Posts by Jim Park
Meeting Minutes – Nov. 12, 2024
Town of Washburn
Bayfield County
Budget Hearing and Meeting of Electorates Minutes
November 12, 2024
Attendance: Sandy Raspotnik, Scottie Sandstrom, Lynn Adams, Lance Twombly, Mike Harvey, Steve Bade, Tim Schwenzfeier, and Nori Schwenzfeier. Virtually: Jim Park, Wendy Stein, Brenda Rechel, Ron Rechel and Kathleen Russell.
At 7:00 pm, the Budget Hearing was called to order by Chair Raspotnik. Road Crew member Matt Lippo could not attend.
Meeting notices were posted in the two public places, on the website, and sent to Ashland Daily Press.
Chairperson presented proposed budget in a new format. Treasurer displayed 2025 Budget sheet on the screen. Chair stated that the town does not have all levy information, but what comes in, goes out. Sandy then explained the increased town levy to cover snowplow truck and South Maple Hill loan payments and then the rest of the budget. Supervisor Sandstrom explained Gravel/Blacktop item in regards to the Wannebo Road Project and how the town came in under budget with efficiencies and cost savings from Northwoods Paving.
There were no questions or comments.
At 7:24, Scottie made a motion to adjourn the Budget Hearing, seconded by Jim. All Ayes, motion carried.
Then Chair Raspotnik called to order the Meeting of Electorates.
Chair requested from electors a motion to approve the Budget and Levy for 2025. Wendy Stein made a motion to approve the 2025 Budget and Levy, with a second from Mike Harvey. All Ayes, No Nays or objections. Motion carried.
Mike next made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Lynn Adams seconded. All Ayes, motion carried.
Town of Washburn
Bayfield County
Town Meeting Minutes
At 7:27, monthly town meeting called to order.
Meeting notices were posted in the two public places, on the website, and sent to Ashland Daily Press.
Public comments:
- Tim and Nori Schwenzfeier requested the Board make a decision on dust abatement on Hove Lane to prevent future, unlivable conditions that occurred this summer.
- Wendy Stein recommended the town put up a gate at the landfill.
- Steve Bade commented on the town minutes regarding his handout not being scanned into them and the time it took to post the September minutes. He stated the Board has the authority to post weight limit signs and enforce them on town roads. He then commented on the town’s culvert construction and condition of Church Corner Road. He noted cold mix patch work is nice.
A motion to accept the agenda by Supervisor Park and seconded by Supervisor Sandstrom. All Ayes, motion carried.
Jim Park had two corrections for October minutes. Scottie Sandstrom made a motion to accept the corrections and the minutes for the three Special Meetings (Oct. 23, Oct. 30, and Nov. 11). Jim seconded. All Ayes, motion carried.
Chair report: Nothing to report.
Road Crew report: Mike stated there are weight limit signs on McKinley, Paulson, Wannebo, and FR251 roads. Posting did lessen impact. However, the town does not have the equipment to weigh trucks. Supervisor Park added that even if town had authority to issue citations there is no way to prove trucks are over-weight. There is no money in budget for Church Corner Rd. And Church Corner is still getting used due to County Hwy C being closed in the City. The county has bigger and better equipment to put in culverts. Culverts installed by town need to settle over time. County will compact culvert on Church Corner next year. Mike rode with Mitch from DOT to inspect roads after heavy use from city construction. Hove Ln is really hard packed now and wide. No ditches. The fill will be removed, ditches seeded and mulched, and two culverts fixed and cleaned out. Mike will follow up. On South Maple Hill Road rocks were removed and rough edges cleaned up by adding gravel. Water pump on tractor went out; new one ordered. Okay to purchase motor oil for $2500? Yes. Road to landfill will be closed by putting large rocks back. A motion by Supervisor Scottie and a second by Supervisor Jim to approve road crew report. All Ayes, motion carried.
