SIREN – There was a large attendance at the Thursday, April 6, meeting for the Siren Village Board.
President Dave Alden reported that he felt the election was fairly successful, with 48% of the 455 voters turning out to vote, resulting in a shortage of ballots and requiring a hand count of 18 ballots. The Siren School Board referendum was short 60 votes for passing, which he stated he felt was unfortunate.
Chief Trevor Thiex stated the police department reimbursed $4,500 in funds from the Department of Justice for an officer’s training. During the meeting Thiex also offered the option to any member of the community to ride along with an officer if desired, to see how local law enforcement works up close and build relationships to combat negative stereotypes.
Regarding the junk vehicles that are parked on Johnson Street, Thiex stated that due to the owner pleading not guilty, there is a trial scheduled in May. After the meeting Thiex paused to speak with the Leader and shared that the vehicles in question are jacked up, which is a further safety issue to the public as they could fall over due to weather or ground shifting. He also said that the administrative and public safety personnel costs by the time the trial is over will be well over the value of the vehicles and anything that will be gained by the ticket. All this will be due to the individual refusing to remove their property from the area. When asked why the vehicles could not be towed, Thiex said that since there is no impound lot and the procedure of ticketing is the precedence in the area, this was the course of action that was taken.
Members of the Big Doctor Lake Association discussed the progress of their large project for a surface water grant to treat the lake with alum in order to reduce the phosphorus levels. Several members from their board attended the meeting to thank the village board for help in securing their grant with the Department of Natural Resources, which they verified had been approved for a 75/25 grant. This means the DNR will cover 75% of the funds, and 25% will be expected to come locally sourced. For the 25% of local funds, the village has consented to a $27,000 grant to the Lake Association, and the Lake Association has plans to raise funds for the other $34,470 of the 25% portion. Payments from the DNR’s portion will come via reimbursement, and the DNR has provided an advance of funds for $27,000. There is also an option for pursuing some loans through banks and other groups to loan to the Lake Association.
Dave Chell, president of Burnett County Whitetails Unlimited, appeared to discuss placing a statue of the Homer Pearson buck in Crooked Lake Park. There was some controversy that in the trophy records it stated it was shot in Polk County, but it will be changed in the next edition for accuracy. After acquiring the actual antlers, they would go for a statue to be replicated to a similar size of the Jordan Buck statue in Danbury. Estimated cost to the village would be related to providing lighting at night. The group is looking for a site and has others committed to covering the cost of the statue itself. The buck was shot in Burnett County in Sand Creek and the project includes the support of several sporting groups. One member of the Danbury area expressed disappointment, saying that she felt it would detract from efforts to draw attention to and celebrate the Jordan Buck there. Members of the Siren Village Board and Whitetails Unlimited responded with reassurances that no efforts to detract from the Jordan Buck festivities would be made.
Regarding the short-term rental ordinance, a decision was made to send letters to known short-term rental owners and require them to begin the process for licensing in the summer of 2023 with a goal for achievement for the following year. Clerk Ann Peterson mentioned that there are quite a lot of processes that are being put in place for those running short-term rentals, saying, “You have to fill out the applications, it’s a $300 fee. You come before the planning commission, you have to give us a copy of your site plan. We want to make sure you have had a fire inspection. We want to make sure you have your state tourist room license. There is a list of things you have to bring in, and then every year after that you need to come in and reapply for that.” Village Trustee James Pearson said there were several reasons this is important to the village, saying he didn’t believe anything was out of control now, but that as the industry grows, he believed that it was important to have something in place to allow governance over short-term rental properties to so that there is some control “for the sake not only over anybody who’s into the business, but for the sake of people who live in town.”
The next meeting for the Siren Village Board will be Thursday, May 4, at 2 p.m.
