The Town
COUNCIL PRESENT: Jeff
Carroll, Joy Lohse, Terry Howie,
ABSENT: Sue
Gooding
OTHERS PRESENT: Craig Allebach, Pete O’Connell, Paul
Schmitt, Jim Walmer
Town
Minutes:
Jeff Carroll made a motion to approve the
minutes of the March 11, 2008
March 28, 7:30
p.m. – Grace College Spring Concert at Rodeheaver Auditorium
April
15, 6:00 p.m. – “Town Hall” meeting
at
April
19, 7:30 p.m. – Symphony of the Lakes
Concert
April 20, 2:00
p.m. – Earth Day activities at
April
22, 7:00 p.m. –
April 26 –
Floor Topics:
There were no floor topics.
Wastewater Fees for
Rick Helm, an attorney representing Steve Shipley, the homeowner of
The Town received a complaint about
the property last year. In the course of
addressing the complaint, it was discovered that this property is a two unit
dwelling that has been paying sewer rates at the single family rate for quite
some time. The Town sent a couple of
letters to Mr. Shipley but did not receive any response from him. Under state statute, the clerk-treasurer can
certify delinquent utility charges in the recorders office. This becomes a lien on the real estate. Retha stated that a lien has been sent to the
recorder’s office but the Town is attempting to have the lien pulled.
Mr. Helm stated that Mr. Shipley has
had numerous health problems and it would be a burden to him to be required to
pay the fees that are on the property.
Jeff Carroll said he appreciates Mr. Shipley’s situation but the
Retha asked for a compromise on the
issue. The office is willing to work
with Mr. Shipley in collecting back charges.
A precedent would be set if no back charges were to be collected on this
property and it became a single unit. She
agreed that the ordinance does need to be addressed in regards to the definition
of a family and/or a dwelling unit. Mr.
Helm was agreeable to negotiations. Jeff
Carroll made a motion to table this issue.
Authorization for Police
Department Part-Time Help:
Town Marshal Paul Schmitt is requesting authorization to hire temporary
part-time help when needed. The police department has five full-time police
officers. Currently Mike Foster is
attending the Police academy. While he
is gone there are no extra officers available to cover if someone is sick, or
cannot work for any reason. If this
policy is in place, then Paul could acquire additional help at times when it is
needed. The reserves are able to cover
some shifts, but not all. Paul is
requesting the temporary policemen be paid $20 per hour. Retha stated this would be better financially
for the Town than paying overtime to the full-time officers. Terry Howie had concerns regarding liability
issues and whether Paul would be able to hire someone for $20 per hour. Paul was confident that he could. State statute covers liability issues, but
Jim Walmer suggested writing an ordinance authorizing the hiring. Jeff Carroll made a motion to approve the
request.
Reports from Supervisors:
Flooding Issues: Pete stated that he met with Larry Long and they
looked at the areas in Town that are experiencing problems with water. Larry will do some surveying and determine if
some help can be provided for the residents.
Property Inspections: Paul mentioned there are some properties
in town that have health and safety concerns.
He asked if an ordinance could be written so that he could inspect
properties when concerns are brought to the Town. Jim stated that a renter may invite a town
official into their living area and/or the area that they have free access
to. Jim Walmer will do some research on
the issue.
New Police Vehicle: Paul stated that the new police vehicle
is here and it is paid for. It is a 2008
Dodge Charger. It is not on the road
yet.
Bike Race: Craig, Pete and Paul met with organizers
of the bike race that will be held the first weekend in May. The race will be the same as last year except
the race that took place on
The meeting was adjourned.
_________________________ ___________________________
JOY
LOHSE RETHA S. HICKS
PRESIDENT CLERK-TREASURER