Clerk update: 2024 General Election on Nov. 5th went well. Total of 113 Absentee Ballots (mail, email, online, and in-person), only two not returned. 401 overall voters. Folded absentee ballots caused a few paper jams in DS200 tabulator but cleared with no issues. Great election team. FOIA request for Election Day Registrations, sent to County since they have this information. Fleet card used at Napa for a fuel filter. Charged tax but should be corrected for next time. Working on Levy Limit Worksheet. A motion by Jim Park and seconded by Scottie Sandstrom to accept the clerk’s report. All Ayes, motion carried.
Treasurer report: Snowplow forms ready for Mike. Numbers are way down. Mike said that these can be done in a day. Bremer CD was reduced by $12,000 to bring it down to $100k and placed into an 8-month CD, double interest. $12k placed in savings account. Chair asked to keep track of maturity dates for CDs. Financial reports to Board and Clerk. A motion by Jim and seconded by Scottie to accept the treasurer’s report. All Ayes, motion carried.
Plan Commission: Kim Bro not at meeting, nothing to add.
Dust Abatement: The town is considering purchasing applicator equipment to spray beet juice, ranging from a few hundred dollars to $11,000. More expensive equipment is faster, more efficient and only requires one person. It can also be used to water roads for grading and for calcium chloride which town does not want to use. Mike will see if there is any equipment in the area to test. He also has personal equipment he can test for a day project next spring. Mike will also check to see if the town could potentially pay someone to spray roads. Supervisor Park asked if commercial operators causing the dust could share the cost? They could charge the customer for dust mitigation. No decision was made and will be placed on next month’s agenda.
Appointing Election Officials: Sandstrom made a motion to approve Ruth Hartzell, Cheryl Sandstrom, Hallie Sandberg, Sarah Tetzner, Christina Eliason, Caroline Twombly, Lynne Borchers, and Mike Vavrus as Election Officials for next year, seconded by Park. All Ayes, motion carried.
Adoption of Budget and Levy for 2025: Jim made a motion to adopt the Budget and Levy for 2025, Scottie seconded. All Ayes, motion carried.
New Computer: No, Treasurer will keep her computer.
Policy/Procedures: Chair sent out. Will discuss next month.
Items for future agendas: Dust abatement, approve employee contracts, discuss policy/procedures. Supervisor Park asked about digitizing old minutes. Volunteers?
Authorize payment of bills: Motion to approve Check Details for Oct. 9-Nov. 12 made by Jim Park and seconded by Scottie Sandstrom. All Ayes, motion carried.
At 8:36 pm, a motion to adjourn was made by Supervisor Sandstrom and seconded by Supervisor Park. All Ayes, motion carried. Meeting adjourned.
Lance Twombly, Clerk
Special Meeting November 11, 2024
Town of Washburn
Bayfield County
Special Town Meeting
November 11, 2024
Present: Sandy Raspotnik, Scottie Sandstrom, Mike Harvey, Matt Lippo, and Jim Park (virtually). Lynn Adams and Lance Twombly arrived later.
At 1:30 pm, special meeting called to order.
Agenda posted in two public places and on website.
Supervisor Sandstrom made a motion to go into closed session, seconded by Jim. All Ayes, motion carried.
Board conducted employee evaluations and finalized contracts.
Mike and Matt were released.
At 2:40, Supervisor Park made a motion to come out of closed session, seconded by Scottie. All Ayes, motion carried. Treasurer and Clerk arrived.
All members worked on finalizing the budget for tomorrow’s meeting. Levy limit for town was adjusted to cover loan payments scheduled for 2025.
At 4:00 pm, Scottie made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Jim. All Ayes, motion carried.
Lance Twombly,
Clerk
Special Meeting Nov. 11, 2024
Town of Washburn
Bayfield County
Special Town Meeting
November 11, 2024
Present: Sandy Raspotnik, Scottie Sandstrom, Mike Harvey, Matt Lippo, and Jim Park (virtually). Lynn Adams and Lance Twombly arrived later.
