MADELINE ISLAND NEWS AND INFORMATION
Town Board Meeting of February 12, 2008
TOWN BOARD KILLS NUISANCE PROPERTY ORDINANCE; APPROVES CLERK, TREASURER REFERENDUMS ON APRIL BALLOT
REVISED: February 18, 2008
POSTED: February 14, 2008
The Town of La Pointe Board of Supervisors of the Town of La Pointe met Tuesday night for their regular monthly meeting last Tuesday night. The proposed nuisance property ordinance, the Town Plan Commission ordinance review project and public hearings, and a new referendum concerning the Town Clerk and treasurer positions. New Winter Transportation Committee and Library Board members were appointed during this meeting as well.
The board voted to "maintain the status quo" and not add the proposed ordinance to the list of of ordinances to be considered for public hearings with 4 aye votes and Board Member Mike Starck abstaining.
A public workshop was held by the Town Board on Tuesday, January 29, to gather public input about the proposed ordinance as previous workshops held by the Town Plan Commission concerning this issue failed to document any public input. The proposed ordinance appeared on the December 27th, 2007 Town Board Meeting Agenda, causing concern among many island residents and prompted many residents to write letters and make phone calls to Town Board members.
Questions about the Town Plan Commission ordinance project were also discussed along with definitions for "codification" and "revision" of ordinances. A memo was submitted by Waggie with questions to the Town Board about the process and definitions. Jennifer Croonborg submitted a memo as a response containing definitions of the various words people are using to describe the process. A discussion about TPC public hearing requirements for zoning ordinance changes followed, which prompted another discussion about how the Town Board knows what goes on at Town Plan Commission public hearings. The general consensus was that the ordinance project entailed review, codification, and revision of the town's ordinances.
The board also has been working to place two referendums on the upcoming April election that, if approved by the public, would turn the Town Clerk and Treasure positions into "appointed" positions, rather than "elected positions". The positions would be re-appointed every three years. These referendums are a result of discussions at the January 28th meeting considering the possibility of combining the two positions in a single position and/or making these positions appointed.
Alan Fischlowitz was appointed to the Winter Transportation Committee to serve out the remainder of Dick Hoffman's term, who recently resigned. Fischlowitz will serve until November 2008 when the term expires.
Liz Ryder was appointed to the Madeline Island Public Library Board to serve out the remainder of Michael Allen's term, who recently resigned. Ryder will serve out the term until July 2009.
The meeting adjourned at about 7:30pm.
Click here for the minutes
Click here for the audio recordings
Click here for the Town Clerk Referendum
Click here for the Town Treasurer Referendum
Click here for the Memo from Waggie
Click here for the Memo from Jennifer Croonborg (Zoning Administrator)
ABOUT US LATEST NEWS & INFORMATION EDITORIALS ARCHIVES FAQ CONTACT