January through June 2023
By Bert Lehman
January
The Clintonville City Council approved the purchase of a new pick-up truck for the Clintonville Fire Department with the funding coming from an EMS Flex Grant.
The council decided that the city would no longer pay for data for city iPads currently being used by members of the council.
The Clintonville School Board decided the district would no longer offer a Health Retirement Account (HRA) benefit for employees hired by the district after Dec. 31, 2022.
A non-profit group looking to provide weekly community meals at the Clintonville Community Center will have all city fees waived for renting the facility during 2023.
Shiocton school buses will continue to not be allowed to pick-up and drop-off within the Clintonville School District boundaries, the children from two families who open enroll into the Shiocton School District. The two families had requested that the Clintonville School Board allow the Shiocton School District to pick up and drop off their children at their residences. But since the Clintonville School Board took no action on the two requests, it served as a denial of the requests.
Members of the city council expressed interest in using a Committee of the Whole in the future to discuss certain topics of city business.
February
The city council approved rewriting city policy regarding emergency closures due to inclement weather to eliminate holiday pay.
The process continued to remove trees located on four separate properties surrounding Clintonville Municipal Airport in order for runway reconstruction projects to move forward at the airport.
Excavation work on the aqua park that will be created in Clintonville began on Feb. 20. The excavation also included the removal of several stumps on the property.
With the board of Graceland Cemetery requesting additional funding for 2024 from the city of Clintonville, the city began exploring options to decrease the funds required by the cemetery.
Clintonville Area Waste Services (CAWS) requested a subsidy from each of the three entities that use the service, including a subsidy of $5,000 from the city of Clintonville for 2024.
The city of Clintonville must pay $46,203 for a Clintonville Area Ambulance Service special assessment for the payoff of the ambulance office building.
March
A 2021-22 financial audit of the school district revealed that over the past five years, the school district’s unassigned fund balance had declined from 32.5% of general fund expenditures to 15%.
The school district launched a TikTok account that it plans to use to promote the district.
The school board decided that the district would continue to lease some of the land it owns to the Clintonville FFA Alumni to plant crops, with no additional leases being approved.
April
After six years serving on the Clintonville School Board, Kris Strauman was not re-elected, as she finished behind Glen Drew Lundt and Jason Moder while vying for two positions on the board. Lundt received 1,153 votes, followed by Moder with 1,150, and Strauman with 889. Both Lundt and Strauman were incumbents.
Voters elected two new members to the Clintonville City Council during the April 4 spring election. New members of the council included Thomas Lederer in District 4 and Greg Rose in District 5. Incumbents ran unopposed in the rest of the districts, and were all reelected. Mark Zachow received 188 votes in District 1, Tammy Strey-Hirt received 158 votes in District 2, and Kody Zempel received 81 votes in District 3.
The city of Clintonville assumed control of Graceland Cemetery after the cemetery association dissolved and transferred all its assets to the city.
The school district began searching for a new health insurance provider after its current insurance provider wanted a 14.5% premium increase for health and dental insurance next year.
While discussing staff wages for next year’s budget, Superintendent Troy Kuhn informed the board that the district was having a difficult time balancing next year’s budget without the COVID money provided by the federal government.
The city council formally approved a city policy that supports No Mow May by the city not enforcing ordinance 10.08(2) for long grass and weed violations during the month of May.
The city council approved Ehlers to do a water rate case workup to help determine what water rates should be in the city. The cost was not to exceed $12,500, with the funds coming from the water utilities capital fund balance.
Clintonville Police Department K-9 officer was ceremonially sworn in at the April 11 Clintonville City Council meeting.
Larry Czarnecki, clerk for the Clintonville School Board, resigned from the board to accept a teaching position within the district.
The city of Clintonville and Clintonville Utilities announce a plan to demolish the Armory building on 12th Street and build a new building for Clintonville Utilities on the property. The plan includes the city selling the property to Clintonville Utilities for $30,000 with the stipulation that the Utility is responsible for the cost to raze the Armory building. The council also approved hiring Keller Inc. to do the engineering work for the new building with the cost not to exceed $400,000.
The city of Clintonville requested purchase and redevelopment proposals from interested parties to rehabilitate or restore the former BMO Harris bank building located at 60 10th Street into a viable commercial business. The property was donated to the city.
The committee structure for the city was changed to allow for the consolidation of committees.
May
The school board discussed the possibility of having Narcan on-hand on school grounds, but ultimately took no action on the topic. One of the reasons no action was taken was due to the lack of school personnel who are trained to administer Narcan.
The school board approved changing the busing contract the district has with Lamers to increase the busing rates for the next school year. The rate increases were requested by Lamers.
The city of Clintonville agreed to waive the 2022 player user fees in the amount of $1,232 for the Clintonville Athletics Club (CAC).
The city council approved rescinding the public health emergency that was originally declared three years ago when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The school board will continue to livestream its school board meetings and keep them available on its YouTube channel. In addition, the board also approved recording any open session action after the board comes out of closed session if there is an action item other than adjournment to be voted on.
The school board approved adding a clause to all future contracts for administrators and directors in the School District of Clintonville to include a clause specifying liquidated damages if the administrator or director breaks their contract and leaves the district before the contract runs out. A liquidated damages clause was already in the district’s handbook for teacher contracts.
Theodore (Ted) Kirmse, a member of VFW Post 664 in Clintonville, was awarded the 2023 Bob Munro Memorial Service to Veterans award. Kirmse was presented the award by Paul Morrison, District 7 Bob Munro award chairman, at a special ceremony at VFW Post 664 in Clintonville.
The group of seven churches that have been hosting a weekly community meal in the city of Clintonville received a grant for $4,000.
Information about a proposed 250-megawatt photovoltaic solar energy generating facility in Larrabee and Matteson was shared with attendees of an informational meeting held at the Clintonville Community Center.
Prior to the conclusion of the school year, students in grades 6-12 in the Clintonville School District had the opportunity to learn about what sextortion is and the dangers associated with it.
June
When the final bell rang on the last day of school at Rexford Longfellow Elementary School, it marked the end of Stannye Meads’ 57-year teaching career. After beginning her teaching career in Louisville, Kentucky, Meads’ teaching journey took her to Illinois, and finally Clintonville in 1990. She spent the last 33 years teaching kindergarten in Clintonville.
After 36 years as a physical education teacher in the Clintonville School District, Karen Petermann retired. It’s the only job that Petermann held since graduating from UW-LaCrosse in December 1987.
The city council unanimously approved having Ehlers submit a simplified water rate case to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) that would increase water rates in the city of Clintonville by 8%.
Patti Krause, Dellwood Child Care Center director, told the Clintonville School Board at its June 26 meeting that the Dellwood Child Care Center was currently at capacity. An expansion of the Child Care Center scheduled to take place in the future would add an additional 30-40 children.
The school board did not approve a proposed lease agreement with Cap Services Inc. Cap Services wanted to lease a portion of the Rexford building.
The resignation of Clintonville Middle School Principal Nick Brock prompted the district to replace the middle school principal position with an associate principal position.
The year-in-review for the second half of 2023 will appear in the Jan. 11 issue of the Clintonville Tribune-Gazette.