TOWN BOARD MEETING — Minutes

MEETING MINUTES TOWN OF LAFAYETTE SEPTEMBER 21, 2026 5765 197TH ST. CHIPPEWA FALLS WI 54726 Call To Order / Roll Call: Chairman Staber called the regular meeting to order at 7:00 pm and conducted roll call. Present were Chairman Staber, Supervisor Brennan, Supervisor Larson, and Supervisor Mathwig. Absent was Supervisor McIlquham. Approval Of Town Board Minutes: The board reviewed the town board minutes August 17, 2026, Regular Board Meeting & Current Agenda. Larson moved to approve the minutes and the regular board meeting agenda and Mathwig seconded. Financial Report: The financial report was presented. One additional paving bill from Senn for 59th Avenue and 171st Street was noted as forthcoming, with paving scheduled for the following day. The checking account balance at the end of August stood at $703,813. Bills totaling $319,351.86 were presented for payment. Approximately $500,000 in additional revenue was anticipated before year-end, a significant portion of which would be the incoming shared revenue payment. Discussion arose regarding oversight of credit card expenditures. The Town Clerk confirmed that a detailed line-by-line sheet is maintained for all credit card transactions, with receipts collected and expenses coded to appropriate accounts. The Board has been assured that all gas station card transactions are reconciled with the individual receipts provided by employees and that fuel purchases are properly categorized by type too. The importance of maintaining thorough and accurate records was emphasized to ensure accountability and protect all parties invol ved. The Board was pleased to hear that these procedures are being followed. Motion to approve the financial report as presented was made by Mathwig and seconded by Brennan. Public Comment: NONE Old Business: NONE New Business: 59th Ave Parking: The Chair reported that issues had arisen regarding a VRBO/Airbnb rental property on 59th Avenue, where vehicles had been parked on the road. Conversations were held with both the property owner and an adjacent neighbor reminding them that all parking must occur on private property or in designated parking areas. It was also noted that 59th Avenue — the road running along the north side of the lake off 171st Street — would be closed to traffic the following day during paving operations. A resident of 59th Avenue expressed concern that notification of the road closure had not reached all residents in a timely manner, particularly those who were working and unavailable when crews went door-to-door. The Chair acknowledged the concern and noted that signs had been posted, and crews had also gone door-to-door to notify residents. Wissota Firefighters Association: No one appeared on behalf of the Wissota Firefighters Association. The Chair noted that the association's request related to a picnic license for the Fall Festival and inquired about licensed bartenders. The Town Clerk confirmed two individuals had applied for bartender licenses. Picnic License Application: Fall Festival - Motion to approve the temporary picnic license for the Wissota Firefighters Association for the Fall Festival was made by Supervisor Larson and seconded by Supervisor Brennan. CSM – Selvig: A resident appeared and confirmed the purpose of the CSM: to combine two lots so that a building permit for a sunroom addition could be issued, as the structure was too close to the existing lot line. The board was familiar with this t ype of application. Motion to approve the Selvig CSM was made by Supervisor Larson and seconded by Supervisor Mathwig. CSM – Lambrecht: No applicant appeared. The Chair confirmed this CSM involved combining two or three lots on 176th Street into one, associated with a property where an adjacent house had been purchased and demolished. The County was expected to act on the matter the following Thursday. Motion to approve Lambrecht CSM was made by Supervisor Mathwig and seconded by Supervisor Brennan. CSM – Pribnow: No applicant appeared. The Chair explained this CSM involved splitting off a parcel from a 40 -acre tract on 20th Avenue. Two separate CSMs from the same surveying company were included in the packet — one approximately 4 acres and another approximately 1.93 acres — both intended to establish building sites while retaining the remainder of the parent parcel outside the CSM. Board members noted that both parcels met minimum lot size requirements for the agricultural area. Motion to approve bot h Pribnow CSMs as presented was made by Supervisor Mathwig and seconded by Supervisor Larson. CSM - Peterson 2 Lots: An applicant's representative appeared and explained that the property owners were looking to downsize and split off a lot from