Board of Supervisors Meeting- August 3, 2025 — Minutes

Milladore Board of Supervisors Meeting August 3, 2025 6:30 pm Board Members Present: Chair Ned Ruesch, Supervisor Joel Kuehnhold, Supervisor Ron Koziczkowski, Clerk Leslianne Ruesch, Treasurer Terri Grassel Others Present: Bob Ashbeck, Nick Nigh, Vic Krzykowski, Don Furo, Sally Furo, Jay Stuttgen, Connie Smith, Les Holtz, Jeff Bean, Al Greunke, Diane Czlapinski, Julius Linzmeier, Mae Linzemeier, Henry Smith, Rorie Smith, Arlo Smith, Wood County Sherrif Department deputies The meeting was called to order with the Pledge of Allegiance by Chair Ned Ruesch. The secretary report from the Special Meeting, July 31, 2025, was read. A motion was moved by Supervisor Joel Kuehnhold to approve. Seconded by Supervisor Ron Koziczkowski. Minutes approved. The secretary report from the July Board of Supervisors Meeting was read. A motion was moved by Joel to approve. Seconded by Ron. Motion approved. The treasurer report was received. There were no additions to the agenda. Old Business: Grant money from the DNR project on Smokey Hill Road has been received. A check was mailed to the Wood County Highway Department for participation in the 50/50 program. Representatives from The Sherry Fire Department were present to discuss the potential of a new fire contract with The Town of Milladore. The board asked if they had completed the items from the list requested at the July meeting. The Sherry Assistant Fire Chief reported they had not gotten to all of them, but had made some progress. The Sherry Fire Department Treasurer handed the Milladore Town Chair and Supervisors copies of a financial report he had made. After briefly reviewing, the board asked if they would be given a complete report at a later date, as what was presented only showed part of the finances. The Sherry Fire Department Treasurer responded that this was a full year report. The board asked why there were no revenues listed and questioned why the report claimed the Sherry Fire Department had a deficit of over $30,000 last year. The Sherry Fire Department Treasurer responded only that the report was the whole year and that is what he had. The board stated this was not a sufficient financial report as there were no revenues listed, such as what the fire department receives yearly from Town of Milladore, Town of Sherry, and Village of Milladore, as well as the 2% dues from each of these municipalities. The Milladore Board stated they would still need an accurate and complete financial report to move forward with a contract. The board asked if The Sherry Fire Department had made any effort towards joining Municipal Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS). The Sherry Assistant Fire Chief stated they were working on this, and would have it done soon. The Board read aloud a portion of the minutes from the August 2022 Board of Supervisors Meeting that stated “Nick & Hank Nigh shared Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Agreement Resolution with the Sherry Volunteer Fire Department to provide mutual aid to area towns when an emergency arises. Leon moved to approve, Hank seconded, motion carried. Clerk signed resolution.” The board questioned why this had never been done as it was a resolution. The Sherry Assistant Fire Chief answered that he had put in the paperwork, and claimed MABAS had never finished it. The board asked why he didn’t follow up on this in the past 3 years, and he responded that he had once, but then got busy and forgot. The board emphasized this was a resolution signed by the Milladore Town Board, of which the Sherry Fire Department Chief was a supervisor on, and it should have been handled properly. The board questioned why they are receiving complaints that Sherry Fire Department often shows up without any PPE or protective suits. The Sherry Fire Department treasurer stated that is “their problem” and that is why they have insurance. The board questioned why we have received complaints that they often arrive to both fire and EMT calls without sufficient supplies. The Sherry Fire Department stated that doesn’t happen. The board asked for clarification regarding complaints received about fire calls Sherry Fire Department handled. The board asked if there were any problems with their trucks or equipment at the house fire on Partner Road. The assistant fire chief said he was not aware of any. The board asked if they experienced a failure with the prime on their pump. The assistant fire chief stated that sometimes that happens, but he doesn’t remember if it failed at that fire. The board questioned if they felt the owners were happy with their performance, and the assistant fire chief answered that they were told by multiple people that they did a really good job, and there were no complaints. The board responded they were informed by people who witnessed, that critical tools needed to open the house up to allow access for water were forgotten at the station and a member had to return to retrieve those tools. The board then questioned a specific EMT call that Sherry Fire Department had been to on Hwy. S. The owner, who was in attendance, stated that a drunk driver had crashed in front of their house, and when Sherry responded, they lingered afterwards drinking beers in their department vehicles. The Sherry Fire Department treasurer asked if “you had written documentation of that”, to which the homeowner responded he was physically there and saw it. The board questioned whether any inspections had been done on their trucks or equipment since the last meeting. The assistant fire chief stated they were working on getting that done. The board asked why they had not taken their trucks to Auburndale the week before where the inspector who was there to do Auburndale’s trucks had offered to inspect them as well. The assistant fire chief claimed that he didn’t know anyone had called them. The board stated they don’t believe Sherry Fire Department is taking their requests seriously. The assistant fire chief responded that he thought they had until October to make the changes requested. The board reminded them that their current contract is up on September 30, and asked why they were not moving faster on the list they were given in June. The board then asked what changes Sherry Fire Department had actually made since our meeting last month. The assistant fire chief stated they were working on everything else, but tonight they had brought the financial report. The board emphasized that what was given was not a full financial report, and unacceptable. The board then questioned why Sherry Fire Department is so unwilling to share their financial information with the towns they serve. The Sherry Fire Department treasurer stated they do not believe it is anyone’s business, and claimed they were told by a lawyer they don’t need to share it. The board reminded them that they were given a copy of state statute 1932.1 at our last meeting, and