42 year old late payments cancelled through routine village board vote

How can you hold someone to that?' Boyd village clerk Sandi Isaacs asked during the February 8 regular board meeting of special assessements still due from 1978, or near half a lifetime ago. “It’s time to get it off the books and have it be gone.”

“So do you need a motion on that?” President Randy Setzer asked, being answered in the affirmative Monday February 8. “All rise,” Setzer then said in a summons to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, done before each meeting.

The Pledge having been recited and official roll call taken, before long it was into assessment details! “They were all for the same people,” Isaacs shared by phone of the collective $1,353 in water and sewer connection assessments long known about and on the village auditor’s books but never acted on. “The auditor’s advised us at this point to write them off,” she said, with village auditor Wipfli having an estimated 45 years of expericence in Boyd financial statement checking. Isaacs said that the cancelled water connection payments were all $100 each while the sewer lateral assessments were for varying amounts, possibly according to feet. “They wereall to the same people,” she said of the cancelled bills. Had nothing been done at the February meeting, the assessments would have continued on the auditors books, while Isaacs said that she had checked the past meeting minutes without success for learning if the people in question were told to pay the assessment fees or have it be put on the tax rolls. All of those on the list for water and sewer connections have since become deceased, Isaacs said.

As to auditor advice, Isaacs said that “they (Wipfli) recommended that I have the board write them off” as an official act, and for teh record. As it was revealed during board discussion, not everyone currently on the village board was even born when the long unpaid special assessments were made 42 years ago, underscoring the overdue nature of February’s act. In which case, it was back to the meeting!

“Discuss and possibly act on writing off the 1978 water services assessments. ,” Setzer read from the February meeting agenda. “Someone want to do that?” he said, seeking a motion. Trustee Gwen Krizan stepped up.

“I make a motion to write off the 1978 water services and sewer lateral special assessments,” she said, being seconded in turn by Trustee Bob Geist, the motion passing without a negative voice vote.

In other business the village board approved the purchase of a $6,400 sampler for the head works building and also discussed taking out a loan to make improvements to the sewer plant, sought by the DNR to bring the village in line with expectations. The curent sewer plant is located on the northeast side of the village, off Boundary Road. No official action was taken in regard to taking out a loan to make the needed improvements. Also included in other business was renewal of the rental contract between Mahr Brothers and the village for farmland on the southwest side of town.

“Discuss/Act on land lease,” Setzer said. The general perception as discussed previously was that the Mahr Brothers had been good tenants and that their use of the injection fertilizer method cut down on the smell otherwise associated with spring field chores. The contract term was for three years. But in case your aim is to build a home in the Friendly Town instead, we happen to know of an open if unplatted lot on Nayes Street said to be available. Water and Sewer charges, meanwhile, are on the one building.

Tom McQuillan looks over the board agenda at the February 8 village board meeting at 705 Murray Street. In the background from left to right are Bob Geist; President Randy Setzer; Gwen Krizan; adn Casey Dorn. Off camera and to the left was village clerk Sandi Isaacs, with Tom Grunewald also present. Staff photo.