their existing parcel for a family member to build upon. Motion to approve the Peterson 2 Lots CSM was m ade by Supervisor Brennan and seconded by Supervisor Larson. Lafayette Rezone # 3: The Chair explained this rezone was the third in an ongoing effort to achieve uniform residential zoning across a large parcel area bounded by 75th, 72nd, 73rd Streets and County Highway K. The goal is to convert all parcels within the a rea to R- 1 (single-family residential), as the overwhelming majority of developed properties are already used as such. Any parcels with existing R-2 structures would be legally non-conforming and exempt. Owners wishing to build a duplex could apply for a variance. All affected property owners received required statutory notice at least 15 days prior to the PRTLU Commission hearing. No one appeared in opposition. The Town Clerk noted receiving a call from a property owner who did not understand what R-1 and R-2 designations meant, as the notice did not define the terms. One board member expressed some hesitation about rezoning vacant lots without the owner's request, as a purchaser may have bought the lot intending to build a duplex. The Chair noted that a rezone applicatio n back to R-2 would remain available. Motion to approve Lafayette Rezone #3 was made by Supervisor Larson and seconded by Supervisor Mathwig. Machler Rezone: The property owner appeared and clarified a significant misunderstanding: the family had no intention of building additional homes on their remaining acreage and wished to keep the parcel zoned Agricultural. They were only seeking to sell one previously surveyed 1.5-acre lot. Their surveyor had indicated a rezone to R-1 was required, but the Chair clarified this was a misunderstanding — the lot can remain Agricultural provided it meets the minimum 1.5-acre size requirement for AG - zoned building sites, which it does. The board agreed to deny the rezone request and leave the property zoned Agricultural. The Chair agreed to confirm with the surveyor that the previously completed CSM from 2017 had been properly recorded, which is a pre requisite to sale. Motion to deny the Machler Rezone request and retain the Agricultural zoning designation was made by Supervisor Mathwig and seconded by Supervisor Brennan. Preliminary CSM - 22404 20th Ave: The surveyor appeared on behalf of the Dixon family, owners of Autumn Harvest Winery. The CSM proposes splitting off a 17-acre parcel from a larger tract south of Autumn Harvest on County Highway K, for the purpose of allowing the owners' son and daughter-in-law to build a home on the property. The parcel size was increased from an initial 15 acres to 17 acres in order to preserve existing field access to the rear of the property. The surveyor noted the site has some wetland area in the southeast corner, and that the proposed building location would be sited as far from those areas as possible. The notation "Preliminary" on the map was clarified as the surveyor's standard practice to prevent confusion between draft and final versions — the content is substantively the same as a final CSM. The CSM will be recorded under the Dixon name. Motion to approve the Preliminary CSM for the Dixon property on County Highway K was made by Supervisor Mathwig and seconded by Supervisor Brennan. Revision - Facilities Rental Contract: The Town Clerk presented a revised Facilities Rental Contract, which consolidates the hall rental agreement and the outdoor/event rental process into a single document for simplicity. Discussion centered on ensuring the contract language is clear that the more involved approval process — requiring signatures from the Recreation Director, a Town Supervisor, and the Town Clerk — applies only to large outdoor events, not standard hall rentals. A board member also suggested clarifying the timeline language so the application deadline reads as the date the completed application must be returned, not simply picked up. The board directed the Town Clerk to make these clarifying edits. Motion to approve the revised Facilities Rental Contract, subject to the clarifying edits discussed, was made by Supervisor Brennan and seconded by Supervisor Mathwig . Chippewa Fire District – 2027 Budget: The Chair presented the Chippewa Fire District's proposed 2027 budget. The Town of Lafayette's share reflects an increase of $59,972.19, or approximately 7.97%. The towns of Howard and Hallie had already appr oved the budget; the Village of Lake Hallie was acting on it the same evening. Final approval by the Fire Board is scheduled for the third Tuesday in October at Station 3. The board discussed the primary drivers of the increase: employee salary increases (3% for m ost staff, higher for some positions), increased