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Price County Highway & Transportation Committee Meeting Minutes Date: September 2, 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Place: Courthouse County Board Room 101; 126 Cherry St; Phillips , WI 54555 Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 9:00 a.m. by Larry Palecek, Committee Chairperson. Roll Call Members: Joe Baratka, Doug Erickson, Larry Palecek, Jordan Spacek, Jeff Ulrich Also Present: Brian Ernst, County Chairperson; Paula Houdek (Remote), County Vice-Chairperson; Nick Trimner, County Administrator Items for Discussion and Possible Action 1. Public Comment: None. Communications: Ulrich presented a summary of a meeting on Highway 70 resurfacing project preliminary plan scheduled for 2029. 2. Minutes from August 5, 2026, Meeting: Motion Ulrich/Spacek to approve the minutes from the August 5, 2026, meeting. Motion carried. 3. Five (5) Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP): Motion Baratka/Spacek to accept and forward the CIP to the pass on to the budget process. Motion carried. a. Highway: The Highway portion of the plan was updated, presented, and is on file. The $3.1 million presented is the standard annual request. b. Equipment: The Equipment portion of the plan was presented and is on file. Discussion on the difference between the Equipment Fund, for plows and trucks; and the Yellow Equipment fund, which covers all other heavy machinery. c. Facilities: The Equipment portion of the plan was updated, presented, and is on file. Discussion on the efficiency and logistics of multiple locations of bunkers used to store materials such as rock. Discussion on “Phase 1 Overhead Doors and Shop Doors” on a facility that was built in 1939. 4. Price County Highway Department Road Construction Projects to be Financed with Short-Term Debt 2027 (Highway & Transportation/Executive): Item for review prior to the budget process. It’s a resolution signed by the Executive Committee, that requires a ¾ vote required at County Board to borrow money for road construction projects. Motion Ulrich/Erickson to approve the Price County Highway Department Road Construction Projects to be Financed with Short-Term Debt 2027. Motion carried. 5. Resolution - Price County Highway Department 2028- 2032 Equipment Improvement Program (Highway & Transportation): Motion Spacek/Ulrich to approve the Price County Highway Department 2028-2032 Equipment Improvement Program and send it to the Price County Supervisors for consideration. Motion carried. 6. Resolution - Price County Highway Department 2028- 2030 Facilities Improvement Program (Highway & Transportation): Motion Erickson/Baratka to approve the Price County Highway Department 2028-2030 Facilities Improvement Program and send it to the Price County Supervisors for consideration. Motion carried. 7. Highway Project Funding 2027 (Highway & Transportation/Executive) 8. Price County Highway Department Policy -- Billing for Requested Assistance: There is potential to apply for the tax refund interception plan through the State. Currently, the County bills landowners and/or their insurance for emergency assistance reimbursement. 9. Highway Mechanic Recruitment: There have been no new applicants in the past month. Discussion held on the local job market in the area, sharing a mechanic with other counties, defining the job description to cover required duties and skills, and technology advancements in training and equipment diagnostics. Looking into offering County-sponsored education and certificate options for mechanics. A survey of neighboring counties’ current hourly mechanic was presented as follows: Ashland pays $27.82 and $26.49; Iron pays $31.50; Lincoln pays $25.66; Oneida has a fabricator position, and their mechanic position makes $3.00 more than operators; Rusk pays $24.00; Sawyer pays from $28.32 to $28.68; Taylor pays from $26.27 to $34.00; Vilas pays a mechanic position from $25.49 to $32.77, and a mechanist position with a diesel mechanics degree for $2 extra. Price County mechanic position starting hourly wages are from $24.35 to $28-32, with a bump in pay from November through April because anything outside a 10-hour shift pays extra. 10. WISLR Report : the 2026 Wisconsin Information System for Local Roads (WISLR) Report was presented and is on file. Discussion on the 2025 report compared to the 2026 report. Discussion on forward analtics.net. https://www.forward-analytics.net/the-green-book/ miles, 11. Construction Report for County Highways D and H: Projects are nearing completion for County Highways D and H. Work included shouldering, paving, guardrail on Hwy D, and additional signage. The workload is transitioning to general and winter maintenance. 12. Department Reports: a. Commissioner: The Highway Commissioner reported keeping current with day -to-day operations. The Wisconsin County Highway Association (WCHA) merged some committees. The Utility Committee and Technology Advise Committee merged into the Technology Advise and Engineering Standards Committee. b. Airport: Grass cutting and general maintenance. The assistant is on medical leave. The Board of Aeronautics (BOA) may potentially receive funding in time to break ground on the T Hangars this fall, but it is uncertain at this time. c. Dams: Due to low rainfall, water levels are low, below the draw down rate, and there is no need to draw down the chain of lakes. d. Highway Crew: Maintenance work includes crack filling bridges, boom mow ing, patching on State and County Highways, paving a rut on County Hwy H, patch paving, rut paving, and shouldered County Highways D and H. American Asphalt assisted with patch paving. e. Fleet and Facilities: Routine maintenance and repairs on trucks and equipment. Preparations and maintenance are being done for winter. 13. Vouchers: Motion Spacek/Baratka to approve the Vouchers as presented in the amount of $2,289,600.13 for August 2026. Motion carried. 14. Road Tour in October: October 21, 2026, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The tour starts at the Highway Department Shop 15. Set Next Meeting Date : There will be a short Committee meeting held on October 21, 2026, at 7:00 a.m. at the Highway Department Shop Building, before the Road Tour begins. The October 7, 2026, meeting was cancelled. 16. Adjourn: Meeting adjourned at 10:09 a.m. by Larry Palecek, Committee Chairperson. Respectfully Submitted by Meredith Hueckman, County Clerk