December 2011 village board report

Elmwood Village Hires New Assessor

Submitted by Rick A. Talford
Citizen Journalist


ELMWOOD, WI - On December 12, 2011, the village held their monthly meeting at the auditorium. The meeting began at 6:45 pm with a Public Hearing concerning the new Conceal/Carry Ordinance. No public input was received, and the board approved the amendments they had made in regards to this ordinance. The regular board meeting then began, after they adjourned the public hearing.

In Public Input, Melissa and Dawn Schoeder, co-owners of the Welcome Home Assisted Living facility, presented the board with a complaint about their water bill. They cited a mistake in the billing system, which originally created an under-estimated bill when the facility first opened. They didn't notice the bill was too small, and further noted they "had no problem paying the bill," but they refused to pay the $41.97 a month in late fees. They also distributed a letter from Fireline, a sprinkler company, stating the village's billing methods were not common and unnecessarily costly. The village clerk Amy Wayne, and president Bill Stewart both expressed their frustration with the unpaid water bill, and lack of communication about their intent to pay the bill. After some disagreement, the board received a commitment to pay the bill.

(It was later discovered the billing method is mandated by village ordinance
and regulated by the Public Service Commission.)

NOTE--- This info. was not noted by the village clerk in her minutes


The Library Board Appointment was then discussed, and Dan Flory was appointed the position. He was the only applicant. The 2012-13 Election Workers list was provided to the board, and was approved. Next on the agenda was the final approval of the Conceal/Carry Ordinance.

The Finance Committee provided their recommendation for the village assessor position that was currently up for review. Applicant Robert Irwin was appointed the job. The board added their knowledge of Irwin’s ability to communicate with the residents, as a positive for hiring him.

In Committee and Board Reports, Trustee Brian Buck noted the library was doing well, and the counties “Books by Mail” program had been discontinued, with all of the books/inventory being given away now.

The Personnel and Finance Committee was reported by Trustee Bruce Hartung. He explained they met earlier in the day to approve the assessor position for hire.

In Parks and Buildings, Trustee Brian Buck told the board, “The auditorium will be open each week for one and a half hours, on Tues. or Wed. These hours will be for January through May”.

There were no reports for the Nursing Home, Police, and Public Works Committees. All members were present at this months meeting, with Trustee Neil Boltic being present through a phone conference call. The meeting then adjourned at 7:35pm.