Abby lowers age to 12 for those subject to fines
By Kevin O’Brien
Minors as young as 12 years old in Abbotsford will be subject to $25 fines for committing acts of theft or property destruction after the city council revised the city’s ordinance Monday.
On the recommendation of police chief Alex Bowman, the council voted unanimously to lower the age from 14 to 12 for those who can be fined under the city’s theft of property and property damage ordinance.
“They have problems with younger kids stealing things at school,” city administrator Josh Soyk told the council when explaining Chief Bowman’s request.
Because the fines would be issued under a city ordinance, the cases would be heard in the local municipal court, and not at the circuit court level in either Neillsville or Wausau.
When asked if the $25 fine was high enough, Soyk said Bowman did not recommend increasing the amount, but he said it could be considered if the problems persist.
“If we still have problems, we could always amend it again to change the amount of the fine,” he said.
Other business
■ ■ The council approved the proposed 2025 budget for publication, which will give citizens two weeks of advanced notice before a public hearing on Monday, Dec. 2, at 5:45 p.m. Soyk pointed out a few minor changes he made to the budget after the last council meeting. The budget still includes a slight drop in the property tax levy due to the state’s exemption of personal property from taxes and subsequent increase in state aid.
■ ■ Library director Jenny Jochimsen said Clark County has changed its proposed funding formula for libraries, so it will be “a little better, but not great” for Abbotsford and other libraries that serve many Marathon County residents. Jochimsen said Clark County officials plan to approach Marathon County for library funding, but she said the neighboring county is not legally obligated to provide funding because it has its own county-run library system. The Clark County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to adopt its budget on Thursday, Nov. 7.
■ ■ DPW Craig Stuttgen said construction started recently on the third of four new Abbyland Foods apartments in the northwest corner of the city, so the city will wait until next spring to put a second lift of asphalt on the new section of Swamp Buck Drive.
■ ■ Engineer Mike Voss of MSA Professional Services told the council that a doorto- door income survey of residents in the mobile home park on Fifth Street resulted in 42 responses out of 92 households. Those surveys indicate that just under 40 percent of the residences have low-to-moderate (LMI) household incomes, which is below the 51 percent threshold needed for the city to qualify for a Community Development Block Grant. Another mail-in survey of 11 households in that area has received just three responses at this point. The city is hoping to obtain a CDBG to help pay for a planned reconstruction of Fifth Street, from Spruce to Maple, and the income surveys must be submitted by Feb. 15, 2025.
■ ■ The council approved a $150,000 amendment to MSA’s contract for engineering and overseeing the drilling and installation of the city’s two newest wells, 28 and 29. A motion to approve the amendment was tabled in October after Soyk noted that MSA’s fees had more than doubled since the contract was first signed. However, he said the company has done all of the work listed in the amendment, and the city will be reimbursed for half the cost through the DNR’s Safe Drinking Water Fund. To prevent such large cost overruns going forward, he recommended that a “not to exceed” amount be added to all future engineering contracts.
■ ■ The council approved two pay requests from Haas Sons, including $91,000 for work done on West Elm Street and about $568,000 for work done on the new well project.
■ ■ The council approved a conditional use permit for La Takeria El Nopal, a new restaurant that recently opened in the former Napa Auto Parts store on STH 13.
■ ■ The council approved the closing of city hall on Friday, Nov. 29, the day after Thanksgiving, as it has done for many years.
