The Stanley City Council met on Oct. 23 with a lengthy agenda.  After forty minutes in closed session with Alderperson Joe Davison and Alderperson Jason Meyer absent, the Council reconvened in open session and unanimously approved the motion to send a written reply to address employee concerns. Meyer later joined the meeting via phone.

From there, it was business as usual.

Alderperson Mark Fitzsimmons addressed the Council for clarification for the handbook regarding how many hours determines a full-time employee. His concern was that as the Council moves forward with an alternative work schedule, they need to make a final determination on full time hours and benefits.

“We have to set a benchmark as we move forward to avoid future challenges,” Fitzsimmons stated.

“Is forty hours the number again?” he asked and continued. “As we move forward with the alternative work schedule are all benefits going to follow in the same suit as full-time employee?”

He stated that the City needs to either reset the parameter or problems may arise in the future. Fitzsimmons recommended reinstating it back to forty hours and have insurance and benefits follow. City Clerk Nicole Pilgrim informed the Council that the City has to offer insurance to an employee whether they were full time or part time employees. Fitzsimmons shared that his concern was that as the City currently struggles with full time staffing, it will only get worse if part time employees have the same benefits available. The city will need more staffing to cover the same positions and the City will have to pay the same in benefits for part time employees as full time employees.

 He asked, “Do we want to determine if benchmark for regular full time is forty hours?”

Jacob Huff said he understood Fitzsimmons’s concerns. “I personally don’t care if it’s thirty hours as long as it’s at the purview of the employer, which I believe it is, I don’t have a problem with it.”

Huff further commented that if it’s in the handbook and an ordinance they have a right to make it available to one employee and not another “based on a lot of different circumstances.” He added that he would want to tie to it that if an employee is working less hours their wage is going to reflect that. Fitzsimmons said its within their jurisdiction to amend the employee handbook at any time. Henke informed the Council that it was originally lowered for Library staff when Library hours were shortened.

“I agree, let’s make it forty,” Henke said.

Huff asked Kitchell if she had any input on the issue.

“I think forty is what it should be for a full-time employee,” she stated.

“Forty,” Siedl agreed.

Henke motioned to amend the handbook from thirty to forty with full-time benefits.

The motion was passed with Huff voting against it.

Fire Department

The Wilson and Colburn Fire agreement updates were presented to the Council since the agreements haven’t been updated since the 1990’s. Fire Chief Korey Hagenson mentioned that the updated agreements will let the townships know what the Stanley Fire Department will start charging to go to Wilson and Colburn. Mike Henke recommended giving the townships sixty days’ notice for the updated agreements since the fee schedules are being updated.

The fee schedule will include a miscellaneous response fee of up to 5% of the bill and the clean-up material fee is now $25 per unit. Discussions turned to how much should be charged for false alarm calls.

Hagenson asked if it should be up to a certain number of calls.

 “We go to Grant Street at least once or twice a month,” he said referencing the many false alarm calls there.  The Council decided that false alarm calls can be charged $1,000 per call after the second call. City of Stanley residents only will now have a maximum charge of $1,000 for house calls. Henke mentioned that most insurance deductibles have one thousand in the policy. He remarked, “That way the residents aren’t paying twice for fire.”

The Council voted to approve the updated fire agreements for the Wilson and Colburn townships and fee schedules for the Stanley Fire Department. The fee schedule changes will be effective January 1st, 2024.

Fire Chief Hagenson addressed the Council members about the possibility of charging for fire inspections. He said that it’s becoming common for towns to charge for fire inspections. “When I go to some smaller group homes, they basically get it for free right now for me to do an inspection,” he said. He added that the State of Wisconsin requires that most of those group homes have an inspection to keep their license, but they don’t fall within for the 2% dues.

“That’s how we get our funding for this, by the 2% dues. The more inspections we do, the more money we get from the 2% dues.” Chief Hagenson shared that any building that the public can go into needs to have an inspection and that every building has its own fee because it has its own address.

 Mayor Haas asked, “Is there going to be a letter sent out to all businesses then?”

“Yeah, we’ll have to send something out,” Chief Hagenson replied.

Fitzsimmons asked, “Is everybody ok with the fee schedule?” He then asked if they wanted to see what the pushback would be and then go forward with the fee schedule later or “just dive right in.”

