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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING Tuesday, April 10, 2007 (Town meeting room, modular building at Sevastopol School) MINUTES Call to Order: Chairman Leo Zipperer called the Annual Town Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The Chairman stated that although not required by law, an agenda had been prepared to assist in an orderly conduct of the meeting and identifying topics for possible discussion. The annual town meeting may transact any business over which it has statutory authority; Wis. Stats., sec. 60.11(6). Only qualified electors may make a motion, which must be seconded, for which the town meeting has authority, and vote. Determine Proper Notice: It was determined that proper notice had been provided, having been posted in three public places, with an affidavit of posting on file, and notice also having been published in the Door County Advocate on April 4, 2007. Welcome/Meet & Greet: Town Board Chairman Leo Zipperer welcomed those attending and introductions were as follows: Town Chairman and District 14 County Board Supervisor Leo Zipperer, Supervisor and Vice Chairman Tom Girman, Supervisor Dan Woelfel, Supervisor Chuck Tice, Supervisor John Staveness, Clerk/Treasurer Linda Wait, Mike Konecny of Schenck S.C. (auditor), residents and visitors: Laddie Chapman, Ron Shefchik, Dale Neinas, Heather Fellner-Spitz, Pat Miller, Bob Stracka, Dick Shappell, Joe Majeski, Joe Jilot, Roger Peterson, District 15 County Board Supervisor Biz Virlee, Jane Luebker, Tom Luebker, Tom Notz, Mike Kaye, Tom Soik, Sandy Soik, Lawrie Krull, Bob Graef, Charlie Jarman, Betty Kiehnau, John Thenell, Donna Thenell and Tim Newton. There were 28 electors in attendance. Official Oath and Swearing In of Elected Officers: Leo W. Zipperer, having been re-elected to the office of Chairman, and Tom Girman and John Staveness, having been re-elected to the office of Supervisor, on April 3, 2007, were administered the oath of office by the Clerk. The official oaths and conflict of interest statements were placed on file. Pledge of Allegiance: The Chairman asked all to rise and join in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Matters for Discussion/Review/Status: • Town Office/Meeting Room. Dan Woelfel, as Chairman of the Ad Hoc Building & Property Committee, indicated that several potential properties have been identified and that a new Town hall should have a presence in the community. The Committee has looked at 8 to 10 possible locations and will need to address a number of concerns and criteria as to location, building size and style, parking areas, cable/high speed internet access, voting and accessibility requirements, and storage, etc. The Committee will be meeting regularly to move forward on this project. ● Newsletter. Dan Woelfel reported that the most recent issue of the Sevastopol Town Newsletter was delivered to box holders in time for Christmas. The newly added lighted Christmas tree at the Town Park in Institute was featured in that issue and received alot of good feedback from our citizens. Other articles included updates from the various committees, including Smart Growth (Comprehensive Plan). Again, Laddie Chapman was thanked for his good work on the newsletters. If you are interested in writing an article, please contact Dan. Pat Miller felt it was good “PR” for the Town, hopes it will continue and felt the money was well spent. Special Report – 7:15 p.m. – Audit 2006: Mike Konecny of Schenck S.C. provided an explanation and summary of the Annual Financial Report for the year ending December 31, 2006. As required by Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), this report included the following: ● Independent Auditors’ Report on Basic Financial Statements ● Basic Financial Statements: Statement of Net Assets and Activities Balance Sheet (General Fund) Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in Fund Balance Budget and Actual ● Notes to Basic Financial Statements ● Supplemental Information: Detail of Budgeted and Actual Revenues and Expenditures ● Management Letter ● Report on Internal Control over Financial Report and on Compliance. ● Schedule of Findings and Responses As in previous years, Mike indicated that there are no unusual items and that the financial statements fairly present the financial position and the financial activities of the Town. He reported a healthy financial position, with no long term debt and adequate unrestricted funds for reserve or unplanned contingencies. The financial reports, statement of revenue and expenditures, with fund balance sheets, show comparisons between actual and budget amounts for the year 2006 and prior year 2005. It is recommended that the general fund balance be maintained