This is just a reminder, as we have 4 important elections this year, the first on February 18th.  If you are in any doubt about whether you are registered to vote, and that all your information is correct, you can check it out on myvote.wi.gov and make sure, before you are in line at the polls and maybe have to run back home to get proof of residence (you always have to bring proof of identity).  You are also welcome to call or text the town at 608-424-3848, or e-mail to montrose@chorus.net.  We can check it out for you, and help you get things sorted if there is any problem.  

This year the Town Board will have its regular meetings on the second Tuesday, rather than the first, in both April and November, to avoid conflict with the elections being held on those Tuesdays.  The Annual Meeting will be, as usual, on the third Tuesday in April. (the tax bill handout had an erroneous date listed).  The dates are:

     April 14, 2020:   Regular Town Board Meeting

     April 21, 2020:   Annual Meeting

     November 10, 2020:   Regular Town Board Meeting

Property tax bills will be mailed late this week and should arrive early the week of December 16, 2019.  If you would like to pay in person, we (treasurer and/or clerk) will be in the office at the town hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on December 20, 21, 27, 28, 30 & 31.  We will be here one evening in December, from 4 p.m to 8 p.m. on December 30.

Next month we will be in the office at the town hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on January 27, 28, 30 and 31.  We will also be here the evening of January 29 from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. 

You are of course welcome to mail in checks or to drop them off at the town hall.

The Land Use Committee has received no applications for action this month.  Accordingly, its meeting scheduled for December 16 has been cancelled.

The Town Board passed 2 ordinances at its meeting on December 3, 2019.  One was routine, allowing the town to use a more up to date records retention and destruction policy, and allowing some records to be destroyed without prior notification to the Wisconsin State Historical Society.  The other was more substantive.  It sets a referendum, to be voted on in April, on whether the town clerk and treasurer positions should be changed from elective positions to appointive positions.  This matters, because as things currently sit, only an elector of the township can serve in either position.  The town came close to having no clerk in April this year, when the previous clerk retired, and no one ran to take her place.  The board seeks to prevent this problem from recurring.  Both ordinances can be read and reviewed in the Ordinance section of this website.

At the Town Board meeting on December 3, 2019, the Board will be appointing election inspectors to work the elections for 2020 & 2021.  If you are interested even a little bit, please call or text 608-424-3848, or send an email to montrose@chorus.net.  Training is simple, and can be done online at your convenience.  Working the polls is a great way to meet your neighbors and support our democracy.  And there is a bit of pay. Also, by law, State employees can just take time off from work without using vacation or sick time, with proper notice to supervisors.  Other employers, such as Dane County and other municipalities, may have similar policies.   So if you are an elector in the Town of Montrose, and think you might enjoy helping your township in this way – do get in touch before the evening of December 3.

The Belleville Public Library, 130 South Vine Street, Belleville,  will be hosting free infant CPR classes on November 19th and December 3rd, 2019, between 6 and 8 p.m.  Registration is required because of limited seating.  Call 608-424-1812 to reserve a spot.

No applications having been filed, there will be no Land Use Committee (LUC) meeting this month.   Any applications for action in December 2019 are due by December 2, 2019.  The December meeting, if there is business for the meeting, will be held on December 16, 2019.

The annual meeting of the Belleville, Exeter and Montrose Fire and EMS District will be held on September 30, 2019.  The meeting will start with board members from the constituent municipalities having dinner at Borlands in Belleville at 7 p.m., and will continue with the formal meeting at 8:00 p.m. at the Belleville Village Hall.

The Town was notified that the Wisconsin Asphalt Paving Association (WAPA) has two engineering scholarships available, with online applications due by November 7, 2019. One is for study of engineering in college, the other for study of engineering technician certification in technical college.  More information is available at http://www.wispave.org/wapa-scholarships/.