Town Board — Minutes

REGULAR MEETING MINUTES OF THE TOWN OF IXONIA July 14, 2025 1. Call to Order & Roll Call: Chairman Derge called the meeting to order at 7 pm. Supervisors present included Dave Kester, Rick Ziegler, Amy Rinard, and Dan Rupnow. 2. Pledge of Allegiance: All those present stood to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. Approval of Minutes: June 6, 2025 and Special Meeting June 18, 2025: Rinard made a motion to approve the June 6th meeting minutes as presented. Rupnow seconded the motion. Motion carried, 5-0. Rinard made a motion to approve the June 18th special meeting minutes as presented. Ziegler seconded the motion. Motion carried, 5-0. 4. Public Comment – Persons wishing to speak will be allowed three (3) minutes to address the board: Amanda Ewer N8428 Swansea Drive; Commented that she is working with a baseball historian regarding a Ixonia resident from the late 1800’s who was a major league player and that they would like to place a memorial plaque in the cemetery where he is buried. They are going to raise donations to pay for the stone. 5. Treasurer’s Financial Report: June 2025: Kester made a motion to approve the reports as presented. Rinard seconded the motion. Motion carried, 5-0. 6. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and/or Jefferson County Supervisor Report: Supervisor Degner discussed the zoning update that was approved to match the town’s comprehensive plan. Discussed the upcoming EMS group meeting, they will be working on sending out a survey to all municipalities to obtain feedback to help guide their direction. The County is working on a HazMat response team, that would be categorized as a level B which is operational, all fire departments are level A which just allows them to assess a situation. More information to come as the group progresses. 7. Unfinished Business: a. Consider and possible action on job description and ad for Fire Chief position: Kester made a motion to approve the job description and ad as presented. Rinard seconded the motion. Motion carried, 5-0. 8. New Business: a. Consider and act on Resolution 2025-05 Utility District #1 CMAR Report: Kester made a motion to approve resolution 2025-5. Rupnow seconded the motion. Motion carried, 5-0. b. Consider and possible action on Resolution 2025-05 Utility District #2 CMAR Report: Ziegler made a motion to approve resolution 2025-05. Kester seconded the motion. Motion carried, 5-0. c. Consider and possible action on agreement from United Liquid Waste Recycling Inc. to haul sludge from the wastewater treatment facility: Rinard made a motion to approve the agreement with United Liquid Waste Recycling Inc. Rupnow seconded the motion. Motion carried, 5-0. d. Discussion regarding plan commission ordinance: Attorney Riffle explained the law in regards to how vacancies to committee and commissions work. Riffle also noted that the ordinance was approved in 2023 to increase the number to 7 as required by state law for municipalities over 5,000 in population. After a lengthy discussion it was determined that the current commission members are as follows; Perry Goetsch, Don Luppnow, Curt Pernat, Heather Harris, Andy Maduscha, Dave Kester. The terms for Goetsch, Pernat and Luppnow are expired, however, they still serve until appointments are made and approved by the board. It as also noted that there is a open seat that needs to be filled. e. Discussion regarding placing a memorial in Welsh Methodist Cemetery for Peter Moris: Chairman Derge noted that plaques cannot be placed on monuments without family permission as they are private property. Derge also noted that he felt that the monument belongs in the park where baseball is played, not in a cemetery where the atmosphere should be one of respect, peace and quiet. It was decided by the Board that this item be placed on the next Park and Rec agenda. No action by the Board was taken on this item. f. Consider and possible action on Fire/EMS pre-plan for W2112 T-Bar Lane and the bridge 8-ton weight limit: Highway Superintendent Ben Degner informed the Board that Jefferson County went out to inspect bridges and found that the bridge on T-Bar was in disrepair, it now has an 8-ton weight limit. The owner was concerned about fire protection. It was noted that the town has 1 ambulance and the brush truck would be able to drive across the bridge. Interim Chief Sauer stated that the department has enough hose to cover the distance if there would be a fire. He noted that there are also other departments that can be called in to help if additional supplies are needed. Degner stated that the town engineer is working on replacement