“I think so long as we are sending a letter out in advance giving a heads up,” Kitchell recommended sending the letter this year.

“I think that’s reasonable,” Huff agreed.

The Council discussed that if building owners don’t pay the inspection fees, the inspection fees will go on the tax role since they are issued by the City.

Under the new fee schedule, the fees per building would depend on the type of building and be charged either per number of occupants or per square foot.

Kitchell motioned that the Stanley Fire Department start to charge fees for fire inspections using the Altoona fee schedule as a model to go into effect January 1st, 2024, and to send a letter to all affected clientele this current year. The Council approved the motion with Meyer voting against it.

The Council approved the purchase of new fire hose to replace the fire hose from 1992 that failed.

 “All 200 feet of it failed,” he said. “This is what we hook up to a hydrant from if we got to supply the ladder truck or another engine, this is what we run in between there. It’s a five-inch rubber hose.”

Henke asked how long until they can get it. Hagenson said that if he gets it from Fire Hose Direct, it’s usually a week to two weeks. Mayor Haas and Henke asked if there was room in the budget for it.

“That’s the problem. We don’t,” Hagenson said.

Huff interjected, “They have to have it. We have to figure out something.”

Hagenson said that Fire Hose Direct is very reasonably priced.

After Henke and Hagenson looked over the budget, Henke motioned to approve the purchase of the fire hose from Fire Hose Direct for $2,287.69. The Council unanimously approved the purchase.

Public Works

The Council unanimously approved the proposal from Pinnacle Ozone Solutions for replacement equipment for the Water Department in the amount of $375,000 for ozone generation equipment.

City Public Works Operator in Charge John Hoel asked for approval for the City to purchase a new 2023 Gravely UTV at the cost of $16,918.98 from Lube Suppliers and he would then plan to sell the current one.  He explained to the Council that the current 1998 UTV is used a lot but is getting wore out and they have had to replace quite a few parts. It had previously been used by the Stanley Fire Department.

“It’s a very useful machine but I’m just afraid it’s coming to the end of its life,” Hoel said.

“What is the residual value?” Fitzsimmons questioned as Huff asked how much they were selling it for. “I would like to see what a residual value is on it,” Fitzsimmons continued and referenced the price of the new UTV as he remarked that $17,000 is a lot.

Huff asked Hoel if there is money for it in the budget and he said there is money to cover it in street machinery overlay.

Fitzsimmons asked if Hoel had received any secondary UTV bids. Hoel said that there was one from Union Trailer & Power Equipment, but Lube Suppliers had a lower price.

“Almost four hundred bucks,” Huff commented and added that Lube Suppliers is local if any future repairs are needed.

After Huff again questioned that there was money in the budget to cover it, he made a motion to approve the purchase of a Gravely UTV from Lube Suppliers in the amount of $16,918.98 and it was quickly seconded. The motion was approved with Fitzsimmons and Henke voting against the purchase.

Community

The City Council unanimously voted to approve sending a letter of support for the Stanley Community Association on playground equipment and a splashpad to be installed at Chapman Park.

Budgets

The City Council passed a resolution to adopt the 2024 Water Utility Budget for the City of Stanley with expenditures of $3,308,256.00 and revenues of $3,308,256.00.

Henke commented that in the budget is money for the ozone, SCADA, and the water rate study. He further added that they had a conference call that day to get started but it would be a lengthy process.

The Council also passed the resolution to adopt the 2024 Wastewater Utility Budget with budgeted expenditures of $1,625,655.00 and revenues of $1,625,655.00.

Lastly, the Council passed the resolution to adopt the 2024 TIF 3 budget for the City of Stanley with expenditures of $345,320.00 and revenue of $345,320.00.

In other news

The fee schedule for the City of Stanley has been amended and includes increased prices for municipal buildings and pavilion reservations in the City of Stanley. The prices for McManus, Fandry, Soo Line and the Band Stand pavilions are $50.00 per day. Maves Pavilion is $100 per day and the Stanley Community Building costs $800 per day to rent half of the building and $1200 per day to rent the entire building.

Members of the Stanley-Boyd National Honor Society will once again be installing Holiday lighting at Chapman Park. The Council approved the display to be installed this year beginning October 30th.