at two months of expenditures, or 15% to 25% of the annual budget as a reasonable amount for the general fund. Mike continued with an explanation of the contents of the Report on Compliance and Internal Control. Tests for compliance were performed and the results disclosed no instances of noncompliance which would be required to be reported. The Town has a combined clerk-treasurer position and no change is recommended, as this is the most efficient way to operate in towns and villages of similar size. There are no lawsuits and no contingent liabilities. New Items: ● Video Legislation. Tom Soik, Town resident and operator of the Sevastopol PEG channel, in conjunction with the Sturgeon Bay access systems, voiced his concern with the recently proposed legislation regarding the “Video Competition Bill.” Tom felt the bill would abrogate the cable franchise agreements which were presently in place, take local control away from the communities and place impractical requirements upon PEG channels. He asked that the Town consider a resolution to oppose the bills, as drafted. Tom Girman suggested the matter be brought to the Board of Supervisors on April 16th. Elector Concerns: ● Ron Shefchik, Junior High/High School Principal for Sevastopol Schools, asked if there were any plans for skinning the softball field, could the drainage problems be fixed, or if alternate plans will need to be made. Dan Woelfel, a member of the Dam, Park & Rec Board, responded that the question of a regulation field and personal preference has been an ongoing topic. At present, we do not have the dollars in our budget and noted that the School has decided to go to the Jacksonport field. Dan indicated we also have to maintain the fields for Babe Ruth, the Institute Cubs, Legion and JV games, and the womens/mens league games. The main issue is how to deal with the field (drainage) and the costs to skin. Dale Neinas said he and others would be willing to help—they are looking at this as a long term deal, a field that the School can call home, with a home field advantage. Leo Zipperer commented that $12,000-$13,000 went into renovation on the south field and that Mike Kaye also indicated he would look for community funding. Heather Fellner-Spitz felt that from a competitive standpoint, the girls wanted to plan on a skinned field. Charlie Jarman agreed that many people use the fields and felt we should share in the costs and get it done, in light of their success at State level. Joe Majeski suggested we plan ahead for next year and hope to play our games at home. Mike Kaye indicated that the players preferred a skinned field. Zipperer said the decision will be before the Dam, Park & Rec Board and then their recommendation will come to the Town Board. New Items: ● Room Tax. John Thennel asked for a status report on the Room Tax issue. Zipperer responded that there will be a Special Board meeting on Wednesday, April 12th, wherein the Board will act to approve, deny or table an ordinance for the collection of tax on overnight lodging. Chuck Tice, as our appointment to the Tourism Zone Commission, has been attending meetings and provided a brief history of the room tax and tourism zone proposal, initiated in August 2006. Karen Raymore, DCVB (former Door County Chamber of Commerce), has presented samples and proposals to the various municipalities as to the Tourism Zone Commission Agreement, Tourism Entity Agreement and Room Tax Ordinance. Joint meetings were also conducted through the Municipal Taxpayers Commission for discussion, suggestions and corrections which would be acceptable to the municipalities. We look at the ordinance used by the Town of Liberty Grove and created our draft from that. Tice went on to explain the Commission and its makeup, funding, authority and process for collection of the room tax and the hiring of administrators to promote Door County tourism. Tice explained that transient lodging was defined as 30 days or less and that Wis. Stats. grants municipalities the authority to impose a room tax, with 70% to be spent on advertising and promotion and 30% to be retained by the Town. The 4% maximum allowed for operational expense comes out of the 70% collected. Bob Graef and John Thenell commented as lodging providers on a small scale. Zipperer said that the room tax matter had come before the Town Board back in 1998 and at that time, the Town did go on notice to accept it; however, other municipalities did not join in. He indicated that tourism, as our biggest industry, needs to be promoted. These are funds that would be available for our use and not have to go on the tax levy. Matters for Review/Status Updates: • Comprehensive Plan - Smart Growth. John Staveness, as new Chairman of the Comprehensive Plan Committee, indicated that the