Elk Mound village board splits vote on trustee appointment, tables police chief discussion

By Cara L. Dempski

ELK MOUND — The Elk Mound village board was not able to agree on village president Tom Gilbert’s nominee to fill the seat vacated by former president Andy Peterson.

Two village residents, Steve Abraham and Travis Amundson, appeared during the citizens’ forum of the December 21 meeting to introduce themselves to the board and state their desire to be considered for the open seat.

Abraham spoke about the time he has lived in the village and his depth of experience in similar positions. Amundson also has lived in Elk Mound for several years, and said he wanted to become more involved in the community.

Gilbert nominated Amundson to fill the open position, stating he knew Amundson fairly well and felt he would be a good fit given he lived near the heart of the village and had more diverse experience. Abraham, who has also filed papers to participate in the April 2017 village board election, lives on the outskirts of the village.

“It mostly has to do with a demographic and who we represent,” Gilbert explained. “I have to make a choice based on who I think represents the constituents overall.”

Board member Tony Schrantz asked Gilbert to clarify the appointment process, and Gilbert told the board the president nominates a candidate, and then the board votes to accept or deny the appointment.

Schrantz asked why Gilbert chose Amundson over Abraham, and Gilbert informed him he felt the board could use more variety in representation for the village. He noted Amundson has lived in the village for many years and owns locally-based Amundson Flooring.

The board president also said the appointment will be a short one, as there are only seven meetings prior to the 2017 board election.

Brenda Carpenter seconded Gilbert’s nomination, but invited Abraham to continue coming to meetings and continue with his campaign for election as a village trustee in April. 

When a vote was finally taken, the board split evenly over whether Amundson was the best person to fill the open seat. Since village boards have up to 60 days to appoint a new trustee, the decision was made to table further discussion regarding the appointment until a future meeting.

The failure to appoint a new trustee during the December 21 meeting left the fate of current police chief Travis Hakes in limbo. The closed session to discuss his future with the village of Elk Mound was also tabled because a simple majority would not be possible without seven trustees on the board. 

Gilbert and Carpenter, the chairs of the public safety and employee relations committees, previously stated the simplest way to fill the opening for a full-time police chief would be to switch Hakes from part-time to full-time.

The recently re-created position was left vacant with the retirement of prior police chief Randy Bartelt in late 2012. Hakes was hired on a part-time basis in early 2013, and has advocated for a full-time police chief since taking the position.

Hakes said in a statement he made during the meeting that he hopes the village board will be able to come to a consensus regarding the hiring of a full-time chief, because he believes Elk Mound will be a safer place for families when a full-time police chief is in place.

“At the end of the day, I have accomplished a feat that I have been working for since I started in 2013,” Hakes said at the end of his statement.

A seat on the planning commission also was left open by Peterson’s departure, and current village trustee Rebecca Livingston said she would be willing to give the committee a try. Gilbert informed Livingston he would be willing to serve if she decided the commission was not a good fit for her. The board unanimously approved this plan.

Other business

Hakes made two requests for repairs and equipment replacement for the police department during the December 21 meeting.

The police chief’s first request regarded repairs needed for the documentation and information sharing system currently in use. The program has not functioned for several months, and Hakes said a technician would be looking at it to determine if it could be fixed, and what it might cost.

Hakes informed the board he was not sure how much would need to be paid for a system fix, as the customer service representative he spoke with regarding the issue said a fix could either be free, or could cost up to $900. The board approved spending the money if it was deemed necessary by the repair worker.

The department also is in need of a new radar unit for the patrol vehicle. Hakes initially asked the board for approval to spend up to $1,000 on a new unit during an August 2016 board meeting and was granted approval. He has worked to keep the current unit functioning, but said he now needs to purchase a new one.

Chief Hakes brought the matter back to the board, because he learned a new unit that will allow him to clock speeds through the front windshield and can be held up to take speed measurements out either side window will cost approximately $1,275. 

The company he spoke with in August advised him to wait until later in the year to purchase because the cost of items would drop significantly around the holiday season. Hakes said the price quoted for the item he would like to purchase is less than half what it would cost for a new stationary dash radar unit for the patrol vehicle. The board unanimously approved the extra expenditure for the new unit.

In other business, the board:

• Approved general fund and water utility vouchers.

• Approved building permits for 111-117 Independence Drive for two duplexes, and for Shannon Berger at 210 University Street for a deck and stairs.

• Learned the Fire Department had only five calls in November and achieved an ISO rating of 6 (out of 10) for 2016. This is a one-point increase since 2015.

• Approved bartender operator licenses for Jenna Greendear, manager at Mound’s View Store, and Amanda Williams at the Pourhouse.

• Reminded all board members that non-candidacy paperwork for village board is due December 27, and those seeking a position on the board must have all paperwork completed and turned in by January 3, 2017.

• Reminded members the next regular meeting will be held January 3, 2017.