CITY OF COLBY COMMON COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MARCH 3, 2026 The regular meeting of the Colby Common Council was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor James Schmidt. On roll call: Hoernke, T. Schmidt, Baumgartner, Hesgard, Hederer and Lindeman. Also present were Mayor James Schmidt, Clerk Connie Gurtner, DPW Higley, Sheala Nyburg and Jenny Jakel. Agenda was posted by the clerk. The mayor suggested one change to the agenda, moving Resolution #2-2026 up after item #4 for discussion. The remainder of the agenda will stand as the order of the meeting. Minutes of the February 3 meeting minutes were pre-read and reviewed. Motion was made by Schmidt, seconded by Hoernke to approve the minutes as presented. Motion carried with a voice vote. Financial statement and bills were discussed. Motion was made Hederer, seconded by Hesgard to approve the financial statement and bills. The amounts approved are as follows: General fund $622,744.89; water department $32,748.21; sewer department $35,976.16. Motion carried with a voice vote. Resolution #2-2026 Dairyland Rail Commission Intergovernmental Agreement: Motion was made by Schmidt, seconded by Baumgartner to approve Resolution #2-2026 as presented appointing Todd Schmidt as alternative representative. Motion carried with a voice vote. Resolution # 2-2026 Dairyland Rail Commission - City of Colby The Common Council of the City of Colby finds that coordinated planning within the transportation corridor between Spencer to Medford supports regional economic development and long-term rail service. Under Wis. Stat. §66.0301, the city joins with other jurisdictions in the corridor to form the Dairyland Rail Commission. Exhibit 1, titled Intergovernmental Agreement, sets forth the purpose, structure, and cooperative framework of the Dairyland Rail Commission. The common council approves the Intergovernmental Agreement and authorizes the mayor to execute it on behalf of the city. The cty appoints James Schmidt as its initial representative to the Dairyland Rail Commission and Todd Schmidt as alternate. Signed: James W. Schmidt Attest: Connie L. Gurtner Colby/Abbotsford Police Commission met on February 9. The commission approved minutes and expenditures. Chief's Report: Officer Nick Rudolph presented the chief's report, as Police Chief Alex Bowman and Lieutenant Jim Wagner were attending Wisconsin Law Enforcement Leadership Training sessions in Wisconsin Dells. Officer Rudolph said K-9 Hemi was deployed three times in January, resulting in one arrest. There were 681 total CAPD activities reported for the month of January 2026, compared to 751 total activities reported for the first month of 2025. Officer Rudolph reported on the work-related drowning death at Abbyland Foods. He said a handful of applications have been received for the officer vacancy resulting from Officer Christian Lemay's resignation. President Schmidt said Chief Bowman had extended the application deadline to March 19. A closed session discussion will be placed on the next meeting agenda to review the applications and to discuss options moving forward. Central Fire & EMS District met on February 26. The committee approved minutes and expenditures. Ambulance interfacility transports: Travis Nixdorf, EMS BC discussed with the board the possibility of providing medically necessary patient transportation when appropriate between medical facilities for patients who require specialized care that cannot be provided at their current facility. There are often more transports than the facility itself can cover, so they frequently reach out to other ambulance services to see if this is a service that they could provide. As Central Fire & EMS District has multiple ambulances and staff it is a service that should be considered. For interfacility transports, a Dr. is certifying that the transport is medically necessary which means that the likelihood of receiving full payment for the transport is high. Travis continued that there are guidelines that we will follow, making sure that the district is covered for 911 calls before accepting interfacility transports. This service would be set up with the Marshfield Medical Center and require 2 EMT’s or higher level for transport. EMT hourly wages for interfacility transports would remain the same as they currently are. Larry Oehmichen stated that he contacted our insurance agent regarding this, there is no impact on our insurance for this type of a service. It was stated that if a request for an interfacility transport was made and we did not have the staff for the call, we simply decline the request, there is no contract for services. Travis Nixdorf noted that if/when we begin interfacility transports LifeQuest will track