Town Board Meeting — Minutes

TOWN OF STAR PRAIRIE TOWN BOARD MEETING - MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2025 – 6:00 P.M. STAR PRAIRIE TOWN HALL 2118 COOK DRIVE, SOMERSET, WISCONSIN The Town Board Meeting was called to order by Tom Heintz at 6:05 p.m. in the Star Prairie Town Hall: 2118 Cook Drive, Somerset, WI 54025. Present were Tom Heintz, Michele Hermansen, Bob Crotty and Andrea Neumann, Clerk/Treasurer. Brian Duggan joined by phone. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Agenda : Motion M/S by Darryl Wendt/Bob Crotty to approve the agenda, as submitted. Motion carried. Approval of Minutes : Motion M/S by Michele Hermansen/Darryl Wendt to approve minutes from the July 1st Town Board meeting, as submitted. Motion carried. Public Comments : Nancy Karastes addressed the Board regarding a number of items: ● Dead End sign stolen on 115th/195th. ● Someone dumped garbage–something looking like a large bean bag–in the ditch. ● Appears to be a sinkhole starting in the shoulder when you first go down 115th towards the Dead End on the West side of the road where there’s a large drop-off. ● Radar/monitoring requested for 110th Street near Backes farm, especially early morning and late afternoon. ● A company came out to bid chip-sealing the cemetery road. Treasurer’s Report : Reviewed. No action taken. Building Permits : The July 2025 building permits were read, as reported, by the Building Inspector. Motion M/S by Michele Hermansen/Bob Crotty to accept the report, as submitted. Motion carried. Riverdale Estates - Road Inspections : Board reviewed Ayres memo regarding road inspections. No action taken. Recent Storm and City of New Richmond Compost Site Access : Board discussed ongoing cleanup efforts. Access to the City of New Richmond’s compost site wasn’t limited to the recent storm cleanup efforts. Town residents can complete a form to receive access cards to use the site during their regularly-scheduled hours, typically Tuesday/Saturday. The City extended its hours again through August 17th: closed on Sundays and Fridays, open Monday-Thursday 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. and open Saturdays 8:00 a.m. to Noon. St. Croix County Community Development - Exempt Staff-Reviewed CSM : Board reviewed email from surveyor regarding updated CSM for Rick & Kristina Nelson at 2283 127th Street in Star Prairie. No action taken. Inquiry re: Changing Outlot Status : Clerk shared inquiry from resident regarding outlot near Town Hall, northwest of The Post on County Rd CC. The resident would like to place a pre-fab/manufactured home on the lot, but it needs to be updated from its “outlot” status. Parcel is 038-1086-10-010 (“Outlot 1”). County advised the resident will need to pursue an updated CSM through the regular approval pathways. No action taken. Town Logo : Clerk shared a draft of possible Town logo to use in branding and for the cover of the Comprehensive Plan. Motion M/S by Michele Hermansen/Darryl Wendt to adopt the developed logo and include it on the current 2025 Comprehensive Plan and in other materials moving forward. Motion carried. Town of Star Prairie - Town Board Meeting - Tuesday, August 5, 2025 1 of 2 Resident Concern re: Commercial Fireworks : Resident contacted Clerk in the week after the 4th of July to report use of commercial-grade fireworks by a neighbor which allegedly damaged the resident’s property. Resident shared police reports and pictures. Clerk confirmed the resident did not have a permit. Motion M/S by Brian Duggan/Michele Hermansen to issue a $300 fine to residents for unpermitted use of fireworks per Town Ordinance Sec. 7-5-1(c). Motion carried. Indian Bike Week: August 7-18, 2025 at River’s Edge : Be aware of increased motorcycle traffic over the next few weeks. Comprehensive Plan - Next Meeting : On Wednesday, August 6 at 5:30 p.m. the Town Board and Plan Commission is scheduled to review the full draft of the updated Comprehensive Plan. No action taken. Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing : The Public Hearing for the 2025 Town of Star Prairie Comprehensive Plan is scheduled for Tuesday, September 9 at 5:00 p.m. No action taken. Rescheduled September Board Meeting : September Town Board meeting is rescheduled to Tuesday, September 9 at 6:00 p.m., following the Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing. Clerk/Treasurer Institute Summary : Clerk shared summary of sessions attended in third year of certification courses. Clerk is eligible to apply for Wisconsin Certified Municipal Clerk status after three full years in office and would like to attend a fourth year of the institute to complete the Treasurer’s curriculum. No action taken. Clerk Out of Office Times in August : Clerk will be out of the office the weeks of August 10th and 17th. Clerk to draft voicemail directions and out of office voicemail recording. Schedule Monthly Work Session : No work session for the month of August. Town Road Maintenance: Road Patching, Repairs, Mowing and Other Issues Nighthawk Drive: Significant tree loss on Nighthawk Drive. A citizen contacted the Clerk, asking whose responsibility it was to clean up the trees. Due to the nature of the storm, the Town may pursue funding through the Wisconsin Disaster Fund (WDF), which is a state-funded program that allows local governments to recoup costs incurred while responding to and recovering from disaster events that do not qualify for federal declarations. The state reimburses 70% of eligible costs after the local government unit submits a complete application. There is a threshold that must be met – incurred disaster costs must be equal to or exceed the $4.72 per capita. 90th Street : County is scheduled to work on two roundabout intersections in New Richmond, and would like to combine the Town’s 90th Street project into that same year–currently looking at 2028. 115th Street : Chair to request the County repair developing sinkhole on 115th. Oakland Cemetery Roadway : Motion M/S by Darryl Wendt/Michele Hermansen to maintain the roadway within Oakland Cemetery in conjunction with Town road maintenance. Motion carried. Flail Mower : Town of Somerset tested out a flail mower from Serwe Implement. Board discussed pursuing a side/mid-mount flail mower combination with a front-mount flail some day. In the meantime, Town may look for a flail mower to test drive and/or rent. Approve Payment of Town Bills and Adjourn : Motion M/S by Michele Hermansen/Darryl Wendt to approve town bills and adjourn. Motion carried at 7:45 p.m. Andrea Neumann, Clerk/Treasurer Town of Star Prairie Town of Star Prairie - Town Board Meeting - Tuesday, August 5, 2025 2 of 2