minutes_04-15-25_annual_A

April 15, 2025 Annual Meeting Minutes Town of Washington/Vilas County Page 1 Town of Washington Vilas County, Wisconsin Minutes Annual Town Meeting Tuesday, April 15, 2025, 5:00 pm, at the Washington Town Hall Located at 2301 Town Hall Rd Visit the town website for more information town-of-washington.org Board Members Present: Jim Egan Town Chairman Art Granat Town Supervisor Carole Linn Town Supervisor Tiffany Bolte Town Treasurer Nancy Sobralski Town Clerk There were 20 other people in attendance Meeting Minutes: 1 Call to Order Meeting called to order at 5:00 pm 2 Pledge of Allegiance Recited by all 3 Certify Qualified Electors Egan reviewed protocol for who can vote at the annual meeting. Egan requested electors to raise their hand to be called on and state their name for proper recording of the meeting minutes. Motion by Steve Burrill to hand vote - check spelling of last name Seconded – Pat Weber All voting aye – Approved 4 Approval of the Agenda Motion – Pat Weber Seconded – Holly Tomlanovich All voting aye – Approved 5 Review and Approval of Minutes from November 28, 2023, November 26, 2024 and April 16, 2024 Motion Holly Tomlanovich to approve all meeting minutes as presented by Town Clerk Seconded – Steve Burrill All voting aye - Approved 6 Fire Truck Obligation – One Time Increase to Tax Levy in 2026 A resolution will be presented to the board in October 2025 to increase the tax levy for the fire truck purchase. The original amount was estimated at $213,480.00, however, due to additional funding sources, our obligation has been reduced to $201,267.00; due January 2026. The approved resolution and anticipated approval by town residents will occur at the November 2025 Special Elector meeting. This information is posted on the town website and in the town electronic newsletter. 7 Treasurer’s Annual Report The Treasurer’s report was read aloud by Treasurer Bolte. Motion to approve Treasurer’s Report – Steve Linn Seconded – Pat Weber All voting aye – Approved April 15, 2025 Annual Meeting Minutes Town of Washington/Vilas County Page 2 8 Clerk’s Annual Report The Clerk’s report was read aloud, by general topic, by Clerk Sobralski. Sobralski advised the beginning and ending balances correlated to the Treasurer’s Report which verifies the Town of Washington expenses and revenues have been balanced for calendar year 2024. Motion to approve Clerk’s Report – Larry Springer Seconded – Pat Weber All voting aye - Approved 9 Cranberry Island Holly Tomlanovich advises that Pat George has agreed to perform a perk test on Cranberry Island. Perk testing is weather dependent and upon completion, if a suitable location is identified, outdoor facility plans will move forward. 10 Committee Updates . Walter Olson Memorial Library – JoAnn Gelling JoAnn Gelling advises 50% of town residents utilize the library. Over the last year, there have been many activities held at the library as well as fundraising to cover library expenses. The library received two technology grants in 2025 and is looking forward to providing additional services to the patrons. Eagle River Union Airport – Rob Hom Rob Hom reports high traffic and fuel sales in 2024. A new hanger was completed in 2024 and plans for additional buildings are on hold at the current time due to high building costs. Projects for 2025 include replacement of the weather reporting station and gate replacements (out for bid). Joint Municipal Fire Department – Michael Anderson Michael Anderson updated the town regarding several new initiatives. The Fire Department started a paid-on call program for available firefighters and participation is higher than anticipated. Nova Clinic, in partnership with the fire department, is providing physicals to fire fighters at no cost. National Night-Out will be held on August 5 and the fire department will demonstrate a motor vehicle extraction. The fire department continues to provide and support short-term rental inspections in the Town of Washington. Eagle River Room Tax Commission – Sue Saxhaug Sue Saxhaug reports The Town of Washington, Town of Lincoln and the City of Eagle River participate in the Eagle River Room Tax Commission. The Town of Washington accounts for 55% of the revenue of the Commission, which is generated from sales tax on short-term rentals. Towns are responsible for collecting the room tax and retain 10% of the revenue. The remaining revenue is utilized for the promotion of tourism by the Chamber of Commerce. The commission and involved municipalities continue to discuss options for increasing the 10% retention. Saxhaug also noted that in 2024 the Chamber of Commerce grant program and awarded grant funding to Praise in the Pines, Town of Lincoln for bike trails, Landover ATV Club, and the Farmer’s Market. Animal Control – Melissa McDonald No report available Adopt A Road – Jill Faulkner Jill Faulker provided updates for the Adopt A Road program. There have been several inquiries over the winter months. If town residents are interested in adopting a road, please see the town website for additional information. Unified Lower Eagle River Chain of Lakes – Carole Linn Linn reports ULERCL is a commission formed for purpose of managing milfoil on the Eagle River Chain of Lakes. The current grant award of $150,000 will span the next 3 years and the total project cost is $230,700. Costs above the grant award are funded by ERCLA and local municipalities. The commission started 18 years ago and began managing 300 acres of invasive milfoil and utilized herbicide treatment in the first 5 years. Over the last 9 years, the commission has been able to manage milfoil via hand- harvesting and in 2025, will target hand-harvesting Catfish, V oyageur, and Yellow Birch Lakes. Linn encourages everyone to visit the Eagle River Chain Commission website for more information: eagleriverchaincommission.org. April 15, 2025 Annual Meeting Minutes Town of Washington/Vilas County Page 3 Community Wildfire Protection Plan – Carole Linn Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is funded by grants. The Town of Washington has been awarded $101,270 since the plan began in 2017. There has been no cost to the Town. In 2025, the program includes home ignition zone assessments (voluntary and educational) on Bass Lake and roadside chipping on Carpenter and Bass Lakes. 11 Any matter which can be legally acted on at the Annual Meeting General discussions on town activities including Lake Forest development, ATV/UTV utilization, and Deerskin River project. 12 Date and Time of 2026 Annual Meeting Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 5:00 pm Motion – Steve Linn Seconded – Pat Weber All voting aye - Approved 14 Adjournment Motion – Holly Tomlanovich Seconded - Pat Weber All voting aye – Approved Meeting adjourned at 6:30 pm Nancy Sobralski – Town Clerk Date of Approval - 04/21/2026