this information to provide financial information separate from 911 transports. AEMT/Flex staffing: Travis Nixdorf, EMS BC discussed the AEMT/ Flex staffing for our area. Flex staffing allows you to work at the highest level of your staff for that day. In years past, a service needed to upgrade the level of service to AEMT or higher and provide that level of care for the first out ambulance for every run. With rural Wisconsin, that is not always possible so the state is now allowing flex staffing whereas if you have an AEMT on that day, you can operate at that level. If no AEMT is available, you operate at the EMT level. An AEMT is trained to start IV’s, give IV fluids, certain medications which is a true benefit to patients. With flex staffing the service is not upgrading to the AEMT level which means Medicare only allows billing at level the service is licensed at, which is the EMT level. However, the cost of operating at the AEMT level is minimal with the district still able to bill private insurance at the higher rate. Travis Nixdorf continued that the pros outweigh the cons on providing this service. Also, the district is charged $150 per ALS intercept, so it is hoped that requesting ALS intercepts would be reduced with AEMT/Flex staffing. The commission voted to pay AEMT wages at $24 per hour for interfacility transports or $48 per diem for 911 calls after a closed session. Personnel/Labor Relations Committee met on February 23 and 24 The committee conducted interviews in closed session and offered a position to one of the candidates. The committee thought that we had a great group that we had interviewed. The committee did make an offer to Jared Oehmichen as the new water operator for the City of Colby and he accepted the offer. Motion was made by Lindeman, seconded by Hesgard to approve hiring Jared Oehmichen as the new water operator. Motion carried with a voice vote. Mayor Schmidt: Mayor Schmidt reported on his meeting of the Clark County Economic Development. DPW Higley: DPW Higley reported on the precipitation and flows for February 2026 at the STP. He also reported on the pumpage of water for February 2026. Building permits issued were read by DPW Higley. Advertise for Summer Hire: Motion was made by Hederer, seconded by Hesgard to approve the advertising to hire summer help. Motion carried with a voice vote. CITY OF COLBY COMMON COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MARCH 3, 2026 The regular meeting of the Colby Common Council was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor James Schmidt. On roll call: Hoernke, T. Schmidt, Baumgartner, Hesgard, Hederer and Lindeman. Also present were Mayor James Schmidt, Clerk Connie Gurtner, DPW Higley, Sheala Nyburg and Jenny Jakel. Agenda was posted by the clerk. The mayor suggested one change to the agenda, moving Resolution #2-2026 up after item #4 for discussion. The remainder of the agenda will stand as the order of the meeting. Minutes of the February 3 meeting minutes were pre-read and reviewed. Motion was made by Schmidt, seconded by Hoernke to approve the minutes as presented. Motion carried with a voice vote. Financial statement and bills were discussed. Motion was made Hederer, seconded by Hesgard to approve the financial statement and bills. The amounts approved are as follows: General fund $622,744.89; water department $32,748.21; sewer department $35,976.16. Motion carried with a voice vote. Resolution #2-2026 Dairyland Rail Commission Intergovernmental Agreement: Motion was made by Schmidt, seconded by Baumgartner to approve Resolution #2-2026 as presented appointing Todd Schmidt as alternative representative. Motion carried with a voice vote. Resolution # 2-2026 Dairyland Rail Commission - City of Colby The Common Council of the City of Colby finds that coordinated planning within the transportation corridor between Spencer to Medford supports regional economic development and long-term rail service. Under Wis. Stat. §66.0301, the city joins with other jurisdictions in the corridor to form the Dairyland Rail Commission. Exhibit 1, titled Intergovernmental Agreement, sets forth the purpose, structure, and cooperative framework of the Dairyland Rail Commission. The common council approves the Intergovernmental Agreement and authorizes the mayor to execute it on behalf of the city. The cty appoints James Schmidt as its initial representative to the Dairyland Rail Commission and Todd Schmidt as alternate. Signed: James W. Schmidt Attest: Connie L. Gurtner Colby/Abbotsford Police Commission met on February 9. The commission approved minutes and expenditures. Chief's Report: Officer Nick Rudolph presented the chief's report, as Police Chief Alex Bowman and Lieutenant Jim Wagner were attending Wisconsin Law