Town Board — Minutes

Town of Land O' Lakes Town Board Meeting Minutes February 18, 2026 I. Call to Order The Town Board Meeting of the Town of Land O' Lakes was called to order at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at Town Hall, 4331 CTH B, Land O' Lakes, WI 54540. II. Roll Call Chairman Dan Balog, Supervisors Sam Otterpohl and Kevin Konnow, and Clerk/Treasurer Lynn Jolin were present. III. Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. IV. Approve or Revise Agenda Motion by Supervisor Otterpohl to approve the agenda as printed. Seconded by Supervisor Konnow. Motion carried unanimously. V. Approve Minutes from Prior Meeting(s) Motion by Supervisor Konnow to approve the minutes from the regular Town Board meeting of January 21, 2026, and the Special Town Board meeting of February 5, 2026. Seconded by Supervisor Otterpohl. Motion carried unanimously. VI. Review and Approve Treasurer Report, Check Vouchers and Account Closures Clerk/Treasurer Lynn Jolin presented the Treasurer's Report. The following balances were reported: ● General Fund balance of $378,351.08. ● Tax Collection Account balance of $324,284.96. ● BMO Money Market balance of $235,257.54. ● BMO Checking balance of $4,294.31. ● Local Government Investment Pool balance of $452,388.51. Jolin also requested the closure of two accounts: the Skating Rink Fund (account balance $3,376.47), with funds to be transferred to the General Fund; and the Land O' Lakes Public Art commercial checking account ( balance $1,965.72), with funds to be transferred to the Public Art Program of Land O’ Lakes WI 501(c)(3), as that organization now independently manages donations. Motion by Supervisor Otterpohl to approve payment of checks #21545–21597 in the amount of $280,189.26 from the General Fund. Seconded by Supervisor Konnow. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Supervisor Otterpohl to approve payment of checks #1660–1663 in the amount of $1,442,836.39 for tax settlements. Seconded by Supervisor Konnow. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Supervisor Otterpohl to approve payment of check #1038 to Vilas County for tax settlement in the amount of $469,898.19. Seconded by Supervisor Konnow. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Supervisor Otterpohl to approve the transfer of $200,000 to the BMO Money Market. Seconded by Supervisor Konnow. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Supervisor Konnow to close the Skating Rink Fund savings account and transfer the balance of $3,376.47 to the General Fund. Seconded by Supervisor Otterpohl. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Supervisor Konnow to close the Land O' Lakes Public Art commercial checking account and transfer the balance of $1,965.72 to the Land O' Lakes Public Art 501(c)(3). Seconded by Supervisor Otterpohl. Motion carried unanimously. VII. Open Issues a) Northland Pines School District Administrator Scott Foster Superintendent Scott Foster, accompanied by principal Tony Duffek, presented an overview of school finance and district matters. Foster explained that state funding formulas disadvantage the Northland Pines district, as the state views the area's high property values as sufficient and redirects state aid elsewhere. The district is capped at the lowest per-pupil spending rate ($11,650 per student), while some neighboring districts receive up to $20,000 per student without going to referendum. The district must rely on operating referenda — currently in the first year of a three-year, $5.6 million annual referendum — to supplement its budget. Foster noted declining enrollment as a significant financial pressure, with elementary enrollment potentially falling from over 500 to approximately 400–410 students. He also raised concerns about the voucher school system, explaining that voucher schools receive automatic annual raises and that local tax dollars are redirected to fund them — including schools in Milwaukee — without local oversight or accountability. He further noted that voucher schools receive 90% reimbursement for special education costs, while public schools are budgeted at only 35% reimbursement for the current year despite a statutory target of 42%, creating further financial strain. Foster introduced Tony Duffek as his successor, effective July 1, 2026, and expressed appreciation for the Town's ongoing partnership. b) Library Programs & Activities Library Director Shelly Knaack provided a report on recent and upcoming library events. Recent events included a puzzle challenge and a chocolate bingo event. Upcoming events include the annual soup and bread gathering on February 26, a bar cookie crawl on March 12, a dips, spreads, and crackers cooking class on March 20, and a showing of Wicked for Good on March 26. The Director shared annual statistics, noting over 21,000 library visitors, 