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Weekly Blast!: Last week the Town of Grant hosted the Portage County unit meeting of the Wisconsin Towns Association (WTA). This week I attended the WTA Annual Convention in Stevens Point. Town and village officers from all over the State of Wisconsin were present; hundreds of them. Each year this event helps to educate officers about state statutes, current legislation, road maintenance and construction, budgeting, ambulance and fire protection, and so much more. No one officer can attend all the sessions available (we need the entire board to do that!) but these are the ones I attended: 1) Cypersecurity Attacks; 2) Fire Protection Service Fees; 3) Legal “Cracker Barrel” (where officers can ask the WTA attorneys ANYTHING); 4) Large-Scale Wind & Solar; and 5) Industrial Development. Each session was extremely interesting and educational. Of particular interest was the session on Fire Protection Service Fees. Currently we pay for fire protection services from our general fund to the Town of Grand Rapids and the Village of Plainfield. The first uses equalized value to determine what we pay whereas the second uses a formula that is proportional to each contracted municipality. The former does not and so unfortunately, we pay a disproportional amount to T. Grand Rapids. In this WTA session they recommended two options if we don’t want to continue pulling from our general fund: 1) referendum to increase our levy; or 2) using a formula based on square footage of homes/businesses/land size, etc. to have landowners pay proportionally based on the anticipated expense of a fire to their parcel. It’s a very interesting option and several towns are working with their assessors to create a fair formula for landowners. For example, an agricultural field would pay far less than a large commercial building, or a small home would pay less than a large one with several accessory buildings, etc. Moving forward the Town of Grant will be looking at options as the price of fire protection increases every year. We need to find ways to make it fair with the greatest protection for all our residents, their homes, businesses, and land. Enjoy the anticipated stunning weather, Sharon

Posted on by vanja

Weekly Blast!

Tomorrow, our country will be celebrating its 250th birthday. It’s been quite a run! Hopefully, everyone reading this text has been able to have their piece of the “American Dream” whether it be a home, family, job, along with the freedom to enjoy the beautiful surroundings right here in the Town of Grant.

 

In 2014 the Town of Grant celebrated its 150th birthday – it’s Sesquicentennial. It was a wonderful time of celebration, including a reunion of students from the six one-room schoolhouses we used to have, a parade, food and other vendors, exhibits in and around the Town Hall, and so much more. Treasurer Dorothy Raasch wrote a book about our Town titled: “From Where They Came to Where We Are!”. In the book she recounts our history from 1864 to 2014. There were so many great stories within.

 

Life-long resident Betty Petrusky recently told me that she will soon be celebrating her 90th birthday. She also disclosed that residents Jim Eberhardt, Harvey Kruger, and Avis Schroer, are among those also reaching this milestone in 2026. All four have contributed in one way or another to the Town – whether a past board member (or family to) or a volunteer. Thank them if you see them and wish them a happy birthday!

 

Are you celebrating a special birthday this year? If so, let me know and I’d be happy to include your story for the Weekly Blast. Everyone among us has significance and we need to celebrate both our failings and success. We’re all in this together.

 

Have a happy 4th of July, Sharon