Enforcement Leadership Training sessions in Wisconsin Dells. Officer Rudolph said K-9 Hemi was deployed three times in January, resulting in one arrest. There were 681 total CAPD activities reported for the month of January 2026, compared to 751 total activities reported for the first month of 2025. Officer Rudolph reported on the work-related drowning death at Abbyland Foods. He said a handful of applications have been received for the officer vacancy resulting from Officer Christian Lemay's resignation. President Schmidt said Chief Bowman had extended the application deadline to March 19. A closed session discussion will be placed on the next meeting agenda to review the applications and to discuss options moving forward. Central Fire & EMS District met on February 26. The committee approved minutes and expenditures. Ambulance interfacility transports: Travis Nixdorf, EMS BC discussed with the board the possibility of providing medically necessary patient transportation when appropriate between medical facilities for patients who require specialized care that cannot be provided at their current facility. There are often more transports than the facility itself can cover, so they frequently reach out to other ambulance services to see if this is a service that they could provide. As Central Fire & EMS District has multiple ambulances and staff it is a service that should be considered. For interfacility transports, a Dr. is certifying that the transport is medically necessary which means that the likelihood of receiving full payment for the transport is high. Travis continued that there are guidelines that we will follow, making sure that the district is covered for 911 calls before accepting interfacility transports. This service would be set up with the Marshfield Medical Center and require 2 EMT’s or higher level for transport. EMT hourly wages for interfacility transports would remain the same as they currently are. Larry Oehmichen stated that he contacted our insurance agent regarding this, there is no impact on our insurance for this type of a service. It was stated that if a request for an interfacility transport was made and we did not have the staff for the call, we simply decline the request, there is no contract for services. Travis Nixdorf noted that if/when we begin interfacility transports LifeQuest will track this information to provide financial information separate from 911 transports. AEMT/Flex staffing: Travis Nixdorf, EMS BC discussed the AEMT/ Flex staffing for our area. Flex staffing allows you to work at the highest level of your staff for that day. In years past, a service needed to upgrade the level of service to AEMT or higher and provide that level of care for the first out ambulance for every run. With rural Wisconsin, that is not always possible so the state is now allowing flex staffing whereas if you have an AEMT on that day, you can operate at that level. If no AEMT is available, you operate at the EMT level. An AEMT is trained to start IV’s, give IV fluids, certain medications which is a true benefit to patients. With flex staffing the service is not upgrading to the AEMT level which means Medicare only allows billing at level the service is licensed at, which is the EMT level. However, the cost of operating at the AEMT level is minimal with the district still able to bill private insurance at the higher rate. Travis Nixdorf continued that the pros outweigh the cons on providing this service. Also, the district is charged $150 per ALS intercept, so it is hoped that requesting ALS intercepts would be reduced with AEMT/Flex staffing. The commission voted to pay AEMT wages at $24 per hour for interfacility transports or $48 per diem for 911 calls after a closed session. Personnel/Labor Relations Committee met on February 23 and 24 The committee conducted interviews in closed session and offered a position to one of the candidates. The committee thought that we had a great group that we had interviewed. The committee did make an offer to Jared Oehmichen as the new water operator for the City of Colby and he accepted the offer. Motion was made by Lindeman, seconded by Hesgard to approve hiring Jared Oehmichen as the new water operator. Motion carried with a voice vote. Mayor Schmidt: Mayor Schmidt reported on his meeting of the Clark County Economic Development. DPW Higley: DPW Higley reported on the precipitation and flows for February 2026 at the STP. He also reported on the pumpage of water for February 2026. Building permits issued were read by DPW Higley. Advertise for Summer Hire: Motion was made by Hederer, seconded by Hesgard to approve the advertising to hire summer help. Motion carried with a voice vote.
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