Town Board Meeting — Minutes

1 MINUTES TOWN OF PLOVER BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 8, 2025 1. CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Garbe called the meeting of the Town of Plover Town Board to order at 6:03 PM with the Pledge of Allegiance. Also present were Supervisors Bentley, Firkus, Pingel, and Tuttle; Clerk/Treasurer Weller; Superintendent of Highways William Honaker; Town of Plover resident Priscilla Garbe; and James Hopp of Best Excavating & Trucking, LLC. 2. CORRESPONDENCE AND COMMUNICATIONS: Chairman Garbe shared a quote from American Asphalt of Wisconsin for repaving the Town parking lot around the garage. Supervisor Tuttle reported on his attendance at the first meeting of the Portage County Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Advisory Committee. Supervisor Pingel mentioned that Portage County is moving forward with a proposed ordinance to regulate industrial livestock operations but noted that municipalities may opt out of adopting it. 3. PUBLIC COMMENTS: There were no public comments. 4. HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT REPORT AND AUTHORIZATION FOR PURCHASES: Superintendent of Highways William Honaker reported on crack filling, clearing tree limbs in the Bluebird Subdivision, downed trees, the Town of Stockton’s asphalt hot box, road patching, a resident using a shipping container as a storage building, and a local business with material lying in the road right-of-way, possibly for a building project. He asked about the status of road repairs due to solar farm construction, and Chairman Garbe indicated that he is waiting for a reply from his contact. 5. RESCISSION OF ORDINANCE 20180321 FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MOVING OF BUILDINGS: Due to Wisconsin Commercial Building Code updates, Town of Plover Building Inspector Michael Bembenek relinquished authority over new commercial building inspections effective September 1, 2025. He will see his permitted projects through to completion, but new ones will fall under the jurisdiction of the State of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. The Town of Plover’s ordinance and fee schedule relating to building inspections need to be revised to reflect this change. Supervisor Bentley made the motion to rescind Ordinance 20180321 for the construction and moving of buildings. Supervisor Tuttle seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried unanimously. 6. ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE 20251008 FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MOVING OF BUILDINGS: Chairman Garbe previously distributed copies of proposed Ordinance 20251008 for board member review; rescinded Ordinance 20180321 was updated to remove all references to commercial building inspections. Supervisor Bentley made the motion to adopt Ordinance 20251008 for the construction and moving of buildings. Supervisor Tuttle seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried unanimously in a roll call vote. 2 7. ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION 20251008 – BUILDING INSPECTOR CONTRACT AND FEE SCHEDULE: Chairman Garbe previously distributed copies of proposed Resolution 20251008 and the Building Inspector Contract and Building Permit Fee Schedule which was updated to remove all references to commercial building inspections and to add an inadvertently overlooked section relating to moving buildings. Supervisor Bentley made the motion to adopt Resolution 20251008 to adopt the updated Building Inspector Contract and Building Permit Fee Schedule. Supervisor Tuttle seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried unanimously. 8. LRIP GRANT APPLICATION FOR PIERCE AVENUE: Chairman Garbe reported that the Town of Buena Vista and the Town of Stockton are not interested in pursuing a joint reconstruction of Kennedy Avenue at this time. Unless the municipalities complete jurisdictional transfers to allow just one town to apply for Local Roads Improvement Program funding, all three municipalities would have to independently submit applications for their portions of the project as there is no option to submit one application for a joint project. Because a possible Kennedy Avenue project will be delayed, Chairman Garbe suggested applying for a Town Road Improvement Supplemental grant for the recondition of Pierce Avenue. He provided background information about the Local Roads Improvement Program and presented his draft application which emphasized concerns about deteriorating pavement and safety and detailed design specifications. Supervisor Bentley made the motion to apply for Town Road Improvement Supplemental funding to recondition Pierce Avenue. Supervisor Tuttle seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried unanimously. 