Chairman Terry Theis called the monthly meeting of the Town of Liberty to order at 6:00 pm. on Monday, October 8, 2018 at the Liberty Town Hall and proceeded with the Pledge of Allegiance. Members present were Terry Theis, Adrian Amelse, Nicole Rakobitsch, Treasurer Karen Peterson and Clerk, Lori Polhamus.
2. Clerk read the minutes of the September 10, 2018 regular town meeting. Motion by Amelse/second by Rakobitsch to approve the minutes of the previous meeting as read. All in favor. Motion carried.
3. Treasurer’s report. (report attached) Peterson read the Treasurer’s report. Beginning cash balance as of 09/1/18 was $32,169.10 and an ending cash balance as of 9/30/18 of $20,077.44 was reported. Interest year to date on the General Fund was $19.50 and interest earned year to date on the Tax Account was $80.04. There is $65,302.15 available in the tax account.
4. Town Announcements– Polhamus stated that November 6this the General Election and read a letter submitted from the Vernon County Solid Waste Department regarding services. Cleanup day will be on October 13, 2018. Theis stated he wrote a letter to the editor of the Epitaph regarding Chadwick Hollow and will be attending the Wisconsin Towns Association convention on October 15, 2018.
5.Fire Board meeting update - Theis stated he attended the meeting on September 20, 2018 and the fire department needs to replace their turnout gear which is mandatory every ten years and it is currently been seven. The cost is $18,000 for thirty pieces of equipment. They are also looking at needing three pieces of fire equipment and the lowest cost of these is $200,000 for a used truck. They are asking each municipality to put $10,000 a year in a capital fund for the equipment that each municipality would hold until the funds are needed. They will still be looking into grants as well. They also will start having a revolving chair for the meetings and Liberty will Chair in 2019, Forest in 2020 and Viola in 2021. The next Fire Board meeting is scheduled for October 25, 2018.
6. Discussion on Assessor contract/options for 2019– the Board reviewed the information that Chapin provided regarding insurance, tax records and other items requested at the last meeting. He has met the deadlines and submitted a contract proposal of $3400 per year for 2019 and 2020 which is the same as the current contract. Motion by Amelse/second by Rakobitsch to approve the two year contract with Chapin contingent on meeting the following requirements each year: carry errors & omissions insurance, meet deadlines on reporting for the Town and County, keep improving the electronic records and review with the Town Board on an annual basis. All in favor. Motion carried.
7.Preliminary 2019 budget discussion– Items seven and eight were discussed together. The Board discussed the Fire Board's request regarding the $10,000 capital increase and Amelse stated he would rather include the amount in the debt levy by borrowing instead of just adding it to the overall levy each year. Our current debt will be paid off in 2019. A capital plan is needed to know what the cost each year for all the items will be. We currently have over $20,000 in road repairs and a grader with repair needs as well so instead of having to ask for $10,000 now and have to come back again it would be better to have a plan in place first. In order to increase the levy the Town Board would have to pass a resolution requesting a certain dollar amount and then it would go before the Special Electors meeting for their approval and they would also have to pass a resolution allowing the levy limit increase. The amount cannot be changed once the resolution is set without coming back to the Board and we don't have enough time before the meeting notice has to be posted. If we don't follow the correct procedures for the State we could potentially lose our shared revenue as a penalty. For 2018 we do not have any new net construction and the levy was reduced by adjustments to personal property tax for manufacturing so there is no areas for growth in the tax base other than by debt or special resolution. After reviewing all the options the Board stated they would rather do a complete capital plan over the next year instead of moving to exceed the levy at this time and if borrowing is needed they will move forward with that.
8. Discussion with possible action on resolution to exceed levy limit for repairs – no action was taken on the resolution.
9. Discussion/action on electrical upgrades to Town buildings– no update
10.Capital improvement plan discussion with possible project estimates– no update
11. Discussion on possible zoning ordinance– Amelse stated he is seeing multiple homes starting up on one or two acre parcels and wanted to see if the Board was interested in setting up a minimum acreage for building. This would require a zoning ordinance. The Board is concerned about this issue and will start looking into a possible ordinance starting with the December meeting.
12.Action & Approval on monthly bills– Motion by Amelse/second by Rakobitsch to approve total bills of $12,874.30 as presented. All in favor. Motion carried.
13.Review of building permits (if any) - none
14.Period for public comment – Joel Johnson stated he spoke with several citizens in Viola that expressed their appreciation for how well Chadwick Hollow was maintained during the flood. Paul Linskens stated we should be concerned and have zoning because several homes are being built on low ground and they are subdividing lots where there is now water runoff issues as well.
15. Future agenda items– None
Motion by Amelse/second by Rakobitsch to adjourn the meeting at 8:00 pm. All in favor. Motion carried.
Minutes submitted by: Lori Polhamus, Town Clerk
