Eau Claire County, Wisconsin 5750 Old Town Hall Road Eau Claire WI 54701 (715)834-3257 Fax (715)834-3325 www.townofwashington.org Town of Washington Newsletter 2014 Road Report Vol. 36 No. 2 ~ December 2014 In 2014, the Town reconstructed or resurfaced portions of London Road and Skeels Avenue, applied an asphalt wedge, chip seal, and stripe to S. Lowes Creek Road, and made various improvements to portions of Brian Street and Mall Drive. Maintenance crack filling was done on Cater Road, Priory Road and Abbey Road. Weather related culvert repair or replacement was completed on Mueller Road and Priory Road. 2014 - Snow! During the 2013/2014 snow season, the road crew plowed 22 primary snow events and responded numerous times to ice and blowing snow incidents with extensive drifting. We also had two wet snow events that led to heavy tree damage and clearing. The 2014/2015 season is off to an early and demanding start! Living in Wisconsin always proves to be challenging with winter weather. We have an extremely dedicated road crew working long hours to keep our roads clear. Our staff monitors the current weather conditions and the forecast daily to determine what time the crew should begin clearing roads when we have a snowfall. Roads of high traffic and speed, that contain hills, and are school bus routes are our first priority. The Town of Washington applies a sand mix to the roads during the winter months. Roads heavily shaded by trees and hills and in residential neighborhoods rarely clear completely of snow. Driving at the posted speed limit often will be too fast for conditions when there s ice, snow and slick spots on roadways says State Patrol Superintendent Stephen Fitzgerald. Spinning tires and braking quickly also cause intersections to ice up. Take it slow and always approach all intersections with caution. 2014 Town Tax Rate The 2014 Town tax rate (payable in 2015) is $1.88 per thousand dollars of assessed value. What does this mean based on my home value? Below is a breakdown: $100,000 home value, town tax payment = $188.00 $150,000 home value, town tax payment = $282.00 $200.000 home value, town tax payment = $376.00 $250,000 home value, town tax payment = $470.00 more tax information on Page 2 TAX RATE HISTORY 2014 $1.88 2013 $1.89 2012 $1.89 2011 $2.31 2010 $2.32 Inside this issue: Tax Information 2 Winter Reminders 3 Storm Water Education 3 2014 Tentative Road Projects 3 Elections 4 Dog Licenses 4 Weapons Discharge 4 Building Permits & Inspection 4 Fire Department 5 New Town Employee 5
Tax Information TAX BILLS The total assessed value (land + any improvements on the land) listed on your property tax bill is the $ value the Town assessor has determined for your property. This is the value used to calculate the total property tax. The taxes due are from five main taxing jurisdictions: State of Wisconsin, Eau Claire County, Chippewa Valley Technical College, School District, and Town of Washington. The breakdown is listed on your real estate bill. Some properties may lie in a special taxing jurisdiction, i.e. Lake Altoona Rehabilitation District. The First Dollar & Lottery Credits are from state lottery revenues, on-track betting and bingo facilities. Eau Claire County collects two special charges on the bill as well. They are listed as SC Sewer - $10.00 and SC Recycling - $12.00. If you have questions regarding these special charges, call 715-839- 4718 (sewer) or 715-839-2756 (recycling). TOWN OF WASHINGTON TAX LEVY 2013 2014 Tax Levy Tax Levy Tax Rate Per Thousand Town Taxes For Town Purposes 1.61 1.59 For Fire Protection Purposes 0.28 0.29 Total Town Property Taxes $1.89 $1.88 TAX COLLECTION The 2014 tax bills will be mailed out on or near December 12th. The first installment (or if you pay in full) is due by January 31, 2015, to the Town of Washington. Your tax payments should be mailed or brought into the Town of Washington Office at:: 5750 Old Town Hall Road, Eau Claire WI 54701-8948. Payments made after January 31, go directly to the Eau Claire County Treasurer s Office. Checks payable to: Town of Washington In Person Collection Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Wednesday, December 24 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM Thursday, December 25 - Closed Thursday, January 1 - Closed Payments by check via MAIL are highly preferred. Cash payments will be accepted in the office for the exact amount. If your payment is made through an escrow account from your bank, please contact your bank to have the check made out for the EXACT amount. Checks made out to you and the Town of Washington must be endorsed by ALL payees prior to payment to the Town. If a refund needs to be made, they will be issued within 60 days from the date of payment. Refunds are not issued for amounts of $2.00 or less. Do not post date checks - Checks are deposited on the date received. There is a $30 service charge for returned checks. Receipts will be returned via mail; a self-addressed stamped envelope is appreciated. Payment of dog licenses must be done with a separate check. If you have delinquent taxes from a prior year, they must be paid at the Eau Claire County Treasurer s office before current taxes can be paid. For information call, 715-839-4805. 2
