20260304_Village Board Minutes

PROCEEDINGS - VILLAGE OF ARGYLE - MONTHLY MEETING March 4th, 2026 The regular monthly meeting of the Argyle Village Board was called to order by President Thomas Moore on March 4th, 2026 at 7 :00 pm. Roll call was taken with all members present. Proper posting of the meeting was acknowledged. Helfvogt made a motion for approval of th e minutes, Webster seconded, motion carried. Johnson made a motion to approve the agenda, Rossing seconded, motion carried. CITIZEN COMMENT Casey Crist spoke regarding the ability to dump at the wastewater treatment plant and stated he is grateful for the opportuni ty to do so. OLD BUSINESS Ben Heidemann from Town & Country Engineering provided information regarding the Safe Drinking Water Fund Program and the Lead Service Line Replacement requirements for state compliance. The Village is currently receiving funding through the Safe Drinking Water Fund for lead service line replacements. The loan allows funding for both the private and public portions of replacement. The priv ate side of the project would have an interest rate of 0.25%, while the public side interest rate is approximately 1.485%. The private portion must b e funded through general obligation borrowing, while the public portion could be funded through either general obligation borrowing or a reven ue pledge through the water utility, which would not affect the Village’s borrowing limits. Heidema nn noted that based on the Village’s most recent rate case and revenue from the Fairview project, the public portion could be funded through a revenue pledge without requiring another rate case with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. Helfvogt made a motion to fund the public portion of the loan through the water utili ty revenue pledge, King seconded. A roll-call vote was taken with all in favor, motion carried. The loan terms for the private side allow financing for a minimum of 1 0 years up to 20 years at a rate of 0.25%, while the public side may be financed for 20 or 30 years at a rate of 1.485%. Helfvo gt made a motion to finance the private portion over 10 years and the public portion over 20 years, King seconded. A roll -call vote was taken with all members voting in favor, motion carried. Heidema nn also provided an update regarding the Gab ioud farm phosphorus monitoring. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is currently waiting for sufficient evidence of flow entering the river. Heavy rainfall would likely help p rovide this for the streambank restoration to proceed. The allowed phosphorus discharge currently is 1 part per million with a variance allowable up to 5 parts per million, however the guidelines will be changing to allow 0.1 parts per million with a variance of 1 part per million. Heidem ann suggested filing for Congressionally Directed Funding assistance to help upgrade the wastewater treatment plant to accommodate this and attempt to control the phosphorus levels. Discussion was held regarding engineering services from Vierbicher. Funds may be taken from the State Trus t to cover the contract as needed for upcoming projects including the daycare parking lot, retaining wall work, the Smart Growth Comprehensi ve Plan, and grant writing services. King made a motion to approve, Rossing seconded, motion carried. Helfvogt spoke regarding the contract for Wastewater/Water Superintendent Jared Johnson and recommended a 2% wage increase for becoming the wastewater treatment plant operator. Helfvog t made a motion to approve the increase, Hinojosa seconded, motion carried. Johnson reported she had spoken with the recycle center at tendant regarding his schedule and that he would still prefer to leave earlier in the day on Wednesdays. President Moore suggested that Park an d Cemetery mowing employee may be able to assist with coverage. This item was tabled for discussion at a future meeting. The recycle center for klift has been sold through Wisconsin Surplus Auction after receiving a bid of $850. Johnson made a motion to approve the sale, Hinojosa seconded, motion carried. NEW BUSINESS An engagement letter from Johnson Block & Company for the WEDC final expenditure report for the year ending December 31, 2025 was presented. Johnson made a motion to approve, Helfvogt seconded, motion carried. A driveway and sidewalk permit appli cation was discussed and will be tabled for the next meeting. Discussion was held regarding damage to a water box located at the third d uplex development on S Green Street. Repairs including curb and blacktop patch replacement are estimated at approximately $5,900. Hinojosa motioned to approve changing the ordinance to state that the person or contractor who pulls permits will be responsi ble for any repairs or bills that occur from damages