At 1:30 pm, special meeting called to order.
Agenda posted in two public places and on website.
Supervisor Sandstrom made a motion to go into closed session, seconded by Jim. All Ayes, motion carried.
Board conducted employee evaluations and finalized contracts.
Mike and Matt were released.
At 2:40, Supervisor Park made a motion to come out of closed session, seconded by Scottie. All Ayes, motion carried. Treasurer and Clerk arrived.
All members worked on finalizing the budget for tomorrow’s meeting. Levy limit for town was adjusted to cover loan payments scheduled for 2025.
At 4:00 pm, Scottie made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Jim. All Ayes, motion carried.
Lance Twombly,
Clerk
Special Meeting Agenda Monday November 11, 2024 1:30 pm
STATE OF WISCONSIN
Town of Washburn
Bayfield County
The Town Board of the Town of Washburn, Bayfield County, Wisconsin, hereby provides its written notice and an agenda of the public meeting of the Town Board for Monday, November 11, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. This is a special meeting of the board for the purpose of discussing personnel issues.
Agenda
Call to order and roll call
Verification of proper public notice
- The Board will go into closed session to consider employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of employees over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility. WI Statutes s. 19.85 (1)(c).
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- The Board will go out of closed session to consider employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of employees over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility. WI Statutes s. 19.85 (1)(c).
Adjourn
Meeting notice posted this 5th day of November, 2024 on the Town’s website at https://townofwashburn.wi.gov
And at: Washburn Town Hall and Tetzner’s Dairy.
Join with Google Meet
meet.google.com/nxe-fdxw-vvf
Join by phone
(US) +1 484-416-4351 PIN: 517 219 152#
Sandra J. Raspotnik
Town Chair
Meeting Agenda Tuesday November 12, 2024 (After Meeting of Electorate)
STATE OF WISCONSIN
Town of Washburn
Bayfield County
The Town Board of the Town of Washburn, Bayfield County, Wisconsin, hereby provides its written notice and an agenda of the public meeting of the Town Board for Tuesday, November 12, 2024, immediately following the Meeting of Electorate at the Washburn Town Hall. The meeting may be attended either virtually with the link below or in person.
Agenda
- Call to order and roll call
- Verification of proper public notice
- Public Comment
Consider for approval or other action:
- Acceptance of Agenda
- Approve Minutes from previous meeting
- Reports
- Clerk
- Treasurer
- Road Crew
- Chair
- Plan Commission
- Dust Abatement
- Appoint Election workers
- Adoption of Budget for 2025
- New computer for Treasurer
- Policy/Procedures
- Items to be placed on future agendas
- Authorize the payment of bills
- Adjournment
Meeting notice posted this 5th day of November, 2024 on the Town’s website at https://townofwashburn.wi.gov
and at: Washburn Town Hall and Tetzner’s Dairy
The following link or phone number can be used to participate in this meeting.
Join with Google Meet
meet.google.com/tny-mwxz-gos
Join by phone
(US) +1 940-489-2085 PIN: 723 486 734#
Sandra J. Raspotnik, Chair
Budget Hearing and Meeting of Electorate Tuesday November 12 2024 7:00 pm
STATE OF WISCONSIN
Town of Washburn
Bayfield County
The Town Board of the Town of Washburn, Bayfield County, Wisconsin, hereby provides its written notice and an agenda of the Budget Hearing on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at the Washburn Town Hall. Communication of this public meeting has been provided to the requisite news media. The meeting may be attended either virtually with the link below or in person.
Amended Agenda
- Call to order and roll call
- Verification of proper public notice
- Presentation of the proposed Budget for 2025
- Discussion of the Budget for 2025
- Adjournment
The Town Board of the Town of Washburn, Bayfield County, Wisconsin, hereby provides its written notice and an agenda of the Meeting of the Electorate on Tuesday, November 12, 2024 Immediately following the Budget Hearing at the Washburn Town Hall. Communication of this public meeting has been provided to the requisite news media.
