Minutes_RTBM_20260715

Town of Winchester 7228 CTH W, Winchester, WI 54557 winchesterwi.com | 715-686-2123 Town of Winchester — Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Meeting Date: July 15, 2026 — Page 11 REGULAR TOWN BOARD MEETING MINUTES July 15, 2026 • 6:00 PM • Winchester Town Hall Members Present Nicholas Newton (Chairperson), Robert Silvis (Supervisor, virtual), Danny Dye (Supervisor), Luke Huybrecht (Clerk), John Grimmer (Treasurer) Members Absent None 1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance Chairperson Newton called the meeting to order at 6:01 PM. All members present; Supervisor Silvis attended virtually. 2. Approval of Agenda Motion: To approve the agenda. Moved: Newton • Seconded: Dye • Vote: Carried 3-0 3. Approval of June 8, June 22, and July 2 Town Board Meeting Minutes Motion: To approve the June 8, June 22, and July 2 Town Board Meeting minutes. Moved: Newton • Seconded: Silvis • Vote: Carried 3-0 4. Treasurer’s Report Expecting approximately $345,000 from the county for the second installment of property taxes. 5. Clerk’s Report No items reported. 6. Chairman and Supervisors’ Reports Chairperson Newton reported: Don at the transfer station is requesting budgetary allocation for forklift repair or replacement. Working with residents regarding swimmers at the boat launches. Working on driveway aprons for Birch Lake. Meeting with crew every Monday to plan weekly projects. Road repair on Old O underway. Coordinating with Pitlick and Norvado contractors for project planning. Attended final shared services Zoom recap meeting. Dam reports were sent to DNR and rejected; will likely loop in Planning Commission. Plans to attend NEMSD meeting on Thursday in Boulder Junction. Exploring monitoring lake levels with NLDC. Shared services meeting scheduled in Presque Isle for Friday. Met with Gary Engstrom and set up Teams access. Attended Library Board meeting where long-term strategic plans were discussed. Boat Parade was a big success. NEMSD liaison expressed interest in grant opportunity to update existing infrastructure. Newton will be resigning from Planning Commission. Town of Winchester 7228 CTH W, Winchester, WI 54557 winchesterwi.com | 715-686-2123 Town of Winchester — Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Meeting Date: July 15, 2026 — Page 12 Supervisor Silvis reported: Three bins of electronics were picked up Monday from the transfer station. Received a call about one of the eyesore homes. Fire Department needs to explore budgets regarding ongoing repairs. Supervisor Dye reported: Planning to attend the NEMSD meeting and shared services meeting. Getting caught up on emails as a new supervisor. Looking at stepping back from Planning Commission to allow for more town involvement. 7. Vilas County District 2 Representative’s Report County supervisor not present at the meeting. 8. Correspondence ATV signs discussed. Sulo mentioned a snowmobile sign is covered in vegetation and should be moved to the road because of a complex border issue with a property. 9. Public Comments Steve Hertzburg introduced himself and spoke on behalf of NEMSD. Time to scene is difficult to improve because it is a road issue. Ninety percent of calls are out the door in under 90 seconds, including when paramedics are sleeping. EMTs continue to further their education. Emphasized that when people are having their worst moments, they are being taken care of by the best people possible. Budget is expected to be a minimal increase while increasing compensation for the workforce. Expecting financial challenges due to national legislation regarding reimbursement for transport and care. Budget committee will meet July 16 to discuss further. Building committee will also be meeting to discuss permanent locations, exploring Highways B and M as well as the town hall building on Highway W. Majority of funding would be grant-based. Grant committee has been active but experiencing difficulty based on the district’s special circumstances. Exploring community medicine options in addition to emergency medicine. The Giving Committee is grant-focused to improve communities in the area. Winchester is now a training center and has graduated 19 people. A question was asked about recovering revenue and unpaid services. It was advised to discuss these further either after the meeting or at the budget meeting the following day. 10. Cleaning Services Contract Reevaluation Julie and Galen of Clean and B Well explained the cleaning services history. Cleaning happens on weekends. Previous comments made in meetings were addressed, and cleaning instructions had been followed clearly. It was discussed that a significant amount of work is done for a relatively small amount. There was significant misunderstanding regarding the cleaning contract. Newton requested a copy of the current cleaning contract and further discussion took place. 11. Continued Review and Revision of Town Ordinances Continuing to work through timely revisions of all ordinances to avoid making it a ten-year project. 12. Policy 2026-04 Fire Numbers Tabled. Will add “fee may be amended by fee schedule” wording before bringing back. Town of Winchester 7228 CTH W, Winchester, WI 54557 winchesterwi.com | 715-686-2123 Town of Winchester — Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Meeting Date: July 15, 2026 — Page 13 13. Policy 2026-06 Facility Use Refund Request Motion: To approve Policy 2026-06 Facility Use Refund Request. Moved: Newton • Seconded: Dye • Vote: Carried 3-0 14. Ordinance 2026-04 Town Road Specifications (Planning Commission) Incorrect agenda item. Should have been the lakes ordinance. 15. 2027 Tax Reassessment Reiterated that the town is being reassessed next year. Clerk Huybrecht mentioned preemptive literature and the option for residents to come to this year’s open book meeting in August to ask questions. 16. 2027 Budgeting First budget meeting scheduled for 10:00 AM on August 5. 17. Circle Lily Road ATV Signage Update Signage temporarily down. Will be reevaluated by Planning Commission. 18. Aging Dishware and Supplies in Town Hall Kitchen Tabled. Chairperson Newton will investigate. 19. Policy 2026-05 Clerk’s Office Copy Fee Schedule Will explore Marco and EO Johnson potential leases for budget season. Approved conditionally with a 100-page limit. Motion: To approve Policy 2026-05 Clerk’s Office Copy Fee Schedule. Moved: Newton • Seconded: Dye • Vote: Carried 3-0 20. Resolution 2026-03 Fee Schedule Adoption Comprehensive Town of Winchester Fee Schedule presented. Current revision sent to Planning Commission for future review. Motion: To approve Resolution 2026-03 Fee Schedule Adoption and forward the resolution and fee schedule to Planning Commission. Moved: Newton • Seconded: Dye • Vote: Carried 3-0 Town of Winchester 7228 CTH W, Winchester, WI 54557 winchesterwi.com | 715-686-2123 Town of Winchester — Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Meeting Date: July 15, 2026 — Page 14 21. Ordinance 2026-05 Alternate Claims Approval Procedure and Electronic Approval of Claims; Amending Ordinance 2020-02 “Finance” Motion: To approve Ordinance 2026-05 and send to Planning Commission. Moved: Newton • Seconded: Dye • Vote: Carried 3-0 22. Business Cards for Town Officials Supervisor Silvis emphasized that new phone numbers should be issued before cards are purchased. 23. Approval of Vouchers Motion: To approve vouchers. Moved: Newton • Seconded: Dye • Vote: Carried 3-0 Adjournment Motion: To adjourn the meeting. Moved: Newton • Seconded: • Vote: Carried Meeting adjourned. Luke Huybrecht, Town Clerk Date Submitted: August 17, 2026