EM village board hears concerns about lack of law enforcement

By Cara L. Dempski

ELK MOUND — A long-time village resident addressed the Elk Mound village president and trustees about his feelings on the local police department at the village board’s most recent meeting.

Village resident Robert Dempski, who has lived in Elk Mound with his wife and family for approximately 46 years, spoke to the full board during its June 21 meeting. He encouraged the village’s governing body to act as quickly as possible to give the community a police presence.

“After living in the village for 46 years, we’ve seen a lot of things come and go,” Dempski said. “There are a lot of things that a lot of people don’t see that, because of the location of our home, we’re exposed to.”

Dempski indicated he had spoken with several neighbors, and he and many of the people in homes on University Street concluded it was in the village’s best interest to have full-time law enforcement. He told the board there is a need for a visible police presence, and the hope is for a full-time chief or officer.

The village resident also said he is aware the full-time position covers just 40 hours per week, and there would likely be a small number of part-time law enforcement hired to assist the new chief, but expressed his hope that the person selected would still be able to have a life outside work. He asked the board to structure schedules so all officers can work together and still cover the maximum amount of time possible.

His statement echoed that of several former village board members, who frequently expressed their concerns regarding things happening in the community that were missed due to the lack of a consistent police presence.

“There are just things over the years living here that crop up, that occur,” Dempski noted. “I’ve talked with Terry (Stamm), and he knows some of the things very close to us that happen when the lights go out. They’re the kind of things you want to see taken care of. The best way to take care of it is having that officer presence.”

Dempski also suggested the board speak with department heads in other municipalities roughly the same size as Elk Mound, saying there are two communities very close by – Colfax and Boyceville – who have maintained a steady police presence for several years. He asked the board to find out what those communities were “doing right” to keep their officers for extended periods.

Village president Steve Abraham informed Dempski the board had previously approved moving the police chief’s hours from part-time to full-time, but right now interim chief Mike Tietz is trying to dig out from under the paperwork left behind when former police chief Travis Hakes resigned.

Abraham said Tietz is processing through all the administrative tasks, and looking at what sort of work was left undone when Hakes left. Tietz is also researching other towns and villages to speak with their police departments, and coordinating with the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office for coverage until a decision is made regarding law enforcement in Elk Mound.

The village president also warned Dempski and the board that the process of finding and hiring new law enforcement is not a quick one.

“We want the right person, for the right position, with the right people backing them up,” Abraham said.

Dempski agreed, saying “When you’re looking for a good outcome, you have to take your time.”

A brief conversation regarding the proposed “Traffic Tamers” program followed, when Dempski indicated he was not in support of the program for a small community like Elk Mound. He told the board there have been community issues in the past pitting neighbor against neighbor.

“In a small community things like that happen, but in some of those cases, after 40 years, some of those people still aren’t talking,” Dempski said. “I see ‘Traffic Tamers’ as that kind of situation.”

Abraham said the program does pose liability issues for the village, and indicated further discussion on the program would happen later in the meeting.

He later explained that the board would keep Traffic Tamers in mind for the future, but would not be moving forward with it at this time.

Other business

Mark Levra, the public works director, indicated he spoke with Dunn County regarding resurfacing Elk Mound Drive east of County Highway H. He and clerk Pat Hahn presented a resolution and declaration of official intent regarding the project for approval at the meeting.

Elk Mound would share the cost of the repaving project with the county.

Levra informed the board the county is willing to split the village’s $55,235 payment, half of what the project will cost, to be repaid over the next two years. A resolution to complete the work and a declaration of intent detailing how the resurfacing project will be paid for were unanimously approved.

The village public works head also presented the board with the water and sewer department’s 2016 Compliance Maintenance Report. The system again achieved As and Bs on its compliance report card. The report must be completed and submitted, and a resolution passed, before the end of June.

Both the report and the resolution received unanimous approval.

In other business, the board:

• Approved a building permit for Ger Xiong of 109 Jersey Lane to reroof.

• Learned the fire hall re-roofing project was completed earlier this month.

• Approved a class B retailer’s beer license and class C wine license for KBR Junction, LLC doing business as the Junction.

• Approved operator license applications for Aimee Lor, Taylor Deling and Nicole Luedtke for the Junction.