Boyd, Wisconsin has a new mill rate and budget.

Acting Monday, Dec. 8, Boyd village trustees approved a mill rate of $5.11 per thousand in property value, up two cents from the year previous. Motion to approve the new village mill rate was made by Village President Bob Geist and seconded by Trustee Casey Dorn. The mill rate as approved seeks to raise $264,159 in property tax for a $710,100 overall budget, and comes as the board also held a budget hearing Dec. 8, held simultaneously with the 7:00 p.m. regular meeting, at which no member of the public was in attendance.

The 2026 budget approved with motion by Geist seconded by Trustee Michael Eslinger calls for total revenues of $710,100 from different sources matched by a like amount of expenditures across different budget categories. The overall 2026 budget represents 1.95 percent increase over last year’s budget, with next year’s budget budgeting $174,579 for general government, $233,613 for public safety, $245,798 for public works, $30,350 for parks and recreation, $760 for conservation and development, and $25,000 for capital expenditures.

Revenue sources for the above budget are split between general property tax with $264,159, a property tax equivalent of $6,000, state shared revenue of $273,855, state highway aid totaling $32,000, intergovernmental revenues (payments from other governments) of $18,000, license and permit revenue totaling $12,890, fines and forfeitures budgeted at $3,100, miscellaneous revenues of $12,275, “funds applied” of $35,000, and a reserve for capital expenditures of $25,000.

As for the main capital expenditure next year, the Patten Street rebuild received  an update from Ayres Associates representative Brian Lambert.

“We are looking at a plan review with Ayres and village staff next week,” he said of the project. Bid plans are released Jan. 15, with an opening on Feb. 3.

“We have an assessment hearing at the January board meeting,” Lambert said, with curb, gutter, and sidewalk all in view, with the possibility that trees in the right of way will have to come out as well.

Lambert said that DNR funding should cover all sanitary sewer and water main work. Water main infrastructure in the right of way is included as part of the project, with home connections separate.

“This project the plan is to replace it to the right of way and then let the landowner know what they have for sanitary sewer and water service,” he said, the presence of orangeburg (a type of plumbing infrastructure used between 1940 and 1970) a possibility for older homes. Composed of wood pulp and pitch and lasting approximately 50 years maximum, orangeburg was phased out in favor of alternatives like PVC in the mid-70s.

“We’ll confirm that and let you know if it has this material and then suggest replacing if it’s not PVC usage,” he said.

Village President Bob Geist had a question on assessments.

“So when you’re talking water and sewer main you’re talking the laterals from the main to the right of way or the whole main running adjacent to their property?” he asked.

“Both,” Lambert said, “So the front of the water main is assessed based on the square footage of the property. So if you have in the project 100 feet or 1,000 feet of water main in your lot on that property that gets water main improvement the 10 lots that are all part of the 1,000 square feet will all essentially be one-tenth of the total cost.”

Lambert said a preliminary study will have numbers for what people are projected to owe, a hearing to ask questions scheduled for January 12at the board meeting.

The board does not have to assess for all of the improvements, though it can per village ordinance.

“The board can decide to assess anything or everything,” Lambert said. “This is just what the ordinance says.” Lambert said Ayres would prepare a draft resolution related to assessment for the board to review in January.

Lambert also filled the Board in on the results of grant applications to the DNR for funding of Patten Street improvements.

“So for the Clean Water Fund that is your sanitary DNR fund,” he said. “We didn’t get any new emails or notices on the draft list of funding. State drinking water, we did get the draft list. Boyd was on it, they got 50 principal forgiveness and 33 percent market rate low interest loan.” Work still remains to complete the award, including a rate study and DNR financial loan process. Also in view is touching base with St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, the church in the process of planning a new enclosed entrance to replace its current outdoor steps.”

Once begun next spring the larger Patten Street rebuild will proceed two blocks at a time, with a detour planned for Central Street.

“I am preparing a construction administration resident inspection grant contract. Essentially DNR programs require an engineer on site to watch the installation of underground. And then the grant administration--villages can tackle that task if they want. It’s usually a lot of work.” Ayres had a 200 column Excel spreadsheet with information on grants.

“If you want Ayres to help with grant administration we’ll gladly help,” he said.

Also from Boyd this month, the board approved renewal of the police agreement with Stanley, motion made by Trustee Josh Walters and seconded Dorn. The law enforcement agreement runs year to year and allows for approximately 30 hours of dedicated coverage for Boyd each week.

Also approved Dec. 8, village employee Frank Lodahl will have three new holidays, after the Board voted to extend Lodahl paid holidays for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day, as other village Streets employees will be off on these days. The board voted floating holidays to Tony Peterson and Deputy Clerk Jayne Geist in 2026. Motion to approve the employee holidays was made by Walters and seconded by Dorn.

“Abstain,” Village President Bob Geist said of the otherwise unanimous vote that followed, being married to the village deputy clerk. Geist later abstained on an election board vote as well, his wife one of the three 2026 election workers.

Geist is running for Stanley-Boyd School Board this year, but is not up for re-election to village board until 2027.