Minutes

Town of Rock Elm Elmwood, Pierce County, Wisconsin MINUTES Town Board Meeting – Tuesday, June 10, 2025 Meeting called to order at 8:00 p.m. by Chairman Tim Bates. Others present: Matt Holcomb, Supervisor; Chris Thibado, Supervisor; Dave Bechel, Patrolman; Pam Reitz, Treasurer; Dawn Churchill, Clerk; and 8 residents, 5 non-residents. Motion to approve the agenda was made by Matt Holcomb, second by Chris Thibado, motion carried. Minutes from previous meetings Minutes from the May 13, 2025, meeting were read. Motion to approve by Matt Holcomb, second by Chris Thibado, motion carried. Financial Report Dawn Churchill presented the financial report. Bills totaled $31,456.86, with no anticipated income. She requested to have autopay set up for the reoccurring Xcel and 24-7 Telecom bills, as they are due before the board meeting is held and they are always overdue. The Maintenance of Effort Report and ARPA Report have been submitted. An email was received from Geek Squad for payment, but we do not use this service; this will be looked into. Motion to approve report and to set up autopay for Xcel and 24-7 Telecom by Matt Holcomb, second by Chris Thibado, motion carried. LP gas contract Tim presented information that Alcivia (Co-Op) price is $1.349 for 1600 gallons, the same as last year. Motion to contract with Alcivia for 1600 gallons made by Chris Thibado, second by Matt Holcomb, motion carried. Signage requirements on Highway 72 Tim had a conversation with the zoning office at Pierce County about this; the conditional use permit issued for this business indicates that signage cannot be off premises, but could be on private property and needs to follow size requirements. Discuss/schedule next CAFO meeting There will be a meeting between the Board and the CAFO Committee on July 7, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. at the Rock Elm Shop. This will be to review written public comments received. A public meeting may possibly be scheduled after that. Discuss liquor licenses and operator licenses Three applications were received; Exile Bar, Waverly Full Throttle Saloon, and Elmwood Rod & Gun. Exile Bar also has a tobacco license. Motion made by Matt Holcomb to approve these licenses once the checks clear the bank, second by Chris Thibado, motion carried. Highway Report Presented by Dave Bechel, Patrolman. • On May 14th, Dave went to the Universal Truck & Equipment show in Galesville. He might be a little bias, but our truck would have been one of the nicest there. • On May 20th, Tim and Dave looked at a few road projects and traveled to Ellsworth to the zoning office on a few building permit issues. • On May 27th, Pierce County Highway started hauling fill to 570th Ave. off CC, fixing steep embankments and ditches. • On May 30th, rock was added to 570th Ave. due to wet conditions and truck traffic. Tim indicated he wanted to honor the agreement with George Callow to purchase fill dirt on his property, even though there has been fill dirt reclaimed from other road projects, as there will be a need for it. Tim has received one driveway permit. Motion to approve by Matt Holcomb, second by Chris Thibado, motion carried. Public input o After someone reviewed the April minutes, they wanted to suggest some clarification on a few points. ▪ They feel that it is not a 50/50 split on public support of the CAFO ordinance. ▪ They feel that a threat of a lawsuit is just that, a threat. ▪ If a board member is against the ordinance, why? o Someone wondered if Loberg can assist the CAFO committee. Discussion was had and questioned how much we want to spend on their services. o Is the Towns Association a resource with the CAFO issues since we pay dues? Board member indicated that the Towns Association has been approached and they have not had much dealing with this issue. o Can Loberg look at the Larson case as precedence setting? This will be asked. o Resident wondered if the town’s Comp Plan was looked at when developing the ordinance and a CAFO committee member indicated, yes, it was integrated. o A CAFO committee member asked that an unsigned written comment be rescinded. o There was a handout regarding Ridge Breeze Dairy. o People can go to Protectyourtown.org for good information. o It was suggested to explore other legal entities for opinions on the CAFO ordinance. o People may have the view that GROW is anti-farmer, but they are not. Closed session for Employee review per State Statute 19.85(1)(c) Motion made to enter closed session by Chris Thibado, second by Matt Holcomb, motion carried. Board went into closed session at 9:14 p.m. Return to open session Motion made to return to open by Chris Thibado, second by Matt Holcomb, motion carried. Board returned to open session at 9:55 p.m. After discussion, it was decided to table the employee review until the July 8th meeting. Correspondence Reviewed Next meeting The next board meeting will be July 8th at 8:00 p.m. Motion to adjourn made by Matt Holcomb, second by Chris Thibado, motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 10:03 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Dawn Churchill, Clerk approved 07/08/25