Minutes_20260511

Town of Winchester 7228 CTH W, Winchester, WI 54557 winchesterwi.com | 715-686-2123 Town of Winchester — Regular Board Meeting Minutes — May 11, 2026 — Page 1 | DRAFT — Pending Approval at June 8, 2026 Meeting REGULAR TOWN BOARD MEETING MINUTES May 11, 2026 • 6:00 PM • Winchester Town Hall Members Present Joe Discianno (Chair), Nicholas Newton (Supervisor), Robert Silvis (Supervisor), John Grimmer (Treasurer), Luke Huybrecht (Clerk) Members Absent None 1. Call to Order & Pledge of Allegiance Chair Discianno called the meeting to order at 6:00PM. Recited the Pledge of Allegiance. A quorum was present. 2. Appointment of Town Clerk Motion: To appoint Luke Huybrecht as Town Clerk to replace Erin Newton, effective May 11, 2026. Moved: Discianno • Seconded: Newton • Vote: Carried 3-0 3. Approval of Agenda Motion: To approve the agenda as presented. Moved: Newton • Seconded: Silvis • Vote: Carried 3-0 4. Approval of Meeting Minutes Motion: To approve the April 13, 2026 and April 22, 2026 meeting minutes. Moved: Discianno • Seconded: Silvis • Vote: Carried 3-0 5. Treasurer's Report Treasurer Grimmer presented the Treasurer’s Report. Inbound was lower than expected due to a misread incoming Gaming Credit. Incoming personal property tax from DOR noted. Motion: To approve the Treasurer’s Report as presented. Moved: Discianno • Seconded: Newton • Vote: Carried 3-0 6. Clerk’s Report Town of Winchester 7228 CTH W, Winchester, WI 54557 winchesterwi.com | 715-686-2123 Town of Winchester — Regular Board Meeting Minutes — May 11, 2026 — Page 2 | DRAFT — Pending Approval at June 8, 2026 Meeting • Transition underway. Transfer of records and receipt from prior Clerk scheduled for May 12; DOR, County Clerk & Treasurer, WEC, CESA 8, and WI DOA MBR team to be notified the morning of May 12. • One operator’s license issued May 11 by Erin Newton due to staffing change at WinMan. Training, application, and fee on file. • Alcohol license renewals issued; due May 22. Records being enhanced with Form AB-101 for agent appointments for each business. 7. Chairman & Supervisors’ Reports Chair Discianno: • Possible brush day next Friday — chipping/burn if needed; future brush days to be announced • Gravel supply needs replenishing • Road sweeping/brushing happening this spring into summer • Docks installed in time for fishing opener • Park opening later this week or early next week — septic needs pump, water on, bathroom cleaned, picnic tables set up, padding around basketball hoop edges; cleaning service to begin servicing park bathrooms • ATV signage received; crew will be installing • Turtle crossing signs donated to town and posted • Minocqua Pest Control serviced and baited Town Hall • No dogs in Town Hall meeting room, especially with new floors • Xcel power project underway, expected through summer • Weight restrictions off as of May 8, 2026; reminder that limits in effect at latest March 15 annually, nearly every year through second week of May • Driveway permit received, under review • Chair Discianno announced resignation as Town Chair effective May 31, 2026 IT Updates: • Garage, park, and transfer site Starlink Wi-Fi installed • Working on porting two remaining town numbers and closing accounts with Brightspeed • Ordering physical phones for shop and transfer station (previously approved, never ordered) Supervisor Silvis: • WinMan — starting to take reservations for Base Camp; trails open within two weeks, pre-Memorial Day weekend • WTA meeting attended • FD — no meeting tomorrow night; fire truck issues resolved; ambulance issues resolved within a few weeks; metal cutter obtained • Scholl Center — one of eleven statewide sites hosting all-terrain wheelchair on tracks for reservation, free of charge with refundable deposit, trailerable with included trailer • Transfer station bins filling up and being utilized — CANNOT accept batteries due to hazard management requirements; may be revisited District Representative: • Nutrition site going well, good attendance, Wednesday/Thursday only currently Town of Winchester 7228 CTH W, Winchester, WI 54557 winchesterwi.com | 715-686-2123 Town of Winchester — Regular Board Meeting Minutes — May 11, 2026 — Page 3 | DRAFT — Pending Approval at June 8, 2026 Meeting • In contact with Zoning and Public Health for cleanup site 8. Correspondence • Noise complaint — addressed; related to WinMan spring cleanup; WinMan will be mindful moving forward • Cleanup complaint — originated as post on S. Turtle Facebook page; not initially responded to; formal email response issued 9. Public Comment • Boat parade — July 4, first Saturday in July. Discussion about decorations for U.S. 250th anniversary; Chair has handled light pole decorations at holidays, unsure about 4th. • Property on Old W — question about fire sign being pushed over and bent stake; town crew will visit and correct as part of annual sign straightening project. • Question about appointment process for replacing Chair Discianno — clarified role is filled