15,770 physical item checkouts, and over 11,000 digital item checkouts in the prior year, and encouraged residents to utilize the Libby app for digital borrowing. c) Insurance Quotes for 2026 Clerk/Treasurer Jolin presented the 2026 insurance renewal proposal. The comprehensive policy includes property, crime, inland marine, auto, general liability, public officials, and excess liability coverage (per-occurrence limit of $4,000,000; general aggregate of $8,000,000), at a premium of $42,641. Workers' compensation coverage was quoted at $8,545. Three tiers of cyber liability coverage were presented. The Board elected to proceed with the $1,000,000 cyber liability limit with zero deductible at $1,272, bringing the estimated total to approximately $54,300, exclusive of airport policies. The Board noted that cyber coverage extends to the library. Motion by Supervisor Otterpohl to accept the 2026 insurance policy. Seconded by Chairman Balog. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Supervisor Konnow to approve the $1,000,000 cyber liability coverage with zero deductible for $1,272. Seconded by Supervisor Otterpohl. Motion carried unanimously. VIII. New Business a) Bid Opening for Road Construction Projects for 2026 Bids were opened and reviewed for the following 2026 road construction projects. A clarification was raised regarding a provision in the bid documents stating that certain preparatory work (clearing, grubbing, ditching, excavation, shoulder stripping, and base course placement) was to be completed by the Town crew; it was confirmed that this was a generic provision and that, per the schedule of prices, the contractor would be performing and charging for that work. ● Anderson Lake Road: $93,268.65 ● West Black Oak Lake Road: $168,086.62 ● Boygan/East Boygan Lake Road: $76,037.50 ● Boygan Lake Road: $78,970.00 Motion by Supervisor Otterpohl to award the Anderson Lake Road project for $93,268.65 to Pitlik & Wick Inc. Seconded by Chairman Balog. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Supervisor Otterpohl to award the West Black Oak Lake Road project for $168,086.62 to Pitlik & Wick, Inc. Seconded by Chairman Balog. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Supervisor Otterpohl to award the Boygan Lake and East Boygan Lake Road project for $76,037.50 to Pitlik & Wick, Inc. Seconded by Chairman Balog. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Supervisor Otterpohl to award the Boygan Lake Road project for $78,970.00 to Pitlik & Wick, Inc. Seconded by Chairman Balog. Motion carried unanimously. b) Dale Kleffman Request Approval for Airport Ground Lease Item #34 Supervisor Konnow explained that Dale Kleffman had brought lease questions to the Town Board because the lease document referenced "town," which he interpreted as the governing body. However, it was clarified that the Airport Commission represents the Town in lease matters and that Kleffman's questions must be directed to the Airport Commission. Kleffman agreed to bring the matter to the Airport Commission's next meeting. Motion by Supervisor Otterpohl to table Item VIII(b). Seconded by Supervisor Konnow. Motion carried unanimously. c) Town Land Parcels #12-2504 (0.13 acres) & #12-2508 (0.05 acres) Supervisor Konnow expressed interest in purchasing the two highlighted Town-owned parcels — a 0.13-acre parcel and a 0.05-acre parcel — described as a narrow alleyway between adjacent properties. It was noted that the parcels are effectively unbuildable due to their narrow dimensions, that utility easements would need to be retained, and that one parcel was previously returned to the Town by a prior owner who did not wish to pay taxes on it. The Board agreed it was in the Town's interest to divest these parcels and directed the matter proceed through proper procedure. Motion by Chairman Balog to proceed with the process of conveying the parcels to the public at the Annual Meeting. Seconded by Supervisor Otterpohl. Motion carried; Supervisor Konnow abstained. d) Next Meeting Date for the Town Board is Wed. March 18, 2026 at 6pm The next regular Town Board meeting was confirmed for Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at 6:00 PM. IX. Public Input — Limited to Items on the Agenda Library Director Shelley inquired whether the $1,000,000 cyber liability policy adequately covered the library's data. The Board indicated that coverage does extend to the library and recommended that the Director consult with the library consortium's IT professionals to confirm sufficiency. Any needed policy updates could be addressed in subsequent months, as coverage would remain in effect in the interim. 10. Adjournment Motion by Supervisor Otterpohl to adjourn. Seconded by Supervisor Konnow. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 6:53pm. Respectfully Submitted, /s/Lynn Jolin, Clerk/Treasurer