Agenda
- Call to order and roll call
- Verification of proper public notice
- Approval of the 2025 Town Budget and Levy
- Adjournment
Meeting notice posted this 5th day of November, 2024 on the Town’s website at https://townofwashburn.wi.gov
And at: Washburn Town Hall and Tetzner’s Dairy
Join with Google Meet
meet.google.com/tny-mwxz-gos
Join by phone
(US) +1 940-489-2085 PIN: 723 486 734#
Sandra J. Raspotnik, Town Chair
Special Meeting Minutes – Oct. 30, 2024
October 30, 2024
Town of Washburn Special Meeting Minutes
The meeting was called to order at 1:30 PM by Chair Raspotnik, roll was called, and all present. The meeting was verified to have been properly notified to the press, website and Tetzner’s Dairy.
Supervisor Sandstrom made a motion to go into closed session, seconded by Supervisor Park. Motion was passed. All ayes.
Supervisor Sandstrom made a motion to come out of closed session, seconded by Supervisor Park. Motion was passed. All ayes.
Supervisor Park made a motion to Adjourn, Sandstrom seconded. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted, Scottie Sandstrom, Supervisor.
Meeting Agenda Wednesday October 30, 2024 1:30 pm
STATE OF WISCONSIN
Town of Washburn
Bayfield County
The Town Board of the Town of Washburn, Bayfield County, Wisconsin, hereby provides its written notice and an agenda of the public meeting of the Town Board for Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. This is a special meeting of the board for the purpose of discussing personnel issues.
Agenda
Call to order and roll call
Verification of proper public notice
- The Board will go into closed session to consider employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of employees over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility. WI Statutes s. 19.85 (1)(c).
-
- The Board will go out of closed session to consider employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of employees over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility. WI Statutes s. 19.85 (1)(c).
Adjourn
Meeting notice posted this 24th day of October, 2024on the Town’s website at https://townofwashburn.wi.gov
And at: Washburn Town Hall and Tetzner’s Dairy.
meet.google.com/okt-eewd-vuw
Join by phone
(US) +1 402-868-0015 PIN: 947 091 875#
Sandra J. Raspotnik
Town Chair
Minutes, October 1, 2024
Plan Commission & Task Force Minutes
Town of Washburn
Town Hall
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Commission members present: Kim Bro (chair), Jim Park (town board representative), Tim Schwenzfeier (vice chair) , Caroline Twombly, Cyndi Belanger (secretary – via Google Meet).
Commission members absent: none.
Planning Task Force members present: Terri Bahe, Phil Kraus, Charmaine Swan.
Planning Task Force members absent: Tom Cogger, Dennis Weibel.
Others present: none.
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Chairman Bro called the meeting of the commission to order at 7:05 P.M. and verified its legal notification (posted on town website and at town hall and Tetzner Dairy on September 30).
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The minutes of the September 9, 2024 meeting were approved (Tim moves, Caroline seconds).
- The group reviewed the “Land Use” section of Chapter 8 of the current (2007) plan. Kim had copied the “Existing Land Use” map from the updated county comprehensive plan, added existing buildings, and marked some corrections that were not included in the county map. Kim also copied the current county zoning district map. What stands out from these maps is that there is much less actively farmed agricultural land in the town than what was proposed in the town’s “Future Land Use” map from 2007. The group agreed that active farming is a significant element of what gives the town its “rural character” that most residents consider a key attraction of living in the town as opposed to a “rural residential” landscape that features only a low density residential landscape without farms and unfragmented forestlands. In some parts of the town, agricultural fields have been replaced by rural residential developments. The current zoning districts are considerably different from the existing land use. Areas that are now rural residential areas are in agricultural zoning districts. Many of the areas that previously were farms are now forestland.
