The November 13, 2024 Town of Oulu regular board meeting was called to order by Jonathan Hamilton, Chair at 6:45pm at the Town Hall.
Roll Call: Members present: Jon Hamilton, Ed Burhans (7:05pm), Adam Mattson, Diana Reijo, Clerk and Margie Lahti, treasurer. Town employee/s: Jeremy Gordon.
Approval of Agenda: Motion by Mattson, second by Hamilton to approve the agenda as printed and posted.
Absent: Burhans. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Consent Agenda:
Approve general fund vouchers 14844-14870 ACH 686-695
Minutes of the October 9, 2024 Regular Board Meeting and November 10, 2024 Budget Commit-tee Meeting
Motion by Mattson, second by Hamilton to approve the consent agenda as presented. Absent: Burhans. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Treasurer’s Report: General/ARPA/Park Donations – $207,729.77 Tax $ 1,328.94
Chairman’s Report:
Road Maintenance
Preliminary planning and work on the Airport Road LRIP project continues
Speed limit specs were discussed with engineer to meet DOT requirements for slope and depth of ditches
N. Hissa Road ditching project was completed by Olson Bros. Gravel has been laid and graded. The road and ditching were draining well and running in the right direction when rain came just after completion
Gravel on roads, we have a few loads left after N. Hissa Road lift was completed. We will contin-ue to lay and grade as weather permits.
At least two loads will be stockpiled for emergencies after pits close.
Ditching on middle Hoover Line was completed, fixing a drainage issue to better maintain the road bed
Culverts on Muskeg/Eastview and Hollander Rd have been removed and replaced
Xcel Energy has repaired the broken pavement at the power substation
Xcel Energy was also contacted about coordinating with the construction on Airport Road next summer. No word back from them on that part yet
Prepping for winter continues, I.E., checking equipment, plows, wings, worry spots on the roads. Dump truck box was repaired. The truck had severe corrosion damage due to the salt/sand mix. Nearly the entire back of the dump needed to be replaced before the sander could be mounted for use this winter.
The fuel tank bracket on the pick-up truck also rusted through and fell off the truck. The truck has the same very heavy corrosion issue due to salt/sand mix
Beavers are back again on Muskeg Road after trapping several out last month. Trapping and pulling dams will start again this month
Routine maintenance on equipment as scheduled and needed
Recycling Center
We continue to have a problem with someone climbing the fence after hours, dumping trash and overloading the dumpster. It costs the town $100-$150 every time the lid is raised above the edge of the dumpster. It’s a high price for the town to pay for someone to save $2.00 for a bag of trash. Any information anyone may have about this can be passed along to Christine at the recycling center, any board member or the town crew.
Community Groups:
Cindy Luzzatto – Request for Gitchee Gumee 4-H Club to use the park for caroling, cookies and Christmas lights on December 1st.
New Business:
Airport Road:
Discussion was held regarding the clear zone 1.5 miles north of Highway B on Airport Road. Currently, the clear zone is 20 feet with a 4:1 slope coming off from the road. Engineer recommends posting the road to 50 mph so the clear zone is 12 feet with a 2:1 slope of the ditches to help defray the cost of the project. Motion by Mattson, second by Hamilton to post the speed limit on Airport Road beginning at County Highway B north to Kaukamo Road at 50 mph. Absent: Burhans. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
SIMPLE IRA for Employee/s:
Motion by Mattson, second by Burhans to approve a matching contribution to each eligible employee’s SIMPLE IRA equal to the employee’s salary reduction contribution up to a limit of 3% of the employee’s wage towards a SIMPLE IRA for next year (2025). Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Treasurer’s Bonding:
Motion by Mattson, second by Burhans to purchase a tax bond for Marjorie Lahti, town treasurer to the Bayfield County Treasurer in the amount of the state and county taxes apportioned ($213,000) to the Town of Oulu. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Correspondence:
Bayfield County - Notice of Pulp Permit for Ryan Pyykola
Bayfield County Planning & Zoning Dept. – Yellow B LLC – Approval of the Amendment
Habitat for Humanity – Unobligated ARPA Funds to be Used to Support Efforts in Northwest Wisconsin
Set Dates for Next Meeting/s:
December 6, 2024 – Budget Hearing
December 6, 2024 – Special Meeting of the Elec tors Following Adjournment of the Budget Hearing
December 6, 2024 – Regular Board meeting – Following Adjournment of the Special Meeting of the Electors
Adjournment:
Motion by Mattson to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 7:15pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Diana Reijo, Clerk