Mayville council tables decision on use of $26,000 in tornado relief donations

The Mayville Common Council voted on July 28 to table action on how to allocate roughly $26,000 in donated funds for residents affected by the May 15 tornado, and directed staff to return in two weeks with an application process and a map of an eligible disaster area.

A resident’s written statement to the council described widespread damage to homes and the loss of trees, and urged the city to use donations for planting shade trees rather than cemetery restoration. “Planting trees is a small but meaningful way to begin restoring what we've lost,” Shelley Haypeck, a Mayville resident, wrote to the council.

Why it matters: Council members said they want to prioritize immediate resident needs — including help with insurance deductibles and temporary displacement costs — while also responding to requests to repair damaged cemetery monuments and public trees. The city will aim to set clear eligibility criteria tied to the tornado’s path so funds go to residents within the disaster zone.

Council discussion and direction came after a summary of cleanup activity and costs. City public works staff and a contracted firm, Manning Tree Service, have been assisting with uprooted and damaged trees at private properties and at the cemetery. The council heard that the city has submitted some cemetery cleanup costs for state reimbursement and that certain cemetery tree and root removal work has already been paid out of city funds and submitted to the state for potential reimbursement.

Council members and residents canvassed several possible uses for the donated money: small, per-household grants to help cover insurance deductibles (members quoted typical deductibles “anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000”), targeted payments to residents displaced by the storm, distribution of discounted native shade trees to households in the affected area, and partial restoration funds for historic cemetery headstones if money remained.

Several council members emphasized setting objective criteria. The council discussed restricting eligibility to properties within the tornado track and requiring applicants to provide photos and documentation of storm damage and insurance claim status. Staff reported that about half of affected residents had completed interviews with insurance adjusters and that many had not yet received final deductible amounts.

Modern Woodmen, a community fraternal organization, was reported to be offering to replace trees in city parks at no cost; councilors asked staff to confirm whether park trees would be replaced separately from the donated relief fund.

Outcome and next steps: A council member moved and the council voted to table the item for two weeks and hold a special common council meeting in conjunction with standing committees on July 28 to review the staff-developed application, eligibility map, and prioritized uses of the donated funds.

Context and constraints: Councilors repeatedly noted that the city expects some tornado-related cleanup and infrastructure costs to be eligible for state or federal reimbursement and that donated funds should focus on gaps not covered by those programs or by insurance. The council also discussed the need to designate a body to review applications (the Community Development Authority was suggested as a typical reviewer) and to set a closing date for accepting donations or applications.

Less-critical details: City staff reported continuing claims work for a 2024 fire truck and a 2022 parks pickup as separate insurance matters and ongoing coordination with the Bob Huber Foundation and other partners on recovery efforts.

The council did not allocate funds at the meeting; members instructed staff to prepare application materials, an eligibility map tied to the tornado track, and a prioritized list of eligible expenses and return for formal action in two weeks.