The January 10, 2024 Town of Oulu regular board meeting was called to order by Jonathan Hamilton, Chair at 6:46pm at the Town Hall.
Roll Call: Members present: Jon Hamilton, Ed Burhans, Adam Mattson, Diana Reijo, clerk, and Margie Lahti, treasurer. Town employee/s: Mike Davidson and Jeremy Gordon.
Approval of Agenda: Motion by Burhans, second by Mattson to approve the agenda as printed and posted. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Consent Agenda:
Approve general fund vouchers 14116-14139 ACH 612-615
Minutes of the December 6, 2023 Regular Board Meeting & December 29, 2023 Special Board Meeting
Motion by Mattson, second by Burhans to approve the consent agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Treasurer’s Report: General/ARPA/Park Donations – $249,704.79 Tax $ 190,424.06
Chairman's Report:
Park/Cemetery/Town Hall Update:
No updates, all closed down
Road Maintenance
Clearing what little ice and snow we have had
Clearing ditches and right-of-ways of leaning trees and brush
Exploring options for clearing 30-50 larger trees (greater than 6” diameter) i.e.
cut and leave it lay to rot in ditch or beside ditch-would take a long time, blocks flow, looks awful
contract with a logger to cut and haul away - gets complicated, would need to be assessed by forester and bid out, too small of amount to make it meaningful for anyone to do and not timely
cut it and try to haul ourselves good idea but we don’t have the right equipment for the job. equipment we do have is now tied up with snow removal gear which cannot easily be R&R’d
Rent a chipper, clam and towable hauler - probably best option but cost may be prohibitive, getting estimates on this to see what cost would be - $1555/weekly
Found filters from old equipment we no longer have, will sell using local options like
auction site, Marketplace or Craig’s list. Estimated recovery value $250-$500. Following town policy for disposal of
excess equipment and materials.
Recovering hydraulic pumps and scrap iron from old equipment behind the shop while its slow from lack of snow.
Will see what is salvageable, if anything, and place for direct sale or auction depending on estimated value,
following town policy for disposal of excess equipment and materials.
Sale of the Groomer and truck plow will be listed for sale on the auction site.
Discussion on what to do with old tractor in shed. It is rumored to be original to the town. It is no longer used for a
variety of reasons, not the least of which is it does not incorporate modern safety devices for operators (no roll-
over protection, safety start switches/lock-outs, etc. Do we sell it? Gift it to the Heritage Center? Following town
policy for disposal of excess equipment and materials.
No word on BIL grant for Oulu Rock Road, probably not until February or March
Community Groups:
No community groups registered at this time.
New Business:
Marjorie / Micah Property Tax Claim:
Motion by Mattson, second by Burhans to authorize a refund of $57.67 for real estate taxes assessed and paid in error to Marjorie Falter. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Ambulance / Fire Contracts:
Motion by Mattson, second by Burhans to approve the 2024 ambulance ($10,836.88) and fire ($10,282.68) contracts with the Town of Iron River. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Equipment:
Motion by Mattson, second by Burhans to approval the rental of a 12” wood chipper for $1555/week from Sunbelt Rental. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Motion by Mattson, second by Burhans to authorize the purchase of necessary tools needed in the shop. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Discussion was held on purchasing culvert markers in the spring.
Correspondence:
Bayfield County Board – Ordinance Amendment – Amending Title 13-1-21 & Title 13-1-22
Set Dates for Next Meeting/s:
February 14, 2024 - Regular Board meeting – 4:30pm, bills reviewed at 4:15pm.
Closed Session:
Motion by Mattson, second by Burhans to adjourn to session per Wisconsin Statutes 19.85(1)(c) at 7:37pm for an evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility. Roll call vote. Yes: Burhans, Hamilton, Mattson. No: None. Abstain: None. Absent: None. Motion carried by roll call vote.
Adjournment:
Motion by Hamilton, second by Burhans to adjourn at 8:17pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Diana Reijo, Clerk