Regular Town Board Meeting — Minutes

Town of Phelps Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 8, 2026 Phelps Town Hall Page 1 of 5 Present: Chairman – Steve Doyen, Town Board Supervisors – Maureen Robinson, Jeremy Ryan and Steve Waier. Supervisor Dave Selby joined remotely. Also Present: Clerk/Treasurer – Sheryl J Ward, Deputy Clerk/Treasurer – Kathleen R Ray, Shop Foreman – Josh Hedberg EMS Director – Carole Selin and 25 citizens. 1. Call Meeting to Order: Chairman Doyen called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. R oll Call/Quorum Call: A quorum of board members was present. 3. P ledge of Allegiance: Recited 4. V erification of Public Notice by Town Board: Deputy Clerk/Treasurer Ray verified the agenda was posted at the Phelps Town Hall/Community Center, Phelps Post Office, Phelps Convenience Center, Town Website, and emailed to the Vilas County News Review April 6, 2026. 5. C orrespondence and Communications: Chairman Doyen read the Food Pantry report into the record. In summary, for the months of January and February 2026 the Food Pantry helped 25 males, 41 females, 20 children and 36 families. 6. Reports a. Chairman Report: Doyen thanked the town crew for keeping the roads in good shape after the s loppy conditions of these last couple of storms. b. Town Board Supervisors Reports: Waier stated he is still waiting for results of TRID and TRIS applications. For that reason, we must hold off on the RFP for Volkmann Road. There is an issue w ith the West Shore Road project for power relocation. They are working on that. Ryan thanked D ave Selby for his years of service on the Town Board. c. Department/Committee Reports: None. d. EMS/Fire Department Reports: EMS Director, Carol Selin gave the monthly ambulance report and s tated there were 7 emergency calls in March and 0 mutual aid. A total of 103.4 miles put on the am bulance. Fire Chief Ryan stated 3 people have begun fire fighter 1 training, Engine 1 is in Indiana getting the f inal work done on it, we received the new extrication equipment, and our community EMS car is in N ew London with delivery expected the middle of April. e. Clerk Report: Cler/Treasurer, Sheryl Ward read her report, and stated records management is going well and should be finished up in the coming weeks. The spring election is complete. Many thanks to our dedicated poll workers and to Deputy Kathleen for her help in ensuring the election ran s moothly. Per the unofficial canvass count of votes, Mary Ann (Mak) Holcomb will be joining the T own Board on April 21, 2026. Just a reminder the next election is the Primary Partisan to be held on August 11, 2026 and the General Election will be held on November 3, 2026. Discussion/Action on the Following Agenda Items (Public Comment will be Allowed on Each Agenda Item): 7. Approval of the following Meeting Minutes:  March 11, 2026, 3:00 p.m. Special Town Board Meeting  March 11, 2026, 6:00 p.m. Regular Town Board Meeting M otion by Waier to approve the Regular Town Board meeting and Special Town Board meeting minutes of March 11, 2026 as presented. Second by Ryan. All voting aye. Motion carried. Town of Phelps Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 8, 2026 Phelps Town Hall Page 2 of 5 8. Approval of March 2026 Financial Report Motion by Waier to approve the March 2025 Financial Report as presented. Seconded by Robinson. All voting aye. Motion carried. 9. A pproval of Checks and ACH/EFT Transactions: from March 1 through March 31, 2026, including Check #’s 20519 – 20559 Motion by Waier to approve Checks and ACH/EFT Transactions: from March 1 through March 31, 2026, including Check #’s 20519 – 20559. Second by Ryan. All voting aye. Motion carried. 10. Consider/Approve 6-Month Combined Class "B" Beer and “Class C" Wine License for BSL, Inc., DBA Big Sand Lake Club for the period of May 1, 2026 through October 31, 2026 Motion by Ryan to approve the 6-Month Combined Class “B” Beer and “Class C” Wine License for BSL, Inc., DBA Big Sand Lake Club for the period of May 1, 2026 through October 31, 2026. Second by Robinson. All voting aye. Motion carried. 11. Consider/Approve appointment of Kaye Petts as Trustee to the Eleanor Ellis Library Board Motion by Ryan to approve the Appointment of Kaye Petts as Trustee to the Eleanor Ellis Library Board. Second by Waier. All voting aye. Motion carried. 12. Consider/Approve the hiring of Doug Zeman and Mike Warwick to the Fire Department as volunteer fire fighters Motion by Robinson to approve the hiring of Doug Zeman and Mike Warwick to the Fire Department as volunteer fire fighters. Second by Waier. All voting aye. Motion carried. 13. Consider/Approve contract and quote for Lakefront Pines Park (Project 1) for concrete slab and wood steps project as recommended by Planning & Development Committee. Doyen stated one (1) quote was received by Maple Ridge Construction who quoted $6,900.00. Motion by Ryan to approve the quote from Maple Ridge Construction at a cost of $ 6,900.00 for the Lakefront Pines Park (Project 1) concrete slab and wood steps project. Second by Robinson. All voting aye. Motion carried. 