TOWN BOARD MEETING — Minutes

MEETING MINUTES TOWN OF LAFAYETTE AUGUST 17, 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, Brennan, Larson, Mathwig and McIlquham. Approval Of Town Board Minutes: The board reviewed the town board minutes August 3rd, 2026, Regular Board Meeting & Current Agenda. McIlquham moved to approve the minutes and the regular board meeting agenda and Mathwig seconded. Financial Report: The Chair reported that a financial report had been distributed to all board members. Key highlights included a checking account balance of approximately $278,000, with bills going out that day. A payment of approximately $576,000 was expected from the county representing the second half of the tax apportionment. The Chair noted that several large bills were still forthcoming from projects from Senn: 59th Avenue, and patching on 50th Avenue, but that overall costs had remained close to the original bids. A bill from Tractor Central in the amount of $148,344 was noted in connection with a recently purchased piece of equipment purchased for approximately $325,000. The Chair noted the previous unit purchased in 2022 had been problematic, and the trade-in on the old machine yielded approximately $150,000 in value. Motion to approve the financial report as presented was made by Mathwig and seconded by Brennan. Public Comment: NONE Old Business: NONE New Business: Office Assistant Employment Offer and Acceptance: The Chair reported that Julie Cochran had accepted an employment offer to serve as the new office assistant. Her anticipated start date is the week of August 31st. The position carries a starting wage of $20.00 per hour with no insurance benefits. The employee will receive some paid time off, with hours equivalent to approximately 12 hours. A motion to approve the appointment of Julie as Office Assistant at the stated terms was made by Brennan and seconded by Larson. 26018 Preliminary CSM Proposal 50th Ave 26029 Preliminary CSM Proposal 50th Ave : 26018 and 26029 were presented and discussed together, as both CSM proposals are related to the same property owner and access corridor on 50th Avenue. The Chair explained that the property owner had purchased a house with an existing driveway running through a shared easement and also owns three acres to the south (Lot 1 on the CSM) and is purchasing a second lot. A third parcel owned by the same individual lies to the west. The board's position was that any approval would be contingent upon a recorded 66-foot-wide right-of-way easement off 50th Avenue, as this corridor would serve as the sole future public road access for any development. The county has indicated no additional driveways will be permitted on the hill side near the school. If the parcels were ever developed, a road built to town road standards, including a cul -de-sac, would be required. A motion to approve CSM proposals 26018 and 26029 for 50th Avenue was made by Brennan and seconded McIlquham. Proposed CSM – 15 Acres County Hwy K: Kyle, Land Surveyor, update on the proposed CSM for a 15-acre parcel on County Highway K. He had sent the board an aerial map in advance to flag the presence of wetlands on the property and confirm there were no anticipated obstacles before beginning field work. Field work was reported to be substantially complete, with a formal CSM expected to be submitted prior to the September 21st meeting. The surveyor confirmed he had consulted with the county regardi ng the wetlands, and the county had no objections to the proposed lot configuration, which would place the building site on the wes t side of the property, north of the wetland area. The property is being conveyed from the Dixon family to their son and daughter-in-law, and the owners are willing to adjust the property line if needed. The submission deadline for the September meeting wa s confirmed as Wednesday, September 16th. No action was taken at this meeting. Mower CSM - The board reviewed a CSM proposal combining five existing lakefront lots into two lots. The fair market value of the property was noted at $527,300, with an assessed value of approximately $472,000. The property is held in trust by the Mower family estate. A motion to approve the Mower CSM was made by Mathwig and seconded by Brennan. PRTLU Candidate The board was informed that three of four applicants attended interviews held at a special meeting prior to the most recent regular meeting. The recommended candidate for the sole available alternate position on the PRTLU was Tom Reuter. A motion to approve the appointment of Tom Reuter to the PRTLU alternate position was made by Mathwig and seconded by Larson. PRTLU Monthly Meeting Discussion: This item was added to the agenda as a standing placeholder to allow the board to act on matters arising from the PRTLU monthly meeting without delay. The board discussed that routine PRTLU business can be approved under this item, while specific matters such as CSMs or lot splits may still need to be separately agendized. No formal action was taken. Town Communications from Board & Road Supervisors, Town Clerk & Town Chair Supervisor Mathwig: Fall Festival – Fire Association: A raised concerns stemming from a recent commission meeting regarding the Lafayette Fire