Committee is currently reviewing Chapter 7, out of the 14 Chapters that need to be addressed. There will be a public meeting on land issues (zoning, commercial, ag, land use) and landowners will be receiving a postcard with the date, time and place. We are hoping for a large turnout and public participation. You can view the status of our Comprehensive Plan process at the Omnni (our consultant) website. ● Fire Protection. Tom Girman, Chairman of the Fire/Rescue Service Committee, reported our new formula for fire protection cost is now based on (i) the value of new improvements or (ii) increase in the fire department’s operating budget, with a cap of 5% on the increase. We were previously paying up to an 11% increase from year to year, and this new agreement is a good deal for the Town. The Sturgeon Bay Fire Department provides a regular monthly report and also an annual report, with details on calls and response time. ● Revaluation. Linda Wait reported on the reassessment and complete revaluation completed by Associated Appraisal Consultants in 2006, at a total cost of $117,000. A reassessment is an attempt to bring property up to market values, so that everyone pays their equitable share. The market value for waterfront property has increased substantially over the years. Many property owners participated in the Open Book session and the formal Board of Review process—all went well. ● Burn Barrels/Burning Permits. Leo Zipperer stated that burn permits are issued in hopes of making citizens more aware of what should and should not be burned. At this point, we will continue issuing the burn and burn barrel permits. If you need a permit, contact any of the Board members, the clerk, or one of the fire marshals, Hugh Daubner, Tom Jung, Margi Zipperer and Pat Welsing. New Items for Discussion: ● Citizen Committee Interests. Zipperer indicated that we will be appointing new committee members and any citizen having a specific interest in serving on a committee is urged to contact him or the clerk. There were 22 new faces last appointment. ● Annexation. Zipperer mentioned that the City of Sturgeon Bay has extra-territorial zoning for up to 1-1/2 miles or annexation authority for up to one (1) mile, although he has not heard any preliminaries on the matter. Elector Concerns: • Laddie Chapman commented on several matters: (i) the declining enrollment at Sevastopol Schools; (ii) younger people not returning to Door County; (iii) affordable housing; and (iv) need for workers. He felt the upcoming Land Use public meeting would be a perfect time to talk about this issue and suggest ways to accomplish our goals. ● Pat Miller is concerned with the weed and algae growth in our waters. She is asking that the Board consider promoting awareness of phosphate and ask citizens to reduce or eliminate their use of phosphate in lawn fertilizer and dishwasher detergent. Pat felt this would be a good item for the newsletter. Motion by Pat Miller that the Town of Sevastopol promote, encourage and mobilize its citizens to use non-phosphate lawn fertilizers and dishwasher detergents and ask for those non-phosphate products of retailers. Seconded by Laddie Chapman. Charlie Jarman commented that this did not include agricultural fertilizers, which are regulated by the State. Motion carried, 10-aye, 7-nay. ● There was a brief discussion on trash collection. It was the consensus that many were opposed and the matter is tabled indefinitely. ● Charlie Jarman thanked the Town for the ditching and the clearance at corners for better line of traffic views. ● Bob Stracka thanked the Board for its resolution establishing the “Clark Lake Advisory Council” several years ago. The Clark Lake Advancement Association did receive a grant and the water quality study is complete. With the Town of Jacksonport, working together we can accomplish much. ● Roger Peterson, who serves as an election inspector, commented that the clerk does a good job with the elections. ● Leo Zipperer indicated there will be a new U.S. Cellular tower on Whitefish Bay Road in Valmy and that the Door County Planning Department has confirmed its compliance and authorization. ● Linda Wait thanked Pat Miller and Betty Kiehnau, who assisted her with refreshments tonight. She also gave positive comments on the website, the Christmas tree, the newsletter, and the “Welcome to Town of Sevastopol” signage. ● Pat Miller expressed her thanks to Laddie Chapman for his volunteerism in taping meetings and other events. Resolutions: None submitted. Adjournment: Motion by Bob Graef and seconded by Charlie Jarman to adjourn the Annual Meeting to Tuesday, April 8, 2008. Motion carried unanimously. Adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Linda Wait, Clerk/Treasurer Town of Sevastopol [approved 4/8/08]