Town Board Meeting — Minutes

Town of Oregon Town Board Meeting Minutes Tuesday, January 13, 2026 1. Call Town Board Meeting to order Town Board Chair Carl Walser called the meeting to order at 6:00pm on Tuesday, January 16, 2026. 2. Roll Call Clerk Hanson called roll. Present: Carl Walser, Laurie Fitzgerald , Tim LeBrun (via Zoom) and Steve Jernegan. Excused Absence: Arlan Kay. Also Present: Clerk Jennifer Hanson. 3. Approval of minutes Walser approved by unanimous consent the Town Board minutes from Tuesday, December 9, 2025. 4. Approval of Financial Report, Loan Update and Payment Vouchers Walser approved by unanimous consent the December 2025 financial report, loan update and payment vouchers of $3,554,700.93. 5. Public Comments There were no public comments. 6. Park Report Park Chair Dave Frankson appeared with parks committee members Eugene Lewis and Diane Packett. a. Summary of 2025 Activities In the town board packet is a summary of the 2025 park activities by individual parks. The town board approved the new Parks and Open Space 5-year plan in February 2025. Frankson said most of everything in the five-year plan was completed. The shelter at Town Park has been delayed due to the early snowfall. The new playground equipment was installed at Kennedy Park. The Oregon Observer featured several of the projects completed by the parks committee. b. Impact on Parks and Open Space Plan (POSP)5-year Plan Frankson question becomes what’s next now that most of the items in the five-year plan have been completed. Frankson talked with Bridgit Van Belleghem, Dane County Senior Planner in the Department of Planning and Development to discuss two potential options. The first is the parks committee drafting an informative memo to the Dane County and Town board. The second is to include any necessary significant improvements not currently listed on the Parks and Open Space Plan then submit an addendum which would follow the same approval process as the current plan. c. Future Actions regarding POSP Walser suggested the park committee create a 5-year plan like the Road & Traffic Safety Committee that balances projects with one big financial year and the following year a minor year for mostly maintenance work. Frankson said 2026 will be much quieter than 2025. There is a request from citizens for paths in Kennedy Parks but that would require significant future expenditures and planning. The Town of Rutland has not yet informed the town of contribution toward Kennedy Park playground equipment as it services residents in both townships. Park Chair Frankson expressed appreciation for all the members on the parks committee and town crew, Ryan and Abel. d. Update Zoning Violation Letter 4804 Kennedy Park Rd The town board agreed to let Dane County Zoning continue to monitor the property adjacent to Town Board Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 - Page 2 Kennedy Park. There was an auction held in fall. e. Update Deed Notice for Lake Harriet Cemetery and B-Centennial Park Clerk Hanson followed up with Attorney Morgan’s secretary regarding the status of the deed documents for Lake Harriet Cemetery and Bi-Centennial Park. The original unrecorded Warranty Deed from 1978 documenting the land swap at Bi-Centennial Park from Reynolds to the town was found. Clerk Hanson gave the original documents to Attorney Morgan when the town was approached about buying the property. Attorney Morgan was also waiting for clarification from the Dane County Register of Deeds on how to file the town’s resolution to accept ownership of Lake Harriet Cemetery. Still waiting to hear back. Park Chair Frankson said the new owner of the former Reynold’s property believes he owns the property. Clerk Hanson believes that property owner will attend the March town board meeting to discuss. 7. Fire & EMS Report (Oregon, Brooklyn, & Belleville) Belleville: Walser said Belleville is having a meeting on January 26 to update on the New Glarus project. Oregon: LeBrun reported they are continuing to discuss expanding, updating and moving of the fire station in Oregon. The new station has been put off until early to mid-2030s; somewhere between 2032-2034. There is discussion of building an annex building in the vicinity of current fire station and talking with property owners. The current bays are substandard and working with an architect to restructure the bays to address safety concerns. The architect is also looking at having a dedicated contamination space. The next meeting is February 9. Brooklyn: Jernegan reported the Brooklyn boiler system repair is being repaired. The old ambulance is being bought by Dane County. They are looking for another tender. 8. Town of Oregon Refuse (TORC) Report a. 2026 Holiday Hours – Closed Saturday, July 4, 2026, but open Wednesday, July 8, 2026, 2-6pm Fitzgerald said the TORC will be closed for Saturday, July 4th holiday in 2026 but open the following Wednesday from 2:00pm to 6:00pm. b. Consideration of Wednesday hours in 2026 Fitzgerald said many residents have expressed interest in having the TORC open on Wednesdays. There was discussion about confusion with TORC hours incorrect on google but correct on town website. The attendants will continue to track resident usage and consider changes in hours based on staffing availability. c. Hiring new TORC attendant Sheldon said the two attendants can cover the current hours and will let the office know when to post an advertisement for a replacement attendant. Working on updating the TORC job description. 