Highway Committee – 2026-05-26 – Minutes

MARQUETTE COUNTY HIGHWAY COMMITTEE Highway Department Office Building Virtual and In-Person Meeting May 19th, 2026 – Meeting Minutes Members of the committee present: Present: Mike Raddatz, Dennis Fenner and Lance Achterberg. Abby Swan attending virtually and Kris Bergh arrived at 9:37 a.m. Other county officials present Brian Trebiatowski, Brenda Petersen, Ron Barger and Chuck Bornhoeft. Call to order: at 9:02 a.m. by Ron Barger. Election of Committee Chairman: Lance Achterberg nominated Mike Raddatz. No other nominations. All Committee members present in favor. No Nays. Mike Raddatz named Highway Committee Chairman and led the meeting going forward. Election of Highway Representative to Exec and Finance if needed: Not needed, Mike Raddatz will be the Highway Representative for Exec and Finance. Review/Approve the Agenda: Moved by Lance Achterberg and seconded by Dennis Fenner to approve the agenda. Motion carried. Review/Approve the minutes from the previous meeting: Moved by Lance Achterberg and seconded by Mike Raddatz to approve the minutes from the March 17th, 2026, meeting. Motion carried. Citizens Input: None Township Questions/Comments/Concerns: None ATV Route Ordinance Speed Limit Request: John Campbell and Russell Simonis were present after presenting first to Highway Safety to increase speed limit to 45 mph from 35 mph on County Roads only. Discussion among the committee. Moved by Lance Achterberg and seconded by Abby Swan to approve the increase to 45 mph on County Roads after all signage has been updated and for a 1-year trial to be brought back to the Committee with any data in May 2027. Motion carried. Dennis Fenner voted nay. Driveway Ordinance Review: Brian stated the department has been operating without specific language in the ordinance since it was removed from zoning last fall. The department has guidelines on the permit, but nothing detailed in the ordinances to back up the permit. The draft ordinance outlines the permit and includes changes for field entrances on County and Town Roads. Discussion and decision for Brian to re-word some parts of the ordinance and bring it back to the Committee in June 2026. Financial Reports: State Financial Report Review: Routine Maintenance Agreement costs for April totaled $207,187 with most of the costs towards asphalt repair on I39. 64.17% of total budget spent. County Report Review: Costs for April 2026 were $116,904 with $68,164 in County Maintenance of which most of the costs were patching, shouldering and brushing. Winter maintenance costs were $26,590. Road Construction costs were $22,150. Budget remaining for 2026 is $2,432,522. Town Report Review: Townships had a total of $35.326 in work in April with $16,573 being labor costs. Villages and City had $15,520 in work with $5,823 in labor costs. The current year labor comparison vs the 5- year average is up 20.28%. Compared to last year, labor is up 6.95%. When looking at seasonal work, construction is up 38.25% and the Winter Maintenance is up 11.20% compared to the previous 5-year average. Interdepartmental Report Review: Brian reported that we sold 5,172 gallons of fuel to other departments in April. The average costs for April are $3.7933 for unleaded and $3.3438 for diesel, which includes the state tax of .309 per gallon. Total gallons sold in 2026 to date are 19,017 gallons. Labor Percentage by Job Type Report: Brian reported 2026 Year to Date Labor Percentages- County work is 52.30%, State is 27.55%, Townships are 19.42% and Interdepartmental is .73%. Brian explained the departmental operations to the committee and reminded the committee that only 23.96% of the department’s labor comes out of the levied County budget. The remaining percentage is encompassed in the Highway Operational Fund. Percentage of General Transportation Aids met for 2026- The Towns of Douglas, Moundville, Packwaukee and Springfield have met the 20% requirement. State Project Review and Update: I-39 project currently underway. Projected completion September 2026. County Project Review and Update: County Road E paving will begin in early fall when the contractor is finished with I39. County crews are now working on culverts on that stretch and some small paving projects, upon completion will go to County Road P. Cold in Place recycling is scheduled for County Road P in mid to late June, with paving after the 4th of July. The County Road D Causeway Project was recently awarded the WI Chapter American Public Works Association Project of the year award for transportation projects under $5 million. This project stood out based on the improved flood resiliency, addition of ten fishing platforms and the use of local forces to complete major portions of the project. Brian stated he was also made aware at the WI chapter meeting that the Causeway project was selected for the National APWA Project of the Year Award for Transportation Projects less than $5 million. CTH A/D 60% plan review: Brian went through the plans to date for both projects. Upon receipt of county comments, he will schedule Public Informational Meetings at Town of Douglas and Town of Packwaukee Town Halls. Town Project Review and Update: Local Bridge Update- Meeting was had between DOT (Dept of Transportation) and OCR (Office of the Commissioner of Railroads) and design firm regarding the delays caused by UPR (Union Pacific Railroad). DOT and OCR feel confident that they’ll be able to force the UPR’s hand and restrict the span requirement they want to place on the new bridge. Railroad wants the bridge to span the entire right of way, DOT and OCR are targeting 75’ span. Inter-Departmental Operations: Assisting Buildings and Grounds with a culvert replacement near the grandstands. Also, supervisory staff from the Highway Department were present for the Mass Casualty exercise put together by Emergency Management. Equipment/ Property Purchase and Disposal Update: Recently held a small surplus auction. The old tri- axle didn’t meet the reserve price. Currently listed with Gavin, if not sold there it will be on the large Integrity auction based out of Merrill. Recently received one of the new quad axles that were ordered in 2024, completion timeline was 21 months for the first truck, 21 months and counting for the second truck. Personnel and Staffing Update: Current vacancies: Currently have 2 full time vacancies. Brian will be discussing filling at least 1 position with Ron in the coming days. The department will also be hiring up to 4 Limited Term Employee’s to assist with traffic control and other project items during the summer. WCHA Updates/: Upcoming Events/Issues/Correspondence: Brian will be attending the Regional Transportation Roundtable in Wausau tomorrow, followed by the regional meeting in Marathon County. Summer Highway Conference is June 8th through 10th in the Dells. Brian will attend some committee meetings; there are very limited educational offerings due to the golf outing. Upcoming Events/Issues/Correspondence: Highway Committee Meeting Date/Time: Discussion among the committee. Will continue to meet 3rd Tuesday of the month changing the time to 10:00 a.m. Voucher Inquiries: One inquiry and Brenda answered. Adjourn: Mike Raddatz declared the meeting adjourned at 10:09 a.m. Respectfully submitted- Brenda Petersen, Highway Accountant bt