fuel costs, a reduction in transfer revenues due to factors including the closure of St. Joseph's Hospital, and ongoing capital expenditures for ambulance replacement. Two new ambulances have been ordered — one expected in early 2027 and another for 2028 — necessitated by the high mileage accumulating on the current fleet, several units of which exceed 250,000 miles. A board member noted the structural inequity in the Fire District's governance, where each member municipality holds an equal vote regardless of assessed value or proportional cost share. The pending opening of a new local emergency room facility was discussed as potentially reducing transport distances and associated wear on vehicles in future y ears. Motion to approve the Chippewa Fire District 2027 Budget as presented was made by Supervisor Larson and seconded by Supervisor Mathwig. Bobcat Quote: Two equipment quotes were presented for consideration. The first was for a broom attachment for the existing skid steer at a cost of $8,075, intended to allow smaller sweeping operations without deploying the full loader. The second was fo r a replacement backhoe, with a net cost after trade-in of $29,119.15 (new unit cost of approximately $74,000 less a $48,000 trade-in value). The current backhoe is approximately eight years old and sees heavy use with every culvert installation. The Chair noted that the existing skid steer is replaced annually through a government leasing program at a cost of approximately $6,000 per year, with attachments retained. Given the town's anticipated year-end surplus of over $500,000 and the fact that the 2027 levy will decrease with the payoff of a $179,000 loan, the board agreed it was advantageous to make these purchases in the current fiscal year. Motion to approve both the broom attachment and backhoe replacement quotes as presented was made by Supervisor Mathwig and seconded by Supervisor Larson. Motion carried 4-0 Polo Shirt – Quote: The Chair proposed purchasing embroidered polo shirts bearing the Town of Lafayette logo for board members and office staff for use at official functions and meetings. Quotes were obtained from A to Z, a vendor already familiar with the town's existing logo, at approximately $32 per shirt. One board member questioned whether matching attire was necessary given the layout of the town hall. The Chair noted it would help identify town representatives at external meetings and conferences. Motion to approve the polo shirt purchase was made by Supervisor Brennan and seconded by Supervisor Mathwig. PRTLU Discussion: The Chair invited discussion on recent PRTLU Commission activity. A board member noted that at the commission's most recent meeting, members individually ranked ten proposed park and recreation projects, aggregating scores to arrive at a consensus prioritization. The top two priorities were: (1) lighting for the pickleball courts, and (2) an irrigat ion system for the ball field. The commission's remaining eight projects were ranked below those. A walking path was noted as falling roughly in the middle of the prioritized list. A brief discussion was followed regarding the commission's available funds (approximately $60,000) and the applicable restrictions on room tax revenue expenditures, with a board member cautioning that not all proposed projects m ay qualify for room tax funding. The board also discussed the possibility of raising the room tax rate from 6% to 8%, consistent with neighboring municipalities, as a potential budget consideration. The Chair noted that room tax collections were proceeding we ll now that remittances from Airbnb and VRBO are being received. Town Communications From Board & Road Supervisors, Town Clerk & Town Chair: The Chair announced that the 2027 budget process would be commencing and encouraged input from the Fire District liaison, the PRTLU Commission, and other stakeholders . Supervisor Brennan took the opportunity to publicly thank the Town Clerk for her dedication and the quality of her work. The Chair also announced that the Highway K Bridge replacement project was noted as having been delayed to 2028. The Chair mentioned that a section of the historic trestle bridge is planned to be displayed at the Town Hall recognizing it as the last of its type in Chippewa County. A suggestion was made that retired town iPads be repurposed for use by PRTLU Commission members to reduce paper consumption at meetings Motion To Adjourn was made at 8:06 PM Respectfully submitted by: Jami Carter / Clerk These minutes are intended to reflect the discussed topics and propositions during the Lafayette Town Board Meeting, ensuring transparency and providing a clear understanding of the deliberations and decisions made.