SPRING VALLEY – A longtime Spring Valley Village Board trustee has been asked to issue a public apology to the public works director and has been removed from two committee assignments, according to a post on the village’s website and Facebook page that has since been taken down.

Village President Theresa Koch said she received two letters of complaint from village employees about Trustee Matt Huepfel for “unruly behavior, profanity and threatening remarks toward a village employee,” thus prompting a Personnel Committee June 9 at which time, after consulting the village attorney, Koch removed Huepfel from the Public Works and Emergency Services committees.

The post read: “The Village of Spring Valley is committed to maintaining a respectful and professional environment for all staff and elected officials. Following a review of recent incidents involving Trustee Matt Huepfel—including unruly behavior, profanity, and threatening remarks toward a Village employee—the Village President has removed him from the Public Works and Emergency Services Committees under Ordinances 2‑54 and 2‑68.

“The Village Board is also requesting that Trustee Huepfel issue a public apology, specifically to Public Works Director Steven Kirby.

“Our priority is ensuring a safe, respectful, and accountable local government for our community.”

Huepfel said his ire during recent meetings stems from the following issues: The Glade Avenue bridge closure and how it affects residents on the hill, the possibility of removing fluoride from the village’s water, the treatment of citizens at village board meetings and discussing spending taxpayer money on projects behind closed doors. He said he’s passionate about these issues and has citizens’ best interests at heart.

Huepfel, a pharmacist, said Koch personally delivered the letter to him at Spring Valley Drug & Hardware last week stripping him of his committee assignments. He said he’s baffled by the whole process but realizes he needs to better adapt to the current board’s comfort level when it comes to language. He has served on the board for 34 years.

“It was kind of unclear,” Huepfel said of the accusations. “I think it was because I used the BS word several times during a meeting when untruths were being stated.

“When the board was more male dominated, sometimes the words would fly. I need to better adapt to the board’s comfort level.”

Huepfel said with the current board, there are tensions and back fighting that he’s never seen before.

“It’s just unfortunate,” he said. “It’s hard enough to get people to do this job as it is. I want Spring Valley to be a successful and safe place. Truly this whole discussion is about the public safety in Spring Valley and not compromising it with less than proven facts. It’s important to be more civil and decent to people and care about one another.

“I’m not quitting but I can’t take the untruths anymore.”

Huepfel’s statement

In response to the village’s statement posted online, Huepfel posted his own letter (printed in its entirety):

“Dear Spring Valley,

“I would like to respond to some recent events.

“During a recent public works meeting and the monthly Village Board meeting members of the board and employees put forth ideas that would harm public safety and citizen's health.

“The first issue is the replacement of the Glade Ave bridge. Not replacing it will slow down response times for fire/ambulance from established levels. Little consideration was given to the effect on citizens. Many folks came to the meeting and expressed their dismay to the proposed plan. In at least one case Village representatives/staff were disrespectful to citizens testifying. I said forcefully to those staff/ representatives to get thicker skin. The Village President said multiple times to citizens who came to express their options to hurry. It is elected representatives job to hear what residents have to say and not school them on how much time it is taking.

“The second issue is fluoride in the water. Established health care people like John's Hopkins, CDC, and American Dental Association endorse putting it in the water. Board members and staff openly questioned the science and stated these organizations could be manipulating the data. I want to see every person have good teeth no matter what their income. Lots of people cannot afford dental care where they get fluoride treatments. Certain staff misrepresented/misunderstood what local health care providers said concerning benefits. I talked to these Dental Professionals and had them clear up any misunderstandings on their position with village officials. Emergency Departments treat millions of patients annually with dental issues. It is expensive and a drain on the health care system- much less the suffering for patients. This issue cannot be decided on a whim, because it has the potential to harm people.

The last issue is how the board is conducting meetings for prospective expenditures. I believe citizens need to know exactly what the board is considering spending money on. Things have been cloaked in closed sessions. Residents of Spring Valley need to know what is happening within the Village.

“I have spent my life trying to improve people's health. I am not trying to stir the pot, but I feel passionately about these issues. My committee appointments have been stripped so I cannot advocate for you as effectively. I admit I used the word BS word several times when I heard untruths and forcefully pointed when citizens were being treated badly. I urge residents to ask questions and watch the televised meetings. We unfortunately do not electronically record the committee meetings where these things are dreamed up. Please, again, come to meeting and become informed. I want to thank folks for the support. Go Spring Valley!!”

Koch’s side

Posts on the Spring Valley community Facebook pages regarding Huepfel spurned an outpouring of support for him, along with questions about the board’s transparency and Koch’s residency.

Koch resigned from the village president role effective Jan. 31, 2025 and was not planning to run for re-election; however, since she already had her nomination papers turned in, she was the only candidate listed on the ballot for village president and was elected.

The Journal emailed Koch a list of questions. For transparency, her response is printed below in its entirety:

“As Village President, my priority is to ensure that every employee, trustee, and resident is treated with respect and that our public meetings remain professional, safe, and productive.