options and completing hydraulic testing. Ziegler made a motion to approve the pre-plan as presented for W2112 T- Bar Lane. Kester seconded the motion. Motion carried, 5-0. g. Consider and possible action on promotion recommendations from Interim Chief Sauer: a. 1st Lieutenant - Trevor Steidl b. EMS Captain – Cory Schultz Interim Chief Sauer is requesting the promotion of Trevor Steidl and Cory Schultz as they are completing the work load for those positions. Kester made a motion to approve the promotions of Trevor Steidl to 1st Lieutenant and Cory Schultz to EMS Captain. Rinard seconded the motion. Motion carried, 5-0. h. Discussion regarding committee appointments for hiring new Fire Chief: Chairman Derge explained that he had a discussion with Interim Chief Sauer for ideas and it was mentioned that the fire department staff wanted to meet with the interview committee once it’s determined. Derge stated he wanted members with fire and EMS experience on the committee along with Clerk/Treasurer Lesser as the HR representative. i. Consider and possible action for the staffing and compensation structure for fulltime firefighters and EMS positions during on-call services: This item was postponed to a future meeting as materials from Attorney James Macy was not available by the time of the meeting. j. Consider and possible action on Town of Ixonia safety handbook: Highway Superintendent Degner explained that this safety handbook is for all employees, it was produced by Anderson 360 Solutions. The town does not currently have a safety handbook. It was noted that the handbook should clarify which offices holds an emergency kit. Kester made a motion to approve the safety handbook with the clarification regarding which offices hold an emergency kit. Rinard seconded the motion. Motion carried, 5-0. 9. Consent Agenda: Items within the consent agenda can be considered individually if the Town Board chooses to do so: a. Class “B” and “Class B” Retail License to sell, deal and traffic in fermented malt and alcoholic beverages for the period from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026:  Chivaree, LLC – D/B/A Chivaree on Park; N8345 Park Street – Kristy Dimbauer, Agent  Ixonia Volunteer Firemans Association Inc. Temporary Class “B”/”Class B” Retailers License application for Ixonia Town & Country Days to be held on August 15, 2025 to August 18, 2025.  Special Event application for Clavin Sauer and the Ixonia Volunteer Firemans Association Inc. Town & Country Days Parade on August 17, 2025 at 11 am  Special Event application for Beth Hoefev-Jezo and the Tall Pines Conservancy 17th Annual Ride the Bard Bicycle Event on August 9, 2025; 7 am to 1 pm Rinard made a motion to approve the consent agenda. Rupnow seconded the motion. Motion carried, 5-0. 10. Chairman: Nothing to report 11. Supervisor Reports a. Dave Kester: Nothing to report b. Amy Rinard: Reported meeting with Brian Udivich regarding grants that are available for installing sidewalks and feels the town should look into this and review the subdivision ordinance to see if it should be amended. c. Daniel Rupnow: Listed concerns about dead trees that were planted by WE Energies, wants to see a timeline regarding replacement and wanted to know if they will be guaranteed, would like to see this on a future meeting. d. Rick Ziegler: Nothing to report. 12. Staff Updates a. Clerk/Treasurer Lesser: It was reported that the 2024 bank reconciliations have been worked through and is waiting for the auditor to review some issues and offer recommendations to fix some errors. Audit has a tentative timeline of late August to early September. b. Highway Superintendent Degner: Kartechner Brothers will be in town to reconstruct Hillendale and Division Roads beginning August 8th. Marietta is slated for August 18th. Letters will be mailed to area residents with regards to the project and potential road closure and detour routes. This information will be also added to the website once the new platform is live. c. Fire & EMS Chief Meints 1. Monthly report – June 2025: Interim Chief Sauer indicated that the call numbers were up again, 184 YTD. There were 32 fire/EMS calls for June and 47% of those are Monday through Friday. 13. Upcoming Meetings: The upcoming meetings were reviewed by Clerk/Treasurer Lesser.  Plan Commission – July 23, 2025 @ 7 pm (if needed)  Ixonia Fire Dept. Officer’s Meeting – August 6, 2025  Park and Recreation Meeting – August 11, 2025 @ 5 pm  Town Board Meeting – August 11, 2025 @ 7 pm 14. Adjourn: Rinard made a motion to adjourn at 8:49 pm. Ziegler seconded the motion. Motion carried, 5-0. Jo Ann Lesser, CMC, WCMC Clerk/Treasurer