants are given the information for REM Inspections. If someone comes in and applies for a garage permit there is no UDC permit requirement, so those permits are handled in-house by our Village Building Inspector, Dale Dornburg. President Young would like to have the entire Village Board look at this issue including the job description for the Building Inspector. Trustee Doty suggested that the Village designate one or two individuals to look at all the ordinances and bring recommendations to the Board for changes. Kelly Gunderson and Sara Reimann volunteered to assist President Young on reviewing the ordinances. Financing of the Village’s portion of the Siren Fire Association’s new truck – The Board discussed funding options for the Village’s portion of the new truck which is $26,828.85. Clerk/Treasurer Peterson explained that the Village could pay for the truck out of fund balance or finance the truck for one-to-three years and add the loan payment to the levy. The Association is also looking ahead, and another truck could be purchased in two years at an estimated cost of $500,000. A motion was made by Steve Young and seconded by Kelly Gunderson to finance the Village’s portion for a period of two years through Community Bank. All in favor, motion carried. Village of Siren is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. Complaints of discrimination should be sent to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington DC 20250-9410 Part-Time Police Department Administrative Assistant – Chief Thiex and the Board discussed the option of hiring the top candidate at a rate of $23 per hour but for less hours than originally advertised. The Village can save money in the budget by hiring at a higher rate of pay for less hours as the position then becomes ineligible for Wisconsin Retirement. A motion was made by Dave Doty Sr. and seconded by Steve Young to hire the top candidate at a rate of $23 per hour for 22 hours per week with a maximum hours per year of 1144. All in favor, motion carried. NEW BUSINESS The Board discussed setting new dates for the November and December Regular Board meetings due to Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. A motion was made by Steve Young and seconded by Sara Reimann to set the meeting dates as November 19, 2025, and December 17, 2025. All in favor, motion carried. A motion was made by Dave Doty Sr. and seconded by John Tinman to purchase a new blade for the John Deere sidewalk machine at a cost of $2,250 from Tractor Central in Cameron. Public Works Director Jaskolka reported that the higher bid from Midwest Machinery had items that were not needed. All in favor, motion carried. A motion was made by Steve Young and seconded by John Tinman to approve Change Order #1 for Wellhouse #1 Riser Pipe and Deductive items. This change order decreases the cost of the project by $5,062 and is based on changes discussed between Contractor B&B Electric and Public Works Director Jim Jaskolka. Work will continue at Wellhouse #1 in October. All in favor, motion carried. A motion was made by John Tinman and seconded by Dave Doty Sr. to approve Pay Request #2 for B&B Electric for Wellhouse Improvements in the amount of $9,606.40. All in favor, motion carried. A motion was made by Dave Doty Sr. and seconded by John Tinman to approve President Young’s committee assignment changes: • Steve Young replaces Sara Reimann as Chair of Streets & Utilities Committee • Sara Reimann replaces Steve Young as a member of Public Safety Committee All in favor, motion carried. The meeting schedule was set as follows: a. Budget: October 14th at 4:30 p.m. b. Buildings, Grounds & Parks Committee: To be set if needed c. Personnel & Finance Committee: To be set if needed d. Public Safety Committee: To be set if needed e. Streets & Utilities Committee: To be set if needed f. Planning Commission & Board of Appeals: To be set if needed g. Tourism Commission: November 12th at 9:00 a.m. h. Ball Park Committee: February 9th at 6:00 p.m. A motion was made by Dave Doty Sr. and seconded by Nick Haessly to adjourn the Village Board Meeting at 5:51 p.m. Motion carried without negative vote. Submitted by Ann L Peterson, WCMC/CMTW Village Clerk/Treasurer