Town Board Meeting — Minutes

MEETING MINUTES TOWN OF LAFAYETTE APRIL 21, 2025 5765 197TH ST. CHIPPEWA FALLS WI 54726 Call To Order / Roll Call - The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM. A roll call was conducted confirming the presence of Supervisors Brennan, Larson, McIlquham, Mathwig, Chair Staber, Clerk Konwinski and residents. Approval of Town Board Minutes - Supervisor Larson made a motion to approve the town board minutes from April 7th, 2025, and the consent agenda for tonight's meeting. Mathwig seconded the motion. Financial Report - The chair presented the financial report, stating that the ending balance of our Citizen’s checking account was $ 1,168,114.13. The expense report was distributed to board members. Supervisor Brennan made a motion to accept the financial report and pay the bills. McIlquham seconded the motion. Motion carried. Public Comments were heard. There was no Old Business to discuss. Financial Report - Chair Staber presented the financial report. Scott Faris inquired about reimbursement for the PRTLU Commission for certain expenses. Chair Staber responded that he had Kath ie run a sign report but hadn't had a chance to review it yet . Clerk Konwinski mentioned difficulties in reading invoices and statements and explained the need to use specific accounts for different types of purchases. The board discussed a large bill from XL Energy, with Chair Staber explaining that a credit was being applied, and it might take a couple of billing cycles to resolve. He anticipated that once resolved, there would be a credit balance for seve ral months, particularly for the fire station account. Supervisor Brennan made a motion to approve the financial report and pay the bills. McIlquham seconded the motion. Motion carried. Public Comments - Jerry inquired about the status of additional law enforcement in town. Chair Staber explained that the recently approved code book needed to be provided to the sheriff's department for entry into their database. He also mentioned a pending meeting with the new county administrator in early May to discuss the matter further. Jerry also asked about a tire dump on what he believed to be town property near golf hole number 9. Chair Staber and Sedlacek were unaware of this dump and agreed to investigate the area the following day. They discussed the possibility of using trail cameras to monitor the area. Old Business - There was no old business to discuss. New Business Meet to Adjourn the BOR – Supervisor Mathwig motioned to adjourn the Board of Review to June 2nd. Brennan seconded the motion. Award Road Bids for 2025 Road Work - Chair Staber presented the bids for road work, explaining that Senn Blacktop was the low bidder on all 10 projects combined. He recommended awarding the project to Senn Blacktop, noting that even though some individual project costs were higher than Monarch's bid, the overall total was about $4,200 less. The total bid from Senn Blacktop was $447,405.72, while Monarch's bid was $451,615.42. Supervisor Larson made a motion to award the road bids to Blacktop for the 2025 roadwork as presented. McIlquham seconded the motion. Motion carried. Award Chip Seal Bids for 2025 - Chair Staber presented bids from Chippewa County Highway Department and Scott Construction for chip seal work. Chippewa County's bid was lower, with a total of $58,922 for the specified streets, compared to Scott Construction's total of $70,899. Supervisor Larson made a motion to award the chip seal bid for 2025 to Chippewa County Highway Department for $58,922 and Brennan seconded the motion. Motion carried. Award Crack Fill Bids - Chair Staber presented a bid from Far hner Asphalt for crack filling work. The total bid for all roads was $53,050, with priority roads costing $25,976. After discussion about the benefits of crack filling and the available budget, the board decided to approve the full amount. Supervisor Larson made a motion to award the crack fill bid for all roads to Farner Asphalt for $53,050 and McIlquham seconded the motion. Motion carried. Blue Star Marker - Barb from the Garden Club presented a Blue Star marker that was mistakenly sent instead of a Gold Star marker. She proposed placing it on the town grounds, possibly in the pollinator garden or below the town sign in front. The board agr eed to place it below the sign out front if possible. Accept Rod Koplitz as Fire Commission Representative for Lafayette 3 Year Term - Chair Staber explained that Rod Koplitz's term as Fire Commission representative was expiring in July, and he had agreed to serve another 3 -year term. Supervisor McIlquham made a motion to accept Rod Koplitz as a Fire Commission representative for a 3 -year term. Mathwig seconded the motion. Chippewa County Rezone Petition - Chair Staber presented the Chippewa County rezone petition, which included several proposals affecting the town of Lafayette. The key changes discussed were: 1. Allowing storage of fireworks in an approved container in the Ag District for Steve Connell, subject to ATF , town and fire department approval. 2. Zoning changes to accommodate Joel Jacobson's plans for a commercial building with apartments on the old Gordy’s property. 3. Changes to side yard setbacks for ag property and local commercial districts. 4. Requiring conditional use permits for multi-family units in R3 zones. Chair Staber stated that the setback discussion needs to go back to the County Zoning. Supervisor Mathwig made the motion to accept the rezone petition and notify the county zoning. Brennan seconded the motion. Liquor Approval at New Express Mart Gas Station - The board discussed a liquor license application for the new Express Mart (BP gas station), noting that the applicant only wanted to sell beer to avoid interfering with Jacobson's Lakeside Liquor store. Supervisor Brennan made a motion to approve the liquor license at the new Express Mart gas station. Mathwig seconded the motion. Accept Code Book - Chair Staber reported that the final draft of the code book had been received from the attorneys and reviewed. He noted that it had been made available at the town hall and its acceptance was published in the paper. Supervisor Larson made a motion to accept the code book as presented. Brennan seconded the motion. Town Communications from Board & Road Supervisors, Town Clerk & Town Chair - Various board members and supervisors provided updates on ongoing projects and issues, including: • Progress on road sweeping and catch basin cleaning • Issues with fire address posts and numbers • Updates on street light installations and removals • Concerns about storage container units being marketed in the area which is not permitted • A maintenance contract for tornado sirens • Potential future subdivision development Motion to adjourn the meeting was made at 7:50pm. Respectfully submitted by: Laura Konwinski 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.