Town of Russell 35900 State Highway 13 Bayfield, Wisconsin 54814 (715) 779-5338 or Fax (715) 779-0249 [email protected] www.townofrussell.org Paul “Rocky” Tribovich Judy Meierotto Dave Good Chairman Deputy Clerk/Treasurer Clerk/Treasurer TOWN BOARD MEETING 7 p.m. – Tuesday, September 11, 2018 Community Center 32500 W Old County K Road Any person wishing to attend who, because of a disability, requires special accommodations, should contact the Town Clerk at 715 779-5338, at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting time, so appropriate arrangements can be made. 1. Call to order and roll call. 2. Pledge of Allegiance. 3. Approval of the agenda. 4. Public Input (3-minute limit-max 15 minutes total) at the beginning of the agenda. 5. Approval of the minutes of the August 21, 2018 Town Board Meeting Special Town Board/Roads Meeting of August 24, 2018****. OLD BUSINESS 6. Status of delivery of a new Town pick-up truck. 7. Proposal for a plow package for the new Town pick-up truck****. 8. Trade existing JD Loader and purchase of a 2018 JD Loader****. 9. Crack seal proposals for various blacktop roads****. a. Discussion regarding joint purchase of crack seal/patching equipment with Tribe. NEW BUSINESS 10. Propane proposals for 2018-2019 heating seasons****. 11. 2018-2019 driveway snow plowing rules & rates**** a. Driveways requiring maintenance in order for the Town to plow****. 12. Discussion and possible action regarding fund depository accounts****. STANDING AGENDA ITEMS 13. Road maintenance report and discussion. 14. Update on Town Land Development behind Community Center. 15. Telecommunications Committee report by Committee Chairman. 16. Update on LSB Road Project, Old County K Road Projects. a. Invoice for LSB Road****. b. Approval of combined MOA****. 17. Little Sand Bay Recreation Area report and discussion. 18. Correspondence for September 2018****. 19. Approve bill payments and EFT transactions since last Regular Town Board Meeting****. 20. Approve Clerk/Treasurer Report and Financials for August 2018 and Y-T-D for 2018****. 21. Chairman, Supervisor and Clerk/Treasurer reports. 22. Items for next Town Board Meeting. 23. Next Town Board Meeting 7 p.m. October 9, 2018 at Community Center. 24. Adjourn The Town of Russell Board reserves the right to take action on any agenda item and to call upon individuals to address the Board regarding specific agenda items in which they may be named or have direct responsibility. **** denotes attachments. Posted Monday, September 4, 2018 at 4 p.m. David L. Good – Clerk/Treasurer Page 1 of 9 Regular Town Board Meeting – August 21, 2018 Posted August 14, 2018 at 4 p.m. at the Town of Russell Garage, Town Clerk’s Office and Town website. Notice sent to the Ashland Daily Press. Revised and re-posted August 20, 2018 at noon. Approximately 4 Town Elector(s) and member(s) of the public was present. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Vice-chairman Mark Bugher at the Town of Russell Community Center. Roll call was taken as follows; present Supervisor Jeff Benton, Larry Meierotto, and Don Sullivan and Clerk/Treasurer David L. Good and Deputy Clerk/Treasurer Judy Meierotto. Chairman Paul “Rocky” Tribovich was excused. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by those present. Approval of the Agenda – A motion was made by Sullivan and seconded by Benton to approve the agenda as presented. The motion carried. PUBLIC INPUT – Bugher called for public input. Rob Halvorson asked about the impact funding broadband would have to tax payers. Bugher stated zero impact to tax payers. Discussion followed. He also inquired about the agenda item referring to an update on the land development behind the Community Center and that there has not been any meetings. Bugher stated only one meeting was held to inspect/tour the property and no other meetings have been held at this time. He also inquired about the agenda item regarding kayak launching at Little Sand Bay. Bugher explained this is to address issues with the temporary launching of kayaks during the NPS construction at Little Sand Bay. Judy Meierotto and Bugher explained more about this issue and what the NPS concerns are. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – A motion was made by Sullivan and seconded by Meierotto to approve the minutes of the of the July 10, 2018 Town Board Meeting, Special Town Board Meeting of July 30, 2018 and Special Town Board/Roads Meeting of August 8, 2018. The motion carried. OLD BUSINESS Status of delivery of new Town pick-up truck – Clerk Good contacted Ashland Ford/Chrysler for an update but they stated it should be the middle of September. Purchasing of a plow package for the pick-up to be sure it is ready for plowing this coming fall – A bid for a Boss Plow was received from Rob’s Snow Plow Sales & Service for $6,050. Discussion followed. The Board agreed to seek a proposal for a Western Plow and place this on the September Board Meeting agenda. Update