Posted on

Easing the way

Easing the way Easing the way

City cuts bartender license application form from 7 to 2 pages

The city of Medford is making getting a bartenders license a little easier.

At Monday’s committee of the whole meeting, council members recommended adopting a new operator license form which takes the application from seven pages into a two-page document.

According to city clerk Ashley Lemke, the existing seven-page form has been a struggle with a number of boxes for the person filling it out to provide information. She said a lot of time the people filling out the applications would miss certain boxes requiring additional staff time to review them. She said they took the existing form and streamlined it so the information that is actually needed to fill out is on the two pages with a third page for internal use noting if it was approved, denied and the reasons.

The other information was condensed into an operators license policy which is provided for the applicants to be able to read and review and will have to sign off on doing that.

See CITY on page 20 She said the goal is to have the new forms in use for the July 2023 license renewal, which is the start of the next application cycle. She said once approved by council they will work on getting it as a fillable PDF form and available online to further streamline the process.

“We want to make it as user friendly as possible,” Lemke said.

Vehicle purchases

The city of Medford will get its next Ford police interceptor squad vehicle from Hartford-based Ewald Automotive Group rather than from Medford Motors.

According to police chief Chad Liske, knowing there was a lengthy lead-time on the vehicles purchased this year, the department began looking at purchase options for the 2023 model to replace an existing 2017 squad.

On September 8 they received a quote from Medford Motors for $42,290 and also reached out to Ewald and Madison-based Kayser Ford. While Kayser did not give a quote, Ewald’s quote was $38,166 for the vehicle, a difference of $4,124.

Liske said that even with the cost of sending two officers to get the vehicle, it will be a savings to go with Ewald. He said the city would continue to work with Medford Motors for any service and repair work on the vehicles.

Liske said they had tentatively placed the order of the vehicle pending final approval by the city to get it in before the window for ordering 2023 models closed on September 9. Last year the window for ordering did not close until January 31. Liske also noted that even before getting a price, they were warned that the prices were going up for the vehicles. He said it was about a $9,000 increase over the prior year.

Neither of the quotes included a trade-in credit for the existing vehicle. Liske noted that this year there was a 30 plus week lead time for the fleet vehicles with them being built to order. He said they do not have a projected time when the city will receive the new squad and that builds are not expected to begin until January.

Liske said that because of the long lead-time they will either look at selling the retiring squad car through surplus auction or get a trade-in credit at the time the new vehicle is delivered.

Council members recommended purchasing the new squad from Ewald Automotive Group.

The city is staying more local with the purchase of a new half-ton 4x4 pickup truck for the public works department. Wheelers Chevrolet of Medford and Medford Motors submitted quotes for the extended cab pickup truck. Wheelers Chevrolet price was $37,892.50 to $38,878 from Medford Motors for comparable vehicles.

“Wheelers was a little cheaper,” said Jason Viergutz, street and water superintendent.

The new truck will replace a 2013 F150 two-wheel drive extended cab truck that will be sold on Wisconsin Surplus Online Auction. When questioned about the decision to go with the four wheel drive vehicle compared to a two wheel drive, city coordinator Joe Harris said the truck is used in the winter to load a snowblower in the back and the existing truck has gotten stuck a number of times resulting in a snowplow having to come and get it out delaying snow removal.

In other business, council members:

  Recommended setting city Trick or Treat hours on Sunday, Oct. 30 following the Harvest Days parade until 6 p.m.

  Recommended approving of granting We Energies an easement to cross city property from Impala Drive to a house that is being built at 850 N. Ninth Street. While on a platted, but not developed road, access to the house will be from Impala Drive.


Work continues on the first of multiple buildings in the South Ridge apartment complex on Pep’s Drive in Medford. The first units are expected to be ready to lease in January 2023 with other buildings going up at the same time.Brian Wilson/The Star NEws
LATEST NEWS