Town of Clover – Special Meeting  

Minutes

A Special Board Meeting for January 6, 2022  meeting  in the  Town of Clover Town Hall (the Historic Gym)

At August 11, 2021, board meeting motion carried to require masks for all at government meetings with dais to be placed adequate distance from all and that speakers remove mask only when speaking, further that the board social distance the tables as to be able to remove mask to speak and replace when done speaking.

 

Agenda

Call to order: 6:00 pm

Roll Call: Dale Fuller, Beverly Steele,  Jack Smith,  Sheryl  Isaksson, Tracy  Gillespey,   Patti Stemwedel , Absent Iva Morelli Also present Mark Pope, Ruth Walczak, Ed Walczak, Lois Palmer, Mark Filonowich, James Stemwedel.

 

Business:

The previous members of the Town Board, in 2020, inappropriately gave themselves a 10% pay increase. This action was improper because setting the salaries of elected officials is a direct power of the electors (only the electors have the power to set the pay of elected officials). From Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 60:

60.32  Compensation of elective town offices.

(1)  Established by town meeting or board.

60.32(1)(a)(a) Except as provided under par. (b) and s. 66.0507, the town meeting shall establish the compensation of elective town offices.

(b) If authorized by the town meeting under s. 60.10 (2) (k), the town board shall establish the compensation of elective town offices, other than the office of town board supervisor.

At the annual Town Meeting, the electors may bring any action to the floor, but at the 2020 annual meeting there was no action taken with regard to a pay increase. At any other town meeting of electors, action on a pay increase may be taken, but only if it is noticed on the agenda, in other words, the electors must be made aware that a pay increase will be up for a vote. The 2020 fall electors meeting agenda included no such item. Also, it was noted in the minutes of the November 7, 2020 levy meeting that the 10% pay increase for elected officials was approved through levy, but the electors approve the levy not the budget and most people were unaware of the details of the budget in order to make an informed consent to the pay increase. Note that the board members involved in this action were Steele, Isaksson, Rebak, and Smith whereas Stemwedel was absent for medical reasons. The

 

purpose of this meeting is to see that the overpayment to board members is returned to the Town Treasury and to inform the electors of the inappropriate actions taken by present and past board members who may be seeking nomination for office at the upcoming caucus.

Motion by:Steele/sIsaksson to call a special meeting of the electors for January 26^th at 7:00pm regarding the 10% raise to the board from April 20, 2021. 4 yes and 1 no. motion Carried.

Note: reimbursement will be discussed at the January 12 board meeting.

From Wisconsin Statutes 946.12:

In the officer’s or employee’s capacity as such officer or employee, does an act which the officer or employee knows is in excess of the officer’s or employee’s lawful authority or which the officer or employee knows the officer or employee is forbidden by law to do in the officer’s or employee’s official capacity. Maximum penalty: Class I Felony with up to $10,000 fine and/or up to 3.5 years in prison.

 

Motion to Adjourn 6:16 am

Minutes prepared by the Town Clerk

Minutes are unofficial until approved by the Town of Clover Board.