June 21, 2005

Chairman Oliphant called monthly board meeting to order at 7:00 PM. A total of 25 people were in attendance including all board members except Treasurer Jan Parker.

Proof of posting was offered by Clerk Yttri. Although there was no public input listed on the agenda, Roseanne Boyett said the meeting was not posted on time at the Webster Town Hall. Yttri stated that it was posted late in the afternoon because his home computer had been down, and he didn’t have access to his town records. He apologized for the inconvenience.

Motion by Parker and seconded by Nemec to approve the minutes as read. Carried.

After the motion had been carried, Roseanne Boyett again spoke from the floor, offering three corrections she would like to have made to the minutes regarding public input: 1)Request that the town look into state statutes regarding mobile home parks and needed ordinance, 2)Request to add additional information such as recycling hours, updated minutes, and ordinances to the Town website, and 3)Request for the Board to enact an industrial burning ordinance. Yttri agreed to amend the wording of the public input section from the last meeting.

VOUCHERS: Discussed vouchers payable. Motion by Nemec to approve bills for payment except for the balance of the TRIP Project bill from R.L. Widner Construction due to lack of proper paperwork including a valid signed contract, seconded by Parker. Carried. Since none of the current township officials had any record of a contract, past Board Chair Joe Swanson was asked whether he had a copy of the contract with Widner’s. He first stated there was no contract, but that there was a work order, but he had no copy of it. Bookkeeper for Widner’s, June Widner, stated that she had a copy of the contract and would bring it to the Board. A valid contract is needed before reimbursement can occur. There were also questions as to whether the work done was different from the original plan agreed upon. Widner also asked about the payment for the sand from an earlier purchase. She then requested a meeting of all of the former and current board members to get the whole situation resolved. The Board set a meeting for that purpose for Thursday, June 23, at 6:00 p.m., to be held at the Avalanche Hill where the major work was done.

INFORMATION/DISCUSSION:

Discussion was held on the following issues:

Motel/Bed & Breakfast/Inn Room Tax: Citizen Art Thelen asked to have this on the agenda to suggest a way to increase revenues for the Town. It was reported that any Town may establish a room tax and that campgrounds could also be included. The Board asked Thelen and Ardene Wirts to gather more information on this for the next meeting. Thelen agreed.
Mobile Home Park Ordinance: Chair Oliphant reported that he had researched Wisconsin State Statute 66.0435 which stated that Towns could assess license fees to be paid on a monthly basis for the purpose of preventing an owner from moving a mobile home into the town for a few months and then moving out before taxes were due. He was advised that if mobile home owners are paying their taxes, there is no need for a mobile home licensing ordinance. Nemec reported that according to his research, a dwelling may not be considered a mobile home if it is setting on a foundation (including cement blocks) and is permanently wired to electricity (not simply plugged in).
Roseanne Boyett asked about a meeting of the Board held on June 1 regarding town roads and whether any decisions were made. Chair Oliphant clarified that the meeting was only in regard to Ames Road and not other roads of the town. Clerk Yttri read the short minutes from this meeting.

ACTION TAKEN:

- Motion by Parker, seconded by Nemec to approve the class B liquor license application for Lorrie Widner of Avalanche Store.

- The Brush Hollow Cemetery Veterans’ Graves forms were signed and will be forwarded to Vernon County so that the Cemetery Association can receive reimbursement for the upkeep of veterans’ graves.

- Chair Oliphant agreed to place the following items among others on next month’s agenda: industrial burning ordinance, mobile home ordinance, driveway ordinance, citation ordinance, nuisance ordinance, room tax ordinance.

- Essay Award in the amount of $350 was presented to Alyssa Anderson. Copies of her essay were given to the Epitaph and Episcope reporters.

- The Clerk reported that the assessor still did not have a date available for the Open Book/Board of Review in time for this meeting, but the Clerk stated that as soon as the assessor could give him a date, he would publish it 15 days in advance. A meeting of the Board was held on June 8 to meet the legal timeline, and then was immediately postponed due to lack of information from the assessor until such time as the assessor could give a definite date.

PATROLMAN’S REPORT:

Shane reported that that the sandblasting was completed, and the patrolmen are continuing the mowing. The sickle mower is working and should work even better when the new sickle, belts and guards are installed. He stated that the mowing should be completed in about another week, and then they will continue the ditching and brushing. He commented that the brushing takes the most time and suggested the Board consider hiring young people to help with this task. Board Member Nemec suggested that landowners might be willing to volunteer to help. Shane reported that the seal coating would be delayed by the company until sometime in August. Board members suggested Shane look into the possibility of renting the “broom” from the county to brush pea gravel back into the hot spots on the newly sealed roads to help the roads last longer and prevent the loss of the pea gravel into the ditches. Several roads needing work were mentioned, and a new resident asked about the process of selecting roads to be repaired. Board members explained that there was not enough money to fix all roads that need repair, so the Board was in the process of devising a long-term road maintenance plan, which has not been done in the recent past.

MEETING NOTICES:

· Next Board meeting July 19, 2005, at 7 PM.

· Special meeting: June 23, 6 PM, at Avalanche Hill for present and former board members to meet with R. L. Widner Construction regarding work performed and bill outstanding

Motion by Parker, seconded by Nemec to adjourn.

Submitted by__Ole Yttri__, Clerk Date: __June 21, 2005__