On March 11, the Brownsville City Council unanimously approved a 3% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for all city employees.
Prior to the vote, Mayor Meyer urged the council to keep in mind whether the increase aligns with similar-sized cities, noting that raises in comparable areas were from 3-5%. City Clerk Steve Schuldt reminded the board that the city’s budget had been set at 5%. While the increase passed, Meyer voted against it, feeling that the raise should have been higher. The raise is retroactive to January 1.
Mayor Jean Meyer called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. The meeting was rescheduled from March 5 due to inclement weather. Meyer led her colleagues and the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
All city council members were present: Barb Hurley, Pam Walhovd, Jean Meyer, Bill Fitzpatrick and David Prestby.
The consent agenda was approved in one unanimous motion, including the minutes from the February 5 council meeting and the claims list totalling $22,826.93.
In public comments, Craig Stables, a Brownsville Township resident, informed the council that he has two fire numbers on his property. Not able to figure out what was going on, Stables contacted Caledonia first, and found out that if the west side of his farm catches on fire, Caledonia will respond. If his house catches on fire, the Brownsville department will come out. Stables explained that in 1990, “a magical line” was drawn, putting him in a quandary. Caledonia Fire Department has accepted him, but he needs approval from the city of Brownsville. Fire Chief Ben Novak explained that according to Beacon, Stables’ property is Caledonia Ambulance and Brownsville’s First Responders. Novak was asked if he would oppose the request, and he replied that he would because he did not want to set a precedent. The council will look into it and agreed to discuss the issue at the April meeting if it gets put on next month’s agenda.
Regarding summer recreation, City Treasurer Jenna Knight reported that as of March 11 the city has received three applicants for the position of assistant and no applications for the coordinator. Knight recommended that they continue to advertise for the coordinator position. It was the agreed that ads will be placed in the local papers and advertised at University of Wisconsin La Crosse (UWL) and Winona State.
In other business, the council:
• Decided to maintain the current cleaning services for 2025 after Mayor Meyer talked with ABC. ABC said that they couldn’t clean with clients present, but they do offer a direct hire through the city. However, Meyer felt this wasn’t ideal due to the minimum number of hours.
• Renewed the 2025 liquor licenses for Wildcat Saloon, River Station LLC and Lawrence Lake Marina. Knight replied to council member Walhovd’s question that Saxon Hall’s liquor license was renewed last month.
• Approved a motion acknowledging gambling activities within the city of Brownsville by the Friends of the Fire Department. The motion was made by Hurley and seconded by Prestby.
Before adjourning the meeting, Maintenance Director Dean Twite shared his department’s monthly report, and Fire Chief Ben Novak updated the council on the Fire/Rescue Department’s activities. Schuldt and Knight also presented their monthly reports for the City Clerk’s Office. The meeting concluded at 7:42 p.m.
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