Rushford Village holds annual meeting

As with most annual municipal meetings, the first meeting of the year for Rushford Village was largely annual housekeeping, determining meeting schedule, designations, committees, contracts, zoning, and financials. Rushford Village Council approved all with no change.

Meetings will continue to be held the first and third Tuesday of each month, at 7 p.m., at the Village Hall. The Zoning Commission, however, may adjust its times after review at its upcoming February 14 meeting. New member Hamilton Peterson cannot make the current meeting time with his work schedule and it’s been noted that if the time is changed, the commission may find it easier to locate one additional member. Should the commission opt to change its meeting time, appropriate public notice will be given of the new time. The council confirmed commission terms for members Glen Kopperud (one year) and Travis Link (two year).

The review of annual financials did bring up one question regarding two balance deficits, of $1,597 and $475, both related to flood disbursements from FEMA. City Treasurer Judy Graham indicated the city is planning on discussing the matter with the auditor to see if transfers from the general fund could zero out the deficits. Some of it may related to a timeline since each event, as Graham noted the dates as August 2007 and September 2016.

Pay rates for city employees were raised 2.5% to match cost of living increases. This includes Public Works Supervisor Travis Scheck, Graham, and City Clerk Mary Miner. Benefits, including vacation and personal time will be reviewed on a continuing basis.

The only update from Planning and Zoning was in relation to Dangerous Dog Ordinance 1. A mid-December incident in south Rushford, where two dogs at large attacked and injured another dog, which eventually needed to be put down. The sheriff’s department is involved in the matter. Notice was served to the dogs’ owner and one of the dogs was deemed a dangerous dog. The owner is required to comply with state statutes, including microchipping and neutering the dog. It was noted the timeframe to comply began on December 12, when papers were served. The owner has 14 days to comply with the guidelines. The city will follow up with the officer in charge of the case to ensure things are complete.

Councilor Chad Rasmussen noted others have commented about the dog, noting those walking by while its been chained up have noted the amount of aggression. City Attorney Tom Manion will be included in communication on the matter. Animal Control is aware of the situation.

A number of goals and priorities have been drawn up by Public Works. It includes tree cutting on Tower Ridge Road and Aspen Road, improvement on the hill road to the water tower, playground equipment repair, installation of speed bumps and signs on Goodrich, several areas of improved shoulder, road, or ditches, and continued Americans with Disabilities (ADA) improvements. A spring clean-up has been set for Saturday, May 11, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The last item of discussion was the city engineer. Mayor Gordon Johnson indicated that perhaps there is a conflict of interest with having Bolton & Menk serve both Rushford Village and the City of Rushford. “They’ve been a good engineer for us, but they also do the city. It’s not a bad thing to have the same engineer; it may be of some value,” he noted.

Johnson indicated that he’d been approached by Davy Engineering, who used to handle the Village’s water engineering. It was noted the city switched because, at the time, they did not offer complete municipal engineering, just that related to water utility. He also noted WHKS was previously used. “It seems like it’s best to have a different set of eyes looking at both sides of the street,” added Johnson.

Councilor Mike Ebner suggested the city hold off on making any changes to engineering at this time as it may send a bad impression while the Village and the City of Rushford are looking at a cooperative meeting regarding development projects. “It sends a signal if we meet with the city then switch firms. The Village will reach out to other engineering firms, but made no decisions at this time.

The next regularly scheduled meeting is Tuesday, February 5, at 7 p.m., at the Village Hall. The public is encouraged to attend.