EM village board approves land development, hears proposed plan for full-time police chief

By Cara L. Dempski

ELK MOUND — The Elk Mound village board approved a certified survey map application from Laverne Ausman and a petition to rezone Ausman’s property from agricultural to R4 during its November 2 regular meeting.

The approvals pave the way for Cedar Corporation’s Len Schreiber and developers Gene Caron and Mike Ruwowski to start the first phase of a proposed 17-unit housing development on the south side of Independence Drive.

Caron and Ruwowski informed the plan commission that, if the board approved both the CSM and rezoning petition, work on the first two properties could start within the next few weeks.

The two properties, both duplexes, will face Independence Drive and use existing utility lines installed for the Marshfield Clinic building that opened in 2009. Schreiber stated during the plan commission meeting that there would be no need to dig into the street to connect the first two buildings to water and sewer lines due to previous development.

The second phase of the project will include a further 15 buildings extending south from, and perpendicular to, Independence Drive. The development team requested an R4 – or four-family residential – zone for the development as the designation will cover either duplex homes or four-unit residential buildings.

Police chief

Brenda Carpenter, employee relations committee chairwoman, informed the board that the employee relations and public safety committees had met and were proposing a pay rate of $23.19 per hour, a $1,200 monthly healthcare allotment, and monthly benefits to total approximately $72,000 yearly for a full-time police chief.

Carpenter stated during the meeting that the person hired would be expected to patrol 25 hours per week and complete administrative tasks during the remaining 15 hours per week. The 25 weekly patrol hours include face-to-face contact with students and instructors in all three school buildings, patrolling during high-traffic hours, and enforcing village ordinances and state and federal statutes.

Board member Tom Gilbert spoke to concerns about the cost of the salary and benefits package by pointing out that, while the school district’s local tax levy decreased for the 2016-17 school year, the village could increase its own levy to cover the extra $20,000 not already budgeted for the position without vastly increasing or decreasing the taxes paid by village residents.

“The only unknown right now is the county levy,” village president Andy Peterson said. “They may have that published in a couple weeks.

Peterson informed the board that right now, the county’s rough numbers indicate an increase of 60 cents per thousand of property value, which does not indicate a drastic raise in levy from previous years.

Board member Terry Stamm reiterated that there are some major expenses coming up in the next few years that need to be taken into consideration when thinking about any budget discussions.

“These are things we need to have in order to offer the services we do,” Stamm stated. “The good news is that those expenses are one-time purchases.”

Peterson told the group he wanted the entire board to be aware of what the budget issues might be when considering hiring a police chief.

Gilbert said, budget concerns aside, what draws families to Elk Mound is the thought that a small town is a safe town.

“When you spread out the cost and consider the advantages,” Gilbert stated, “I think the position would pay for itself just in the realm of why people come here.”

Gilbert also said he has heard from residents who believe an extra $60 in yearly taxes is not too much to pay for a consistent law enforcement presence in the community.

In other business, the village board:

• Agreed to have Jewelry Box Dancer owner Kristin Johnson attend a board meeting to explain her plans for purchasing the building currently housing her dance studio at W201 Menomonie Street.

• Renewed VLCL Properties, LLC’s license for the Nelson Mobile Home Park.

• Approved the 2016-2017 Dunn County Real Estate and Personal Property Tax Collection Agreement.

• Approved the transfer of $2,700 from the zoning account to the computer line item for the purchase of a new Hewlett Packard server.

• Learned inspectors from the Wisconsin DNR will be in Elk Mound on November 15 to inspect the village’s wastewater treatment plant.