CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE #8

As of this writing, there is an election scheduled for April 7. This will be a presidential primary as well as final elections for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Walworth County Supervisor, and local school boards. The Town Hall has been receiving a number of inquiries regarding precautions being taken to prevent the potential spread of the Covid-19 virus. Our current plan is to give each voter a pen when they present their ID to vote. This pen will be used to sign the poll book and mark the ballot and can then be taken with the voter.

We will regularly sanitize the voting booths, door handles, restrooms and all flat surfaces in the voting area.

There is the possibility that Governor Evers will postpone the election for a period of time, however, that would be problematic since the State and County terms of office expire in April and newly-elected officers need to be sworn into office in a timely manner in order to provide a seamless transition. A further possibility might be if the Governor decreed all voting to be by means of absentee ballots. If either of these scenarios come to pass, we’ll advise you as soon as possible.

I personally find it heartening to see so many residents taking an interest in Town government by attending the Planning Commission meetings and Town Board meetings. At the present time, I don’t intend to suspend either of the next two meetings because town business still has to go on. In the interim, I would strongly urge you to not attend either meeting unless you have a vested interest in the subjects being considered, at least until this current health issue abates.

As the whole Covid-19 virus continues to spread throughout the state, we should all refrain from unnecessary assemblies, if at all possible. If any important business or decisions are made, we will advise you by means of these updates and by posting minutes on the Town website in order to keep you informed.

For now, stay healthy, wash your hands often, avoid crowds and try to enjoy Spring.

As many of have probably learned by now, at the January meeting of the Spring Prairie Planning Commission, by a 3 to 2 vote, the Planning Commission approved the rezone, conditional use permit and the certified survey map for the proposed gravel pit on Highway 120. Acknowledging that the Planning Commission vote was advisory only, and not incumbent on the Town Board to accept, the Board, at its February 10 monthly meeting, unanimously voted to deny the project in its entirety. The issue now passes on to Walworth County which is  scheduled to take it up at its February 20 County Zoning Agency  meeting. Residents who wish to express their thoughts regarding this issue should address their correspondence to Land Use and Resource Management (LURM), P.O. Box 1001, Room 222, Elkhorn, WI 53121, or email [email protected]

At the same meeting, the Town Board voted to approve the Non-Metallic Mining Ordinance which, while unable to totally ban future mining proposals, puts more power in the hands of the Board to determine if such proposals are in the best interests of the Town in terms of health, safety, noise, pollution, traffic, impact on property values and on the overall quality of life of Spring Prairie residents.

In about a month, the U.S. Census Bureau will begin sending out notices to individual homes with instructions on how to fill out the upcoming 2020 census forms. While some may feel it is a governmental intrusion and waste of time, the census is extremely important to the town, the county and the state because the data collected provides the basis for the distribution of federal funds that have an impact on housing, education, employment, healthcare and public policy. Results also determine how many seats a state will have in the House of Representatives as well as how state and local districts are drawn.

In short, your responses help determine our representation in government and our ability to plan for the future. Wisconsin’s estimated loss in federal funding is over $1,300 per year for each person not counted! The form is short and simple and can be filled out in a very brief amount of time. It is vitally important you take the time to fill it out because it will serve to affect our future for the decade to come.