STATE OF WISCONSIN
Town of Washburn – Bayfield County
DRAFT – Town Board Meeting Minutes – September 8, 2026

The meeting was called to order at 7:01pm by Scottie Sandstrom, Chair.

In attendance: Scottie Sandstrom, Seth Vasser, Matt Tetzner, Christina Eliason, Vicki Thoen, Kim Bro, Jay Glase. Online: Jim Park, Wendy Stein

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

Public Comment – Dark Sky Committee member Jay Glase talked about lights on the town garage and making them Dark Sky compliant. This could be accomplished by changing the bulbs to a warm tint and adjusting them down or making a shield. Wendy Stein commented that she was on the Board when the lights were installed and the bulbs are not replaceable. The committee would like to install a Dark Sky compliant light near the new EV Charging station that will be installed soon, so people can see the difference. Jolma Electric will be installing the EV Charging Station and perhaps can install the light at the same time.

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

Matt made the motion to approve the Minutes from the August 18 Town Board Meeting and the Special Fire/EMS Contract meeting with the City on August 25. Seth seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.

Reports:
Clerk-Vicki reported that the Town Emergency Plan has been updated per the suggestions at last month’s meeting. A copy has been posted on the Town website, emailed to the County and will be available in the Town Garage and Town Hall.
All board members have been registered for the Wisconsin Towns Association Fall Workshop to be help on September 23 in Cable.
She will be working on updating the website. Email blasts haven’t gone out for several months and some information on the website is out of date.
Vicki did some research online for chairs and presented two options to the board. She will order 6 chairs.
The Board will meet an hour early for the October 13 Board meeting to start planning for the 2027 Budget. They will meet again on October 20 to work on the detailed budget.
Treasurer-Christina reported that the bank accounts have been reconciled for August.
She updated the snowplow Policy to reflect that the Town will not be offering traditional plowing of personal driveways. Seth made the motion that we adopt the new snow plowing policy. Matt seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.
Road Crew – Mike was not in attendance due to illness so there wasn’t a Road Crew report.
Chair: Scottie reported that Scott Construction plans to begin work on the Engoe Rd. double chip seal project next week, and when they begin, they estimate the project will take approx.3 hours to complete.
There are downed trees/debris in ditches in the Town from storms this summer. Seth asked if we need to get some extra help to do this clean up. Matt will check with Tetzner’s Excavating to get a quote for helping with the tree removal. Scottie made the motion to approve spending up to $5000 for help with this project. Seth seconded the motions. All ayes. Motion carried.
Butch, part-time road crew employee, has been running the grader this summer so roads are in pretty good condition.
Scottie talked to Matt Dickenson from the DOT regarding getting clay for the landfill from the City of Washburn Road project next year. He will help with sending a letter to the DNR and DOT regarding the clay and thinks there will be enough for us to get 300 truckloads. He will work on getting the cost reduced significantly for the Town. We need to have a plan with the Town of Bayview and the City regarding spreading the clay. Scottie will talk to the Town of Bayview and the City regarding cost sharing by suggesting the cost be determined by the percentages of responsibility each municipality has.

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

Plan Commission: Kim reported that he received a Driveway Permit application via email from Thomas Costa. The application has not been received in the mail with payment. The Plan Commission recommended approval. Board approved driveway design but the permit approval won’t happen until application and check are received by the Clerk. Seth made the motion to approve the design. Matt seconded. All ayes. Motion carried.
The Commission and Dark Skies committee would like the Town to participate in promoting the value of Dark Skies. They recommend that the Town join Dark Skies International. Application cost is $250 and the money is available in the Plan Commission budget. Seth made the motion to approve the cost. Matt seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.
The Commission suggests that we add a Dark Sky compliant lighting at the EV Charging station that will be installed soon. Kim suggested that Jolma Electric may be able to install it at the same time that they work on installing the EV Charging Station. Kim will reach out to Jolma Electric to get cost quote. Seth made the motion to approve up to $300 for adding a Dark Sky compliant light near the new EV station. Matt seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.
Bayfield County Zoning is considering a Land Dividing Ordinance. It addresses conservation subdivisions to keeps forest and farm land intact and create smaller lots for homes. This will help concentrate services and roads. Kim asked the board to sign a letter of public comment to Bayfield County Zoning with suggestions on changes to conservation subdivisions, minimum lot sizes, and driveways. Scottie made the motion that we sign public comment letter for submission to Bayfield County Zoning. Seth seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.

Big Rock Road Crack Sealing Agreement: The Board signed a document between Town of Bayview and Town of Washburn agreeing to alternate repairs/maintenance regarding Crack Sealing on Big Rock Road.

Fire & EMS Contracts for Approval Consideration: We did not receive the actual contracts from the City. We did receive a letter with the updated amounts we will owe. The EMS contract will be for 1 year and the fire contract will be for 5 years. The Town of Washburn’s cost for the one-year EMS ambulance service will be $45,787.73. This is an increase of $1929.75. The annual payment for fire protection is $28,432.69. This fee is comprised of $17,251.09 for operating costs and $11,836.53 for the annual fire engine purchase debt, less $654.93 from the sale of the old fire truck. Seth made the motion to approve the Fire/EMS numbers for 2027. Matt seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.

Items to be placed on future agendas:
Budget planning
Employee evaluations

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

Adjournment: Matt made the motion to adjourn at 9:13pm. Scottie seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.

Respectfully Submitted by

Vicki Thoen, Clerk