this statute is applicable to their fire department, according to multiple lawyers the town consulted. The board asked what happens to all the equipment owned, and the money the Sherry Fire Department has if they ceased to be a fire department. The Sherry Fire Department treasurer stated that the money then goes back to the members. The board asked him to clarify, and the Sherry Fire Department treasurer stated again that all the money stays with the members. A motion was moved by Joel to accept the contract The Auburndale Fire Department had presented us. Seconded by Ron. Motion approved. The Sherry Fire Department treasurer and assistant fire chief continued to speak, and approached the table where the board sits as the board was attempting to sign the Auburndale Fire Contract. The chair stated they were finished with discussion on fire contracts and needed to move on. When the assistant fire chief and fire department treasurer became increasingly argumentative and refused to leave, they were escorted from the building by Wood County Sheriff deputies. A deputy came back in moments later, and stated they were going to stay in the parking lot for the duration of the meeting. New Business: The bridge inspection report has been completed by the county. A statement has been received by The Blenker Sherry Sanitary District for delinquent sewer charges dated October 2024, and including late charges. The clerk brought copies of the cancelled checks for the last 3 years of payments made, and the bank statements supporting these payments. The board believes the statement received is in error. The Town of Milladore has been served a summons. A lawsuit has been filed with Wood County Circuit Court, Small Claims Division, by Emery Nigh, over the loss of his glasses at The Sherry Milladore Joint Recycling Center. We have contacted both the town lawyer, and our insurance company. Our insurance company has assigned this to an attorney who will represent the town in this matter. They believe this lawsuit has no merit. Road Repairs and Concerns: There was a complaint about the shoulders on Brookside Road after we laid new granite. This has been assessed and taken care of. However, the signs placed on Brookside continue to be vandalized. The Wood County Sheriff Department has been notified of this situation. Recycling Center Updates: Members of The Town of Sherry are in attendance tonight to discuss the joint recycling center. They stated they have had difficulty keeping workers due to changes, and a cancellation due to weather. The board stated they have also had difficulties finding workers due to concerns of female and younger workers who have been verbally harassed by users while attempting to enforce the rules. Both towns will continue to work on making the joint recycling center a beneficial and safe environment for both towns. Clerk Mail: The clerk sent a letter to the former treasurer reminding him of the terms of the promissory note he signed. Public Comment: The chair stated that all public comments will be restricted to 2 minutes per person, and that we expect people to be respectful. If they cannot, they will be asked to leave. Question: Can you bring a copy of the spreadsheet from the June treasurer report? Board Answer: Yes, we can have that available at the September meeting. Question: Is is common practice for members of the board to use personal emails? Board Answer: The town currently has one .gov email address that the clerk uses. Both the treasurer and chair have designated emails that are only used for town business. There is no law prohibiting board members from using personal email accounts. Question: Is Hope Trail a town road because they are showing it is on gsi maps? Board Answer: Hope Trail is not an official Town of Milladore road, and we receive no funding for this road. It is a private road. Question: They see on financial reports that money is transferred each month. Why? Board Answer: Each month the clerk receives the bills for the town. She creates an invoice for each bill. Those invoices are signed by the clerk, treasurer, chair, and both supervisors. They have the bill, receipt, timecard, etc stapled to the back. A spreadsheet is then made with that information for the treasurer to use in creating the monthly financial report. Checks are written by the clerk, and then signed by the clerk, treasurer, and chair to satisfy state statute. The clerk then moves the money needed to pay bills from the town savings account into the checking account. This is done with the consent of the board and treasurer. The treasurer then mails the payments out. Both the treasurer and the clerk can see all town bank accounts online. As an additional safety measure, no one can withdraw money from any town account unless it is physically signed at the bank by the clerk, treasurer, and chair. No money has ever been withdrawn from any account for any reason in this manner. The treasurer deposits any money received by the town, and a copy of that deposit slip is given to the clerk to be retained in the town’s files. The board can look at the accounts if needed, through the clerk or treasurer. Additionally, all financial information is available for town members to look at if desired. When and if cash payments will be accepted, such as for taxes, the board will be there overseeing the treasurer taking them and issuing receipts. Question: I want to know what the clerk has been calling the WTA lawyers about, especially these past months. I called them and they said you have to tell me what you discussed. Board Answer: The Board frequently uses the WTA lawyers to gain information about procedure, and to seek advice about specific statutes. We have talked to them multiple times about rules with postings, wording of contracts, etc. If there are specifics you are interested in, an open records request can be made following the proper procedure. However, all phone conversations are subject to confidentiality. Additionally, the WTA is a resource for town boards only. Any member of the board can use their services, however, it is not open to citizens. *after the August meeting the clerk reached out to the WTA and it was confirmed they do not speak to town residents, and no one from The Town of Milladore have called them, outside the clerk. Question: Is it true that The Sherry Fire Department asked one of their EMT’s and board members to resign? Board Answer: We will redirect that question to the citizen, who is present. He stated that after the June meeting, which he attended as both a Milladore resident, and a member of both the Sherry and Auburndale Fire Departments, The Sherry Fire Department Chief came to his house and asked him to resign. A motion was moved by Ned to pay bills. Seconded by Ron. The next meeting will be held on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at 6:30 pm at the town hall. A motion was moved by Ned to adjourn. Seconded by Joel. Meeting adjourned.