STATE OF WISCONSIN
Town of Washburn – Bayfield County
DRAFT – Town Board Meeting Minutes – August 18, 2026

The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm by Scottie Sandstrom, Chair.

In Attendance: Scottie Sandstrom, Seth Vasser, Matt Tetzner, Christina Eliason, Vicki Thoen, Mike Harvey, Kim Bro, Jim Park, Jay Glase

Proper public notice was verified: Ashland Daily Press, Town Website, Tetzner’s Dairy and Town Hall.

Public Comment: none

A motion was made by Seth to accept the agenda. Matt seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.

Seth made the motion to approve the minutes from July 14 meeting. Matt seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.

Reports:
Clerk – Vicki reported that 289 people voted at the Primary Election. 43 Absentee Ballots were issued and 37 were returned. The poll workers suggested that we purchase chairs without wheels. They sit in the chairs for seven hours on election day and the uneven floors make it difficult to be comfortable in chairs with wheels. It was also noted that the wheels are leaving divots in the floor. The Board approved gathering information on replacement chairs to be presented at the September meeting.
We received a notice from the County that our septic system had not been serviced since March of 2021 and it needs to be serviced every 3 years to be in compliance with Bayfield County codes. #2 Septic was contacted and they promptly serviced the system.
At last month’s meeting the Board requested that we hold payment to Monroe Trucking until Mike could confirm the invoice was correct. Mike confirmed that the invoice was more than expected because we purchased a better spreader than originally quoted. The check was released.
Treasurer – Christina reported that the bank accounts have been reconciled for July 2026. One snowplow invoice is still outstanding and she sent a third and final invoice. The balance due will be placed on the 2026 Tax Statement for collection. Old National Bank accounts have been closed. The August 2026 Tax Settlement for the 2nd half of tax collection was $28,013.70.
Road Crew – Mike reported that the new tractor has a fluid leak. He contacted Lulich and they came to get it and will make repairs that will be covered under warranty.
Both culverts on Wannebo Road should be replaced/repaired. He suggested that if we have the money in the budget, we can place sleeves to fix the problem at an estimated cost $23,000. The culvert on Ondossagon Road needs to be repaired and can also be fixed with a sleeve. The estimated cost is $6000. There is money in the budget. A motion to proceed with sleeves to fix culverts this fall was made by Matt, Seth seconded. All ayes. Motion carried. Jay Glase would like to have the pine trees at the landfill that fell during the April storm. Board discussed and decided since he wants them, he can have them. Seth made the motion to let Jay remove two pine trees from the land fill site after signing a waiver of liability. Matt seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried. Brevak Road needs approximately 1800 yards of gravel = 2700 tons = $62,100. We have $22,000 available in budget. We will wait until later in the fall to see if the money is still available in the budget or if this should wait until next year.
Mike told the board about some health issues he has been having. He has taken time off for doctor’s appointments and illness. Asked that we purchase a large fan for the garage to help ventilate. He proposed that we buy a 36” industrial fan for $300. Board approved.
Chair – Scottie called Mitch Finnegan of the DOT who is involved with City of Washburn project next year. Asked that the Town be involved in the meeting to know who has the contract so that they can help with cost of calcium chloride for Hove Lane. The next Fire/EMS meeting will be 8/25 at 9:00am at City Hall. He attended the Data Center meeting at the Great Lakes Visitor Center on July 27. A UW extension representative gave a presentation. It is unlikely that we will see large data centers around here. Bayfield County will possibly place a 12-month moratorium on Data Centers so that the County can develop a plan to regulate. Many people are concerned that it could be very large data centers with concerns about land and resource usage.

Approval of Reports – Seth made a motion to approve the reports. Matt seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.

Plan Commission – Kim Bro commented that the Town’s Comprehensive Plan contains some information about Emergency Planning. The Plan Commission recommends approval of the Driveway Permit for Gerald and Amy Fleming. Scottie made the motion that the Board approve the permit. Seth seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried. Kim mentioned a building permit was issued by the County but owners don’t have an acceptable driveway. They have a driveway permit but continue to use a logging road. Kim reached out to them to see if they have a plan for the driveway. The ordinance is in place to make sure that emergency services can access the property. We will follow up at the September meeting to see if they have responded to Kim’s email. Mike Vavrus driveway is not as specified in the permit regarding slope and culvert. He paid a contractor to do the work, but it wasn’t done correctly. Mike Harvey has discussed it with Mike Vavrus. Kim will email him that it needs to be a 24” culvert per the approved permit. Kim reported that 4500 cubic yards of acceptable clay is needed for landfill cap (that computes to 300 truckloads). We hope to obtain it from the City of Washburn 2027 Road construction.

Update on Enforcement of Fugitive Dust Resolution – Seth reported that he talked with John Carlson and he confirmed that we do have the right to enforce speed limits and weight limits on Hove Lane for the trucks going to the sand pit.

Developing a Town Emergency Management Plan – Seth made the motion that the Town Chair act as our Emergency Management Coordinator. Matt seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried. It was suggested that the Road Supervisor’s contact information be included in the plan. The plan will need to be updated annually or any time contact information changes. Matt made the motion that we move ahead with the Emergency Plan. Scottie seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried. Vicki will add Mike’s contact information and then share the plan with the County and post on the website.

Items to be placed on future agendas:
Follow up on driveways not in compliance
Purchase of chairs for town hall
2027 Budget planning for road crew

Authorize the payment of bills – After reviewing the bills, Seth made the motion to authorize payment. Matt seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.

Adjournment – Scottie made the motion to adjourn at 8:53pm. Seth seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.

Respectfully Submitted,

Vicki Thoen, Clerk