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1 Town of Verona Town Board Meeting Minutes Tuesday, March 3, 2026 – 6:30 pm Town Board Members Present: Chair Mark Geller, Tom Mathies, Dave Lonsdorf, Deb Paul and Mike Duerst Staff Present: Administrator/Planner Sarah Gaskell, Clerk/Treasurer Teresa Withee, Public Works Director Chris Barnes and Road Patrol Supervisor Mark Judd Others Present: Doug Maxwell, Lori Lukens 1. Call to Order/Approval of the Agenda – Chair Geller called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm. Geller request we move 9.a. and 9.b after public hearing. Motion by Geller to approve the agenda, second by Duerst. Motion carried by voice vote. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Public Comment – none 4. Approval of minutes from February 3, 2026. Motion by Duerst to approve the minutes from February 3, 2026, second by Mathies. Motion carried by voice vote. 5. Public Hearing – for the purpose of receiving comments on proposed updates to the Town of Verona Comprehensive Plan A. Geller opened the public hearing at 6:35 pm. Robert Blasdal, 7607 Riverside Rd, regarding the Riverside Road application, would prefer no residential housing in this area. Encourage the town to restrict development in this area and he wonders where the protection for valuable farmland is. The Post farm is the last dairy farm in the area Shari Blasdal, 7607 Riverside Rd, against the development of the 76 acres. There will be increased traffic, and it will decrease their property value. Once agricultural land is gone it will be gone forever. Kurt Wedig, Riverside Acres, 116 Valley View Rd, Mt Horeb. Post family had the opportunity to purchase this land. Topsoil in this area is only 6 – 12 inches of soil. Will continue to farm this land until it is developed. He plans on residing in this development. He would like the board and plan commission to consider his 2 – 4 acres Future Land Use Category request. B. Geller closed the public hearing at 6:52 pm. 6. Town Wide Reevaluation Update – Nick Laird, Associated Appraisal, updated the board on the reevaluation process. Last reevaluation was in 2019 when only new construction was updated. The town is out of compliance as total assessment value has fallen 10% or more from equalized value. In last 3 years there has been a 50% change. The reevaluation will bring the town in compliance with the equalized value. Taxes on average do not change due to the reevaluation. 2 The revaluation will be an exterior evaluation of each parcel, new photos of the homes and buildings to update property record cards. Postcards will be sent out prior to the reevaluation, near the end of May. Homeowners will have the opportunity to discuss their appraisals at Pen Book or with a phone call prior. Revaluations should be performed every 5 years but sometimes property values increase more frequently. In 2022 the town was at 95%, 2025 the town is at 65% this is due to the sales in the town. Open book is scheduled for September 15, 2026, 12pm – 6pm and Board of Review will be held October 22, 2026, 6pm – 8pm. If the revaluation is able to be completed sooner, the dates for Open Book and Board of Review can be moved to dates earlier in the year. Notices will be sent on August 4th. 7. Discussion and Possible Action: Claim of Excessive Assessment for 6343 Nesbitt Road. Gaskell updated the board. Nick Laird stated property owner purchased building over the assessed value, owner is contesting the equalized value over the purchase price of the value. The level of assessment is at 65% and is heavily driven by the residential properties not commercial. Equalized value does not constitute an excessive value. Motion by Mathies to approve sending a letter to disallow the claim, second by Lonsdorf. Motion carried by voice vote. 8. Committee Reports A. Plan Commission – Geller stated the next meeting will be on April 18th, 2026 B. Public Works i. Discussion and Possible Action: Contract award to the low bidder, Payne and Dolan, Inc., for paving and chip sealing of various roads as listed in the 2026 CIP, in the amount of $241,986.39. Duerst updated the board. Motion by Duerst to approve the contract award to the low bidder, Payne and Dolan, Inc., for paving and chip sealing of various roads as listed in the 2026 CIP, in the amount of $241,986.39 by Mathies. Mathies asked if there were any additional roads due to the lower bid. Duerst stated that there have been additional road repairs added. Motion carried by voice vote. ii. Discussion and Possible Action: Authorize the purchase of new regulatory and warning signs from Decker Supply Co. Inc. for the approximate amount of $3,000.00. Motion by Duerst to approve the purchase of new regulatory and warning signs from Decker Supply Co. Inc. for the approximate amount of $3,000.00, second by Mathies. Motion carried by voice vote. iii. Discussion and Possible Action: Authorize the Public Works Committee and staff to participate with the Dane County Emergency Management Department on the 2027 National Hazard Mitigation Plan Preparation. Motion by Duerst to approve the Public Works Committee and staff to participate with the Dane County Emergency Management Department on the 2027 National Hazard Mitigation Plan Preparation, second by Geller. Motion carried by voice vote. iv. Discussion and Possible Action: Sunset Drive Load Posting. Motion by Duerst to approve the Sunset Drive Load Posting, second by Mathies. Barnes update the board regarding the inspections of culverts, and the town will be applying to replace this structure. Motion carried by voice vote. 3 C. Finance Committee – no meeting D. Natural and Recreational Areas – Lonsdorf stated the committee discussed the Prairie signs. E. EMS Commission – Lonsdorf was elected Chair of the committee. F. Senior Services Committee – no meeting G. Town Chair’s Business – Geller stated he gave a presentation to Verona Chamber. H. Supervisor Announcements – Duerst stated that Payne and Dolan are removing sand and gravel at the pit on CTH 69. 9. Staff Reports A. Administrator/Planner Report was included in the packet. Gaskell stated auditors were on site yesterday and today and should have rough numbers for our annual meeting on April 21st. B. Public Works Director Report was included in the packet. C. Clerk/Treasurer Report was included in the packet. 10. Old Business 11. New Business A. Moved - Discussion: 2026 Town-wide Revaluation Update B. Moved - Discussion and Possible Action: Claim of Excessive Assessment for 6343 Nesbitt Road. C. Discussion and Possible Action: Resolution 2026-01 Supporting a Comprehensive and Sustainable Transportation Funding Solution. Motion by Mathies to approve Resolution 2026-01 Supporting a Comprehensive and Sustainable Transportation Funding Solution, second by Duerst. Motion carried by voice vote. D. Discussion: Check Register Review 12. Motion by Mathies to adjourn, second by Paul, meeting adjourned without objection at 7:47 pm. Prepared by: Teresa Withee, Town Clerk Approved: April 8, 2026