Funding options for EPL, streets in progress

ELLSWORTH – The Ellsworth Village Board voted Monday, May 3 to allow the Ellsworth E3 Committee to design and paint six East End stone planters on Wall and Broadway streets.

“It came up as an idea to brighten up East End,” said E3 committee member Raynee Farrell. “To jazz it up a little bit.”

The money for the project will come from funds donated by a local artist who died.

The designs will be bright, geometric, Art Deco in style, said Trustee Mindy Anderson. The plan is to build off what the Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce started two years ago, using art to brighten the East End.

Village attorney Robert Loberg provided some historical background on the planters. Thirty years ago, the Commercial Club maintained the planters, which he said were donated to the village by Wieser Concrete. Village President Becky Beissel said she knows there might be some ownership in the planters, specifically by businesses that have “adopted” the planters and taken care of them over the years.

Loberg and Farrell said it was a combination of care over the years, between the chamber, business owners, and public works. It eventually evolved to the chamber being in charge of plantings.

“My only hesitancy is that it would be permanent,” Beissel said of the painted designs.

But considering they are 30 years old, drab and chipping, the board agreed it’s time for a facelift.

Library funding

Ehlers representatives Sean Lentz and Josh Low presented options to the village for financing $250,000 in street improvements, $500,000 for the proposed Ellsworth Public Library move to the BMO Harris Bank building, and refinancing existing debt.

Issuing general obligation bonds to banks and underwriting firms is a municipality’s lowest cost option for financing, Lentz explained.

“Like many communities, the levy limits you have to work under have squeezed out capital projects,” Lentz said.

The village’s borrowing capacity is 5 percent of the village’s value, or just under $3.8 million. The new and existing debt is $1.2 million, Other business

well under the $3.8 million capacity. The term would be for 20 years.

Borrowing for these projects would increase a village resident’s tax bill annually by about $20 per $100,000 in property value, Lentz said. The mil rate is calculated by dividing the tax levy by the value of the village.

Upon analyzing the existing village debt, the village could save $62,000 over the remaining loan term with lower interest rates in a refinance.

The process to issue debt is:

•Approve initial resolutions to fund the library, streets and refinance the existing debt.

• One month later, review bids and select one.

•Debt would need to be issued by early to mid-July in order to meet the deadline to refinance the state trust fund loan (end of August).

The subject will be on the June meeting agenda.

•Administrator Clerk/Treasurer Nicole Stewart handed out new Village President & Trustee manuals, which detail board service expectations. The point is to assist board members learn their roles and positions. Stewart, who would like to continue adding pertinent sections, called the manuals “incredible training tools” for everyone, inspired by other cities and villages.

•Board members were asked to make suggestions to newly compiled committee mission statements. Beissel said they’ve had a hard time finding exact committee purpose descriptions in state statutes and village ordinances. The mission statements will eventually go on the website, along with the committee members’ names.

•The board voted to appoint Trustee Lance Austin toas the Village of Ellsworth LOSAP FBO Ellsworth Volunteer Fire Department representative. The LOSAP FBO is a retirement incentive program designed to retain volunteer firemen.

•Greg Engeset and Trustee Hines (alternate) were appointed to the West Central Wisconsin Biosolids Facility Committee.

•The board voted to extend the interim public works director agreement for Mike Huppert through Oct. 1.

•Board members learned that Ellsworth Area Ambulance will be charging a flat fee of $80 for all ambulance calls. If the ambulance is sent out, the person needing service will be billed. The reason is the ambulance service is not reimbursed for all calls, especially those not resulting in transport. Examples include lift assists, etc.

Photo by Sarah Nigbor