ELLSWORTH — The Ellsworth Village Board voted to accept a strategic plan bid and approved the purchase of an additional Express Vote system heading into election season during the Monday meeting.

The board went with the strategic plan bid from Redevelopment Resources with a price range of $10,880 to $12,102 depending on travel costs, with trustees Tony Hines and Ryan Bench voting against the bid.

The approved bid was the second lowest cost, with the lowest being DDA Human Resources at $9,500 and the highest of the seven bids being Eli Patrick & Co. at $72,200. The village has $12,500 budgeted for the development of the plan.

Some board members saw Redevelopment Resources as a better option because of an opportunity for community input and Village President Becky Beissel mentioned a focus on economic development.

“It’s creating our mission, our vision, our values,” Beissel said. “It’s things that we’ve never had.”

Hines was opposed to the selected bid due to the higher cost than he felt the village should spend. Bench mentioned strategic plans as a whole, saying many municipalities spend the money to develop a plan but do not necessarily act on the plan to make positive change.

“I think it’s good to get a strategic timeline,” Trustee Andrew Borner said. “See what happens with your village and actually have some strategies.”

The chance for community input drove some members to choosing the bid, deciding that if they were going to go through with creating a plan, they wanted the feedback.

Express Vote

The board unanimously approved the use of $3,950 for the purchase of an Express Vote system. The machine is for touch screen voting and will be the third the village owns. The village will still have the paper ballot option.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission offers a grant that would get the village a $750 reimbursement for the purchase. The village is projecting a surplus of $3,385 in the budget for the 2024 Election.

Other business

• Awarded the sale of $171,000 in General Obligation Bonds at a rate of 4.75% to First National Bank of River Falls.
• Acknowledged Greg Engeset’s resignation from the Bio Solids Committee and selected Public Works Director Brad Vick for the position.
• Approved a contract with Appraisal Services for village assessment services on a three-year term. The previous contract was for $19,000 per year, with the new contract at $19,500 in 2025, $20,000 in 2026 and $20,500 in 2027.
• Approved a Conditional Use Permit for Robert and Spring Loberg at 240 N. Vine St to construct a second garage.