Newsletter
December 2003
Welcome to the 2003 edition of the town newsletter. This newsletter is published by the Town Board to keep town residents current on issues and events affecting the Town. The newsletter now has the new town logo. A new sign identifying the town hall has been erected along with better lighting to improve resident’s ability to access the town hall in the evenings.
The Town Hall is available for rent to all Town residents. The cost is $50 plus a key deposit fee of $25. Call the Town Clerk, Dick Nolden, at 544-2406 to arrange for the hall rental.
2003 Property Tax Bills
As you are aware you received reassessment notices early this year. Even though the assessed value went up for the town by 50% the mill rate went down from 22.82 per thousand for
2002 to 15.61 per thousand for 2003. Residential property assessments and improvements went up approximately 40%, but with the lower mill rate your actual taxes were nearly the same or slightly less than last year. Farmland again this year as in the past several yeas will see approximately a 30% reduction in taxes. An area that received a significant increase is wooded land, in some cases 200%.
When mailing your payment just remove the appropriate stub and mail with your check. If you received an escrow check from your Mortgage Company please make sure it is endorsed properly. Also, overpayments will not be refunded until the next scheduled town meeting. If a mortgage company is paying your tax, request that they pay exact amounts. If your mortgage company issues a check for more than the tax you owe and you do not want to wait for a refund ask the mortgage company to reissue the check. Also this year please pay your dog license fee with a separate check. Remember to mail timely as the postmarked dates are used for payments. Postdated checks will not be honored. Tax payments made in December and by January 31, 2004 should be made out to and mailed to the Town of Prairie du Sac Treasurer. If you pay the second half in July, that payment is made out to and mailed to the Sank County Treasurer. Addresses are on your tax bills.
Dog License Registration
Sauk County ordinance requires dogs to be registered. Fees this year are $15 for Males and Females, and $10 for Neutered Males and Spayed Females.
Licenses fees fund the Sauk County animal shelter. The penalty for not having a license is $116.75. Citations will be issued. This year please pay your dog license fees with a separate check.
Road Improvements
This summer the town reconstructed a section of Sauk Prairie Road between USH 12 and Old Bluff Trail Road, and Skunk Valley Road between Town Road and Troy Township. In addition chip seal was applied to Prairie Road and between Old Bluff Trail Road and Swiss Valley Road.
Each spring the town board members drive all the roads in the town (abut 40 miles) and evaluate the roads based on a numerical rating system. Based on the rating system done in the spring of 2003, next years road program (2004) will be the reconstruction of Otter Creek Road between Old Bluff Trail Road and CTH 0. The Otter Creek Road Bridge will be reconstructed as a part of these improvements. The majority of the bridge reconstruction (90%) will be paid for with state and county highway funds. The town applied for additional funding through the county road improvement aid program (TRIP) and received an award of $6,600. This money will be used to offset a portion of the local funding for road improvements next year.
Land Use Planning
The town has joined with the Villages of Prairie du Sac and Sauk City on a joint update of the area’s land use plan under the State of Wisconsin's Smart Growth Program. Work on the plan started earlier this year and is scheduled for completion in 2005. Members of both the town board and the town planning commission sit on a joint study committee, which meets the third Wednesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. at the Village of Prairie du Sac Fire Station. Town residents received a survey this fall, requesting input on various issues that will be addressed as a part of the planning process.
Another component of the study is asking local residents to participate in a group discussion of areas of particular interest in the community. These areas of focus for our community will include local economic growth, agriculture, recreation/environment, and community image. If you would like to participate in one of these focus groups, please call Dick Nolden, the town clerk, for more information. If you would like more information on the status of the master plan, you can visit the town’s website.
Also as a part of this study, the committee will be looking at alternative alignments for USH 12 around the community. This study, partly funded by the WDOT, will develop a preferred alignment alternative for a bypass which may be constructed at some time in the future beyond the year 2020. For more information, contact Brian Simmert at Sank County Planning at 355-3269.
Land Divisions
If you would like a copy of the land development process or have any questions regarding the need to obtain approval or a permit, you can contact the Town Clerk, Dick Nolden, at 544-
2406 or go to the town website at www.townofprairedusac.org. The Town has prepared an Applications Guide, also available from the Town Clerk and web site, which may help answer your questions. If you have a question regarding the need for a building permit, you may call Joe Costanza, the building inspector at 643-5329.
Land Use Committee
The Town Land Use Committee meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at the Town Hall. There are five citizens appointed by the Town Chairman on the committee. They include Fritz Wyttenbach (Chairman), Dennis Porter, Cheryl Schneller, Terry Steuber, and Judy Schroeder. The committee members serve for a period of one to two years. If you are interested in serving on the land use committee, please contact the Town Chairman, Halsey Sprecher.
Web Page
A reminder that the town does have a web page. It is located at www.townofprairiedusac.org. The web page includes information on town meeting agendas and minutes. It is also a good resource for information on town ordinances, permit requirements and contacts.
Recycling
Residential pick up of recyclables is made twice a month on the second and fourth Monday of the month.
All recyclables should be placed at the end of the driveway in a clear plastic bag. Recyclables are to be mixed in the same bag (they do not need to be separated) and may include glass, plastic, tin and aluminum as follows:
o plastic- no.1 thru 7, rinsed, caps off
o glass- rinsed, caps off
o aluminum/tin-rinsed
o newspapers-bundled and securely tied
o cardboard- flattened and securely tied in bundles
o magazines
This service is available to all town residents and includes recyclables only. This service has been contracted to Tim's Trucking, any questions call 544-2413. It does not include regular garbage pickup (this must be contracted privately) nor does it include non-recyclables (lead batteries, tires, yard waste, major appliances, or motor oil)
The Sank County landfill is open to the public every Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call 524-6515 for further information
2004 Town Budget
At its November board meeting and public hearing, the town adopted its budget for the 2004 calendar year in the amount of $251,000. This is down from $260,000 the last two years due to an expected $10,000 (24%) shortfall in State Shared Revenues. Since the majority of the town's revenue is from state shared revenues and transportation aid, the town can only offset this loss by cutting expenditures or raising local revenue by increasing fees or the town portion of property taxes. At its budget meeting the town decided to keep the town tax at the same level that it has for the last two years. In order to meet this goal, the town will be reducing expenditures on next year's road improvements to make up for this loss of revenue. The towns share of revenue for next year from property taxes will be $123,745 which is the same amount expended over the last two years. Because of the recent property reassessment the town's mill rate will drop to $1.22 per thousand of valuation, as compared to $1.83 last year. As a result of the total reassessed value of the town, its value has increased from $67,446,900 to $101,242,400 (50.1%).
Major budgeted expenses for 2004 include roadway maintenance and repair ($120,000), fire protection ($27,500), and collection of recyclables ($13,200)- Road sign vandalism cost the town an estimated $2,000 each year.
Current Town Officers
Halsey Sprecher-Town Chairman
Ron Lins-First Supervisor
John Lichtenheld-Second Supervisor
Richard Nolden-Town Clerk
Richard Meier- Town Treasurer
The Town Hall does have a telephone answering machine. You can leave a message at 643-3656.