Marathon trustees vote to give taverns a price break on licenses
The Marathon City Village Board last week Wednesday voted to reduce the price of Class B beer and liquor licenses because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The village annually brings in roughly $4,000 in beer and liquor licenses. A Class B license to serve beer and liquor on premises costs $500.
Board members agreed that the board should reduce the price for tavern owners who have not been able to seat customers during Gov. Tony Evers’ Safer at Home orders.
The board debated at length how much the Class B licenses should be discounted for the coming year. Licenses will be officially approved in June.
Village president Dave Belanger suggested the license price be cut in half, but, in the end, trustees voted in favor of discounting next year’s license by how many months or weeks drinking establishments were closed due to COVID- 19.
“We need to make this simple and help them out,” said trustee Mark Ahrens about tavern owners. “They don’t have a revenue stream.”
In other village board action:
_ Village administrator Andy Kurtz reported representatives of the American Legion Post 469 and the Marathon Lions Club have met to discuss possible Fun Days options given the COVID- 19 pandemic.
He announced that Lamar has removed an advertising sign on 154th Ave. in the village’s business park. Kurtz said he would request the company to further restore the sign site.
_ Administrator Kurtz said the village would likely exceed its $4,200 budget for elections due to the cost of envelopes and stamps needed to mail absentee ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic.
_ Board members voted to interview Bruce Bohr, Larry Heindl and Keith Marks in order to fill a vacancy on the Marathon Utility Commission.
Trustee Connie Ruplinger said it was not right for the Marathon Utility Commission to forward only Larry Heindl’s name to the board, but, instead, she said the village should consider all interested people and interview them for the position. She noted this was the process used to fill a vil- lage board vacancy.
_ Administrator Kurtz said an unnamed individual planned to rehabilitate and sell a home at 704 Sixth Street that had been scheduled for possible demolition by the village. The individual, said Kurtz, said he would complete the project by September.
_ Board members approved a list of vendors for heavy equipment and bulk materials.
The approved bulk materials low bids were: granite, Ladick, $7 per yard; sand fill and six-bag concrete mix, County Materials, $6.95 and $128 per yard, respectively; and road base, Draeger Trucking, $12 per yard.
