The Withee Village Board held their regular meeting on Monday, July 8. After approving the minutes, financial statements, and paying the bills they moved on to the main business for the evening.

The village’s garbage contract with Waste Management expires at the end of the year. The current contract is part of a consortium with Granton, Loyal, and Neillsville. Representatives from those municipalities met with three companies on July 1. They decided to propose a contract with GFL to their boards. Garbage and recycling would cost the village $17.65 per month per household. Large items will be picked up for a fee. The price will increase 2% for each year of the contract. They will provide dumpsters for an additional cost if the village wants to do a spring or fall cleanup day. There will also be a fuel surcharge if the price of gas is over $4 per gallon. The village board approved the proposal from GFL.

Under the Police Report, they talked about Officer Jake Haugstad hitting a deer with his squad. The damage will be covered by insurance and is being completed the week of July 15. They also did other work on the squad, including a tensioner, some brake work, and a control arm bushing. Chief of Police Patrick Fehlman reported that the abatement at 805 Dania Street is completed. It took about 4½ days. He reported that one of the employees of the company doing the abatement was stung by wasps. They hauled six dumpsters of garbage in addition to the scrap that was removed. He now needs to figure out the process for auctioning the vehicles, etc. that were removed from the property. There is still an unlicensed vehicle in the yard but it was registered when the village got the court order for abatement so it wasn’t removed. It does need to be licensed, however. Trustee Bill Kroeplin asked about the rent the police department pays to the city of Owen. Fehlman said that was to cover utilities. Payment of the police bills was approved.

Under the Public Works Report, DPW Derek Schad said the new endloader had arrived but it came with the wrong hookups for the attachments the village already has. The company is correcting it at their expense. The DNR will be doing a sanitary survey for the Water Department in September. He and Clerk Ellen Niemi met with a company about doing a rate case to raise water rates. The last one was done in 2016 and took effect in 2017. They can do most of the work as it normally would cost $8,000 to $15,000 to complete. Schad said the oldest meters in town still have nine years of life left, but funds will need to be available for replacements in the future. The PSC will decide the amount of the increase. Schad and Niemi are working on this for next year, it will then be reviewed by the PSC. The board voted for them to start the process for a conventional rate case.

The insurance renewal for property, crime, liability, and cyber liability was approved. The cost will be $22,975. This is up from $21,406 but crime and bonds were not part of the previous policy.

An ordinance was approved for confidentiality of information in regard to information that might be shared with the board during the Board of Review.

A special meeting will be held at 5:15 p.m. on July 27 before Board of Review training to finalize any items related to the abatement on Dania Street.