Winter Regulations The Town of Washington, in most cases, owns 66 feet of road right-of-way. Considering the blacktop portion of the road to be approximately 21 feet wide, the remainder of the 66 feet is on either side of the blacktop (22 feet). Nothing should be placed in the 22 feet of right-of-way. When plowing, the snow is pushed back into this right-of-way area in preparation for the next snowfall. Due to the possibility of heavy snow, the snow needs to be pushed back as far as possible. The grass and shrubbery planted in the right-of-way may be scuffed by the plows. The Town does not object to residents using the Town right-of-way as an extension of their lawn, however, damage is the owner s responsibility to repair. MAILBOXES The plows continue to push back snow throughout the winter to make room for additional snowfalls. Large amounts of snow and ice do break off mailbox posts at times. You are responsible for repairing damage caused by snow coming off the plow. The Town reimburses for mailboxes which are hit directly by the snowplow, up to $25. PARKING No vehicles are allowed on streets during and 24 hours after a snowfall. We do not have Odd/Even Parking. In the event of a snow emergency NO PARKING on the street for 48 hours. Violators will be ticketed by Town of Washington Police. Vehicles that present an obstruction and are not removed will be towed. PLOWING & SIDEWALKS Snow you remove must remain on your property. You may not deposit snow back onto the roadway or across the road when plowing your driveway or parking lot. Snow and/or ice must be cleared from sidewalks on your property within 24 hrs. from the time snow ceases to accumulate. REFUSE & RECYCLING Garbage receptacles and recycling bins are not permitted in the roadway or the cul-de-sacs at any time. These receptacles must be placed in the resident's driveway, ten feet from the edge of the blacktop road - never across the road from your residence. For safety reasons, plow truck drivers will not exit their truck to move these obstacles. The receptacles and bins are not to be left in the right-of-way other than the day of collection. Storm Water Education Rain To Rivers is an education campaign sponsored by the Chippewa Valley Storm Water Forum, which the Town of Washington is a part of. We encourage you to check out the Facebook page regarding storm water facts and educational tools, relevant environmental news, video messages, and more. Your posts, comments, and participation is welcomed. You are encouraged to share the page with your Facebook friends. Go to: http://fb.com/raintorivers 2015 Tentative Road Projects The following roads are tentatively scheduled to be resurfaced: Markgraff Rd (USH 12 to Schumacher Rd) Whitetail Dr London Rd (City project from Sessions to Damon) Wedge and Chip sealed: Old Town Hall Road Crack sealed: Grover, Park Creek (E, W, & Ct), Red Pine Dr, Briar Cliff, and Oakcrest 3
Elections The State of Wisconsin had a voter turnout of 54.25% for the November 4, General Election. Here at the Town of Washington we had 67% of eligible voters and 79% of registered voters turnout to vote. We would like to thank the many Town residents who work at the polls as election inspectors! UPCOMING ELECTIONS Spring Primary - February 17 (if required) Spring Election - April 7 The terms of two Town Supervisor positions (Jeff Goodwin and Michael Stacy) and the Town Chairman (Micheal Peterson) expire in April 2015 Nomination papers are available in the Town office for Town residents interested in running for any of these Town Board positions. The filing date deadline is Tuesday, January 6, 2015, by 5:00 PM. Dog Licenses Renewals A gray reminder postcard will be coming in the mail mid December. Please include this postcard and written proof (if the rabies vaccination we have noted has expired) of current rabies information from your vet when making your payment. New Dog Stop into our office and provide written proof from your veterinarian if your dog was spayed or neutered and current rabies vaccination information; or print off the application from our website at townofwashington.org and mail it along with your payment and the dog s information from the veterinarian. Annual Fee $10 - Neutered/Spayed $20 - Unaltered If you have a dog(s) five months or older an annual license should be obtain from the Town in January. Weapons Discharge The use of a bow and