done, King seconded. A roll -call vote was taken with all in favor, motion carried. Staff will review the permit application and contact Scott Jelle for clarification on whether the applications themselves can be edited. Cemetery mowing bids for the approximately 1.5 acre Argyle Cemetery will be posted for the 2026 season. Bids will be accepted until Friday, March 27th and opened at the following meeting. Helfvogt will also obtain estimates for cemetery restoration work to present at a future meeting. Library Director Detra nominated Valarie Steiner for the Argyle Public Library Board. Helfvogt made a motion to approve the appointment, Johnson sec onded, motion carried. Detra also requested consideration of combining the Library Director and Community Development job duties to help ma nage community events and the community calendar. This could potentially allow the library to expand hours beyond the current 24 hours per w eek and fill the soon vacant Community Development position. Helfvogt made a motion authorizing Schutte to work on the updated job description with Detra, King seconded, motion carried. COMMITTEE BUSINESS Hinojosa presented three quotes that were received for televising and jetting the sewer lines in the amounts of $19,250, $22,000, and $26,000. Hinojosa motioned to approve the $19,250 bid from Kleiber Hydro Jetting, Rossing seconded, motion carri ed. The wastewater treatment plant dumping permit was presented with a limit of 2,000 gallons a day and states that the operator must be present, among other guidelines, such as possible testing for loads. Johnson motioned to approve the new hauler contracts, Hinojosa se conded, motion carried. Hinojosa also presented a quote for replacement UV bulbs for the wastewater treatment plant totaling $2,050.92 for t wo bulbs and lamp drive plugs. Hinojosa made a motion to approve the purchase, Rossing seconded, motion carried. King mentioned that new street operator Falsey is doing well in his position. Rossing reported that the Village has engaged engineering students from University of Wisconsi n–Platteville to complete a project studying potential uses for the Community Center located in the former First National Bank & Trust buildin g. The students will present their findings to the Plan Commission in May and then to the Village Board for their school project. Initial feedback suggested incorporating additional green space near the building and considering outdoor activity space. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Schutte reported that the Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan has been released for public comment from March 3rd through April 3rd. Updated photos will be included before the final version is presented. The plan will return to the Plan Commission before coming back to the Village Board, likely for the May meeting. An open house for the former First National Bank & Trust building, soo n to be the Argyle Community Center & Public Library, will be held Saturday, March 7th from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM to gather public feedback on how the building space could best be utilized. Feedback topics include green space, quiet workspaces, and expanded children’s areas. Schutte s tated he is working with RBS on updated signage to improve visibility for the building and discussed the possibility of future features such as a television display for messaging. PRESIDENT BUSINESS The payroll report for February overtime paid to full -time employees was presented as follows: Johnson – 10.07 hours, Koch – 19.55 hours, Falsey – 4.42 hours, Flannery – 6.15 hours, McGuire – 0.33 hours, Saalsaa – 3.64 hours. King made a motion to approve overtime, Webster seconded, motion carried. CLERK BUSINESS No building permits were issued since the previous meeting. A letter will be prepared for Scott Jelle requesting documentatio n of non-compliance items and the assessment of fines to Jason Riley at 811 Monroe Street. The audit by Johnson Block & Company is nea ring completion with final work being completed remotely. Open Book for property assessments will be held Wednesday, April 15th, 2 026 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM and Board of Review will be held Thursday, May 5th, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. The Argyle township will als o hold their Board of Review on the same day, times will be confirmed with Clerk Isely. King made a motion to approve total February 2026 accounts payable checks $389,096.49, March 2026 invoices paid to date $73,159.06, Helfvogt seconded, motion carried. The next monthly meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 1st, 2026 at 7:00 pm. Helfvogt made a motion to adjourn at 9:03 PM, Hinojosa seconded, motion carried. Mallory McGuire Deputy Clerk