Board Meeting September — Minutes

September 9, 2026 Town of Eau Pleine, Portage County Town Board Meeting APPROVED on October 14, 2026 Elected Officials Present: Chairperson Kurt Drexler, Supervisor Wayne Trelka, Supervisor Leif Erickson, Clerk Stacy Martin, Treasurer Sue Stroik Others Present: Bill Kiggins, Roger Skrzeczkoski Sr, Susan Skrzeczkoski, Mary Erickson, Margie Wojcik, Wendi Erickson, Dave Erickson, Robert L. Thorson, Jeff Stashek, Karen Dobbs, Tim Rutzen, Faith Rutzen, Gary Egan, Kathy Metzler 1. The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Chairperson Drexler. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 2. The Wisconsin Statutes 19.81 to 19.98, Open Meetings Law, also apply to closed sessions. However, Statute Section 19.85 refers to the exemptions under which an open session can convene into a closed session. All closed sessions must begin in open session. Notice was given to the public that the Board would convene in open session first and then go into closed session. The Board voted to go into closed session to discuss Robert’s Rules of Order and parliamentary procedure with a roll call consisting of 3 ayes from Supervisor Erickson, Supervisor Trelka, Chairperson Drexler. Immediately following closed session, the Board voted to go into open session with a roll call consisting of 3 ayes from Supervisor Erickson, Supervisor Trelka, Chairperson Drexler. 3. Chairperson Drexler cited Robert’s Rules of Order , stating that public comment during board meetings is an opportunity for members of the public to inform the board of their views, but the meeting itself belongs to the governing body; the public does not participate in the decision-making, but instead provides input to the Board members, who will take that input into consideration when making decisions. To make these meetings run as efficiently as possible, members of the public are asked to refrain from interrupting the meeting, raise their hands when desiring to speak, and only speak after they are called on by a Board member. After stating their comment during their turn to speak, members of the public are asked to remain silent. This process will occur during each agenda item. Additionally, there will be an opportunity for general public comment–not related to previously addressed agenda items, at the end of each meeting. 4. a. Minutes from the August 12, 2026, Town Board Meeting were read. Motion by Chairperson Drexler to approve the minutes as read. Seconded by Supervisor Erickson. 3 ayes (Supervisor Erickson, Supervisor Trelka, Chairperson Drexler) / 0 nays. Motion carried. b. Minutes from the September 2, 2026, Special Town Board Meeting were read. Motion by Supervisor Trelka to approve the minutes as read. Seconded by Chairperson Drexler. 3 ayes (Supervisor Erickson, Supervisor Trelka, Chairperson Drexler) / 0 nays. Motion carried. 5. Chairperson Drexler moved to place the Treasurer’s report on file. 6. Chairperson Drexler mentioned the following Plan Commission items: approved permit for new accessory structure at 2476 County Road O, approved permit for camper at 3225 Oak Hill Road, and zoning ordinance violation letter and enforcement notice sent to 2415 Lake Road. 7. Because Sue Stroik is resigning as Treasurer next month, the Board was given the option to have Portage County collect property taxes for the Town this year, rather than starting that process in 2027, which was approved in a motion made on May 13, 2026. Motion by Supervisor Trelka to have Portage County collect property taxes starting this 2026 tax year, effective today, September 9, 2026, and sign the updated contract from the Portage County Treasurer. Seconded by Chairperson Drexler. 3 ayes (Supervisor Erickson, Supervisor Trelka, Chairperson Drexler) / 0 nays. Motion carried. 1 8. Mystic Ponds Estate, which currently holds an alcohol beverage license in the Town, will soon have new ownership. Robert Thorson is the buyer and has submitted all required paperwork to Clerk Martin to make him the successor agent for the business. Mr. Thorson is requesting formal approval of the transfer of the liquor license currently held by Mystic Ponds Estate, pending his purchase of the property and business. The Board reviewed Mr. Thorson’s application materials, including a background check, and confirmed that he met all requirements within the Wisconsin Department of Revenue Retail Alcohol Beverage Licensing Guide. Motion by Chairperson Drexler to approve Robert Thorson as the successor agent for Mystic Ponds Estate and transfer to him the existing liquor license with his purchase of the property. Seconded by Supervisor Trelka. 3 ayes (Supervisor Erickson, Supervisor Trelka, Chairperson Drexler) / 0 nays. Motion carried. 