Minutes 11-10-2025

Minutes Town of Vermont Board Meeting November 10, 2025 Vermont Town Hall 4017 County Rd JJ, Black Earth WI 53515 7:00 P.M. To Join the meeting by phone: +1 347-896-0991 PIN: 481 262 925# In attendance: Alex McKenzie Kirk Lynch Polly Kawalek Doug Meier 1. Call to Order & Certification of notice posting Kirk called the meeting to order at 7:10. Katie certified that the meeting had been posted according to the statutes and emailed to subscribers. 2. Approval of agenda Doug made a motion to approve the agenda. Motion carried 4-0 3. Approval of October minutes Doug made a motion to approve the October meeting minutes. Motion was carried 4-0 4. Citizens’ Input Mark asked some questions about elections and also had some other comments. 5. Treasurer’s report The LRIP funds arrived this month. 6. Clerk’s report Bills of note included costs associated with the land purchase and the final payment for engineering for the Bohn Road project. 7. Payment of bills Doug made a motion to pay the bills. Motion carried 4-0 8. Patrolman Report, Mt. Horeb Fire Department, Black Earth Fire District and District 1 EMS Reports Jack did lots of ditch work and tree cleanup including removal of a large dead oak on Forshaug Rd. The IH is ready for snow, and the Ford will be ready on Wednesday. 9. Update on LRIP application Doug provided an update on the LRIP application. 10. Consideration and possible decision on the installation of directional signage at the intersection where Bohn Road ends at County Hwy JG A town resident made a request for signage placed at the intersection, as people frequently get lost in the area and end up in people’s driveways. Doug mentioned that the current signage is on county property so we may want to reach out to the county to see if they will add signage directing toward 151. Katie will reach out to the county and to the resident who made the request. 11. Discussion and possible approval of rezone of parcel for Mark Brody, about new requested turn around. Discussion will include review of project costs and process for construction A resident emailed the following questions: Would Kelliher Road past the proposed new turnaround become a private driveway (so the town would no longer plow or maintain)? Mark responded that it would be. 2. What benefits to town residents come by replacing the existing turnaround on a dead end road at this time? Mark responded to this question by saying that the turnaround can be larger and safety will be increased. Mark Brody says he would be bearing the majority of the costs for the project. Kirk said that his suggestion is that the current state of the turnaround is good enough and that is why he doesn't see any benefit to the town. Kirk stated that he did not feel the town should bear any of the cost, but that he did expect that the turnaround, to be approved, would have to meet the town specifications for engineering standards. Kirk made a motion to approve the rezone of approximately .25 acres as shown on the map from FP35 to RR4. Motion was seconded, discussion included the caveat that this approval did not reflect approval of the turnaround plan without looking at the engineering, costs, etc. The turnaround would remain gravel until the next time Kelliher is chip sealed. Jack mentioned that when we abandoned 9 or so roads the town pursued that abandonment, so the town did cover those expenses. Jack clarified that that situation was different from this one. Jack also said we would need to not wait on sealing the surface, the gravel would need to be sealed the same year the turnaround was created. Otherwise, it will create an issue with plowing. Motion carried 4-0. 12. Consideration and possible approval of 2025 Town of Vermont budget Doug made a motion to approve the 2026 Town of Vermont Budget as approved by the town. Motion carried 4-0 13. Consideration and possible approval of property tax letter to go in Dec. tax bills Polly said she thought the letter was very good. Heather will update the chart once we have the final numbers. Heather will also include a section about the fire department breakout not being included. Kirk made a motion to approve the proposed letter. Motion carried 4-0. 14. Agenda items for December Approval of the poll workers for the 2026-2027 elections 15. Adjournment Doug made a motion to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 8:30. The Town Board’s agenda includes a period for public comments. That period, which is not mandated by state law, is offered to permit orderly and civil discussion of Town public business and matters. During the remainder of the Town Board meeting, persons other than Board members and Town officers are permitted to speak only if recognized by the Chair. Public comment may address any matter pertaining to Town, but must not be repetitive, involve personal attacks, profanity, or disruptive comments. The Chair may rule any person out of order and terminate their comment period. By adhering to these principles, we aim to ensure productive and fair discussions while respecting the rights of all to be heard. We appreciate active engagement and encourage participation in the governance of our wonderful Town of Vermont.