14. Open bids for Lakefront Pines Park (Project 2) for landscaping, grass installation and concrete work for the fall project with potential to award. Doyen stated two (2) sealed bids were received. Doyen open ed each bid and stated the following: MK Landscaping bid $75,380.00 Option Irrigation $18,540 Total w/option $93,920.00 G & J Site Solutions bid $159,000.00 Option Irrigation $16,250 Total w/option $175,250.00 Alternate sod in lieu of seed $7,500.00 Total both options $182,750.00 D ave Selby stated both bids are way over the budget of $50,000, so we will have to rethink this project. Motion by Waier to reject both bids and republish later. Second by Selby. All voting aye. Motion carried. 15. Consider/Approve a request by Russ Varner to place a temporary camper trailer on his property on North Twin Lake located on Lot 6 Cisco Point Drive while building permanent residence. Ryan s tated this property is in Cisco Point Subdivision and there are deed restrictions to follow. Russ Varner stated he is aware of the restrictions and it is permitted while a new home is under construction. Town of Phelps Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 8, 2026 Phelps Town Hall Page 3 of 5 M otion by Doyen to approve the request by Russ Varner to place a temporary camper trailer on his property on North Twin Lake located on Lot 6 Cisco Point Drive while building his permanent residence subject to the conditions and requirements set forth by Vilas County Zoning Department and the Cisco Point Deed Restrictions. Second by Ryan. All voting aye. Motion carried. 16. Consider/Approve formal report/request from Town Lakes Committee regarding a Wake Boat Ordinance. Joe Robinson presented an outline from the Town Lakes Committee with options for the Town of Phelps to consider: • Option A – Take no action. • Option B – Town Ordinance (Town Lakes Committee Recommendation). • Option C – Best Practice Measure. J oe stated there are 78 ordinances in Wisconsin and 60 have identical language to the Manitowish Waters ordinance which was upheld by a Vilas County Court judge. The committee is therefore recommending using the same ordinance language for consistency. Joe stated the ordinance is written so as not to be against wake boats but to restrict certain artificial wake enhancement. Doyen suggested the clerk get copies of the Manitowish Waters ordinance for the Board to review in the next couple of weeks and then we can reconvene to discuss. It will be on May’s agenda unless we call a special meeting. Doyen encouraged everyone to keep an eye on the website for the posted agenda. M otion by Doyen to review the Manitowish Waters Ordinance with the Board and reconvene to discuss. Second by Waier. All voting aye. Motion carried. 17. Consider/Approve Budget Amendments for: • Hwy Electricity (and Gas) Account 5331123 which is already overspent by $1,650.00 • Community Center Heat/Electric Account 51600023 which is already overspent by $1,200.00 • Library Heat/Electric Account 5511023 which is already overspent by $2,250.00 M otion by Ryan to approve budget amendments to add $5,000 from the LGIP General Account to each account stated above to cover future costs. Second by Waier. All voting aye. Motion carried. 18. Consider/Approve using LGIP General Funds to temporarily cover DPW costs until the pledged gift is received in fall of 2026. These funds will be returned to the LGIP General Account when the gift is received as follows: • The cost to finish the Department of Public Works building as budgeted • The cost of furniture, filing cabinets and shelving in the Department of Public Works building J osh stated he priced items he will need in the new building and it will cost around $14,000. Town of Phelps Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 8, 2026 Phelps Town Hall Page 4 of 5 M otion by Ryan to approve using LGIP General Funds to temporarily cover the cost to finish DPW building as budgeted and to cover up to $15,000 for the cost of furniture, filing cabinets and shelving until the pledged gift is received in fall of 2026 at which time the funds will be returned to the LGIP General Account. Second by Waier. All voting aye. Motion carried. 19. Consider/Approve contract with Spectrum to provide internet and phone services at the Department of Public Works building at 2064 Strong Road. Robert Riekkoff and Jerry Schultz fro m S pectrum reviewed the quote with the board. There were some uncertainties as to what was all needed so the Board would like to schedule a meeting with DPW committee and determine what the needs are. Steve Waier stated he would like to communicate directly with Katie Bains from Spectrum. The Board will revisit this issue at the Special Town Board meeting scheduled for April 20th beginning at 10:30 a.m. 20. Consider/Approve quote(s) from moving company(ies) to move the town office files, furniture and equipment into the new building. Doyen stated two (2) quotes were received. JC in Motion quoted $750.00 and Dan the Moving Man quoted $2,256.60 - $2,406.60. Motion by Ryan to approve the quote from JC in Motion at a cost of $750.00 to move the town office files, furniture and equipment into the new building. Second by Waier. All voting aye. Motion carried. Motion by Ryan to approve using LGIP General funds to cover the cost of moving. Second by Waier. All voting aye. Motion carried. 21. Consider/Approve quote and design concept for Wavering Park sign. Nothing to present. Tabled until the May Regular Town Board meeting scheduled for May 13, 2026. 