Monticello Village Board Discusses Missing Money and New EMS Service to Village

The Monticello Village Board met for their regular meeting on September 21, 2016. All board members were in attendance.
Trustee Tere Dunlap presented the Personnel Report, since Greg Bettin said he had attended the meeting by phone.
The Personnel Committee recommended going with the Wisconsin Retirement Fund for its employees, although the cost to the village will be approximately $43,000. It was reported that the cost to stay with the current system would amount to approximately $20,000. The committee felt that going with the Wisconsin Retirement System will help keep current employees and also help to attract new employees should the need arise.
Village President LaVerne Crooks asked where the additional money for the State Retirement Fund will come from and Dunlap replied, “I defer to the finance committee on that.”
Larry Strause reported on the fire district meeting, noting that the Fire Dept’s brush truck will be in Albany for two to three months and then spend another month at General Communications.
In the Parks report, the board approved renewing the lease on Montesian Gardens for another 20 years.
Crooks then stated that he had received a number of phone calls in regards to the money missing from the squad car fund.
“Did we talk about this at the last meeting?” he asked.
At the September 7th Village Board meeting, the committee discussed the need for additional funds to purchase an SUV. The committee had reported there was less money in the account than they had expected, and an additional $22,000 would be needed to purchase the new police vehicle in 2017.
At this meeting, Larry Strause said, “We don’t know whether the money was there or not.”
Other board members said that there had been annual deposits made to that fund. Possibly up to $7,000 per year, and that currently there is $13,900 in the fund. No one appeared to know exactly how much money was supposed to be in the fund or where it had gone. Crooks directed the Finance Committee and the Public Safety Committee to come up with answers.
Monticello residents will see some changes to their EMS services beginning January 1, 2017. This is because the Monticello Village Board has elected to go with Green County EMS out of Monroe instead of New Glarus Area EMS.
At the informational meeting, held on August 25, 2016, in the Rehmstedt Gym at the school, GCEMS Chief Dan Nufer said that GCEMS was not interested in adding Monticello. He also noted that it would take longer for an ambulance from Monroe to get to Monticello than one from New Glarus.
NGAEMS has been the EMS service provider for over 40 years. At the September 7, 2016 Village Board meeting, the board offered New Glarus Area EMS $8,000 instead of the $18.78 per person charge that all of the other municipalities pay.
As for the cost to the patient, that is unknown, since GCEMS only said they believed their cost was average. However, if NGAEMS is called to back up GCEMS, Monticello residents will have to pay the non-resident fees.
NGAEMS sent a letter to the board saying, in part, “For a variety of reasons, including federal regulations, we cannot charge different per capita rates to different communities. Therefore we respectfully decline your offer.”
After minimal discussion, the board voted unanimously to go with Green County EMS, but added that next year they will look at not only New Glarus and GCEMS, but possibly Albany or Belleville as well.
The board set Halloween Trick or Treating hours for Saturday, October 29, 2016, from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.