The Withee Village Board held their regular meeting on Monday, February 9. In the absence of Village President Larry Klabon and President Pro Tempore Randy Shelton, the meeting was called to order by Village Clerk Ellen Niemi. Trustee Nancy Amacher was then elected to serve as chair of the meeting.
Before the bills were paid, it was noted that Weld Riley, the new city attorney, didn’t put a case on their bill, so Clerk Niemi wasn’t sure what case it was related to. She will ask them to provide those details on the billing going forward. Weld Riley did meet with former village attorney, Bonnie Wachsmuth, at no charge to get updated on village legal activities.
Under Committee Reports, Trustee Bill Kroeplin reported that the Withee Public Library had 583 circulations and three new patrons last month. Trustee Nancy Amacher brought a handout on why mapping matters. She found it interesting that 56% of consumers search for local businesses on their phones and 76% of local searches result in a store visit within 24 hours. She also mentioned Momentum West’s website and that 242,000 people are employed in their eight-county area, which includes Clark County, with 10% of those working from home.
For Public Works, DPW Derek Schad reported that they did figure out the problem with the tower recirculating pump, but he is still looking for a new one as the wiring on the old one is brittle. He has been doing annual reports for the DNR and the auditor. He has also been updating the Emergency Response Plan. He is doing some updates to the bathroom at the shop because of issues with water lines freezing. The village will have to do lead and copper testing this year along with PFAS testing. The effluent meter has been replaced and the reclaim meters are being replaced this week.
Resolution #01-02-2026 To Adopt Wisconsin Department of Transportation Equipment Rates was approved. This will give the village a standard charge to bill if their equipment is needed by another community. It is part of the Emergency Response Plan.
The Board of Review was set for April 28. Clerk Niemi, DPW Schad and President Larry Klabon attended a county emergency preparedness training either virtually or in-person. Clerk Niemi also spoke about Everbridge, which is a notification system that is available through Clark County. Residents can sign up to receive emergency notifications. Niemi said the village could also put out emergency notices through the system by contacting the county.