22. Consider/Approve Fall Cleanup Day and Electronic Recycling Event - September 26th from 8 am – 11 am Motion by Doyen to approve the fall Cleanup Day and Electronic Recycling Event to be held on Saturday, September 26, 2026, from 8 am – 11 am. Second by Ryan. All voting aye. Motion carried. 23. Discussion/Action on which account to draw from for the External Budget Amendment necessary t o cover the additional 2025 Audit Fees related to Federal FFP Grant of $9,500 approved at the February 11th meeting (LGIP General) Motion by Ryan to approve an External Budget Amendment using LGIP General account to cover the additional 2025 Audit Fees related to Federal FFP Grant of $9,500. Second by Robinson. All voting aye. Motion carried. 24. Discussion/Action on EMS billing contract and the potential of switching companies. Jeremy Ryan stated he has researched this issue thoroughly and although our current company charges a low fee, they are very cumbersome to deal with. They leave most reporting and information gathering to us (volunteers) and it is difficult to keep up with the complexities of EMS billing, Medicare and Medicaid. The company Ryan would like to switch to has identified numerous areas where we can increase the collection of submitted bills and even increase our reimbursement from Medicare. Also, they handle the filing. Jeremy stated the current EMS billing contract expires in August 2026. Motion by Doyen to stay with current EMS billing contract until expiration and then approve a contract with the new company Ryan is proposing. Second by Waier. All voting aye. Motion carried. Town of Phelps Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 8, 2026 Phelps Town Hall Page 5 of 5 25. Discussion/Action on moving the old town hall . Waier stated the interested party doesn’t want t o bor row money and they are expecting money in May so they would like an extension. Doyen stated the inspection was completed yesterday. We are running out of time and must move forward. Ryan asked if there would still be an opportunity to accept the moving of the building if it’s within Hoeft’s schedule. Sheryl stated Hoeft extended the date to May 5th. Waier will reiterate the May 5th due date. No action or motion. 26. Discussion/Action on how to pay and which accounts to use for the asbestos abatement cost for demolition of the existing town shop and town hall/library buildings. Ryan asked if this cost was part of the grant. Doyen stated that this cost is not part of the grant however, Hoeft mentioned that they d o hav e funds available from accounts with overages due to costs that came in less than bid. Those overages will go into their contingency funds. Motion by Ryan to use Hoeft’s contingency funds to pay for the asbestos abatement costs. Second by Waier . All voting aye. Motion carried. 27. Discussion/Action on Use of Facilities Application and Fee for the new Community Center. Sheryl stated we have received an application for Use of Facilities of the new Community Center, and I am looking for direction. There are Grant requirements until the end of 2026 that do not allow us to make a profit when charging a fee. We can only charge a fee to cover maintenance/cleaning costs. At this time, I have received a $100 deposit and a $100 fee, however I did inform the requester that it may be more. We will have to justify the $100 cost for maintenance/cleaning when we get audited. Waier stated he believes we can charge more for the deposit because that has nothing to do with the grant requirements. Waier believes a $500 d eposit is reasonable. Sheryl stated we really need a policy in place prior to renting the new facility. Doyen thinks it would be easiest not to rent out the facility until the Grant requirements are lifted. Ja n P etrick addressed the Board and stated it is her brother and sister-in-law that want to rent the facility and she guarantees they will leave the facility in good condition. The Board agreed to rent this just once and then no renting out the facility until 2027. Motion by Waier to approve the new Use of Facilities Application for the new Community Center with a one-time fee for this 2026 event of $100 and a deposit fee of $500. Second by Robinson. All voting aye. Motion carried. 28. Update on Hospital site Redevelopment . Ryan stated there were no responses to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) so they are now working on a marketing project. 29. Update on new Community Center project. Selby stated the IT is back out for quotes. We are requesting new quotes by category in hopes of covering all our needs. It is published and posted with a deadline for submitting by April 27th and will be awarded no later than April 30th. Selby stated he cannot say enough about the general contractor (GC), Don Rideout. He recently noticed the siding installation in a lot of areas was unacceptable and required the contractor to come back and fix the areas of concern. 30. Update on new Town Shop project . Josh stated they are working through the punch list. The heatin g and c ooling guy is dragging his feet. Hassinger sent letter for breach of contract, I think in February and they just sent a 2nd letter. Ryan asked what Hassinger’s responsibility in this is. We hired Hassinger to be the general on this job. Ryan stated he would like to hear what Hassinger has to say. 31. Adjournment at 8:18 p.m. ____ ________________________________ Kathleen R Ray, Deputy Clerk/Treasurer Minutes are subject to approval at the next Regular Town Board Meeting