VILLAGE OF SCALES MOUND
Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Stone House
July 28, 2025
6:30 P.M.
The Regular Meeting of the President and Board of Trustees was called to order at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, July 28, 2025.
The members present were Ruth Foley, Nicole Winter, Deven Morgensen, Kristy Hesselbacher, and Janet Werner. Joshua
Altfillisch was absent. Village Clerk, Tami Koons, Village Treasurer, Marissa Marquith, Zach Winter, Dave Fosler, Chet
VanRaalte, Jerry and Fran Edwards were also present. Melissa Dittmar entered at 6:43 pm. Ron Duerr entered at 6:51 p.m.
PRESIDENT PRO-TEM
Werner Moved; Morgensen seconded to appoint Nicole Winter as President Pro-Tem. All voted aye.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Special Meeting June 26, 2025, Open and Closed; Special Meeting June 27, 2025,
Open and Closed; Regular Meeting June 30, 2025; Special Meeting July 7, 2025, Open and Closed. Hesselbacher
moved; Foley seconded to approve the minutes for the Special Meeting June 26, 2025, Open and Closed; Special Meeting
June 27, 2025, Open and Closed; Regular Meeting June 30, 2025; Special Meeting July 7, 2025, Open and Closed be
approved as read. All voted aye.
TREASURERS REPORT
The Treasurer’s Report was reviewed. Hesselbacher moved; Foley seconded to approve the Treasurer's Report as presented
and to place it on file. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
APPROVAL OF BILLS
The monthly bills were reviewed. Werner moved; Hesselbacher seconded that the July bills be approved for payment. On
Roll Call vote, all voted aye.
WATER RUN LLC PRESENTATION – STEVE OLSON
Steve Olson presented the phone app that he created which streamlines operations for small-town water systems by
replacing manual tasks with digital processes. It helps water operators manage duties and notifications, automatically
generates and submits reports to the EPA, and tracks key activities such as water shut-offs, hydrant flushing reminders, and
boil alerts. The app also creates a to-do list that populates directly into Excel for administrative use.
The cost is $150 per month for systems with 1 to 500 connections. Scales Mound currently has between 200 and 230
connections. The village would be responsible for mapping valves and hydrants, and equipment can be rented for $100 per
hour. Contract options include: 1-year contract: $2,000 onboarding fee + $150/month, 2-year contract: $1,000 onboarding
fee + $150/month or 3-year contract: No onboarding fee + $150/month. Steve also noted that several updates to the app are
expected soon.
CITIZENS COMMENTS/COMMUNICATIONS
A) Citizens Comments – 1) Nathan Wills – Portable Building – Nathan Wills was not present at this meeting. The board
will send him a letter outlining the policy regarding portable buildings and will follow up with any applicable fines.
2) Melissa Dittmar – Country House Appreciation Party – Street Closure –Melissa requested the closure of part of
Main Street for the Country House Grocery Customer Appreciation event. Melissa will notify neighboring residents of
the planned closure. Foley moved; Hesselbacher seconded to approve the closure of Main Street for the event
scheduled on August 30, 2025.
B) SM Chamber – None.
C) Contact Us Submissions – None.
D) FOIA Requests – None.
E) Other – None.
ORDINANCE VIOLATIONS/ADMINISTRATIVE LAW REPORT
A) The board discussed the shipping container near Wills Garage and will send an Ordinance Violation Letter.
PUBLIC WORKS
A) Monthly Report – 1) Ron Duerr reported that the street signs on the corner of Schuyler and Main are missing. Ron
will check the sign inventory to see if there are spares, if not we will have to reorder these two signs. 2) Duerr reported
that the Ponds are back to normal levels. 3) Duerr reported that furniture was placed on the town’s burn pile. The board
discussed posting a reminder on Facebook on proper usage of the burn pile.
ZONING REPORT
A) Monthly Report – 1) Co-Zoning Administrator, Zach Winter reported one (1) portable building permit for Carrie Stier
and one (1) Solar Permit for KP Freedom Forever.
OLD BUSINESS
A) Water Main Replacement – This topic was tabled as there is not currently an update.
