Meeting Minutes

Draft minutes: these minutes have not been approved by the Town Board and are subject to corrections/changes. TOWN OF HOLLAND BOARD MEETING March 11, 2026 MEMBERS PRESENT Chair Bob Stupi, Supervisors Jeff Herlitzke, Michael Hoffman, Rick Hauser and David Weber STAFF PRESENT Town Crew Supervisor John Frauenkron, Clerk Marilyn Pedretti CALL TO ORDER Chair Stupi called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Notices were properly posted. MINUTES Motion by Hoffman/Herlitzke to approve the minutes of February 11,2026. MOTION carried. CITIZENS’ CONCERNS Jeff Fimreite, W8143 County Road ZB, introduced himself as running for County Board Supervisor and gave some background. COUNTY SUPERVISOR REPORT: none given. CONSERVATION-BLUFFLAND PRESERVATION Chris Kirkpatrick, Conservation Manager, Mississippi Valley Conservancy (MVC), gave some updates on the MVC and Bluffland Coalition work. He shared an article about the Town in the last MVC magazine. He was glad to see that the Holland Bluff Trail is getting paved and spoke about other possible areas of connecting the Bluffland traverse. Kirkpatrick asked folks to consider sharing names of landowners and neighbors to explore access along the Bluffland. He thanked the board for the continued support. HOLMEN AREA COMMUNITY CENTER Robin Moses, Executive Director, Holmen Area Community Center (HACC), reported they had a good year with an increase in membership and volunteers. She shared the annual report with the Board and provided some highlights. Dean McHugh, President of the HACC, noted Holmen has rapidly increased since he was growing up here and the center provides very impressive programming for residents. PARKS Bid opening: Members reviewed the bids received to construct a pickleball and basketball court on the Town Hall Park grounds and discussed one bid that provided an option to use concrete rather than asphalt. Motion by Herlitzke/Stupi to approve the bid from Strupp to install the pickleball and basketball courts as defined in the RFP for $65,100 with additional fuel charge per the contract and to take additional costs [over budget] from the BCL account funds. MOTION carried unanimously. Holland Bluff Bike Trail: Stupi reviewed the schedule for paving the Holland Bluff Bike Trail with the bid documents sent out end of March and construction substantially completed by October 30th. He reviewed a contract proposal from SEH Inc. to conduct the construction engineering. Motion by Herlitzke/Hoffman to accept the quote and to authorize the Chair to sign all documents. MOTION carried unanimously. Draft 2 County Road MH Bike Path: Stupi reviewed the 30% plan to construct a bike path along the north side of County Road MH from Briggs Road to Sunrise Lane. He reported there will be a Public Information Meeting on March 25th from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. PUBLIC WORKS Dodge truck: John Frauenkron, Town Crew Supervisor, explained that the valve cover sensor is causing trouble with the Dodge truck and he reviewed a repair estimate. Discussion followed concerning how much to spend repairing versus buying another truck. Motion by Weber/Hauser to approve the cost of repairs not to exceed $7,000 for the Dodge truck to repair the value cover and gaskets. MOTION carried unanimously. Bluffview Court: Stupi reported there was an accident at the end of Bluffview Court a few weeks ago and our crew has since installed additional signage at critical points along the Town road. Seal coating/crack filling roads: Stupi reviewed the road plan and suggested skipping Old NA this year due to truck and heavy equipment use in developing the Village properties on the east end. Discussion followed. It was the consensus to seek a quote from the County Highway Department to seal coat and crack fill the roads in Gaynor Addition. Resurfacing roads: Pedretti reviewed a memo (consulting with the SEH engineer) concerning road work for 2026. She noted there are discrepancies between the DOT listing and actual road mileage for Oak Drive and Green Place (mobile home park). Discussion followed and concern was expressed with the cost/options of the mobile home park roads. Motion by Weber/Hoffman to go out for bid for Long Coulee Court and Wolfe Road and to contract for construction engineer costs with SEH. MOTION carried unanimously. The clerk was directed to check with SEH on options for the mobile home park and report next month. Resolution: Clerk read the following into the record: RESOLUTION 2026-2 TOWN BOARD RESOLUTION SUPPORTING A COMPREHENSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING SOLUTION WHEREAS, local units of government in Wisconsin own and maintain approximately 90% of the public road miles in the state, including county highways, town roads, and city and village streets; and WHEREAS, Wisconsin’s economy—rooted in agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism—relies on a safe, reliable, and well-maintained transportation network; and WHEREAS, local governments greatly appreciate the one-time infusions of General Purpose Revenue, primarily sales and income taxes, and other revenue provided in recent state budgets, which have enabled the initiation and continuation of the successful and popular Local Roads Improvement Program Supplemental (LRIP-S) and Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP); and WHEREAS, despite modest increases from the state over the years, transportation aids to local governments remain insufficient to keep pace with inflation and rising construction costs, leaving many communities funded below 2000 levels in real dollars; and Draft 3 WHEREAS, local governments throughout Wisconsin continue to struggle to perform even routine maintenance, pavement preservation, and safety improvements, resulting in deteriorating roads and bridges; and WHEREAS, the inaugural inventory and assessment of small bridges between 6 to 20 feet found about 10% of the nearly 17,000 structures to be in poor or severe condition; and WHEREAS, levy limits and other fiscal constraints prevent local governments from independently filling the funding gap created by inadequate state transportation aids; and WHEREAS, absent sustainable state funding, many communities have been forced to address their shortfalls by significantly increasing borrowing, deferring essential projects, or imposing