The Town of Taft met Tuesday August 18 at the old square schoolhouse with a pyramid shaped roof located at the intersection of County F and Meridean, the latter continued north at County Line from Koser Avenue in the Town of Thorp. Present to transact business on August 18 were Town Chairman Darrell Thompson, Clerk Lori Czubakowski, Treasurer Lana Knox, and Supervisors Jerry Czubakowski and Del Kroeplin. Also present were two town residents, among them Mel, the current operator of the Foxx Den on Meridean Drive. Change was afoot at the township bar near or at the one-time site of Mitterhoffer, with enhanced parking soon to come, pending board approval. Before the August meeting could be convened though, all the town board members needed to be there. At 7:35 p.m. the vintage touch tone cord phone rang, and Clerk Czubakowski picked it up.

“Town of Taft, Lori,” she said followed by a slight pause, then, “it is—no, it’s ok, we’re waiting for you.” The receiver was returned to its proper place, and ten minutes later the current head of local Taft government, resident Darrel Thompson, walked through the door.

“Hello, everybody,” he said. “I apologize for my time, but I was working and got a little late.” With all board members finally present and accounted for the meeting could begin. First up was the pledge, following up with roll call and verification of the posted meeting agenda. Before long it was into the reading of the July minutes by Clerk Czubakowski.

Starting out her report with road maintenance, it was made known that nothing qualified for the state program, and that the town did not currently offer dust control as discussed at the July meeting because there wasn’t enough demand locally to make the purchase of a full load economical. Dust control works by attracting moisture to the unpaved road surface, thereby keeping dust down and road visibility up. Following the approval of the previous meeting minutes it was into the Treasurer’s report by Lana Knox, who read the July budget numbers.

“The beginning balance in the General fund was $45,211.52,” she began. “Income for the month equaled $25,741.57. Interest of twenty-four cents was earned in the checking account and interest of $4.98 was earned in the ‘Dump’ account. Expenses for the month were $9,000.87. Interest earned in the ‘Dump’ account and interest earned in the checking account was transferred to the ‘Fire Reserve’ account. Leaving an ending balance of $61,952.22,” in the General Fund, Knox said. In addition there were 13 outstanding checks worth a total of $6,256.65. Taking the General Fund of $61,952.22 and then adding in the Fire Reserve balance of $42,145.04 with interest alongside the Highway Fund of $31,650.93 (also with interest) and the Equipment Fund of $21,661.24 and $1.84 in interest, meant that the Taft township finances came out to a total current balance of $157,409.43 as of the August 18, 2020 meeting. Knox had also sent out three invoices for culvert approval in the township. With a motion by Supervisor Czubakowski and a seconded by Kroeplin, the Treasurer’s report was approved and it was on to approval of some culvert permits by Thompson, who asked for a motion to be made.

“I will need a motion to approve these,” the Chairman said of water conveyance under roadways. Supervisor Czubakowski had a question first.

“So you checked them out and they all satisfied you,” Czubakowski asked, receiving an affirmative answer. Motion was then made by Czubakowski, seconded by Kroeplin, and the relevant culvert permits were approved. From there it was into the opening of a bid to do some much needed electrical outlet work at the town hall. More specifically, there needed to be an outlet by the balloting section for a new voting machine that the town had received, as well as some work in the coatroom and elsewhere. There was only one bid, but that wasn’t the main issue.

“There’s nothing in there about what you asked Lori about,” Chairman Thompson said upon reading the bid for $4,900, dependent on work being done for the listed prices. In short, the main issue in need of repair had been circumvented in the sole bid received by the township. The deficient bid was therefore tabled at present, with an extension cord suggested in the interim for the November elections. One meeting attendee with some knowledge of electrical wiring options mentioned the possibility of using screw secured plastic snap moulding to run outlet wires along the outside of the wall at the old town hall, thereby saving the hassle of drilling holes to route wire through the inside—a comparative nightmare. As for road work, it was reported by Thompson that a half-mile of granite would be laid on County Line as of Wednesday, and that there needed to be a check done for ditching on Skyline, other ditching put on hold for the present. Meanwhile, after Chairman Thompson had done some much needed haying the town board members would all look at a driveway culvert being lowered “at owner expense,” it was reported. From town hall and roads work it was on to parking at the Foxx Den bar, and road signage.

“I want people to be safe as much as anybody else,” said Mel, operator of the Foxx Den regarding some new parking in front of the bar along with “no parking signs” along 1000 feet of the west side of Meridean. Of this figure, 550 feet was marked on the north end of Meridean at Foxx Den and 450 feet would be south of the bar location. “I don’t need somebody running into the bar this winter,” Mel said, as it was reported that posts and a guardrail would be installed as part of the parking arrangement, the posts right away and the guardrail at a later time. To do that, however, required addressing a right-of-way issue.

“I think it would be ok,” Thompson said of a right of way being approved by the township. “I’ve done my checking.” There could always be reservations on various details. Later on, however, the reservations won out, at least partly.

“I’m going to vote no,” the Chairman said in terms of the right-of-way changes at the Foxx Den, said right-of-way passing nonetheless with a “yes” vote from Supervisors Czubakowski and Kroeplin. Both Thompson and the two town supervisors voted “yes” on a second action to establish “no parking” signage for the west side of Meridean Drive, with suggestions made of $25 to $50 on fines. Just how much was enough to establish compliance?

“If we put it up, I think $50 is something that’s going to coerce them to say, ‘No, I’m not going to park there,’” Thompson said of the requisite fine for a parking violation. Clerk Czubakowski said that it was Wisconsin statute 349.13 which gave the rural municipality authority to do the “no parking” action. A check of said statute at the online state website describes it as “Authority to regulate the stopping, standing, or parking of vehicles,” with this authority only made effective with the posting of official traffic signs, per subsection (c) of said statute. With a motion by Supervisor Czubakowski, seconded by Kroeplin, the “no parking” ordinance was approved. From there it was into a ballot box disagreement of sorts. The townwship had just received two new electronic balloting machines that together had cost $8,000, purchased by the County for the township’s use, with three years to pay them off. Not all were fans of the power sucking, outlet-requiring machines.

“I thought paper ballots were fine,” the town board member admittedly not always favorable to technology stated. Clerk Czubakowski disagreed.

“Yeah, until you have to count them by hand,” she said. Speaking of official tally counts, the 2010 tally of Taft residents currently posted on the black slate chalkboard stands at 435, soon to be updated by the 2020 census. Those seeking more information related to Taft town government may do so at the town website located at https://townoftaftloricz. wixsite.com/townoftaft-taylorcty, while additional links to other Taylor County municipalities are posted at the county website under https://www.co.taylor.wi.us/your-government/ municipal-websites/. The next town meeting for Taft is scheduled on September 22nd, 2020, corner of F and Meridean at the old schoolhouse. Starting time is 7:30 p.m.

Photo by Joseph Back.