Elk Mound approves budget of $804,926 for 2025
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
ELK MOUND — The Elk Mound Village Board has approved a revenue and expense budget of $804,926 for 2025.
No members of the public were present at the December 18 village board meeting to speak about the budget during the public hearing.
Village Board president Terry Stamm opened the public hearing for the budget and then immediately closed the public hearing since there were no members of the public attending the meeting.
The 2025 budget of $804,926 compares to the 2024 budget of $779,010, representing an increase of $25,916.
General property taxes on the budget are listed at $398,077, which compares to general property taxes of $387,696 for 2024, representing an increase of $10,381.
Intergovernmental revenue is listed at $337,504 for 2025, which compares to $328,050 for 2024, representing an increase of $9,454.
Expenditures include $293,020 for general government in 2025, which compares to $286,124 for 2024, representing an increase of $6,896.
Expenditures for public safety in 2025 are listed at $271,751, which compares to $253,556 for 2024, representing an increase of $18,195.
Expenditures for public works transportation is listed at $149,828, which compares to $149,443 for 2024, representing an increase of $385.
Expenditures for health and human services are listed at $2,059, which compares to $1,771 for 2024, representing an increase of $288.
Expenditures for culture and recreation are listed at $13,725, which compares to $13,400 for 2024, representing an increase of $325.
Expenditures for conservation and development are listed at $500 for both 2024 and 2025.
Expenditures for debt service are listed at $74,043 for 2025, which compares to $74,216 for 2024, representing a decrease of $173.
The Elk Mound Village Board unanimously approved the 2025 budget.
Voting in favor were Village President Terry Stamm and Trustees Cynthia Abraham, Bob Bachman, Patricia Hahn, Tim Benjamin, Patrick Lien and Joyce Price.
Police report
Elk Mound Police Chief Chad Weinberger reported that the most unusual incident in November of 2024 was a walk-in at the police department complaining that their vehicle had been stolen.
The complainant said they had given their car to their significant other who had not returned for several days.
The complainant was reminded this was a civil matter, because permission had been granted for use of the vehicle.
The complainant was reminded of the previous similar incidents reported that were explained as also being civil matters on September 10, 2019, on December 24, 2019, on January 2, 2020, and on July 2, 2024, the police chief said.
In November, the Boyceville Police Department responded to Elk Mound one time; central first responders responded two times; Colfax EMS responded two times; the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department responded 40 times; the Elk Mound fire department responded one time; and the Elk Mound Police Department responded 42 times. Total responses for the month were 88.
On November 5, there was a report of a homeless man from Michigan walking from River Falls to the east who was outside of the Elk Mound library during late night/early morning hours who was “using the internet,” Police Chief Weinberger said.
The Elk Mound Police Department contacted several library officials and advised them of the incident and to consider turning off the internet after library business hours, he said.
Fire department
Stamm, representative for the Elk Mound Community Fire District Board, reported that the fire department had responded to three calls in November and that the fire department roster has 21 people.
Elk Mound Fire Chief Colin Feuster is still working with attorney Paul Mahler on an ordinance for recovering the cost of extinguishing fires and cleaning up fires that would be adopted by the three municipalities in the district, he said.
The Elk Mound fire district includes the Village of Elk Mound, the Town of Elk Mound and the Town of Spring Brook.
A grant from Compeer Financial resulted in a new electric ventilation fan for the fire station. A new television was purchased for training purposes, and new LED lights were installed in the fire station, Stamm said.
The Elk Mound Community Fire District Board meets monthly.
SW&R
Stamm’s report on solid waste and recycling included a reminder that the hours of operation for both the Elk Mound collection site and the Colfax collection site will be changing on January 1, 2025, to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 7 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays.
One village board member asked why there were more hours added on Wednesdays when people tend to be working.
The collection sites are about as busy on Wednesdays as they are on Saturdays, Stamm said, noting that on the day of the village board meeting, there had been 19 cars lined up waiting to enter the Elk Mound site and that 20 cars reportedly had been lined up for the Colfax site.
Stamm said he had reservations about the collection site opening at 7 a.m. during the winter because Elk Mound’s director of public works, Mark Levra, would have to be out at the site early with snow removal equipment if there was a snowfall the night before.
Time will tell how well the change in hours is working, he said.
Other business
In other business, the Elk Mound Village Board:
• Approved a bartender operator’s license for Cassandra Brantner (The Pourhouse).
• Referred the Elk Mound Community Path Feasibility Study Contract with JT Engineering to the property and finance committee for review and a recommendation. The cost of the study would be $15,000.
• Approved an ordinance amendment regarding false alarms. The village board had previously approved changing the ordinance, but the vote on December 18 approved the actual ordinance amendment.
• Approved the fee schedule for false alarms.
• Approved an ordinance amendment regarding the repeal of zoning statutory protest provisions so that the ordinance aligns with state law.
• Approved an ordinance amendment regarding residential housing permit approvals. State law now mandates that permits for housing are approved as soon as all of the necessary application materials have been submitted.
• Approved Officer David Vodenlich as a part-time limited-term-employee (LTE) through December 31, 2025.
