Town of York
Monthly Board Meeting
Tuesday, October 8, 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, Treasurer Ann Calrson, and Clerk Heidi Hankley were all present, along with several town residents. Second Supervisor Steve Hermanson was absent. Verification of proper notice was given. Meeting minutes for the Tuesday, September 10, 2019 Board Meeting were presented. Steve Van Hout moved to approve the September 10, 2019 minutes as amended, second by Tim Czerwonka. Motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report- Ann Carlson presented her report. Steve Van Hout moved to accept the treasurer’s report as presented, second by Tim Czerwonka. Motion carried.

Bills- Heidi Hankley presented bills to be paid. Tim Czerwonka made a motion to approve the bills as presented, second by Steve Van Hout. Motion carried.

Patrolman’s Report- Wayne Bue was not present to give a report. Steve Van Hout reported that he will inquire with the New Glarus Fire Department about the possibility of having them flush out some the clogged culverts in the town.

Plan Commission Report- Bethany Storm reported that she is making good progress in updating the dwelling unit database. She has identified 212 items that will need further review. The board requested that the Plan Commission review these items and then report to the board.

Public Comment- Bethany Storm reported that a small pack of unattended dogs has been running across her property on numerous occasions in the past few weeks. One of the dogs was collared. Steve Van Hout suggested that these may be coyote hunting dogs and that she should call the sheriff if they are causing trouble.

New Business-

  • Ron Strommen Land division- Steve Van Hout moved to approve the land division as presented by Ron Strommen. Second by Tim Czerwonka, motion carried.
  • Shelly Truttmann, New Glarus Public Library- Shelly made a presentation to the board about the planned construction of the new public library in New Glarus, highlighting the services that would be provided to residents in the Town of York. She asked the board to consider allocating some money toward the project in the Town’s 2020 budget. The board thanked her for her presentation and will consider her request.
  • Driveway refund, Jason Venden- Steve Van Hout moved to approve the driveway refund of $1,000 for Jason Venden (N8275 Cty J.), second by Tim Czerwonka. Motion carried.
  • Recycling Center hours and issues- Cindy and Kim Peterson discussed expanding recycling center hours with the board and provided the name of a town resident that is interested in being hired to help cover some of the expanded hours. They also requested keys to access the town hall and salt shed during their work shifts. The board reported that the lighting installation is underway. Steve Van Hout noted that new signage will be prepared and a first aid kit will be purchased and placed in the recycling center shed. Kim and Cindy requested some maintenance of the road surface near the oil collection tanks. They also asked the board to consider pay raises for the recycling center staff. Steve Van Hout moved to set the year-round Recycling Center hours as Saturdays: 8 am – noon and Wednesdays: 5 pm – 7 pm (excepting those days that fall on holidays), second by Tim Czerwonka. Motion carried.
  • Tax bill preparation- Ann Carlson reported that the tax bill preparation is being outsourced by the County. Ann has done much of the preparation and mailing of the bills in the past, but the county is mandating the outsourcing. She noted that this may result in a cost increase for the town.
  • Budget Public Hearing & Special Meeting- Steve Van Hout moved to hold the Public Budget Hearing and Special Elector Meeting on Tuesday, November 19, 2019, at 7:30 pm at the York Town Hall, second by Tim Czerwonka. Motion carried.
  • New Glarus Area EMS contract- Steve Van Hout moved to approve the New Glarus EMS contract for services for 2020-2022, second by Tim Czerwonka. Motion carried.
  • Electronic storage of town documents- The board discussed a plan to store town documents and make them available to town staff for updating. To accomplish this, Heidi will set up a DropBox account (a free account if there is sufficient storage space) and load the pertinent documents. The board clarified that amended documents should be cleared by the town board prior to posting to the town website.

Old Business-

  • Driveway Permit and Land Division requests- The pending land division request for Mark Muench and the driveway permit requests for Legler and Maxwell will be left off future agendas until these residents request to be added to the agenda.

Adjournment- Tim Czerwonka moved to adjourn the meeting, second by Steve Van Hout. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:20 pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Heidi Hankley, Clerk