arrow or crossbow for the purpose of hunting is allowed within the Town. Discharging of other weapons is limited. The ordinance is available on our website. Click on the Ordinance tab, then the Discharging Weapons Ordinance to read the restrictions. You can also view the map (click on the Maps tab) to see where discharging of weapons is allowed within the Town. Building Permits & Inspections The Town has a Driveway Access Permit for the installation of driveways. This permit must be obtained before you can apply for a building permit. An application can be printed off under Forms & Permits or stop by the Municipal Office to obtain this form. For all other building/maintaining permits (new homes, garages, fences, siding, shingles, etc.) and inspections, please contact Eau Claire County Planning and Development at 715-839-4741. Also, call this number for all zoning and land use questions. 4
Fire Department As winter is approaching fast, we at the Fire Station would like to give a couple safety tips that can protect you and your family. First, if you heat your home or buildings with wood, make sure you get the chimneys swept and inspected if you haven't already. We know that we stress this fact every year, but unfortunately we continue to fight chimney fires and some of these chimney fires turn into house fires. Most of these incidents may have been prevented if the chimney and fireplace were inspected by a competent person, such as a chimney sweeper or fireplace installer. These type of professionals can be found in the phone book or online. Second, it is very important to make sure your address is clearly labeled and visible at the end of your driveway or on the front of your residence. When labeling your mailbox, make sure both sides are labeled and use large numbers that are easy to read. Using numbers that stand out against the object they are attached to allows us to read them easily at night if we should ever have to respond to an emergency at your home. We would also like to mention to move over or slow down when passing emergency or stalled vehicles along the road. We respond to many incidents located on the interstate and often notice many vehicles fail to slow down or move over. If your vehicle does become disabled along the road, make sure you pay attention to oncoming traffic and step far away from the vehicle while you wait for a tow truck. Since tow truck drivers are usually alone, assist them by keeping an eye on traffic so they can go home safe as well. Lastly, our annual charcoal chicken feed fundraiser will be May 17th, 2015. We greatly appreciate the donations and support we get from the citizens of the Town. All the proceeds go to improving our tools and equipment to provide excellent service to Town residents and to neighboring communities. We are always looking for volunteers for fire fighting and emergency medical response. If you would like to obtain more information on volunteering, please visit, www.townshipfire.org. From all of us at the Town of Washington Fire Station, we would like to wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season! Burning Barrels The Town requires permits for all burning barrels. The cost is $10 annually. Permit applications can be obtained at the Town office or on our website. The barrel is inspected by Township Fire Department, Town of Washington Station. Burning Permits Burning is prohibited unless a permit has been issued by Township Fire Department. They may be obtained by calling 715-834-6868, Monday through Saturday between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Dry leaves, brush, clean wood and other vegetative debris are the only items that may be burned. All burning is prohibited on Sundays, Holidays, during a burning ban, or when other conditions make burning hazardous. New Town Employee If you stop in to the Town office, you will see a new face. Kathy Kishaba began working as the part-time Deputy Treasurer for the Town of Washington in July 2014. She has lived in the Town since 2002 and in the Eau Claire area for the past 22 years. 5
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Eau Claire, WI Permit 203 5750 Old Town Hall Road Eau Claire WI 54701 www.townofwashington.org TOWN OFFICIALS Administrator/ Clerk/Treasurer: Janelle L. Henning 715-834-3257 Town Board Meetings 1 st and 3 rd Thursday at 5:30 PM Deputy Clerk: Jackie Vold 715-834-3257 Hours of Operation Deputy Treasurer: Kathy Kishaba 715-834-3257 Monday - Friday 8:00 AM 4:00 PM Chairman: Micheal Peterson 715-497-6333 Office Closed Supervisors: Donald Perry 715-831-9584 12-4 PM Wednesday, December 24 Michael Stacy 715-834-5665 Thursday, December 25 Karen Tomesh 715-835-4742 Thursday, January 1, 2015 Further Contact Information Email: office@townofwashington.org Fax: 715-834-3325 Website: www.townofwashington.org