Board of Supervisors Meeting- June 1, 2025 — Minutes

Town of Milladore Board of Supervisors Meeting June 1, 2025 Minutes Board Members Present: Ned Ruesch, Joel Kuehnhold, Ron Koziczkowski, Leslianne Ruesch, Terri Grassel. Citizens Present: Bob Ashbeck, Emery Nigh, Dave Klassy, Terry Marten, Todd Bores, Jay Stuttgen The meeting was called to order with the Pledge of Allegiance. The secretary report for May was read. A motion was moved by Ned to approve. Seconded by Joel. Motion approved. The treasurer report was received. The chair noted there were 5 items that needed to be added to the agenda. Each of these items came after the agenda was posted by the clerk. They will be added into new business. Old Business: The well was put in. Ron spoke about that process and reported that it went great. We have plenty of water, and good pressure. The annual recycling report was sent into the DNR and we have already received confirmation that we will be receiving a grant as expected. The CT form was submitted to the DOR. The truck we had looked at is not suitable for our needs. The transmission didn’t seem to have the power we need for plowing. We will continue to look for a truck, and hope to have one by winter. The chair, supervisors, and clerk all attended the Spring Workshop held by the WTA. A lot of useful information was shared. New Business: The clerk has started to work on the liquor licenses that need to be issued in the month of June. The clerk has posted the notice for Swetz Country Corner Mart application for a license in the Marshfield Herald as required. A motion was moved by Ned to issue Swetz a Class A liquor license, and accompanying operator licenses according to state procedure. Seconded by Joel. Motion carried. The Sherry and Auburndale fire contracts were reviewed. The board had discussed at the May 2025 meeting ideas for updates they would like to see with a Sherry Fire Department Contract, such as transparency of their budget, updated fittings, proper billings, a yearly contract, use of the MABAS system, proof of trainings, etc. A list of what requirements would be needed to enter into a contract with The Town of Milladore will be finalized in the upcoming week. A motion was moved by Joel to send the list to the Sherry Fire Department along with a letter stating that we are rescinding our contract with them per the 90 day notice outlined in our latest contract, dated 2012. They could still be considered for a contract in the future if they can meet the requirements shown in the letter. Seconded by Ned. Motion carried. The clerk will send out the letter to Sherry Fire Department LLC via certified mail. A motion was made by Ned that we pay The Sherry Fire Department for the months of July, August, and September in lieu of the normal ½ contract payment at the next meeting. Seconded by Joel. Motion carried. Chief Bores from The Auburndale Fire Department was in attendance to discuss what they could offer Town of Milladore. The Village of Auburndale also sent representatives to help answer any questions they could about a potential contract. Chief Bores gave information about their equipment. They currently have a new pumper engine on order, expected to be delivered this fall. They already have 2 tenders, a rescue vehicle, and a brush rig in their inventory. Chief Bores explained that a structure fire doubles in strength every 30 seconds, so they put an emphasis on arriving quickly, and with proper equipment. They are part of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS). They have been using equipment with 5 inch fittings since 1988. All of their equipment is tested by an independent party annually. We are welcome to see those results. They conduct trainings every second Tuesday of each month. They can provide copies of notes on those as well. There are currently 28 on their roster, with 15-20 active members. The Auburndale Fire Department bills insurance, but does not bill the town for calls that they go on, nor do they require any sort of hourly or per truck rate. They conduct inspections of larger businesses twice a year, and try and inspect smaller businesses at least once per year. Chief Bores attends the Wood County quarterly meetings as able. The Auburndale Fire Department consistently write and submit multiple grants to help offset the cost of keeping up and purchasing new equipment. They shared a copy of their budget and said we can look at that at any time. The Auburndale Fire Department submits their budget for approval annually to both the Town and Village of Auburndale. They also briefed us where they currently spend their 2% dues allocation, which is primarily within the schools and boy scout troops for education about fire safety. They presented us with a copy of their bylaws, operating procedure, and run tally sheets. Chief Bores answered the questions of people in attendance. The Auburndale Fire Department left us with a contract proposal. Andrew Jennings from Wood County Treasurer’s office has the certification paperwork for our Statement of Assessment ready. The clerk verified the numbers with what she was given by our assessor. The chair signed the document with the clerk filling out the witness portion. The clerk will send this in to the county. First State Bank has offered us an option for adding the treasurer as a “read only” member to our online bank accounts. This will significantly reduce the time the clerk and treasurer currently need to spend on payroll and auditing the accounts together each month. A motion was moved by Joel to add Treasurer Terri Grassel as an online user to all bank accounts owned by Town of Milladore. Seconded by Ron. Motion carried. There was an incident at the Sherry Milladore Joint Recycling Center on May 10th, 2025. Our employee, Emery Nigh lost his glasses while working. He is asking to be reimbursed for the full cost of the glasses, which he stated were only 2 weeks old. Emery, who was in attendance at tonight’s meeting, explained to the board that he was putting bags in a dumpster when they fell off. The board asked if he looked for them, and he said that he did, but couldn’t find them. The board asked if he could provide a copy of the receipt, to which he stated he could. The board asked if there were any witnesses to the incident, and Emery stated that a worker for The Town of Sherry, who is a minor, witnessed it. The board tabled any further discussion of this matter until the receipt could be provided, and they could better look into the incident. The Town of Sherry has asked us to talk to our recycling center workers in regards to the sheets turned in at the end of the shift not matching the number of bags sold or money collected. It has been an ongoing problem; however, the Sherry board only recently informed the Milladore board of this. We have hired an additional worker to work at the recycling center for the month of June. Her job will be to only sell bags, take money, and fill out the daily forms. We are hoping this allows the other workers to focus on the trash and recycling duties. After one month, we will meet with the new worker and see if reports are lining up better. She has also been instructed to take notes about things she thinks might help the recycling center run better while working there, and report them back to us. The Town of Milladore Board will be attending The Town of Sherry meeting on June 10, 2025. They will only be discussing the recycling center. The clerk will post notice of quorum. A motion was moved by Joel to add Rorie Smith to the list of town employees. She will be working at the recycling center. Seconded by Ron. Motion carried. The clerk has compiled the 2024 expenditure reports and met with Ron to work on an updated road budget. The clerk attended a Maintenance of Effort training held by the Department of Revenue. This form needs to be filed by July 1st or hefty penalties and reduction of payments are assessed. The state requires this form to be eligible for any state aid. The clerk has received the necessary certificates from City of Marshfield Ambulance Services, and The Auburndale Fire Department. We are still awaiting the certificates from The Sherry Fire Department. Once received, the clerk will file the MOE report with the DOR. Road Repairs and Concerns: Ron made a motion that we lay new granite on a portion of Brookside Rd. Seconded by Ned. Motion carried. Ron will reach out to get a bid and get this started. Public Comment: Recycling center employee Emery Nigh tendered his resignation. A motion was moved by Ned to add Rocky Smith as an additional employee as needed for the recycling center or general labor. Seconded by Joel. Motion carried. A motion was moved by Ned to pay bills. Seconded by Ron. Motion carried. The next meeting is scheduled for July 6, 2025, at 6:30 pm. A motion was moved by Joel to adjourn. Seconded by Ron. Meeting adjourned.