Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By TOM LAVENTURE
Hurley — The Hurley City Council on Tuesday approved a resolution to amend its 2020 budget due to unanticipated revenues and expenditures incurred by the city related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The resolution passed the council 6-0 and adjusts the 2020 revenues with an additional $336,610 in revenues and $328,959 in expenditures. City Alderman Steve Lombardo was not present.
The additional revenues in the resolution include $99,700 for grant funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Rural Development for public works equipment expenditures. Other revenues listed in the resolution include $206,000 in loan proceeds; $3,996 in law enforcement grant proceeds, and $26,914 in Routes to Recovery funds through the Wisconsin Department of Administration.
There was an additional 10% in reimbursements from the Routes to Recovery program, said Joanne Bruneau, alderwoman and chair of the finance committee.
Additional expenditures listed in the resolution include $206,000 for the department of Public Works to purchase a street sweeper. Another $100,000 was applied to the principal of the debt service for the street sweeper.
Other expenditures included $4,000 for a digital police radar speed sign; $3,208 for chairs and touchless faucets in the city offices; $8,413 for new flooring in the city offices, and $2,883 for computer and software expenses in the city offices.
The resolution will also result in a $14,000 increase for city clerk’s office computer expenses that will come from unused department funds and an increase in liquor license revenues. The resolution will also increase funds to the city Capital Outlay to include $7,821 that will come from unused department funds.
In his report, city street commissioner Scott Santini said the groundwork to continue the proposed Range View Drive project with 50% of costs reimbursed through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Multimodal Local Supplement program. A team of city staff and officials are now in discussion with the town of Kimball and will present the project to the Hurley School Board at its Jan. 18 meeting.
Robert Lanctoe, chair of the Hurley Police, Fire and Licensing Committee, said Xcel Energy, Inc has completed work to repair a street light at 106 Iron Street. A new police squad car is now in service after detailing work was completed on Saturday, he said.
In her report to the city Finance Committee on Monday, Stacey Wiercinski, Hurley clerk and treasurer, said the city’s auditing firm, Wipfli, LLP, will send approximately four staff to the Hurley city offices on Jan. 25. The city council renewed auditing services with Wipfli in December, and the visitors will be conducting the on-site portion of the 2020 audit.
Wiercinski said the administrative staff have transitioned the city databases to the new Workhorse Software Services software that is now in use. The new system is designed for small to medium-sized Wisconsin municipalities and was approved by the city council in October.
“It really is working well,” Wiercinski said. “It saves us a lot of time and is much more efficient.”
In other business, the city council approved:
—Two bartender license recommendations from the police, fire and licensing committee.
—Approved a finance committee recommendation to credit $641.14 to a resident’s city water and sewer utility.
—Paying $222,514 in monthly city bills.
