Town of Germantown

Official Website of the Town of Germantown, Juneau County, WI

Regular Monthly Town Board Meeting

Minutes

Town of Germantown Town Hall
N7560 17th Avenue
New Lisbon, WI 53950
May 9, 2023
6:00 p.m.

 

Present:               Chairman Gregg Haunroth, Supervisors Ken Jax, Keith Korbein, Jim Collis, Ray Feldman, Zoning Administrator Dick Martin, Emergency Management Director Christopher Leopold, Clerk/Treasurer Susan Ganther, Deputy Clerk/Treasurer Michaele Korbein

Absent:                 None

 

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. at the town hall.

Road Bids

There was one bid submitted by Scott Construction.  The total quote for road maintenance was $140,203.15 and crack filling for $3.96 per pound.  A motion was made by Gregg Haunroth, seconded by Jim Collis, accepting the bid pending a review of the budget and that the bid matches the bid request.  Motion carried 5-0.

 

Minutes

A motion was made by Keith Korbein, seconded by Ken Jax, to approve the minutes from the April Regular Board meeting.  Motion carried 5-0.

 

Bank Reconciliation

The reconciliation was read and placed on file for audit.

 

Checks

A motion was made by Jim Collis, seconded by Keith Korbein, to approve General Fund checks 13615-13660 totaling $51,307.14, Park account checks 5026-5027 totaling $2,250.74, and Impact Fee checks 5029-5030 totaling $2,250.76.  Motion carried 5-0.

 

Resolution 2023-3 Amending the 2023 Budget

A motion was made by Ken Jax, seconded by Keith Korbein, to approve Resolution 2023-3. A roll call vote was taken:  Collis – Y, Korbein – Y, Haunroth – Y, Jax – Y, Feldman – Y.  Motion carried 5-0.

 

Ordinance 15

A motion was made by Jim Collis, seconded by Keith Korbein, to approve the updates recommended by the town engineer to Ordinance 15 A Land Use Ordinance Covering Dedication of Lands for Town Roads, Minimum Town Road Construction and Miscellaneous Road Provision with the addition of requiring coordination with Juneau County in naming roads to avoid duplication.  A roll call vote was taken:  Collis – Y, Korbein – Y, Haunroth – Y, Jax – Y, Feldman – Y.  Motion carried 5-0.

 

ARPA Designation

A motion was made by Ken Jax, seconded by Keith Korbein, to accept a quote from DeVoe painting to paint the interior of the town hall in the amount of $3,700.00.  A roll call vote was taken:  Collis – Y, Korbein – Y, Haunroth – Y, Jax – Y, Feldman – Y.  Motion carried 5-0.

 

There was discussion on using ARPA funds to replace the dock at the 15th Street boat landing for approximately $8,000.  It was decided to keep the quote received on file for future consideration, but that more pressing needs should be considered for funding first.

 

Committee Members

A motion was made by Jim Collis, seconded by Ray Feldman, to approve committee members as read (see attachment).  Motion carried 5-0.

 

Code Enforcement Officer

A motion was made by Ken Jax, seconded by Ray Feldman, to approve the hiring of Larry Scervino as Code Enforcement Officer.  A roll call vote was taken:  Collis – Y, Korbein – Y, Haunroth – Y, Jax – Y, Feldman – Y.  Motion carried 5-0.

 

Public Safety

Chris has begun working with Amy from the DNR regarding the Community Wildlife Protection Plan. 

 

Chris attended training on Ethanol Emergencies with County Emergency Management Director, Jeremy Bonikowske. 

 

There was a successful tornado drill done.

 

Chris encourages people to sign up for severe weather alerts on their phone.  A link can be found on the Town’s website to do so.

 

Mauston Ambulance is continuing to meet regarding the addition of municipalities currently being served by Camp Douglas Rescue, which is struggling financially.

 

Roads

Road work should begin in July. 

There is still work being done in the road right of way for trees damaged during winter storms. 

 

Zoning

There were 11 permits issued in April.  6 were for new homes.  Year to date there have been 13 permits issued for new homes.

 

Parks

There will be a walk-through of the park with the contractor to review what is left to complete and a final review of the finances.

 

Board Reports

Jim Collis                              Residents of the Logs at Eagle Lake were asking about road maintenance.  Public Works will be renting a grader from the Town of Necedah to take care of the road once the equipment becomes available.

 

Keith Korbein                     Golf carts are back out on the roads.  The Town Deputy should be on the lookout.  

Attended the Wisconsin Towns Association meeting.  Subjects covered included shared revenue and open meetings.

 

Gregg Haunroth                Oakdale Electric is looking for land in the south end of the town for a sub-station.  Construction may happen in 2025/2026. 

The board was approached by landowners on 16th Avenue regarding the condition of the road.  The road is gravel and in swamp lands.  Discussion included the history of the Juneau County Drainage Ditch District that ran through the area and how the dissolving of that district decades ago has affected the area.  The Town will investigate the removal of beaver dams which could help restore flow to the ditch.   

 

Ray Feldman                       Fire hazard is high because of the downed trees.  People should continue to clean up and utilize the brush dump.

 

Public Comment

There was appreciation for the increased use of Facebook.

 

A question was asked about the inclusion for others who were interested in committee appointments.  There are new committees being planned and more appointments will come at a future date.

 

Clarification was requested on the duties of the Code Enforcement Officer.  It was noted that the Code Enforcement Officer will be used to enforce violations including those related to camping, littering (including brush dump use without a pass), nuisances such as blighted premises. 

 

Adjourn

A motion was made by Jim Collis, seconded by Keith Korbein, to adjourn the meeting at 7:40 p.m.  Motion carried 5-0.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Susan Ganther

Clerk/Treasurer