B) IML Conference – Morgensen and Winter are confirmed to attend the IML Conference, while Josh Altfillsch's
attendance remains tentative. Werner moved; Hesselbacher seconded for Morgensen and Winter to attend the IML
Conference in September. On roll call vote, all voted aye and Morgensen abstained.
C) Truck Route and Street Signage – Foley reached out to the highway department and spoke with George from
Warning Lights. Foley received a quote for the Truck Route Signs which included one 24×18-inch black and white
truck route sign for $57. These updated signs include reflection and come with a 10-year guarantee. Reflectors are
available for an additional $4.20. Shipping is included in the quoted price. For any sign placements outside the town
limits, the Village will need approval from the County. To proceed, we need to contact Dillon at the County office to
inform them of our intended locations. Hesselbacher moved; Morgensen second to purchase two (2) Truck Route Signs
and the two (2) reflector tapes totaling $122.40 On roll call vote, all voted aye.
OTHER COMMITTEE REPORTS
A) Street/Maintenance – None.
B) Sewer/Water – None.
C) Finance – None.
D) Park & Special Projects – None.
E) Public Events & Safety – None.
F) Trees & Sidewalks – None.
G) Ordinance/Policy – None.
H) Development – None.
NEW BUSINESS
A) Appropriation Ordinance – The board reviewed the Appropriation Ordinance. Morgensen moved; Werner seconded
to approve the Appropriation Ordinance as presented. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
B) Review Closed Session Minutes from the Past 6 Months/Recordings from 18 Months – Morgensen moved;
Hesselbacher seconded to have the closed minutes remain closed and dispose of recordings older than 18 months. All
voted aye.
C) Solar Solicitation – The board wanted to inform residents that if a solicitor is in town without a permit, first call the Jo
Daviess County Sheriff’s Office and then notify the board.
D) Set Electronic Recycling Event Date – The board discussed hosting a 3 rd annual Electronic Recycling Event due to
positive feedback from residents. The board discussed hosting the event in September on a Sunday from 10 am – 2 pm
at Rec Park and the board will be present again. Winter will call Humphry to check on date availability and the final
date will be set at the regular August meeting.
E) RMA Return-To-Work Program Requirement – Morgensen informed the board of the RMA requirement to adopt a
Return – To – Work Program by September 1, 2025. The purpose of the program is to have duties established if an
employee were to return to work on “light-duty” following an injury. Morgensen drafted a program using the guidance
provided by RMA. Hesselbacher moved; Werner seconded to adopt the Return-To-Work Program as presented.
F) Maintenance Employee Reporting – Morgensen created a weekly reporting document and a monthly board meeting
quick guide for the Maintenance Employee. The board agreed that both documents were sufficient for the Village
Maintenance employee to fill out weekly and to have for the monthly meetings
G) MFT Audit Fiscal Year 2023 – Winter submitted all but one document that MFT requested and Winter is sending the
last document after the meeting.
H) Unemployment Benefits Appeal – Rudd – Winter has compiled the appeal documents. Witness statements are
currently being signed by the board, as well as by Zach Winter, Zoning Administrator, and Mark Travis, Water/Sewer
Operator. Morgensen moved; Werner seconded to move forward with the appeal. On roll call vote, all aye.
I) Stone House Sewer Emergency Repair – The sewer line connected to the Stone house was clogged and backing up.
The Village called Brant Plumbing to repair it, after channeling 100 feet out Adam was unable to reach the issue with
his equipment. The Village then called in Kruser Septic Service and they were able to unclog the line with their jetting
equipment. Sewer is now in working order.
J) Other – Frontier’s telephone pole fell, obstructing North Elizabeth–Scales Mound Road. It has since been cleared from
the roadway and repaired.
BRAINSTORMING – None.
CLOSED SESSION – None.
ACTION FROM CLOSED SESSION – None.
ADJOURNMENT – Werner moved; Hesselbacher seconded that the meeting be adjourned at 7:53 PM. All voted aye.
These Minutes were prepared by Village Clerk, Tami Koons.