Town Board Meeting — Minutes

Town of Liberty Grove Minutes of the Town Board meeting on September 2, 2026 (this meeting was correctly posted) Agenda: 1. Call to order 2. Declaration of quorum followed by the Pledge of Allegiance 3. Approve Agenda 4. Approve minutes from 8/19/26 5. Public input 6. Committee Reports 7. Payment of bills a. LGUD#1 bills b. Town bills 8. Administrator Report 9. Consider 2026 Mission Statement for Parks Committee 10. Consider Plan Commission Recommendation - Re: Preliminary Plat Review - Residence at Rowleys Bay 11. Consider Ord __ - 26 Naming of Roads – Rowleys Bay Court 12. Correspondence 13. Future meeting(s) 14. Adjourn Chairman Goss called the meeting to order at 6:00pm. Supervisors Janet Johnson, Sylvann Welcome, Cathy Ward, and Dan Watts were present. Administrator Buckingham was also in attendance along with Clerk/Treasurer Pamela Donart-Welcome, and 10 members of the public. Ward moved, Johnson seconded to approve the agenda as posted. Carried 5 – 0 Johnson moved, Goss seconded to approve the 8/19/26 minutes as presented. Carried 5 – 0 Public input: Dan Watts commented on how having a Town Administrator has been an excellent investment for the Town in many ways. Nancy Goss shared updates from the committees she sits on at the County including an update from Justice & Public Safety on the County-wide radio communications upgrade scheduled to take place over the next year or two. She also shared that the Resource Planning Committee voted “no” unanimously in their final decision on whether to allow shipping containers as accessory structures. Additional Public Input on item#10 can be found below. Committee Reports: Ward reported that the Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (CORP) that the Parks & Property Committee has been working on was sent to the County Parks Department for their input before bringing it back for final revisions, approval, and publication. Welcome reported that the Community Development Committee is hosting a Game Day Event on September 10th from 1:30pm - 4pm at the Town Hall. Goss reported that the GEO-DC will have a soft opening of their Escarpment Park on September 13, 2026 from 1-3pm. Johnson moved, Ward seconded to approve the payment of LGUD#1 bills totaling $139.07. Carried 5 – 0 Goss moved, Welcome seconded to approve the payment of Town bills totaling $26,862.05. Carried 5 – 0 Administrator’s Report: Administrator Buckingham reported that the Finance Committee had its first meeting this past Monday, the 31st to begin developing the 2027 Budget. The 2026 paving projects have totally been completed, and will be submitting the grant application to get re-imbursement from the State for paving & shouldering on North Bay Road. The 2026 chip- sealing was completed yesterday by Scott Construction on Old Stage Rd between Wildwood and Old Stage Lane, Isle View Rd from Highway 42 to Timberline, and Garrett Bay Rd from Old School to Maplewood Drive. The Town Crew began work on the disc golf course area up in Gills Rock Park by brushing some of the fairways and placing the baskets on or near their final resting place. Additional brushing will be done prior to opening the course for play. Blues on the Bay took place this past Saturday despite some rainy weather. The August Primary Election went smoothly due in large part to the significant efforts of Pam and her election worker team, including Julie Kingsbury, who provides significant assistance during the in-person absentee (aka: early voting) process. Regarding the Town-wide Broadband project: we're still waiting for the Wisconsin PSC office to finalize paperwork with Verizon-Frontier, and we're still awaiting a response to the State Broadband grant application that the Town Administrator submitted. Regarding the former Rowley’s Bay Resort property: demolition & concrete crushing is complete, and some soil removal was recently done in the area where the fish boils took place to address any contamination due to the kerosene that's utilized for the “boil-overs.” Ward summarized the need to update the Parks & Property Committee mission statement, so that it may be included in the new edition of the Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (CORP). Ward moved, Johnson seconded that the Board approve the mission statement of the Liberty Grove Parks & Property Committee as presented this evening. Carried 5 – 0 Public input regarding the Preliminary Plat Review - Residence at Rowleys Bay: Kelly Leuzinger of 1110 Wagon Trail in Ellison Bay stated she was satisfied with the Plan Commission’s Efforts on their review of the Preliminary Plat, and asked that the Town be sure the septic tank was located decommissioned, and that the drain field area used by the former resort be properly excavated & filled in before any homes get built. Supervisors Ward and Watts, and Chair Goss summarized how they and the other Plan Commissioners came to their consensus on approving the Preliminary Plat for The Residence at Rowley’s Bay. Pointing out the work done by the developers to protect the wetlands, preserve the community feel, and consider protection of native species and the International DarkSky designation of nearby Newport State Park. Goss moved, Ward seconded that the Board approve the Preliminary Plat for the Residence at Rowley’s Bay presented this evening with the following conditions: 1) Use urban-style biodegradable matting for erosion control areas. 2) Prior to land disturbance in vulnerable areas, have a qualified botanical expert examine vulnerable development sites and flag for State- endangered Parnassia parviflora (a small-flowered Grass-of-Parnassus) & any Federal & and State- threatened Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris), and those vulnerable areas to include proposed lots and building sites, road construction, driveway construction, grading, utility corridors, stormwater facilities, septic areas, and clearing or staging areas. Roll call: Welcome, Ward, Watts, Johnson, and Goss voted aye. There were no nays. Motion carried. After clarifying that the draft ordinance presented is meant to only name the private road Rowleys Bay Court, Johnson moved, Goss seconded to approve Ordinance 4-26, the naming of Rowleys Bay Court. Carried 5 – 0 Correspondence: Administrator Buckingham shared an email from Maureen Flately asking that the Town make sure the proper environmental studies have been done at the Rowley’s Bay property before development can take place; an email from Wisconsin Emergency Management stating denial of assistance from the Wisconsin Disaster Fund for damage caused by the August 2025 storm that took down many trees in the area; a letter from the Wisconsin Historical Society informing that the Frank D Barker shipwreck schooner was being nominated to the State Register and National Register of Historic Places. Future Meeting: The next regular Town Board meeting was scheduled for September 16, 2026, at 6:00pm. Ward moved, Goss seconded to adjourn at 6:53pm. Carried 5 – 0 Respectfully submitted, Pamela Donart-Welcome, Clerk/Treasurer Approved on 9/22/26