9. DRAFT BUDGET REVIEW: Chairman Garbe shared charts comparing actual year-to-date Town of Plover Public Works Department employee hours and wages to budgeted amounts and noted that wages will likely go over budget by December 31 unless employee hours are drastically reduced. Board members considered options for roadside brushing and recommended that Chairman Garbe follow up with Serwe Implement Municipal Sales Co. LLC to possibly rent equipment with an operator; they also agreed that employees should continue necessary work but scale back on nonpriority work to limit the budget overage. Board members reviewed and discussed the draft year 2026 budget and tax levy and anticipate finalizing the proposed budget and scheduling a date for the public hearing at the next town board meeting on October 29. 10. PURCHASE OF DS300 VOTING TABULATOR: Clerk/Treasurer Weller previously distributed copies of a quote for a DS300 poll place ballot scanner and vote tabulator from Election Systems & Software, LLC, to replace the existing DS200 poll place ballot scanner and vote tabulator. The Town of Plover’s DS200 is estimated to be between fifteen and eighteen years old, one of the oldest in the State of Wisconsin, and the manufacturer has stopped producing replacement parts which will soon render the machine unserviceable. By purchasing a DS300 now and adding it to the truckload of City of Stevens Point and Village of Plover equipment, the Town of Plover can save $268.00 on shipping. After the trade-in allowance for the DS200, the cost of the DS300 including shipping is $7,017.00, with payment due by January 31, 3 2026. To take advantage of the reduced shipping expense, the sales order agreement must be signed before the DS300 is certified by the Wisconsin Elections Commission on October 23; the sales manager has confirmed that the agreement would be null and void in the unlikely event that the equipment would not be certified. Supervisor Pingel made the motion to purchase the DS300 poll place ballot scanner and vote tabulator from Election Systems & Software, LLC, and to pay for the machine before the end of the year. Supervisor Firkus seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried unanimously. 11. ANNUAL WEIGHT LIMIT PERMIT – JR’S DIRT WORKS LLC: Supervisor Bentley made the motion to approve a permit to operate overweight trucks on designated Town of Plover roads for JR’s Dirt Works LLC. Supervisor Firkus seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried unanimously. 12. 2025 TAX BILL INSERTS: Board members discussed tax bill insert options for the garbage and recycling service schedule and the proposed newsletter. Supervisor Pingel made the motion to approve sending out the one-page garbage and recycling service schedule and the two-page newsletter as tax bill inserts, using color printing on white paper for both. Supervisor Firkus seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried unanimously. 13. TOBACCO LICENSE FOR CLUB FOREST BAR AND GRILL LLC: Supervisor Pingel made the motion to approve a tobacco retail license for Club Forest Bar and Grill LLC. Supervisor Tuttle seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried unanimously. 14. MINUTES OF TOWN BOARD MEETINGS AND ANY OTHER MINUTES TO BE PRESENTED: Supervisor Pingel made the motion to approve the minutes of the August 5, 2025, town board meeting as presented. Supervisor Tuttle seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried unanimously. 15. RECONCILED BANK STATEMENTS AND CASH SUMMARY: • RECONCILED BANK STATEMENTS: This item will appear on the next town board meeting agenda. • CASH SUMMARY AS OF OCTOBER 8, 2025, AT 5:30 PM: COMMITTED FUNDS: $ 217,707.77 UNCOMMITTED FUNDS: GENERAL ACCOUNT $ 893,028.20 NOW CHECKING $ 18,689.47 TOTAL UNCOMMITTED FUNDS: $ 911,717.67 TOTAL CASH FOR TOWN OF PLOVER: $ 1,129,425.44 4 Supervisor Bentley made the motion to approve the cash summary as presented, Supervisor Tuttle seconded, the question was called, and the motion carried unanimously. 16. BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS: There were no budget adjustments presented. 17. APPROVAL OF VOUCHERS FOR PAYMENT, SIGNING OF VOUCHER LIST, AND AUTHORIZATION OF TRANSFER OF FUNDS: Supervisor Bentley made the motion to approve the payment of $13,834.34 to cover Checks 28002 through 28020 and electronic funds transfers EFTSW0825, EFTETF0825, and WIRE092325. Supervisor Tuttle seconded the motion, the question was called, and the motion carried unanimously. 18. FUTURE MEETING DATES AND AGENDA ITEMS: The next regular town board meeting is scheduled for October 29 at 6:00 PM. The next agenda will include an update on the Local Roads Improvement Program application for Pierce Avenue. The budget hearing, the special town meeting to approve the tax levy, and another regular town board meeting will likely be held on November 19. 19. ADJOURNMENT: Supervisor Bentley made the motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:23 PM, Supervisor Tuttle seconded, the question was called, and the motion carried unanimously. Respectfully Submitted By: Patricia Weller, Clerk/Treasurer Approved: 12/10/25