on discussions to sell Red Cliff Tribe 54-acres of Town Land at Big Sand Bay – Clerk Good reported this is moving forward with a closing date of no later than September 30, 2018. Public/Private Partnership Agreement with Way Point Experts LLC dba as Bayfield Wireless for expansion of broadband network services in the Town of Russell – Bugher reviewed the agreement for the Board and how this supported the grant received of $148,000 from the State of Wisconsin. This also requires the Town to pay a matching amount of $5,000. The Town of Bayfield and Bayfield County are also partners in this agreement. A motion was made by Sullivan and seconded by Benton to sign the agreement. The motion carried. Page 2 of 9 Authorization to fund broadband expansion per the Public/Private Partnership Agreement – A motion was made by Sullivan and seconded by Meierotto to authorize payment of $5,000 to Bayfield Wireless per the agreement. The motion carried. NEW BUSINESS Grant funding opportunities; Planting Trees and Coastal Management Public Access and Historic Preservation – Discussion followed, and the Board did not take any action regarding these grants. Discussion followed about the need for trees on Turner and Soper Roads to serve as wind breaks for drifting snow issues. Population Estimate by WI DOA and possible challenge – The State estimates our population at 1,443 for 2018. Discussion followed, and Benton offered to provide data regarding the recent Red Cliff Census. Request for funding in support of Superior Days – A request for support of $100 was received. Extensive discussion followed, and Board elected to not support this effort at this time. Response to insurance under writer regarding Town Shooting Range – The Board discussed the request and agreed to the following response: 1. The range is unsupervised. 2. Add statement of waiver of liability to signage at the range. 3. A statement to signage recommending eye and hearing protection. 4. Estimated usage of the range is 100-150 individuals annually. Seal coating on patching estimate for Town blacktop roads – A proposal was received from Fahner Asphalt for $60,833.63. The Town is seeking additional estimates from Bayfield County and another seal coating firm. Benton felt we should also investigate purchasing our own equipment in cooperation with the Tribe to do own crack sealing. Equipment purchase costs were discussed. Resolution 2018-06 to governor and legislature to address transportation issues in Wisconsin – A motion was made by Sullivan and seconded by Meierotto to adopt the following resolution: TOWN OF RUSSELL Bayfield County, Wisconsin Resolution 2018 - 06 A Resolution Requesting the Governor and Legislature to Address the Sustainable Solutions to Wisconsin Transportation Infrastructure WHEREAS, local government in Wisconsin is responsible for about 90% of the road miles in the state; and, WHEREAS, Wisconsin’s diverse economy is dependent upon county and town roads, as well as city and village streets and transit systems across the state; and, WHEREAS, the Town of Russell and other local governments across Wisconsin have been highlighting our unmet transportation needs in many different avenues including events such as the historic Turnout for Transportation event in September of 2016 where local governments in every region of this state held simultaneous meetings calling on the state legislature to prioritize transportation and pass a sustainable funding package; and, WHEREAS, while the increase in transportation funding for locals in the last budget was certainly appreciated, many still aren’t back to 2011 levels when you adjust for inflation; and, Page 3 of 9 WHEREAS, local governments continue to struggle to meet even the most basic maintenance needs for our transportation system; and, WHEREAS, states surrounding Wisconsin and across the country have stepped up with sustainable funding plans for their state and local roads; and, WHEREAS, Wisconsin will be at a competitive disadvantage if it does not implement a revenue and spending plan that addresses both our Interstates that were built in the 1950’s and 60’s and our local and state roads; and, WHEREAS, levy limits do not allow local government to make up for the deterioration of state funding; and, WHEREAS, local governments would not be forced to turn to local wheel taxes or increased borrowing or exceeding their levy limits if the state would finally pass a sustainable funding plan for transportation; and, WHEREAS, the Town of Russell recognizes that our state highway and interstate system is the backbone of our surface transportation system and plays a vital role in the economy of Wisconsin, and that both local and state roads need to be properly maintained in order for our economy to grow; and, WHEREAS, from a competitive standpoint, Wisconsin motorists pay significantly less than any of our neighbors when you combine the annual cost of the state gas tax and vehicle registration fees.