9. Plan Commission Recommendation and Report a. Update of Comprehensive Plan Bridgit Van Belleghem, Dane County Senior Planner in the Department of Planning and Development, attended the plan commission to discuss the amendments to the town’s comprehensive plan. Final edits are being made. b. Discussion of inclusion of map of the redevelopment lots Clerk Hanson asked if the town board wanted the plan commission to look at including the map of the redevelopment lots that are referenced on Chapter 8, page 4 III. Opportunities for Redevelopment. The redevelopment lots are mostly outside of the town’s platted subdivisions and may not be easily identified on the future land use map. The town board agreed to have Town Board Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 - Page 3 the plan commission review including mapping for clarity. c. Update regarding 1396 S. Fish Hatchery Road attending May 19th pc meeting Clerk Hanson presented a letter regarding the condition of property at 1396 S. Fish Hatchery Road. The landowner can attend the May 2026 Plan Commission Meeting to discuss plans for the property. The property is owned by several siblings that are in the process of separating between families. 10. Road & Traffic Safety Committee Report a. Update Payne & Dolan Overage Raven Oaks Walser postponed discussion to the next town board meeting when Supervisor Kay would return. There was additional discussion on overage and individual preference on how to move forward. b. Update Windridge Road extension Clerk Hanson reported she was contacted by the bank regarding Jensen’s Letter of Credit for Windridge Road. The Road & Traffic Safety Committee said the shouldering has not yet been completed and mentioned offering town staff complete shouldering. There was town board member concern with town staff doing the shouldering for this project. Clerk Hanson left a message with the bank to extend Letter of Credit due to non-completion of the road shouldering. c. Discussion and possible action re: purchase of movable sign board Fitzgerald said the town board did not budget for the movable sign board in 2026. There was consideration of renting a board or cost of purchasing a board. d. Discussion and possible action re: revision of contract language used for road projects Fitzgerald said the Road & Traffic Safety Committee created these documents to help record every step and keep open communication. The board needs to review the documents. Clerk Hanson said the current bid documents ask for the winning bidder to provide the contract. The Road & Safety Committee needs to review the town’s bidding documents to match the contract language documents. 11. Vision Statement Report Walser said the final report is almost complete but awaiting feedback. He is then thinking of moving onto discussing quick wins during monthly board meetings. 12. Building Committee Report a. Update Office Furniture The office furniture for the public works office was purchased from the same place as the clerk’s office, which is used and repurposed. 13. Building Inspections Report There were 12 building permits for December 2025. 14. Discussion and possible Action re: employee handbook, create town administrator and land use coordinator positions 60.37(3), job descriptions Discussion was postponed until next month. 15. Board Communication and Future Agenda Item(s) Walser discussed the following future possible board discussions: Town Board Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 - Page 4 • Adjusting salaries of board supervisors from 4,000 to 5,000 and the town board chair salary from 8,000 to 6,000 • Create numbered board seats for supervisors-currently two supervisors run each year and appear on the same line with instructions to “Pick Two.” The change would allow each supervisor to run on separate lines with instructions to “Pick One.” This is less confusing for voters. The candidate would need to specify what seat they are seeking and allow candidate to choose who to run against. • Concerns about AI data centers and solar farms • Discuss update to the town’s parking ordinance that doesn’t allow street parking • Impractical Road Width for town homes close to the road – possibly the Road & Traffic Safety Committee review • Proclamation that says “We welcome all people whether you live here or work here or visit here you are welcome here” a. Future Meeting Dates: Tuesday, January 20 Plan Commission Meeting 6:30pm Thursday, January 29 Town Business Office Closed Election Training Tuesday, February 10 Town Board Meeting 6pm Tuesday, February 17 Spring Primary 7am-8pm Tuesday, February 17 Plan Commission Meeting 6:30pm (may need to be rescheduled) Wednesday, February 25 Park Committee Meeting 6pm Tuesday, March 10 Town Board Meeting 6pm Tuesday, March 17 Plan Commission Meeting 6:30pm Wednesday, March 25 Park Committee Meeting 6pm Tuesday, April 7 Spring Election 7am-8pm Tuesday, April 14 Town Board Meeting 6pm Tuesday, April 21 Annual Meeting 6pm Tuesday, April 28 Plan Commission Meeting 6:30pm Wednesday, April 29 Park Committee Meeting 6pm 16. Clerk’s Report Hanson clarified agenda invites can be sent as just awareness notifications. a. Update on Civic Plus Agenda and Meeting Management software Clerk Hanson said she, Carl, Laurie and Stephanie will be meeting to start the process of setting up the new agenda management software system. The current town logo is outdated and looking to see if someone can update the graphic. 17. Adjournment Walser approved by unanimous consent the adjournment of the town board meeting on January 16, 2026, at 8:26pm. Respectfully Submitted, Jennifer Hanson, Clerk