I do and have lived in the Village of Spring Valley for several years. I believe we have a beautiful Village and appreciate the efforts of the citizens, committees, and board members for their overall time and effort into keeping our Village safe, clean, and beautiful. Overall, I’m grateful for our community and efforts to grow.

“This is my fourth year as Village President, minus a couple of months where I had resigned. One month in which I still attended the Village monthly meeting and, overall, still communicated with certain board members regarding events happening within the Village. I was motivated to help the community I still live in and work with others to do what we feel is in the best interest of the Village. No personal agenda, a fresh, open mind, and newly an empty nester with extra time on her hands to do so. I’ve learned a lot. I am grateful to one board member taking the time to educate me on Robert's Rules. While others looked over me and never respected the new president's position. It’s been challenging to say the least and quite an eye-opener.

“I was informed that at a recent Public Works Committee meeting, A Village Trustee used repeated profanity and made statements that were perceived as threatening toward our Public Works Director. This conduct is unacceptable and does not reflect the standards of the Village of Spring Valley.

“An employee wrote me a letter, filing a complaint about the issue. Now two Village employees are feeling unsafe. Thus, I felt that a personnel Committee meeting, including our Village Attorney deemed appropriate to discuss how to move forward. The Village must ensure a workplace free from threats, harassment, and hostile behavior under Wisconsin workplace safety standards and general municipal employer duties.

“Possible actions the Village board may take include formal censure – A public, on-record condemnation of the trustee’s behavior. Committee removal – The board may remove the trustee from the committee. Mandated conduct training – Anger management, harassment prevention, or governance training. And others, to include a criminal charge referral, to rein in expectations for trustee behavior.

“As you are aware, the decision was to remove the Village Trustee from the Emergency Services Committee and the Public Works Committee. These are two out of the three committees he is on. This decision was made to protect the employees affected by the behavior and their request to no longer be directly involved with the Trustee. The other was Formal Censure- A public, on-record condemnation of the trustee’s behavior. Committee assignments and removals are the responsibility of the Village President, subject to confirmation by the Village Board when required. The decision to remove the trustee was made by the Village President in accordance with that authority and the Personnel Committee.

“The trustee was notified by a direct letter I delivered personally, so there would be a clear, documented record of the change.

“The request of public apology serves three purposes:

1. Acknowledge the inappropriate behavior directed at a Village employee
2. Reaffirm that staff deserve a safe, respectful workplace
3. Demonstrate accountability to the public.

“The Village uses Facebook as one of its primary communication channels to reach residents quickly and transparently. This was to ensure the public received accurate information directly from the Village rather than through rumor or speculation. Transparency is a recently noted word that I personally have felt appropriate from day one of being elected.

“Comments regarding closed sessions, however, should not be shared, and yet a certain trustee has. I then had to remind the Village Board of severe consequences that could be taken against them, per our Attorney. This was a warning, and no action was taken at that time.

“A monthly Village Board meeting is set with an agenda and selected items to be discussed. Public comment may not always be allowed or may be given a time limit, if given the opportunity to talk. People should not be freely speaking during the board meetings. I have always tried to be respectful and give the citizens who choose to show up and want to talk a chance. I feel the public should have the right to speak. If time allows. In some cases, over my years in service, citizens chose not to follow the meeting rules and not respect time or be respectful of the Village board. They can and have been warned once and multiple times before they are removed. I recall a few meetings we had to have police present due to an out-of-line resident of our Village.

“The last Village meeting had the Glade Avenue bridge on the agenda. Several residents attended. A few spoke openly, and the Village Board listened. Yes, time was kept in mind, but no set time was given. At the end of the discussion, I asked the question to the audience, which was answered with a show of hands. If they thought the bridge should be replaced, regardless of the cost. It was almost unanimous, with hands in the air. Fix the bridge no matter what the cost. However, the original reason the Glade Avenue bridge was on the agenda was NOT to vote; it was a chance for the Village Board to be educated on options, costs, and overall discussion. Sadly, a Village trustee had mixed the information he chose to pass along to the residents. And there we were with upset, worked-up people that could have been prevented if given the right information.

“The Village board has a huge responsibility to decide what’s best for the Village as a whole. With very little funds and not wanting to raise taxes if we do not have to. We ourselves are taxpayers. We understand!

“One resident commented, ‘kick the can.’ And I couldn’t agree more. This was one of my original eye openers when I was first elected. What do you mean, money was never set aside to repair buildings? How is it that little repairs to prevent large, costly remodels were not completed? And what is it we own?!? These were just a few questions I had in the beginning.

“However you answer those questions, the truth is… We now have the can. We have buildings that need new roofs and other major repairs, potholes and roads to maintain, and a bridge we all love that is closed. And not enough funds, even with grants, to complete it all. This is the reality. And we all have an opinion on what should be a priority. This is truth and reality.

“If you want to discuss and have the full amount of time to be heard, it’s at the committee level, not a monthly board meeting. Which is what two Village board members were trying to explain to an out-of-line resident being rude. Yes, a resident was being rude to the Village trustees. We are not on the board to be human punching bags. We are here to give up our personal time in favor of supporting our Village. So please be respectful if you are given an opportunity to speak. Not rude and out of line. I always mention and welcome residents to join the committees. We currently have open seats on a couple of them.

