Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By P.J. GLISSON
Wakefield — Members of the Wakefield Chamber of Commerce may need to start paying nominal rent for their location at the Wakefield Visitors’ and Information Center.
That was the conclusion of a Monday evening discussion by the Wakefield City Council.
From about mid-May to October each year, the chamber uses the visitors’ center, which is next to Sunday Lake and the public deck that features the Chippewa Indian statue known as Nee-gaw-nee-gaw-bow.
“The property is the city’s,” said City Manager Robert Brown Jr. “The building is the city’s, so we’re responsible for it all.”
He added that the city also pays utilities and insurance for the building.
“The city does not currently have a lease with the Chamber of Commerce, and we have not been able to locate it in the past,” said Brown in a Tuesday email to The Globe. “Simply put, we are starting from square one.”
The problem, said Brown, is that state law precludes the city from contributing funds to a nonprofit operation such as the chamber.
If the situation is not resolved, he said the city’s audit next year could find that the expenditure is illegal.
“They don’t have the money,” said Mayor Dale White of chamber officials. “They struggle from season to season.”
White said he does not see an avenue in which more revenue can be created for the chamber, but that chamber members may have ideas on how to generate more funds.
At any rate, said the mayor, “I don’t want to see the chamber shut down, because I think it’s beneficial here.”
He suggested that maybe the city could charge a minimal fee such as $1 a month.
Brown said he will draw up a contract for a nominal rental cost. He suggested that the contract also might include a contingency for the city to store some materials at the site, thereby allowing city officials the ability to claim that the building is being used for city purposes.
In other news, Gogebic County Sheriff Ross Solberg provided a quarterly report in relation to contracted patrols that his deputies completed for the cities of Wakefield and Bessemer.
The January-March report lists the following results of combined patrols for the two cities: 129 service calls, 14 citations or warnings, eight total arrests and six traffic crashes.
Sheriff’s deputies logged 1,476 total patrol hours and 5,695 patrol miles.
The sheriff said that the types of issues addressed included medical assists, welfare checks, parking tows and other issues that resulted in two arrests for domestic violence, three arrests for driving while intoxicated, and one arrest for intent to deliver 28 grams of methamphetamine.
The sheriff also reported that he plans to retire rather than run for re-election in November.
“I’m retiring as a happy person,” he said. “I’m satisfied with what I’ve done in the past 31 years.”
He expressed appreciation to the city and for a good partnership with local agencies.
“Thank you,” said the mayor to Solberg. “You’ve been great to work with here. Thank you for your service to the city. Thank you for your service to this county.”
Council members also:
—Voted to approve summer worker wages as follows: $14 per hour for first-year workers; $15 for second-year workers and $16 for third-year workers.
—Voted to approve incremental increases in the wages of City Clerk Susan Ahonen from her original rate of $21.14 to $22.64 from Tuesday through the rest of 2024, followed by hikes to $23.39 in 2025 and $24.14 in 2026.
—Voted to purchase a pressure washer trailer, not to exceed a cost of $20,000.
—Voted to decline a request for financial support from the Gogebic County Conservation District.
During his manager’s report, Brown also said that he will begin the process of repealing a city ordinance that prohibits the feeding of deer. He said the process will take about 60 days.
The city manager’s announcement followed a discussion by council members, who agreed that such a policy is difficult for anyone to enforce.
Brown said all the city can do is issue a citation for violations, which he said now are monitored by Sheriff’s Office patrols. He added that he could not find any related citations.
All council members agreed that it would be best to close out the ordinance.
The council’s next regular meeting will be on April 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the municipal building.
