Rib Lake will crack down on snow removal by residents

EMILY GOJMERAC

REPORTER

Snow and ice removal was the talk of the village board meeting in Rib Lake on Wednesday night.

Board members discussed an ordinance change to crack down on people not shoveling their sidewalks in a timely manner. Village ordinance requires snow to be removed within 24 hours of the snowfall. Other common issue include pushing snow across the road and stacking snow on corners or intersections blocking visibility explained Police Chief Derek Beckstrand.

The board discussed various ways of how to enforce snow removal around the village.

“How do you judge the severity of the penalty?” Russ Bullis said.

Beckstrand responded “The more days they don’t have it done, the higher the penalty.”

Options were tossed around amongst the board members.

“What happens if your going to be gone on vacation?” asked Trustee Cliff Mann.

“Then someone should be in place to remove the snow for your property,” responded President Schreiner.

It was decided that if Public Works employees have to be called out to the property, there would be a $50 charge, to pay the Public Works employee, and then $50 charged for the homeowner not getting the snow removed themselves. The cost of each citation received will be increased by $25, resulting in a total of $75 the second time, $100 the third time, and so on.

In other business: Beckstrand gave an update on the new squad car saying “I talked to Wheelers, and they are hoping to have the car done and in our hands by the end of the month.”

Beckstrand also mentioned the “Food for Fines” food drive that the department organizes. The drive is set up that if someone gets a parking ticket, instead of paying the fine, they can donate a non-perishable food item.

“There were 177 items that were donated this year, and they were distributed evenly amongst the three local churches in town,” Beckstrand said.

Trustee Mann suggested a storage closet be built in the existing Senior Center to house various items.

“Right now, when it gets rented out, bed sheets are covering all the stuff that is there. I’ve gotten permission to get rid of a lot of things, so I’ve been sending things to the recycling center a little at a time, but there still needs to be extra storage available,” Mann said.

The board passed a budget amendment of 2021 to reimburse the Public Library for Culture & Recreation in the amount of $17,140.95.

The board passed the 2022 budget amendment for the Village of Rib Lake, for the amount of $208,634.

Nicolet National Bank of Medford will serve as the public depository for all public money coming into the hands of the Treasurer of the Village of Rib Lake.

The wastewater treatment project is finished. Any maintenance that needs to be done is the village’s responsibility.