The group discussed what steps might be implemented to retain large areas of agricultural lands. In the Town of Bayfield several orchards placed permanent conservation easements on their agricultural land in order to prevent higher levels of taxation that occurs on land s that could be converted to residential subdivisions and to benefit from state tax incentives for protecting prime agricultural lands. Some counties (such as Dunn County) have adopted prime agricultural land zoning districts under the state prime agricultural land preservation program. This program limits the extent to which residential development can occur on an agricultural parcel to a maximum of 5% of the original parcel. The program encourages communities to permit creation of smaller lots (smaller than the current 4.5-acre minimum lot size) so that residential development can be clustered and most of the good agricultural land can be retained. Kim mentioned that this approach to zoning is called “performance zoning.”
The group also discussed what steps might be implemented to retain unfragmented blocks of private forestland. 1) The state’s Managed Forest Law provides tax incentives for owners to retain a minimum of 20 acres of contiguous forest of which at least 80% is dedicated to growing commercial timber products. There is a penalty for removing property from the program, but there is no guarantee of retaining the land as unfragmented forest. 2) The state’s prime agricultural land preservation zoning (mentioned above) could also apply to forestlands. 3) Bayfield County could acquire the large block of industrial forestland at the headwaters of the Sioux River. The county recently acquired a block of land at the headwaters of Whittlesey Creek that is near the national forest but not adjacent to existing county land. 4) The town could recommend that lands currently enrolled in the state’s Managed Forest Law program be zoned as Forestry‑2, which requires a minimum lot size of 35 acres. The only county lands currently in F‑2 districts are publicly owned lands. 5) The county could place forest establish a zoning “overlay district” for the areas shown in the town’s 2007 “Future Land Use” map as “sensitive areas.” These are highly erodible, steep slopes and floodplain areas critical to the health of trout streams. The overlay district could specify a larger minimum lot size for parcels in sensitive areas.
- The announcement “Your Voice, Our Future” promoting community engagement in updating the town’s comprehensive plan was included in the town’s September mailing to all town residents. It laid out several ways for people to keep informed and become involved in the planning process. It also highlighted the new plan commission tabs on the town website.
- Kim asked group members to select which chapter of the plan for which they would take responsibility to update the goals, objectives, and implementation steps. He mentioned that a key aspect of the updated plan is to identify specific steps and a timetable for implementation. The implementation section of the 2007 plan listed “ongoing” for many implementation steps. The lack of specific actions and a timeline for implementation limits the usefulness of a plan. There were no volunteers for writing updated drafts. Rather, members said they could review and revise drafts of updated chapters,
- Kim mentioned that he had not yet received a contract for planning services from the Northwest Regional Plan Commission. He will follow up to get a contract to the town board so that the group can get plan assistance in November. He emphasized the importance of having the draft plan available for a public hearing and consideration by the town board by March 2025.
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The meeting adjourned at 8:30 P.M. (Tim moves, Caroline seconds).
Draft submitted by: Kenneth Bro, Chair, Town of Washburn Plan Commission (October 14, 2024).
‘
Plan Commission Report
If a contract for planning services to update the comprehensive plan is available prior to the October town board meeting, the board will need to act on it in order to update the plan this winter.
Special Meeting Minutes Oct. 23, 2024
Town of Washburn
Bayfield County
Special Town Meeting
October 23, 2024
Present: Sandy Raspotnik, Scottie Sandstrom, Lynn Adams, Lance Twombly, and Jim Park (virtually).
At 1:32 pm, meeting called to order.
Agenda posted in two public places and on website.
Board, Treasurer, and Clerk discussed 2025 budget and how to track in Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks. Lynn and Sandy will meet on Friday to finish up.
3:42, Supervisor Sandstrom made a motion to go into closed session, seconded by Jim. All Ayes, motion carried. Treasurer and Clerk left.
Session was for employee evaluations and discussing contracts.
At 4:46 pm, Sandstrom made a motion to come out of closed session, seconded by Park. All Ayes, motion carried.
Scottie then made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Jim. All Ayes, motion carried.
Lance Twombly,
Clerk