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April 14, 2009 Annual Meeting - Minutes
TOWN OF SCHLESWIG
ANNUAL MEETING
April 14, 2009
MINUTES
The Town of Schleswig 129th Annual Town meeting was called to order by Chairman Dennis Salzman at 7:00 p.m. on April 14, 2009 at the Schleswig Town Hall. Notice of this meeting was published on April 9, 2009, and posted at the designated sites on April 5, 2009. The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. The Clerk passed around an attendance sheet which was signed by 52 persons.
The minutes of the 2008 annual meeting were read. Motion by Lenore McDonough, seconded by Terri Lyon, to accept the minutes as read. Motion carried.
Guests introduced included County Supervisor Clyde Mueller and Assistant Fire Chief Bob Hennings. Clyde Mueller thanked outgoing supervisor Paul Schwoerer for his 12 years of service and presented a brief update on current county issues.
Treasurer’s report
Presented by Treasurer Laurel Vondrachek:
Tax collections for 2007 were as follows: Real estate taxes $2,607,786.29; personal property taxes 32,799.16. Delinquent real estate taxes were $69,295.58 (compared to $75,911.64 in the preceding year). Taxes collected were distributed as follows: Kiel School District $1,275,781.50; Manitowoc County $871,630.52; State of Wisconsin $26,065.80; LTC $226,158.82; Cedar Lake Sanitary District #1 $25,975.73; Wilke Lake Sanitary District #2 $10,569.91 and Rockville Millpond Management District $452.81. Rockville Special Assessment was $2,300.00. $206,646.44 was retained by the Town. Taxes were decreased by a lottery credit of $53,515.92. A total of 441 dogs have been licensed so far; 48 dogs are still delinquent. Motion by Terri Lyon, seconded by Beverly Schwoerer, to accept the Treasurer’s report as presented. Motion carried.
Review of 2007 financial report
Chairman Salzman summarized the 2008 annual financial report; copies had been mailed to Town residents. Chairman Salzman noted that the town is still under state levy limits under which the town’s levy can be increased by no more than 2%. Next year shared revenues from the state are to be reduced. The Town of Schleswig has the highest equalized value among the towns in Manitowoc County. Reassessment will begin this year, as required by state law because of low assessment ratio which puts us “out of compliance.” Total cost of the reassessment will be $50,000. Expenditures in 2008 were affected by multiple road cave-ins from June flooding, damage to Millhome Dam due to the same storms, and needed repairs to snow equipment after the second successive record snowfall winter. It may be necessary to hold a referendum next year to approve a levy increase above the state limit.
Building Permits
Supervisor Richard Glomski reported that 95 building permits were issued in 2008, including 8 for new homes and one for a restaurant. This represents about $2,997,000 in value. Inspection are going well; there may be slight alterations made to the procedures.
Rockville Millpond Management District
The district board offered the property next to the dam for sale, and on March 23 it was sold to Duane Dehne. After the sale is complete sometime this summer, the district will pay off all debt incurred with repair of the dam and will start a maintenance fund.
Recycling Center
Supervisor Paul Schwoerer thanked all town residents for continuing to increase usage of the recycling center. He also thanked recycling center workers for keeping things running smoothly. High prices were received metal, paper and cardboard helped offset the recycling center.
Constables’ Reports
Constable Richard Shannon summarized his animal calls for 2008 which included 24 dogs, 4 cats, 4 horses, 1 raccoon and 1 bear. Constable Phil Knauf patrolled Cedar Lake for about 44 hours, mostly in August and September, and also responded to animal calls including two cattle calls.
The town’s municipal court is in operation and has heard two cases. After the town adopts state traffic codes, tickets will be processed through our municipal court and revenue from fines will accrue to the town.
Assessor’s Report
As discussed previously, the town’s assessment ratio has been out of compliance for five years so a reassessment is now required by state law. Each property will be examined by the assessor.