9. The Lake Road culvert project is complete, and the final bill ended up being a little over budget due to extra material that was needed. As a reminder, Portage County is reimbursing the Town for half of this payment. The engineering costs will be billed to the Town in the coming months. Motion by Chairperson Drexler to pay invoice to Merrill Gravel & Construction in the amount of $191,241.37. Seconded by Supervisor Erickson. 3 ayes (Supervisor Erickson, Supervisor Trelka, Chairperson Drexler) / 0 nays. Motion carried. 10. Supervisor Erickson recommends purchasing portable air conditioning units for the Town Hall. He would like to get the units soon so the Town’s full-time employee can get them running in advance of next summer. This item will be further addressed next month. 11. In order to apply for an election security subgrant of $2000 offered by the Wisconsin Elections Commission, Clerk Martin asked the Board to approve an elections emergency response plan that she drafted. Consideration was given to an alternate polling place in the case of the Town Hall not being accessible on election day. Motion by Chairperson Drexler to approve the Elections Emergency Response Plan contingent on the acceptance by one of the following entities as an alternate polling location: the Village of Junction City, St. Michael’s Church, St. Paul’s Church, and/or the US Army Reserve. Seconded by Supervisor Erickson. 3 ayes (Supervisor Erickson, Supervisor Trelka, Chairperson Drexler) / 0 nays. Motion carried. 12. Clerk Martin would like the Board to consider switching to a new accounting software within the next two months, as the current Marge software will be up for renewal. Both Clerk Martin and Wendi Erickson, who will be assuming the Treasurer position next month, recommend Quickbooks as an alternative, as it has more capability than the current system. A final quote and all details will be prepared for review at next month’s meeting. Motion by Supervisor Trelka to table this item until next month. Seconded by Supervisor Erickson. 3 ayes (Supervisor Erickson, Supervisor Trelka, Chairperson Drexler) / 0 nays. Motion carried. 13. The Town of Knowlton has agreed to continue to allow Town of Eau Pleine residents to take their yard waste to the Town of Knowlton compost site until August 24, 2028, at which time the contract will be re-evaluated. Payment to the Town of Knowlton for this use will be $500 per year. Supervisor Trelka mentioned a problem the Town of Knowlton is having with an unidentified individual repeatedly dumping a semi-load size of yard waste at their site. If residents are using the compost site, their load must be kept under 3 inches and free of garbage. Motion by Chairperson Drexler to approve resolution number 2026-01, yard waste acceptance agreement with the Town of Knowlton. Seconded by Supervisor Trelka. 3 ayes (Supervisor Erickson, Supervisor Trelka, Chairperson Drexler) / 0 nays. Motion carried. 14. The Board agreed to sign the contract for Cooper Propane and pay later. 15. The wage for Deputy Treasurer was set to $20 per hour at the September 2, 2026, Special Board Meeting, so consideration was given to raising the Deputy Clerk wage from its current rate at $15 per hour. Motion by Supervisor Trelka to set the Deputy Clerk wage at $20 per hour. Seconded by Chairperson Drexler. 3 ayes (Supervisor Erickson, Supervisor Trelka, Chairperson Drexler) / 0 nays. Motion carried. 2 16. Announcements and dates to remember: a. Clerk Martin recently added to the Town website ( https://townofeaupleine.com/ ) the option to make an appointment with the Clerk, which can be used for in-person absentee voting and submitting paperwork for hall rentals, address signs, liquor licenses, etc. b. The Town recently received a payment in the amount of $5,269.75 from the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs Division of Emergency Management for recovery costs associated with the March 2026 snowstorm event. c. Supervisor Trelka is looking into the Town’s eligibility for salt and sand reimbursement funds through Portage County. d. County Highway E was scheduled to be resurfaced this year from HH to Dam Road (except for the bridge). e. Fall Cleanup is October 10, 2026, from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm. f. The next Town Board Meeting is October 14, 2026, at 6:00 pm. 17. Questions and concerns were heard from the public. 18. At 7:20 pm: Motion by Chairperson Drexler to pay bills and adjourn. Seconded by Supervisor Erickson. 3 ayes (Supervisor Erickson, Supervisor Trelka, Chairperson Drexler) / 0 nays. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted by: Stacy Martin, Town of Eau Pleine Clerk 3