Wisco Feeds approved to rezone adjacent house
By Kevin O’Brien
Wisco Feeds was given the goahead Monday to purchase a house next to its facility on South First Street in order to provide more space for incoming and outgoing trucks.
Based on a recommendation from the planning commission, the city council voted unanimously to rezone the house at 116 S. First St. from single-family residential to industrial.
Kent Pederson of Wisco Feeds, a feed manufacturer operating since 1932, told commissioners last week that his company plans to tear the house down in order to expand its parking area for trucks. He said they have received no complaints from neighboring properties, but the purchase of the home is contingent on the land being rezoned from residential to industrial.
The council also approved a conditional use permit for the newly rezoned property, which is required for all new developments with industrial zoning.
Other business
■ ■ Library director Jenny Jochimsen told the council that the Clark County Library Committee recently met with State Sen. Jesse James and Rep. Karen Hurd about the possibility of changing state law so that Clark County can collect money from Marathon County for the neighboring county’s residents who use Clark County’s libraries.
Because Marathon County has a unified system that is paid for with county tax dollars, it does not legally have to compensate Clark County for the money it spends serving patrons from Marathon County. This past fall, the Clark County Board of Supervisors considered changing its funding formula in a way that would have significantly decreased the amount of money going to libraries near the county line, including those in Abbotsford, Colby and Dorchester.
Jochimsen said Sen. James and Rep. Hurd were not interested in sponsoring legislation to change the library funding system, because it would just create “winners and losers.” She said Clark County is now requesting a meeting with the Marathon County Library Board of Trustees to request compensation for patrons who use Clark County libraries.
■ ■ The council appointed Sharon Archambo to a new three-year term on the Abbotsford Library Board.
■ ■ Mayor Jim Weix said the Colby-Abbotsford Police Department recently received praise for coming to the aid of someone whose truck broke down in the area.
■ ■ Village administrator Josh Soyk said the city had to replace one of the eight furnaces at city hall, with the lowest cost option coming in at $4,200. He said all of the furnaces at the facility, along with air conditioning units, are 18 years old and may need to be replaced in coming years.
■ ■ Soyk said the city’s two newest wells, 28 and 29, are now online after a problem with the transducers was fixed.
■ ■ The council approved alcohol operator’s licenses for Melanie Creson, Luis Vera, Sherman Pierce and Tania Cruz.
■ ■ The council approved a series of amendments to the 2024 budget to account for line items that came in either over or under the originally budgeted amounts. This left a surplus of $121,219, which will be kept in the city’s bank account for future expenses.
■ ■ The council approved a motion to transfer a total of about $180,000 is savings from the fire department, public safety building account and the general fund into a certificate of deposit at Forward Bank. The city is expected to earn about $8,200 in interest once the CD matures.