by appointment, not election on typical cycles. • Question about operator’s licenses and poll worker eligibility — Clerk will provide operator’s license application and a more detailed answer after further WEC registration and connecting with Erin Newton. • Picnic in the Park — discussion held. 10. Old Business Road/Lane Name Changes: • No updates. Turtle Lake Dam Inspection: • No current action. Will revisit at meetings until July. Meeting Room Improvements: • Floor improvements begin May 16 — Country Charm. • Hub for HDMI, Ethernet, 110V, etc. — Supervisor Newton will send examples of previous projects. Short-Term Rentals / Room Tax: • Estimated 15–17 properties dodging room tax. • Some hosts are Bear County Rentals. • Treasurer Grimmer will take list, verify if any are at county and not town permit, and pursue remaining taxes. • Grimmer will transcribe Chair’s notes and send to Robert Koch at Vilas Planning and Zoning for noncompliant residences. Paving Projects: • W. Birch Lake Rd — hot mix paving project; applied for grants 3 years, handling half in 2026 and half in 2027. $240,000/mile hot mix quote; 2026 town budget approximately $300K. • Kling Rd, Rainbow Rd — chip seal project proposed. • Darren at Delmore Consulting puts together specs, quotes, and grant writing. • Sharing town services — optimization of snow plowing shared between towns being considered. Town of Winchester 7228 CTH W, Winchester, WI 54557 winchesterwi.com | 715-686-2123 Town of Winchester — Regular Board Meeting Minutes — May 11, 2026 — Page 4 | DRAFT — Pending Approval at June 8, 2026 Meeting Crack Seal Projects: • Delmore Consulting’s recommended partner charges by the foot. Projects: Old W from Harris Lake to W, Old O from Park to Yolanda, Rock Lake Rd. Approximately $25K crack sealing budget. Front End Loader Tires: • Town crew requesting new tires for better winter traction. Old tires approximately $500 each; new tires $2,818 each; four replacements total $11,472; net cost $9,472 after sale of old tires. • Recommendation: replace tires vs. adjust scraper blade this year; revisit blade next year. Motion: To approve replacement of four front end loader tires at total cost of $11,472 and authorize sale of old tires at $500 each ($2,000 total). Moved: Discianno • Seconded: Newton • Vote: Carried 3-0 11. New Business Associated Bank Account Signers: • Remove: Erin Newton. • Authorized signers going forward for both checking and money market accounts: John Grimmer, Geri Sell, Joe Discianno, Nicholas Newton, Robert Silvis, Lucas Huybrecht, Adeline Huybrecht. Motion: To update authorized signers on Associated Bank checking and money market accounts as stated above and remove Erin Newton. Moved: Discianno • Seconded: Newton • Vote: Carried 3-0 Resolution 2026-01 — Designating Official Public Notice Posting Locations: Motion: To adopt Resolution 2026-01, designating official public notice posting locations, subject to header update when website domain changes. Moved: Newton • Seconded: Discianno • Vote: Carried 3-0 Ordinance 2026-02 — Records Custodian Designation: Motion: To adopt Ordinance 2026-02, designating the Town Clerk as legal custodian of public records, subject to header update when website domain changes. Moved: Newton • Seconded: Silvis • Vote: Carried 3-0 Ordinance 2026-03 — Public Records Request Procedure: Motion: To adopt Ordinance 2026-03, establishing the public records request procedure, subject to header update when website domain changes. Moved: Newton • Seconded: Discianno • Vote: Carried 3-0 Facility Use Policy — Fee Schedule: Motion: To table the Facility Use Policy fee schedule. Local clubs, civic, governmental, nonprofit, and religious organizations are no fee; all groups will pay deposit. Revised draft to be presented at next meeting. Moved: Newton • Seconded: Silvis • Vote: Carried 3-0 Intergovernmental Agreement: Town of Winchester 7228 CTH W, Winchester, WI 54557 winchesterwi.com | 715-686-2123 Town of Winchester — Regular Board Meeting Minutes — May 11, 2026 — Page 5 | DRAFT — Pending Approval at June 8, 2026 Meeting • Town supervisors will sit with Greg Harold to address his 12 comments about the original agreement and discuss whether changes need to be made. Chair Discianno is waiting on Harold’s availability. 12. Future Agenda Items • Board of Review — scheduled for June 8 or sooner. Supervisors Newton and Silvis are trained in BOR procedures; Chair Discianno available as substitute if needed. • Driveway ordinance — tabled, to be finalized at next meeting. • Chair replacement — process to begin following Chair Discianno’s resignation effective May 31, 2026. 13. Approval of Vouchers Motion: To approve vouchers from Check #EFT4126STAR dated April 1, 2026 through Check #EFT43026SL dated April 30, 2026 to Xcel Energy. Moved: Discianno • Seconded: Newton • Vote: Carried 3-0 14. Adjournment Motion to adjourn. Carried unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 8:08PM. Luke Huybrecht, Town Clerk Date Submitted: June 8, 2026