Town Meeting Minutes | November 9, 2020

The monthly meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Cedar Lake began at 6:47 PM. The minutes from October were read. All three minutes were approved as read by Kory as presented and seconded by Tony.

Under public input, Mike Hessling, from the Gathering Place spoke about the boat landing at Hwy. 48 & V as a matter of interest to all. Mike thanked Tony for meeting with them and explaining the situation. It is the intent of the Hesslings to retain ownership of the property. They recognize that the warranty deed is incorrect.  Their plan for the ramp would be to improve it in 2021. Mike would like the ongoing old business issue of the lake access to be closed out by the  Board.  Mike stated that they had no intention of restricting access to the ramp. There are issues with parking available and water run off. They are working with the DNR for these issues. Tony mentioned that the Town does have a ROW to the landing. Doug Fischer asked if the landing would be a liability to the Gathering Place? The Hesslings are meeting with insurance companies to work this out. They may put up signs to use ramp at own risk. (attached Hessling statement) Kory said that the Town Board could not make a formal statement at this time as this issue was not on the agenda. This will be included in the December agenda.

Mike Gianoli asked if the Town had jurisdiction over Red Cedar Lake. Ken explained that it belongs with the DNR at the ordinary high water mark. He is asking as there is a loud boat on the lake several times a day and it appears to not have a muffler. Larry spoke up to say that there is no registration on the vehicle. It is launched from Stout’s Landing. Ken encouraged the people to call the Sheriff’s Dept. Now would be a good time as it is parked on shore. Mike suggested that it could not be good for the wildlife.

Also, under public input, Ken read the report which he received from Dick Ballou regarding the Buckthorn Project. (see attached)

Next the financial report was given by Gladys, treasurer. All numbers match with the bank accounts, and the clerk.

Kory then gave the road report for the past month. Everything is just about complete for winter. We did have snow, so Scott went out just on the main roads once. Did not spread salt/sand. On Tuesday, Doyle, Scott and Ken George mixed salt/sand. There is an issue with one of the trucks. It was towed by Eric’s Repair. They are now creating an estimate for the repair. It appears to have something to do with the high pressure sensor. Scott continues to check for trees on the roads as we have had excessive winds and putting up fire numbers. Scott mentioned that the road is not the place to park trailers or other items. Let Kory know where the problem occurs and it can be taken care of case by case.

Kory talked about the shop being down to one boiler. It would cost approximately $15,000 to replace both boilers. He will let the Board know going forward.

Kory spoke about the lake monitor which has been installed by the county on Red Cedar Lake. It seems to be working well. The water is at the level it needs to be. He did get a notice from Birchwood that they were letting more water out, so will need to adjust accordingly.

Tony said that the county had blacktopped the culvert repairs on the last day of the month as they promised to have done by the end of October.

Kelly Weiss mentioned that the county should be reminded to check the status of the condition of the dam. This will need to be shut down so the divers could inspect the base of the dam. It would be a disaster if that dam went out! Kory will remind Tyler from Barron County.

The next meeting for the BFCESD will be held on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6:30 PM. Our Board has voted to suspend operational funds until the bylaws have been approved. The organization has been 13 years without bylaws. This current Board of Commissioners are not willing to flex on non-resident voting on how tax dollars are used. This action does not follow State precedent. It is inexcusable and irresponsible. If they are willing to add what our attorney is recommending, we will sign and move forward.  The BFCESD Board of Commissioners is attempting to bypass the Town of Cedar Lake. There are 7 municipalities with 23 elected officials.  Mark Coe suggested an attorney in Eau Claire who is an expert on Town law to assist. Ken has been in contact with him. Kory asked if either attorney had sent a letter to the commission. No letter at this time. Discussion about avenues to go forward. Tony asked if there was any indication of what would be happening on the upcoming Thursday evening BFCESD Commissioners’ meeting. Yes, the bylaws will probably get passed. Kory asked if the attorney felt we were on the right path? Yes, there is a case, the attorney will do more research. The Board discussed if each of the commissioners were taking the information back to their boards. There is nothing established that other towns are aware of the situation. The Commissioners do not recognize interaction from the floor at their meetings, ignoring all public input.

Mike G. wanted to know what the alternative would be if we didn’t have the BFCESD. There really isn’t an alternative. Mike asked how big of a player Cedar Lake is in the BFCESD. Ken said 32% of budget and new building expenses.

Larry Johnson asked who is working on the bylaws. Mick Givens from the Town of Long Lake has been working on them since Oct. 2019. There followed much discussion.

Under old business, the discussion of east/west alleys in the village was next. As Mike Clamer was surveying, a weird discovery occurred. It seems that the driveway for Mancl’s home is entirely on the town alley. So, we will retain easement on this portion of the alley. The Town will also retain ownership on the alley behind the town hall. This will be on the agenda for December.

Under new business, the Board discussed the ordinance from Mosaic in regard to getting broadband in our area. The more towns that are on board will help them get the grant to bury this cable. There are three parts to this commitment. One is the resolution for private partnership, two would be the telecommunity opportunity and third would be the ordinance. The first was passed with a motion to approve the resolution, 2020-11. Ken made a motion to approve as read. Tony seconded. Roll call: Ken, yea: Tony, yea: Kory, yea. Next was the telecommunity opportunity, 2020-12. Kory made the motion to pass this. Tony seconded. Roll Call:; Ken, yes: Tony, yes: Kory, yes. Ken asked if other municipalities had asked attorney opinions before signing these commitments. No, they are sharing information with each other. Next Ken read the ordinance, 2020-13. Ken made the motion to adopt the resolution as read. Tony seconded. Roll Call: Ken, yes:Tony,yes:Kory,yes. Jenifer Mason, representative from Mosaic, said that the grant needed to be in by Dec. 1. This would give our area Internet, TV, landline phone when available. The results of the grant should be available in March/April hoping for a summer 2021 start date.

Under correspondence, a letter was received from B & L Cleaning stating that they are retiring from cleaning. Will need to find someone to take over this position. Mike Hessling has several names to suggest. The clerk will take care of this.

Gladys is in receipt of the bond application for this year’s tax collection. Asked Tony to put the URL address on the website again for this year.

Ken spoke about the progress of the surveyor, Mike Calmer. We should be able to proceed the discontinuance of the alleys at the December meeting.

Kory is meeting with a person from EMC Insurance at the shop for a walk thru of the building on Tuesday at 1:00.

Scott is meeting with the fire extinguisher person on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.

Kory made the motion to adjourn the meeting. This was seconded by Tony. And all approved. ( 8:25)