Town of York
Monthly Board Meeting
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Please Note: These Town Board meeting minutes are posted as draft-only to inform town residents of the topics addressed at the board meeting. These minutes are subject to review and possible revision at next month’s Town Board meeting and should not be considered official until they receive final board approval at that time.
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM. Town Chairman Steve Van Hout, 1st Supervisor Tim Czerwonka, 2nd Supervisor Steve Hermanson, Treasurer Ann Carlson, and Clerk Heidi Hankley were all present, along with 12 members of the public. Verification of proper notice was given. Meeting minutes for the Tuesday, October 8, 2019 Board Meeting were presented. Tim Czerwonka moved to approve the October 8, 2019 minutes as presented, second by Steve Van Hout. Motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report- Ann presented her monthly report and noted that the final road aid payment of the year was received. She pointed out that there are a few driveway permits on our list that are several years old. Heidi will try to contact these people to inquire about the status of their projects. Ann also presented the board with the draft budget for 2020. The board reviewed the budget and Ann made a few adjustments and will have the final draft ready for review at the budget hearing on Tuesday, November 19. Steve Van Hout moved to approve the treasurer’s report as presented, second by Steve Hermanson. Motion carried.
Bills- Heidi Hankley, Ann Carlson, and Steve Van Hout presented bills to be paid. Steve Hermanson made a motion to approve the bills as presented, second by Tim Czerwonka. Motion carried.
Patrolman’s Report- Patrolman Wayne Bue was not present, but Steve Hermanson reported that work on the town lanes has been hampered by the wet fall and early onset of winter weather. Wayne recommends not applying any more gravel until the spring as it will not set properly.
Plan Commission Report- Plan Commission member Bethany Storm reported that she is continuing to update the dwelling unit database. She is down to 35 parcels needing review. She also made the board aware that due to a zoning change at the county level, eight houses can now be served by a shared access road, which is up from the previous five that were allowed.
Public Comment- Steve Van Hout acknowledged that there is more work that needs to be done on the town lanes and apologized to the town residents affected. He said the town plans to resume grading and gravel application in the spring when weather conditions improve.
Old Business-
- Ron Strommen, Land Division- Todd Hasse of Hasse Surveying presented the parcel division form and certified survey map showing two lots that will be created (Lot 1: 23.5ac., Lot 2: 10 ac.). Lot 1 is being sold to the Gilson living trust with no associated dwelling units, along with an adjoining 57.8 acre parcel, also sold with no associated dwelling units. Lot 2 will have one dwelling unit associated with it. Of the 12 dwelling units allotted to Mr. Strommen, one (1) is being transferred to lot 2, and the remaining 11 are being retained by Mr. Strommen. Steve Hermanson moved to approve the land division for Ron Strommen as presented, second by Steve Van Hout, motion carried.
- Marc Muench, Land Division- Marc presented a certified survey map for two lots being created (Lot 1: 17.58 ac., Lot 2: 9.88 ac.) at the intersection of Highway 39 and Buckeye Rd. Each lot will have one dwelling unit associated with it. Steve Hermanson moved to approve the land division as presented, second by Steve Van Hout, motion carried.
New Business-
- Marc Muench/DOT tax parcel correction at Highways 39 and 78- Heidi passed along a report to the board from Rob Sommers, GIS specialist for Green County, indicating that there were three tax parcels erroneously assigned to Marc Muench, that are in fact owned by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The county will correct this and suggested that we inform the tax assessor to see if he will file an amended Statement of Assessment (SOA) to reflect the change. If a revised SOA is not filed in 2019, a tax bill will be created for the DOT which, as they are exempt, will be passed on to the Town of York. The amount of the tax due will be less than $10.00. Heidi will continue to work with Rob to address this issue and pass on information to the board and assessor as needed.
- Nick Maxwell, Driveway installation without permit- Steve Van Hout reported that a driveway and culvert has been installed by Green County on Nick Maxwell’s property on Cty. Hwy. J. The town has not received a driveway application for this. It is not clear if the driveway is for a field road. This item was tabled by the board so they can collect more information about the project and follow up as needed.
- Jon Forde, Driveway Refund, N8706 Sunnyside Rd.- Steve Hermanson moved to approve the driveway refund of $1,000 for Jon Forde, second by Tim Czerwonka, motion carried.
- Diane O’Donnell- Driveway Refund, N8415 Cty. J- Steve Van Hout moved to approve the driveway refund of $800 for Diane O’Donnell as she is not proceeding with her project at this time. Second by Steve Hermanson, motion carried. Heidi will cancel the $1,000 surety bond associated with this permit.
- Issues with new plow truck- Steve Hermanson reported that he and Travis Leonard are having a lot of trouble using the new Ford 550 truck for plowing snow and said that in his opinion, Monroe Truck misrepresented the capabilities of the vehicle for plowing. The plow kit that was sold to the town by Monroe Truck is causing a lot of jarring and some damage to the truck body (cracked windshield). Steve Hermanson will gather information about options for improving the truck’s plowing capabilities or getting a different plow truck. He will bring this information to the budget meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 19.
- Blanchardville Fire & EMS contract- Steve Van Hout moved to approve the Blanchardville Fire Department contract for 2020 in the amount of $31,269 and the EMS contract for $7,498 to be paid in January 2020. Second by Steve Hermanson, motion carried.
- Replacement door for pole shed- Steve Hermanson obtained an estimate of $3,050 from Kevin’s Overhead Doors, to replace one of the sliding doors on the equipment shed. The estimate does not include framing costs. The current sliding door is falling apart. The board believes the current door will last until spring, so the issue was tabled until that time.
- New recycling center employee- Steve Van Hout talked to Bob Kuehne about his interest in working at the recycling center on some Wednesday nights and as needed to fill in at other times. Steve Van Hout moved to hire Mr. Kuehne as a part time employee, second by Tim Czerwonka, motion carried. Kim and Cindy Peterson will coordinate shifts with Bob.
- Salary review for current recycling center employees- The board reviewed the wages being paid to the recycling center employees. Steve Van Hout moved to increase the hourly wage to $15/hr. For Kim Peterson, Cindy Allbee-Peterson, and April Prussia; and a starting wage for Bob Kuehne of $13.50/hr. Second by Tim Czerwonka, motion carried. Steve Van Hout asked Kim and Cindy to clear up the accumulated doors, bikes, and other items that have been being held aside at the recycling center.
- New Glarus Public Library donation- The board discussed the library’s proposed building project and noted that Town of York residents are the third highest users of the library in terms of borrowed items in 2018. In light of this, Steve Hermanson moved to donate $7,500 to the New Glarus Public Library for their new building project, to be paid in 2019 in order to leverage available matching funds. Second by Tim Czerwonka, motion carried.
Culvert flushing by the New Glarus Fire Department was tabled until next spring. Green County landfill application was tabled until next board meeting. Steve Van Hout read into the minutes that the Wisconsin DOT verified that the 2019 road certification was received on October 28, 2019. Also, the Green County Matching Fund petition was submitted on November 5, 2019.
Adjournment- Tim Czerwonka moved to adjourn the meeting, second by Steve Hermanson, motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:45pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Heidi Hankley, Clerk