Dorchester raises sewer rates for 2021

Dorchester residents will see the charges for sewer services go up on their next quarterly utility bill after the village board approved rate hikes last week that will generate about $77,000 more in revenue for the wastewater utility.

The board approved a 10 percent increase in the quarterly charge, raising it from $25.86 to $28.45 for most of the village’s 392 sewer accounts. In addition, the rate per thousand of gallons of water used will go up by 15 percent — from $9.81 to $11.28.

As a result, a customer using 8,000 gallons of water per quarter will pay a total of $14.36 more for their sewer services. The quarterly increase will be $11.42 for a household using 6,000 gallons and $20.25 for residents using 12,000 gallons.

Based on calculations from the village, these increases will bring in an additional $76,955 in yearly revenue for the sewer utility, based on village-wide water usage of 18.3 million gallons in 2019.

The increases are retroactive to Jan. 1, so the first-quarter bills will be calculated using the new rates.

One reason more revenue is needed is the DNR’s stricter phosphorus limits, which have forced the village to spend thousands of engineering fees and chemicals to remove the polluting substance from its wastewater effluent.

With the goal of getting up to $1 million in state funding for several street projects, the board held a required public hearing Feb. 3 and passed several motions needed to apply for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).

Amy Kelsey, an environmental scientist and community financing expert from Cooper Engineering, spoke to the board about the CDBG application process and also discussed DNR grants and loans that could be used to pay for portions of the projects.

CDBGs cover up to 66 percent of the total project costs, with the village responsible for the remaining 33 percent. Kelsey said a total of $10 million is available this year for Wisconsin municipalities with low-to-moderate income residents.

Dorchester has picked three street projects for potential CDBG funding:

_ North Front Street, two blocks from Business CTH A to Kennedy Drive.

_ North Third Street, the one block north of Business CTH A.

_ South Third Street, two blocks from Second Avenue to Business CTH A.

Each project would include the replacement of old water and sewer mains, new curb and gutter and reconstructed asphalt roadway.

Kelsey said it’s up to the board whether the current stretches of sidewalk on North Front Street and South Third Street are replaced during construction.

Village president Kurt Schwoch voiced his support for getting rid of the sidewalk on North Front Street, which deadends after just one block.

“There aren’t any other sidewalks on that end of town,” he said. “We could end that sidewalk at the bank, and I don’t think we’d have one more person walking on the street.”

Schwoch also questioned whether the sidewalks on South Third Street should be kept, but several board members said they do get used quite a bit.

“I’d rather see the kids on the sidewalk than in the middle of the road,” said trustee Daniella Schauer.

No action was taken on whether or not to keep the sidewalks.

Assuming that funding is available, designs for the projects would be completed this year, with construction slated for the spring and summer of 2022. Some temporary easements may need to be obtained to do some of the work, Kelsey said.

The board authorized Cooper Engineering to submit the village’s CDBG application and to have village president Kurt Schwoch file applications for financial assistance from the Wisconsin DNR.

Two contracts with Cooper were also approved, one for administering any DNR grant and loan funds and another for designing a lift station project on Liberty Street.

Sheriff reports on police activity

Clark County Sheriff Scott Haines and chief deputy Jim Hirsch reported to the board about the first month of activities handled by two deputies assigned to patrol the village. Starting in early January, the sheriff’s department has been providing police protection to the village until a new police officer can be hired.

Haines said the deputies spent some type cleaning and organizing the police department office and squad vehicle. The preliminary breath test (PBT) device used on traffic stops was calibrated, and the radar gun will also need to be certifi ed, Haines said.

The sheriff said several burglaries were reported in and around the village, including one at Premier Livestock and Auctions near Withee. A suspect has been identified, he said, and he believes the case can be considered “solved.”

“That’s a pretty good turnaround for a burglary,” he said.

Haines said the deputies also followed up on several complaints about cars parking on the streets between 2 and 6 a.m. in violation of the local ordinance. Also, a complaint about dogs running loose resulted in the owner getting the dogs registered and vaccinated.

Deputy clerk-treasurer Christie Erikson said her office has been working with the sheriff’s deputies in charge of patrolling the village to make sure they have everything they need.

At the end of the meeting, Haines and Hirsch met in closed session with the board and members of the police committee to confer with village attorney Bonnie Wachsmuth about potential litigation regarding the police department.

No action was taken in open session, and a motion to “re-advertise” the position of village police officer was tabled.

Other business

_ Trustee Clem Klimpke said he spoke to Jenny Halopka, who runs Memorial Hall events, and was told that the facility was used 27 out 31 days in January. Activities included 42 youth sports practices, four church group meetings, daily pickle ball games, and residents walking indoors.

“This doesn’t include the local kids who shoot basketballs around for a couple hours whenever the hall isn’t being for other things,” he said.

February is looking like the hall will get the similar level of usage, he noted. “That’s what we wanted,” said village president Kurt Schwoch.

_ The board approved a service agreement with Computer TR of Abbotsford, which will provide service calls and security checks of all the village’s computers, including the police department’s, for a monthly fee of $325.

_ The board approved a motion to split a lot owned by Jeff Staab on the south end of Front Street, as recommended by the planning commission.

_ The board scheduled the annual village-wide garage sales for Thursday, June 10, through Saturday, June 12.

_ The board agreed to forward all future stray dog complaints to the sheriff’s department after hearing from Trustee Schauer, who volunteered to respond to dog calls after the village lost its police chief last year.

Schauer said she recently devoted 15 hours to a pair of stray dog cases and was also bitten by a pair of abandoned puppies. When she took the dogs to the Taylor County Humane Society, she said it was done on her own time and with her own gas.

Erikson said the board previously voted to pay Schauer mileage for trips to the humane society, but the village did have to write a $400 check to the humane society for quarantining the dogs to check them for rabies.

Village attorney Bonnie Wachsmuth recommended that village officials wait until one of the county deputies is on duty in the village so they can handle any loose dogs.

“If it’s been running for a long time already, another eight hours isn’t going to hurt anything,” she said.

If a loose dog is attacking people or causing a threat, Hirsch said people can always call 911 to get a deputy to respond right away.