Town Of New Hope Regular Board Meeting — Minutes

Town of New Hope Minutes - Regular Board Meeting Thursday, January 22, 2026 6:00 p.m. North New Hope Church, 845 County Road T North Members present: Chair Todd Knepfel, Supervisors Timm Raddatz and Ray Reser Also present: Treasurer Dorene Stolpa, Clerk Pat Zellmer; Guests Ken Feltz, Jared Feltz, Jenny Larsen, Walter Leppen, Bryan Shulfer 1. Call to order the Regular January Town Board meeting, and Pledge of Allegiance. Chair Todd Knepfel called the Regular Town Meeting to order at 6:02 pm, followed by the pledge of allegiance. 2. Review/Approval of Minutes (posted on website; emailed to Board): Supervisor Reser moved for block approval as written for the following minutes, seconded by Supervisor Raddatz. Motion carried 3:0. a. 2025 Annual Audit, January 5, 2026 b. Regular Board Meeting, December 17, 2025 c. Amended January 2025 Regular Minutes d. Amended February 2025 Regular Minutes 3. Persons who wish to address the Board. a. Ken Feltz As a professional courtesy, Ken and Jared Feltz appeared before the Board to announce that Feltz Dairy has acquired Groshek Dairy (corner Hwy 10 and Skyview Road), with major deconstruction planned in the next few months. That property borders Town of New Hope. b. Bryan Shulfer Bryan Shulfer appeared before the Board to discuss the fate of the New Hope Town Hall. He will retract the offer to take possession of the building. The February meeting will include discussion of other options. c. Jenny Larson – GCAC Jenny Larsen appeared as a representative of the Portage County Groundwater Citizen Advisory Committee (GCAC). Larson has served on that committee for 9 years. She reported that County-wide nitrate levels appear to be slightly worse, and recommended that residents test their wells annually. The County has about $3500 available to cover those costs. Discussion ensued about a variety of topics, including the Wellhead Protection Ordinance, Industrial Livestock Ordinance, National Water Quality Planning Grant, and the impact of solar farms on water quality. GCAC is looking for an alternate representative for the Town of New Hope. For more information on water testing or to apply for a well-water test, contact Portage Co. Water Resource Specialist Tyler Kunze at (715) 346-1334) or Portage County Planning and Zoning Water Resources https://www.co.portage.wi.gov/381/Portage-County-WATER-Well-Owner- Assistan The well-test application can be found at https://www.co.portage.wi.gov/FormCenter/Water-Resources-10/Well-Water-Test-Registration- Form-53) d. Walter Leppen Walter Leppen appeared to introduce himself as a candidate for District 25 Supervisor in the February Primary. He answered several questions regarding the recently constructed Nelsonville Town Hall and associated costs. 4. Town Hall. Discussion, possible action regarding the New Hope Town Hall. Bryan Schuler mentioned he is not interested in taking possession of the town hall. The February meeting will include discussion of other options for the existing town hall. 5. Board of Review Training. Chair Knepfel and Clerk Zellmer will attend the virtual BOR training in March to satisfy the state requirement for annual BOR training of at least one member of the Board. 6. Road Report. Swenson completed work on Sunset Road (including overhead branches) north of County Road Z. Glodowski Construction submitted a January invoice for $10,650 for plowing and salt. No further work is planned with Swenson until fall. 7. 2026 Elections. Supervisor Reser moved for block approval on items A-C below for poll workers, seconded by Supervisor Raddatz; motion carried 3:0. The Board supported protective cases for item d below. The remaining items are for information only. Zellmer noted that absentee ballots were being mailed for the Primary, and reminded voters that In-Person Absentee Voting (known as Early Voting) is available by appointment (715 677 4784) February 3-7, and February 9-14 at the Clerk’s office. a. Approval of Dorene Stolpa as Chief Inspector for 2026 b. Approval of 3 poll workers, including Chief Inspector, for Spring Primary, Feb. 17 c. Approval of 5 poll workers, including Chief Inspector, for Spring Election, April 7 d. Purchase of equipment cases (DS200, Badger Book) e. Public Test for February Primary: 1:00 pm, Monday February 9, N. New Hope Church f. Primary Election, 7:00 am – 8:00 pm, Tuesday, February 17, N. New Hope Church g. Spring Election, Tuesday, April 7 (Public Test TBA) h. Fall Primary, Tuesday, August 11 (Public Test TBA) i. General Election, Tuesday, November 3 (Public Test TBA) 8. New Business and Announcements. Supervisor Reser gave a brief update on the status of the County Wellhead Protection Ordinance. 9. Payment of Bills. January bills for New Hope totaled $782,643.00. Supervisor Raddatz moved to pay those bills, seconded by Supervisor Reser. Motion Carried 3:0. NOTE: Technical amendment reduced from $788,028.06 because of postponed County Treasurer payment. 10. Set Dates for: a. Regular February Board Meeting: Thursday, February 19, 6:00 pm 11. Meeting was adjourned at 7:35 pm. Discussion or discussion and action may occur on any of the items listed.