Fire Department Report
Assistant Fire Chief Bob Hennings reported that the fire department went on 67 fire calls in 2007, 30 of them in the Town of Schleswig. There were 75 ambulance calls in the town. As in previous years, he requested that the phone number 683-4201 be placed on each burning permit issued; the permit holder must call that number to alert the sheriff’s department before burning.
Emergency address signs – The fire department would find it very helpful for each property to have a highly-visible, uniform address sign. The road name along with the address number would appear on the sign; the town name would not. The signs are available in red, green and blue, and in two sizes; the smaller would cost $24.35 and the larger would cost $27.25. Samples of the size and color options were displayed at the meeting. The signs would be paid for by a special assessment on each property tax bill. The town would be responsible for determining the location of each sign and for installation. Motion by Don Mogenson, seconded by Herman Rautmann, to install the signs; motion carried. Motion by Ernest Keppler, seconded by Dick Jens, to choose the blue color; motion carried. Motion by Ernest Keppler, seconded by Jerry Voechting, to choose the larger size, motion carried.
Sheriff’s Patrol Report
Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department patrolled 12 times in 2008 for 4 hours each time. They stopped 55 vehicles, made one arrest for OWI and 3 persons were cited for suspended licenses. The number of stops was down slightly from the preceding year but they tried to get a message across by being more visible.
Roads and Bridges
a. 2008 work done, 2009 outlook: In 2008, work was done on Steinthal, Cedar Lake, S. Cedar Lake, Reichardt and Rockville Roads. In 2009, Glen Flora Road will be reconstructed and extended. The work will be done by Evenson, and most of the cost of the extension will be repaid by special assessment on affected properties. Also, work begun last year on Cemetery Rd and Mueller Rd will be finished up.
b. Signs: Old signs are gradually being replaced by new blue road name signs.
c. Snow and ice control: Road Superintendant Stanley Bruckner reported that the plows went out for the first time on Nov. 17 and for the last time on March 29. Resources used included 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel and 850 man-hours. Those present gave a Stanley a round of appreciative applause.
Smart Growth
Committee Chairman Joe Meyer introduced the Plan Commission which has been meeting to work on the Smart Growth Plan for a year and a half now. As mandated by the state, the plan will be completed by 2010. Early in the process, they sent out surveys, of which 120 were returned. 85% of the respondents reported being satisfied with life in the Town of Schleswig, and 92.4% felt preserving farmland is very important. One possible way of doing this is by allowing homes to be built on smaller acreage, thereby conserving land. Individual chapters of the Smart Growth Plan are now available.
Constituent Input
Question from constituent regarding treatment of delinquent property taxes. (Answer: interest is added, and eventually the property is put up for sale). Question concerning new building on north side of Cedar Lake. (Answer: bar and grill to open by the end of May).
Finally, Chairman Salzman thanked Paul Schwoerer for his good steady influence on the town board for the last 12 years; he will be missed. Chairman Salzman also introduced new supervisor Joe Meyer. Finally Chairman Salzman noted that the Town of Schleswig is now on the web at www.townofschleswig.com. The web site is only partially complete now but much useful information can be found there.
The date of the next annual meeting will be Tuesday, April 13, 2010.
Motion by Robert Kissinger, seconded by Dick Jens to adjourn; motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m., followed by pizza and refreshments.
Jo Ellen Gramling, Clerk
May 14, 2009
Archive:
May 10, 2012 Regular Board Meeting
May 10, 2012 Regular Board Meeting
May 10, 2012 Regular Board Meeting-Ammended
May 8, 2012 Minutes of Special Board Meeting
April 30, 2012 Minutes of Special Board Meeting
April 30, 2012 Additional Minutes of Special Board Meeting
April 12, 2012 Regular Board Meeting
April 12, 2012 Regular Board Meeting (Ammended)
April 10, 2012 Minutes of Annual Meeting AMMENDED
April 10, 2012 Minutes of Annual Meeting