Association's fall festival, scheduled for Saturday, September 26th. It was noted that he suggested that the Association get put on the agenda for discussion on the Fall Festival. The concern centered on the Association having shifted the event from its traditional Sunday date to a Saturday without formally consulting the town, which creates a conflict with soccer activities a nd anticipated parking challenges. Discussion revealed that while the hall rental calendar had been blocked for Friday and Saturday, the formal contract process—which requires three signatures (the relevant board member, the clerk, and Bruce)—had not been fully executed. The board acknowledged it was too late to change the date given that vendors had already committed and agreed to move forward while learning from the experience. It was suggested that the town draft a letter to the Association outlining expect ations for future event coordination. The board also noted that the Association had received a $1,000 donation approved at the PRTLU meeting toward the event, double the prior year's contribution. Supervisor Larson: Public Lake Access Parcels: Larson raised the issue of several unopened public lake access parcels around the township being gradually encroached upon by adjacent property owners who are clearing trees, expanding their yards, and in at least one case parking a boat within the access corridor. He proposed exploring options such as surveying the parcels, installing fencing, or placing picnic tables to assert the town's ownership and deter encroachment. The board acknowledged the difficulty of the sit uation, noting that the town has previously dealt with similar issues requiring DNR involvement, and that creating usable public access is complicated by the lack of parking. A prior effort to map all such parcels—including work done by a UW student intern—was referenced. The matter was flagged for future agenda discussion, with no formal action taken at this meeting. Supervisor McIlquham: Dumpster Misuse: Noted an incident of improper waste disposal at the town facility dumpster, where individuals put garbage over the fence when we were closed. Recycling Crew moved the dumpster away from the fence. Another incident was cardboard being put in the town dumpster with their return address visible. Letters were sent to those individua ls. Clerk Carter: Airbnb / Tourist Rentals: The Clerk reported that she had followed up with public health regarding short -term rental registrations in the township. All verified locations that are registered with the Town are compliant and there were 11 locations on the public health spreadsheet that needs to be verified if they are in the Town of Lafayette or not. Public health also noted that they had upd ated their intake procedures to better verify that applicants have gone through the proper local channels before receiving a license. August Primary Election: The Clerk reported that the August primary election ran very smoothly, with over 1,900 voters participating and 367 absentee ballots issued. Two shifts of election workers were deployed, and the process included an observer who was present from 6:30 AM to 3:00 PM. Badger Books / Election Equipment: The Clerk reported that two Badger Book units required repair and were sent in for reimaging and reconfiguration at a cost of $350 total. A third unit still needs to be sent in. The vendor indicated that a full system update to the newer version of Badger Books would cost approximately $25,000 for all eight units. While an immediate upgrade was not deemed necessary, the aging status of the current equipment was noted as a concern, particularly in light of the significantly higher turnout expected at the November general election. The board agreed that returning to paper poll books would not be acceptable. Population Update: The Clerk reported that the township's new official population figure is 6,611, an increase of 414 residents from the 2020 census count of approximately 6,197. The Chair noted that updated entrance signs reflecting the new population would be needed. Road Supervisor: Road Update- reported that 59th Avenue remains to be paved, with no firm timeline yet. The Chair noted that the recent improvements at the North Service Road intersection appeared to have a positive effect, with drivers more consistently stopping at the stop sign. General discussion followed regarding the broader issue of drivers failing to stop at stop signs and not us ing turn signals throughout the township. PRTLU Commission Report: The board received a summary of actions approved at the PRTLU commission level, including: a $1,000 donation to the Fire Association for the fall festival; a $1,900 purchase of swim area markers for R ay’s Beach to replace storm- damaged markers, using stainless steel cables and heavier anchors, with discussion of adding tracking devices such as Apple AirTags; a $100 thank-you payment to Carl Anderson for mowing, treatment, and trail maintenance at the Pine Harbor Forest area; and receipt of a $500 donation to the PRTLU commission for project. A previously approved Mason Grant of $400 was also confirmed as processed. Motion To Adjourn was made at 7:48 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.