Gilman residents could see costly sewer plant upgrades coming

The Village of Gilman may be in for some costly updates to their wastewater facility in order to stay compliant with the state.

The village received a notice that their water permit was due for renewal and with that notice came information about necessary revisions. Board president Jane DeStaercke contacted Larry Gotham of Morgan and Parmley, a consulting engineering firm out of Ladysmith, without bringing it before the board due to time restrictions. DeStaercke also plans to meet with a representative from the Department of Natural Resources to discuss the changes further. There is a possible five to ten year timeline for getting these changes completed.

The board reports that both the water and sewer budgets are on track. While the board is due to review water and sewer rates, they have decided to postpone that review until they know more about the necessary changes to the wastewater facility.

DeStaercke also shared that the tax dollars the village provides to the fire department every year will increase from about $14,000 to roughly $16,000. She noted that there are upgrades needed in the fire department building, mostly relating to space and storage issues. However, DeStaercke stated that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will soon release new regulations, which she notes have not been updated since the 1990’s. “It will be very foolish if we do this without waiting for the OSHA restrictions to come down,” DeStaercke said. “We’ll need to spend initially about $10,000 to take a study of what we need, a needs assessment study.”

The board heard from GFL regarding their new contract which expires at the end of the year. The contract is for five years and includes a conversion from recycling bins to 95 gallon carts should the board decide to renew. The village pays for city recycling which will now cost $6 per month for each home. It also includes a change for the bags which appear to have gone from a wider yellow to a more narrow orange, though GFL representatives state the holding capacity is the same. The bags will be priced at $7 each. GFL is asking the board to come back with an answer by the next meeting.

In other business, the board also:

• Discussed upcoming library activities including reading times with the elementary grades and model railroad event which took place on Monday. The library holds 10,000-12,000 items in the building. The board and members of the community took a tour with library director Rita Ludvigsen. The library is encouraging people to take out library cards and check out books.

• Heard report from Gilman police chief Tom Tallier that next month a representative from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will be in town to discuss the recent speed study that took place on the east side of town near Dollar General. With that building in place, the town has seen some changes in traffic patterns which could influence the current speed limits.

• Reported that insurance has gone up 29%. There is another option available which is still 24.19% higher and it will be up to the finance committee to decide which is more appropriate.

• Voted to exempt village residents from paying taxes for the Gilman library as the village already gives to the library budget.

• Voted to approve a liquor license for Gilman Retail LLC doing business as Snak Atak #73 contingent upon the license publication posted in the Star News for 15 days. This is for the Cenex gas station in town which is changing hands likely at the end of this month.

• Discussed the written request, which was submitted last board meeting, of Gilman police chief Tom Tallier to amend the employee handbook to state that department heads in service for 25 or more years are entitled to five weeks or 200 hours of vacation. The request also included that sick leave days accumulated over 120 days or 960 hours be paid out at a rate of $120 per eight-hour day for department heads, and that it also be paid out upon retirement. These matters were approved last board meeting and brought back this meeting as an amendment to the employee handbook, which was also approved.

• Discussed the hiring of Grady Kroeplin as a full time public works employee. Kroeplin will start in November.

• Reported that village clerk Candice Grunseth has met with the Chamber of Commerce and is working with them to apply for the grant that will be utilized by small businesses in Medford and Gilman.

• Noted that the 2025 draft budget has been started, but clerk Grunseth is still waiting for more numbers to arrive. The budget hearing will take place at 5:45 p.m. before the regular board meeting on Nov. 13. The finalized tax rates will be submitted for approval during the Dec. 11 meeting and the adopted budget will be implemented Jan. 1.