Annual Town Meeting — Minutes

DRAFT MINUTES TOWN OF PLOVER ANNUAL MEETING TOWN HALL – 5081 HOOVER AVENUE SOUTH APRIL 21, 2026 1. CALL TO ORDER: Chairman James Garbe called the annual meeting of the Town of Plover to order at 6:01 PM. Also present were Supervisors Roger Bentley, Joseph Firkus Jr., Eugene Pavelski, and Timothy Tuttle; Clerk/Treasurer Patricia Weller; Town of Plover residents Elaine Bembenek, Barbara Firkus, Dawn Flees, Jeremy Flees, Kathleen Flees, Roger Flees, Priscilla Garbe, Susan Groom, Donald Jochman, Dean Kaetterhenry, Chari Meshak, Jerome Meshak, Alyssa Newport, Ricky Pitcher, Michael Schoenholz; Kevin Konopacky of Motors and Controls of Wisconsin, LLC, and Alex Wong of the Point/Plover Metro Wire. 2. 2025 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING MINUTES: Roger Bentley made the motion to approve the minutes of the April 15, 2025, annual meeting of the Town of Plover as provided. Eugene Pavelski seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried with a voice vote. 3. SPECIAL TOWN MEETING MINUTES – 11/19/2025: Priscilla Garbe made the motion to approve the minutes of the November 19, 2025, Town of Plover special elector meeting as provided. Timothy Tuttle seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried with a voice vote. 4. REPORT ON 2025 FINANCIAL AUDIT: Chairman Garbe shared that the 2025 audit has been completed; he summarized highlights and indicated that the Town of Plover remains financially strong. 5. STATUS OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONER’S INVESTIGATION OF MEEHAN DRIVE RAILROAD CROSSING CLOSURE: In August 2024, the Town of Plover was formally notified by the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads of its investigation to evaluate the possible closure of the Meehan Drive railroad crossing along with the adequacy of warning devices at the Hayes Avenue and County Road F railroad crossings. Since then, multiple safety and non-compliance crossing issues have been identified and corrected. An investigator’s May 28, 2025, site visit observations were documented in a report filed with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin on March 18, 2026; she recommended that the Meehan Drive railroad crossing be considered for potential closure but also mentioned maintaining the current warning devices in conjunction with brush clearing should the crossing remain open. Meeting attendees questioned the accuracy of the daily traffic counts and the safety implications of moving traffic to the County Road F railroad crossing at which automatic flashing-light signals with gates will be installed in 2029. Some suggested contacting the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads or elected officials to advocate for keeping the Meehan Drive crossing open while the investigation is pending. 6. STATUS OF PIERCE AVENUE LRIP GRANT APPLICATION: The Pierce Avenue recondition project was not selected for Town Road Improvement Supplemental funding under the Local Roads Improvement Program. 7. BIRON DRIVE EAST BRIDGE REPAIR/REPLACEMENT UPDATE: The Town of Plover has applied for Local Small Structure Improvement Program funding for up to ninety percent of the $500,000.00 replacement cost of the bridge over Crooked Rift Creek on Biron Drive East. Weight limiting is helping preserve the existing bridge. 8. ROADWORK PLANS FOR 2026 SEASON: Just under seven miles of chip sealing on Birch Drive, Boston Drive, Hoover Avenue South, Isherwood Road, Pine Tree Avenue, Pleasant Drive, Prairie Drive, and Weller Road is planned for 2026. 9. ANY OTHER BUSINESS TO BE CONDUCTED UNDER STATE STATUTES: Chairman Garbe provided an update on solar farm construction, noting that Portage Solar anticipates connecting to the electrical grid in 2027 and that Vista Sands Solar is starting work on its substation. Some residents brought up the issue of an annual appointment of the Superintendent of Highways per Wisconsin Statutes as well as concerns about the management of the Town of Plover Public Works Department, while others voiced support of current operations. Dean Kaetterhenry made the motion for the Town of Plover Town Board to review the Superintendent of Highways appointment annually, pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes Section 82.05. Eugene Pavelski seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried with a hand vote of seventeen residents in favor, three residents opposed, and three abstentions. Residents discussed the need for meeting minutes to be prepared and posted promptly to increase transparency and communications with the public. Hiring clerical assistance, exploring software options, and holding one meeting per month were suggested. Michael Schoenholz made the motion to task the Town Board with taking the necessary steps to ensure that draft meeting minutes for all Town of Plover Town Board and Plan Commission meetings are issued within ten working days of each meeting and are promptly posted in draft form on the Town of Plover website. Donald Jochman seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried with a hand vote of nineteen residents in favor, one resident opposed, and three abstentions. 10. SCHEDULING OF 2027 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING: Priscilla Garbe made the motion to schedule the next annual meeting for Tuesday, April 20, 2027, at 6:00 PM at the Town of Plover Town Hall. Joseph Firkus Jr. seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried with a voice vote. 11. ADJOURNMENT: Eugene Pavelski made the motion to adjourn the annual meeting at 7:32 PM. Timothy Tuttle seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried with a voice vote. Respectfully Submitted By: Patricia Weller, Clerk/Treasurer Approved: _____/_____/_____