Marathon officials prepare to interview candidates for village administrator job

As Marathon City gets closer to hiring a new village administrator, at least one local official wants to consider applicants who may not have experience running municipal government.

At the village board’s monthly meeting on Sept. 6, trustee Connie Ruplinger asked if the search firm hired by the village, Public Administration Associates (PAA), is considering candidates like current administrator Andy Kurtz, who had a private sector career before he was hired in 2014.

“By them picking out the most qualifi ed people, are we overlooking someone that might be in the area and wants to stay in the area?” she wondered, noting that Kurtz has been successful in his job and the board has been “very happy” with him.

Kurtz said the board has made it clear to PAA, by answering survey questions, what kind of candidates it’s looking for, and that includes people who have not worked as a village administrator before or don’t have a master’s degree in public administration.

“I don’t think they are going to be disqualified automatically because they are not in the subset,” he said.

PAA has received seven applicants for the position, and it planned to do video interviews with the applicants this week, with the goal of narrowing the field down to three finalists for the board to interview later this month.

Kurtz said the village will receive the full list of applicants, not just the finalists, and it could ask PAA for closer consideration of “non-traditional” candidates. He said he has personally talked to a couple of people “who would fit that mold” but he’s not sure if they applied.

As part of the recruitment process, PAA has produced a brief video promoting the village to prospective applicants (available at www.public-administration. com). “It turned out well,” Kurtz said, noting that “it’s driving interest and activity from applicants.”

Kurtz announced his resignation in July, informing board members that his last day will be Sept. 30, after which he will start a job with the engineering firm Vierbicher in Reedsburg.

In other business:

Kurtz said a rough draft of the proposed 2024 budget was about 85 percent complete as of last week, and the various departments are working on their budget proposals before a special board meeting slated for tonight to review the document in detail.

“Right now we’re looking like we’re in pretty good shape,” he said, noting that net new construction was 1.82 percent for 2023, allowing the village to raise its property tax levy by that percentage for next year.

Kurtz said the owners of the local mobile home park have addressed all of the maintenance concerns raised by the village during a June inspection, and the board will be asked to renew their license at its October meeting. He noted that three mobile homes identifi ed as uninhabitable have either been demolished or will be soon.

“They are right now complying with the commitments they have made, and we should be looking good at this point,” he said. “We’ll continue to stay on them for proactive maintenance around the facility.”

During his monthly report, Kurtz told trustees that local police are investigating a string of thefts from vehicles that were committed in July.

“Just as reminder to everybody, do not leave valuables in your vehicles and do not leave them unlocked or unattended,” he said.

Kurtz said an exterminator visited the village three times and successfully eliminated a rat infestation on the south end of the community. A total of 91 burrows were treated with carbon dioxide, and the village expects to receive a bill for about $4,000.

The board approved a certified survey map for property owned by Shaun Mathwich on Highland Drive in the town of Rib Falls, which falls within the village’s authority to do plat reviews on land within 1.5 miles of its boundaries.

The board approved a 2023-2024 agreement with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) for access to its Connect Communities program, which provides workshops and resources regarding

downtown revitalization projects. The cost is $200.

The board approved a letter to Wausau Mutual Insurance attempting to clear up misinformation about fire protection in the town of Marathon, which is entirely covered by the SAFER Fire District. The letter makes it clear that the Marathon City Fire Department is not the primary fire department for any part of the township and it has not provided automatic mutual aid since 2022. It also notes that mutual aid is only provided when requested by SAFER, and that has not happened since February of last year.

Kurtz announced that the fire department has been awarded a $157,172 Assistance to Firefighters grant, which will be used to help purchase self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) tanks, masks and a high-pressuring filling station. The village will also contribute $7,879 to the purchases.

Kurtz said the STH 107 project has been completed, and the shoulders have been repainted to create a single lane of traffic across the bridge, with the goal of slowing down traffic and providing more room for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The board was informed that the Third Street project is behind schedule, and the contractor will be assessed an estimated $10,500 in liquidated damages by the time the work is completed in mid-September.

Kurtz said projects on North Ridge Road and CTH B have started and will be wrapped up in about a month. The north business park expansion started this week.

The board approved an alcohol operator’s license for Robert Hommerding at the R-Store.

After meeting in closed session to discuss 2024 fire protection fees and contracts, the board voted to enter into negotiations with neighboring townships.