local vehicle registration (“wheel”) taxes; and WHEREAS, Wisconsin motorists currently pay among the lowest transportation user fees in the Midwest, while neighboring states and dozens of others nationwide have enacted long-term revenue measures to keep their transportation systems competitive; and WHEREAS, Wisconsin is increasingly relying on General Purpose Revenues to make needed investments, potentially pitting transportation against other vital services, such as education; and WHEREAS, continued lack of growing, dedicated, and predictable revenue places Wisconsin at a growing economic disadvantage by threatening the efficiency of freight movement, the safety of travelers, and the attractiveness of our state to businesses and residents; and WHEREAS, both Wisconsin’s aging Interstate highway system—largely constructed in the 1950s and 1960s—and our extensive network of state and local roads require predictable, adequate, and sustainable funding to meet current and future needs; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town of Holland Town Board strongly urges the Governor of Wisconsin and the State Legislature to enact a comprehensive, sustainable transportation funding solution that: 1. Provides adequate and reliable revenue growth for the efficient long-term planning and execution of state and local transportation programs; 2. Includes responsible and prudent use of General Purpose Revenue and bonding; 3. Adjusts any new and existing transportation user fees and other revenue mechanisms to sustain purchasing power in order to maintain and improve Wisconsin’s transportation infrastructure; and 4. Ensures transportation continues to deliver for Wisconsin by adequately funding reconstruction, preservation, and safety investments on the state and local systems. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the clerk is hereby directed to transmit a copy of this resolution to the Governor’s office, all members of the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly representing districts within the Town of Holland Adopted this 11th day of March, 2026. Motion by Hoffman/Weber to approve Resolution 2026-2. MOTION carried unanimously. Town crew report: Frauenkron reviewed the Town crew report. Stupi asked him to report next month on the status of part-time needs. Draft 4 FIRE DEPARTMENT Collaboration study: Stupi noted a few changes were made to the proposal. He reported the City of Onalaska will pay for half of the collaboration study with the Town and Village splitting the other half. He noted the cost of the study was approved in January. Grant applications: Herlitzke reported the grant application was made to Congressman Van Orden on Monday and the Senator Baldwin application is due later in March. He noted his wife, who is an expert at grant writing, provided input. Report on 2/17/26 and 3/3/26 meetings: Herlitzke reviewed the minutes and noted the calls are up again, a new pumper truck is being discussed and there is a plan for mold mitigation in the station. STORMWATER Grant request: Hoffman noted only O Thompson Road qualifies for the DOT Local Small Structure Improvement Program (LSSIP) grant. Frauenkron is working with Subsurface Structures on a cost estimate for a liner but there are some obstructions. La Crosse Area Waters (LAW): Pedretti reviewed the annual highlights and noted the contract renewal with the La Crosse Urban Stormwater Group will increase approximately $500. She noted the contract covers educational opportunities and members were very satisfied with the work of the contractor. DNR MS4 Report: Pedretti noted the report is not yet complete and she will consult with the Town crew on several areas of the report. ADMINISTRATION Town Road School: Members and staff were asked to consider attending the WTA Road School at the end of April. No members were able to attend. Stupi directed the crew to consider whether the agenda provided new workshops and report to the clerk. Motion by Herlitzke/Hauser to approve up to $400 to send 0-2 crew members to the Road School 2026. MOTION carried. WTA District meeting: Pedretti provided a written report and noted Weber will be attending the virtual meeting on Monday. Boundary Agreement: Stupi asked for input concerning the Boundary Agreement with the Village of Holmen, which expires in March 2027. Discussion followed. It was the consensus to begin negotiations on renewing the agreement. 2024 Audit: Members reviewed the 2024 audit (completed in 2025-26) and no concerns were expressed. Stupi reported an option was presented to provide for an annual audit. It was the consensus not to pursue an annual audit. Loan resolution: Members discussed the payment schedule and it was the consensus to pay in two installments in order to clear this debt before the upcoming fire department building project begins. Clerk read the following into the record: RESOLUTION 2026-3 A RESOLUTION TO BORROW FUNDS FOR PLOW TRUCK EQUIPMENT WHEREAS, the Town Board of the Town of Holland, at their April 23, 2025 Town Board meeting, passed a motion to purchase plow equipment from Universal (to equip the 2026 International truck) in the amount of $229,626; and Draft 5 WHEREAS, the Town Board has determined that the said promissory note will be paid in two (2) installments with a tax levy adjustment to cover principal payments plus interest each year. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board will borrow $229,626 funds for the purchase of the plow truck equipment from River Bank at an interest rate of 3.95% for two (2) years. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Town Chair and Town Clerk are hereby authorized to perform all duties to effectuate this resolution. Dated this 11th day of March, 2026. Motion by Herlitzke/Hoffman to approve Resolution 2026-3. TREASURER’S REPORT AND INVOICES The Treasurer’s report and invoices were reviewed. Motion by Herlitzke/Weber to accept the treasurer’s report and approve paying the bills in the amount of $317,428.24. MOTION carried. ANNOUNCEMENTS & FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Pedretti noted absentee ballots go out next week, in-office voting begins March 25th and the election is on April 7th. ADJOURN Motion by Hoffman/Herlitzke to adjourn. MOTION carried. Adjourned 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Marilyn J. Pedretti Town Clerk