“The fluoride conversation has also been misconstrued.

“We, the Village, try to pay attention to all costs involved in maintaining our beautiful Village. So, it is not unusual for different items to be addressed at the committees. Such as, would it be better and more affordable to put a swing set in or plant another tree in the play area?

“In this case, it was a fluoride conversation at the Public Works committee. And then the pros and cons are discussed. In the end, we, the Village Board, chose to be transparent and put together a survey for the residents to complete. I believe, and so does the board, in letting citizens have an opinion. Not a ‘keyboard warrior’ session on social media. But a personal survey mailed to your home, and then have the returned information decide the outcome.

“I’ve answered the questions and made clarifications on the recent discussion items. Now I’d like to personally add a few comments/concerns.

“It is difficult to find good employees for Spring Valley. Working for the public is not easy, especially in a world where people choose to speak freely on social media, no matter how negative their words come across. It’s almost impossible to please everyone. And if someone is having a bad day, others assume negative reasons. So, when we are blessed to have great employees, I, for one, appreciate them and choose to do the right thing by listening and ensuring they feel welcomed, safe, and appreciated.

“In today's world of political leaders being shot at, even killed, I also choose to protect and appreciate our Village board members. This is not an easy seat to sit in. Which is why I chose not to include my address as asked for. The appropriate administration has my information.

“Before I resigned, a group of people chose to go door to door, saying false information and encouraging bad things about me to others. I had struck a secret group regarding a well-protected topic in the Village. As a mother with kids who still live in the Village, and at the time, a wife of a police officer, I struggled as to what the right thing to do was to protect my family and stand by what I believed to be the right thing. So, I resigned.

“During my couple of months away, I educated myself, grew tougher skin, and thankfully, my wonderful confidante, a past Village trustee, put in place a new committee regarding this.

“Opening the eyes of others and new voices being able to be heard on the subject. I am truly grateful to this person, and I’m not sure they will ever know how much.

“I still have no hidden agenda. I’m open and honest with everyone I encounter. I will do my best to maintain safe, productive Village meetings by following Robert's Rules and overall respect. I will still try to make the best decisions possible regarding our beautiful Spring Valley. I am grateful for wonderful neighbors. I appreciate our local businesses. And I believe we are blessed to live in a beautiful little Village.

“Sincerely,

“Theresa L Koch – Yes, it’s still Koch per my ID”

Huepfel concerns

Huepfel said his main goal as a trustee is keeping the lights on and the roads plowed.

“The vast majority of people are just coming on the board and trying their very best. I’m not a rocket scientist you know, but over the years, people that have completely differing ideology and belief have become longtime friends. Our job is not political and it shouldn’t be party affiliated.”

Huepfel said the Glade Avenue bridge has been on the village’s “to-do” list for a long time. Without the bridge, a number of citizens don’t have an efficient way of getting an ambulance to their house, he said.

“I do live on top of the hill and want to get a fire truck or ambulance to the top of the hill,” he said. “We’ve gotten pushback on the bridge; I’ve spent my whole life in healthcare and seen the consequences of slippery roads and EMS who will adapt to anything, but it does come to a point where in healthcare time does make a difference. Ten extra minutes to get to someone who has had a heart attack or is hemorrhaging. It was not done with a lot of consideration.”

Huepfel said about 35 people came to the June village board meeting, wanting the bridge to be replaced. According to Huepfel, village officials and staff were grumbling and grousing during citizens’ comments.

“I’m a firm believer that if people take the time to show up for the meeting, they should be heard. I am not saying they should hurl obscenities,” he said.

When he was growing up in town, Spring Valley didn’t have fluoride in the water and he had a lot of cavities, Huepfel said.

“We have much better teeth than 50 years ago,” he added. “My primary thing is for people’s public health. People who have money can get really good dental care, they can get fluoride treatments; if you take it out of the water, they and their children will have more cavities and more dental emergencies, clogging our already crowded system. There are links between dental things and heart disease. I don’t want to disadvantage people in Spring Valley who don’t have as much money as others. This is a tax on poor people, or a penalty.”

As for a public apology to Kirby, Huepfel said he doesn’t feel one is warranted. He said he used an analogy of being tarred and feathered by the public if certain ideas were implemented.

“It’s hard to be in charge of Public Works and sometimes it’s hard to be the village clerk,” He said. “People say things that you may not agree with, but that’s part of our job. You got to just let it fly off. I don’t know why I should in any way apologize to Steven. In Spring Valley, the elected officials should be setting the course of what we are doing along with assistance from the employees. They should not be setting the agenda for the village. We have for a very long time, very strong personalities who are mayor and it was never an issue. They had great expertise and knew what they were doing, even though I didn’t always agree with them.

“We need to have our financial doings and procedures more transparent and visible to people, even the thoughts and discussions. Not saying we shouldn’t brainstorm, but it should be done in a form where people know what we’re talking about. Not done behind closed sessions.”