20260902 Meeting Minutes

PROCEEDINGS - VILLAGE OF ARGYLE - MONTHLY MEETING September 2nd, 2026 The regular monthly meeting of the Argyle Village Board was called to order by President Joe Schutte on September 2nd, 2026 a t 7:00 pm in the Argyle Government Building located at 401 E Milwaukee Street. Roll call was taken with no absences. Proper posting of the meeting was acknowledged. Helfvogt made a motion for approval of the August 5th Village Board minutes, King seconded, motion carried. Helfvogt made a motion for approval of the August 24th Special Meeting minutes, Monahan seconded, motion carried. King motioned to approve the agenda, Helfvogt seconded, motion carried. CITIZEN COMMENTS Dennis Lancaster presented information regarding the 109 River Street Property titled the Spring Brook 2028 Projec t. The project would involve preservation and modernization of the Argyle Mill along with the old Creamery and Red Front Lumber building s. Lancaster’s goal is to establish a tourist destination centered around Argyle's dairy and agricultural history that these buildings hosted, as well as the unique 3,200 square foot underground cheese storage bunker. Lancaster anticipates this would bring approximately 20,000 to 25,000 visitors to Argyle each year. His plans include a restaurant, bar and retail area featuring cheese and Louie's pudding, which he plans to produce again, with the Red Front building serving as an event center to support the restaurant primarily during the summer months. He stated the property could accommodate bus traffic if one -way traffic is established through River Street from Milwaukee Street to Mill Street. Lancaster highlighted the project's potential to promo te dairy history, agri -tourism, local employment and the use of local contractors and locally supplied food. His anticipated project start date is April 2028 . Lancaster requested Village assistance and support through the Tax Incremental District (TID). He explained that he would like the project to be structur ed as a public project, as he is unable to fund the improvements as a private project, allowing the project to potentially utilize government grant opportunit ies. A letter of support and Community Development Incentive (CDI) grants were brought up, citing similar projects such as the historic Phillipson Ford building and Rossing building. It was also noted that TID funds can be used to issue grants to businesses when matching funds are provided and the improvements are expected to generate future revenue. Louie's Pudding was shut down in 2013 and the Driftless Tannery began renting and utilizing the building and cave in 2020 that they still use today. OLD BUSINESS Discussion regarding downtown parking was tabled for a future meeting. The Plan Commission did not have a quorum to consider the Comprehensive Plan, requiring another public hearing notice to be posted for 30 days. The notice will be posted on September 14th, and the next Village Board meeting will be pushed back one week to allow the Plan Commission to meet prior to the Board meeting and make a recommendation to the Village Board. The new playground equipment has been installed at the Argyle American Legion Park along with the sidewalk surrounding the ne w playground, connecting it to the newly painted and restored airplane and the parking lot to provide handicap accessibility. The Argyle Co mmunity Parks Foundation requested assistance with the cost of hydroseeding areas of the park where the ground was leveled following installation. App roximately $1,500 would cover the grass area around the playground, with an additional $1,500 needed to seed the area around the new sidewalk. The Pa rks Foundation is continuing to fundraise for additional assistance. The Board discussed using the nearly $600 funds raised from the Park Palooza kickball tournament and $1,500 from the Park and Recreation budget, totaling $2,100, to cover hydroseeding of the soccer field area first. Helfvogt m otioned to approve the contribution, King seconded, motion carried. NEW BUSINESS An o perator license for Kendahl Schlueter was presented for The Legacy of Argyle . King motioned to approve the operator license, Monahan seconded, motion carried. The Board discussed possible action to discontinue acceptance of septic hauler waste and determined that additional information from the Village engineers and the DNR is needed before implementing a plan. It was discussed that septage is gen erally accepted from November 15th through April 15th, when land application is not permitted, provided the hauler is properly permitted and the V illage can reasonably accept the material without placing strain on the treatment plant. Previous phosphorus issues were discussed, along with concerns th at the Village's small wastewater treatment system does not receive enough domestic flow to adequately dilute the septage when it is added. The Boar d will investigate posting and notification requirements and determine what options are available. Current permits remain in effect through December 31s t, 2026, so no changes would be made until at least January 2027. The Board also discussed reviewing the differences between septage and portable to ilet waste for purposes of establishing appropriate line items and policies. A sewer lateral needs an emergency repair on State Street near the school crosswalk due to erosion and runoff water. Maddrell will be assisting to complete the necessary work. Chief Saalsaa is assisting with posting no parking areas, as vehicles would prevent the work from being completed properly and safely. Helfvogt motioned to authorize completion of the emergency repair, King seconded, motion carried. GENERAL COMMITTEE A 2007 Sterling dump truck was purchased through Wisconsin Surplus Auction from Sussex for a winning bid of $29,490, total purchase cost after fees of $32,144.10. The vehicle has low mileage and includes a brine tank , snowplow, plow wing, and other features. The Board discussed the purchase of a digger truck for the Electric Department as the current truck is not operable . Helfvogt motioned to approve the purchase of a digger truck for up to $20,000 to be paid from the Electric Fund, Monahan seconded, motion carried. Any amount over $20,000 w ould be brought back to the Village Board for approval. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT The library renovations are still in progress ; the carpet has been installed, the bathroom is currently being completed, and construction in the former vault, patch repairs in the main area, vestibule touch -ups and the donor wall will still need some work. The new furniture from Demco is scheduled to be delivered on September 14th, on which day the current library will close to begin packing, with the move scheduled for September 21st. New Glarus Library is donating its old shelving to the Argyle Public Library for use as storage in the basement . Detra noted that the library should review its storage renting policy due to potential liability concerns. The possibility of renting space will need to be discussed, with consideration given to the type of items being stored, whether owners have their own insurance, and concerns regarding public access. Humidity levels will also need to be monitored to ensure safety of anything being stored. Library hours were also discussed with suggestions for the library to initially operate for longer hours with fewer staff to determine when the new building is busiest and then adjust hours based on usage. Another suggestion was to offer cer tain early or later days. Schutte suggested collecting data on library usage to determine the busiest times. The library will be hosting a grand opening on Homecoming Day, October 3rd. Park Palooza was considered a major success with good attendance and all participating groups reporting strong fundraising results. The event will possibly be moved to the first Saturday in August in future years, replacing the date currently used for Mud Volleyball. The Fire Depa rtment should be contacted to determine whether they have any conflicts or planned activities on the proposed date for next year. The Chili Cookoff will be held on October 24th and will continue as a fall festival type event with a market and activities for all ages. PRESIDENT BUSINESS The payroll report was presented with overtime reported as follows: Jared – 0.27 hours, Dan – 7.68 hours, Mallory – 4.5 hours, Saalsaa – 0.32 hours. Helfvogt made a motion to approve the overtime, Monahan seconded, motion carried. Johnson Block commented on the audit report that about the need to complete an electric rate case, with the possibility of completing a sewer rate case as well. The Board discussed a meeting with the New Glarus administration regarding mutual aid for the Electric Department and the difficulties associated with borrowing fro m other utilities. It was noted that the Village can borrow against itself at a lower rate than public financing, but this option would be lost if the Villag e were to move to Alliant. Ehlers can provide an electric rate case and TID services, as well as services like those provided by Vierbicher. Other potential services discussed included a Capital Improvement Plan and residential TID work. Following discussio n, Schutte determined that Ehlers was extremely knowledgeable and had immediately provided information specific to the Village's electric rate case. Johnson Block provided a proposal of $18,000 for a rate case, while Ehlers provided a proposal of $18,500. Rossing motioned to proceed with an electric rate case through Ehlers, Monahan seconded, motion carried. Helfvogt stated that the area surrounding the playground has been graded and looks fantastic, Schutte added that additional woodchips will be added as they settle and the rest of the smaller playground equipment will be installed once it arrives. CLERK BUSINESS No building permits have been issued since the August 2026 meeting. Schutte requested follow-up regarding 811 Monroe Street to ensure the property owner follows all building permits and ordinances. The building inspector and village attorney will be contacted for an update. A special Village Board meeting will be held on September 22nd at 5:15PM. Clerk Flannery will be working on budget preparation. A letter of support was also discussed. The Stone Guardian has repaired 7 stones in the Old Argyle Cemetery. The Village's recycling ordinance will need to be updated following revisions to the DNR administrative code governing recycling units and other aspects of recycling law. The ordinance will need to appear on two fu ture agendas, with a first reading followed by approval to meet state compliance requirements. Several state definitions have changed and no longer align with the Village's current ordinance, requiring the definitions and other provisions to be updated. The updates will likely be presented in October and November. The last update to the ordinance was made in June 2013. Helfvogt made a motion to approve August 2026 accounts payable checks totaling $218,678.15 and September 2026 invoices paid to date totaling $22,090.60, King seconded, motion carried. The next Village Board meeting will be a special meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026 at 5:15 pm and the next regular monthly meeting, originally scheduled for October 7th, will be moved to October 14th at 7:00PM to accommodate the Plan Commission meeting. Helfvogt made a motion to adjourn at 8:49PM , Monahan seconded, motion carried. Mallory McGuire Deputy Clerk