Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By PAMELA JANSSON
Hurley — On Tuesday evening, the Hurley City Council passed a 2025 fiscal year budget of $2,600,933.
The action followed a public hearing that drew no comment.
Clerk/treasurer Stacey Wiercinski highlighted revenue hikes, which include $16,000 from state revenues, $11,000 from transportation and $12,000 from personal property taxes.
She added that expense hikes include 5% raises for the clerk and two other office members and 3% raises for other city employees, as well as a 23% rise in health insurance.
The tax levy to be paid in 2025 will be $1,042,801, which Wiercinski said is a .64% rise from the previous year.
In other news, council members also heard progress in relation to the city’s desire to establish tax increment financing — known by the acronym of TIF — in relation to the pending construction of a Cobblestone Hotel in the city.
Anna Jakubek, vice president of development for Cobblestone Hotels, said the company still aims to begin construction of the Hurley hotel in spring.
Two representatives of MSA Professional Services, Inc. also were present: Art Bahr, community development specialist, and Philip Kriesel, project manager.
Bahr said it could take a year to go through the required phases in creating a TIF.
Wiercinski added that the city also will need to decide on its contribution to Cobblestone, including a utility arrangement.
In other news, the council also approved plans to create a health savings account for city employees.
As Wiercinski and Mayor Joanne Bruneau explained, employees would be able to use funds from such an account only for medical purposes.
Council members also learned that the U.S. 51 utility reconstruction project has reached substantial completion and that the highway has been open to traffic since September. Additional roadwork by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is expected in 2025.
All votes were unanimous with councilmen Joe Kasper and Logan Dahlbacka absent.
At the end of the meeting, the council entered a closed session to discuss a police union contract.
The council’s next regular meeting will be on Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. in Hurley City Hall.
