Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By TOM LAVENTURE
MERCER, Wis. — A special meeting of the Mercer town electors was postponed on Thursday after it was determined that public notice was not provided within the period required by Wisconsin statutes.
The special meeting was to be held prior to the regular town of Mercer Board of Supervisors meeting, but was not posted within the timeline required, according to town clerk Debbie Hohner. The special meeting will be rescheduled with a date that will be posted within 15 days, but not more than 20 days prior to the meeting, as required by state statutes, she said.
The topic of the special meeting was to discuss the potential for the four at-large supervisor seats to be “numbered” so that future candidates could indicate which seat they were running for as opposed to holding a runoff of open at-large seats to the candidates who receive the most votes.
The topic was introduced by Mercer resident Scott Lundquist at the April town meeting. The town resident-electors present approved 12 to 5 in favor of council member Vic Ouimette’s motion to postpone consideration until the next annual meeting or a special meeting of the electors for that purpose, in order to answer the legal and statutory questions prior to the meeting.
Township attorney Fritz Schellgell was not present at Thursday’s meeting to comment on any legal issues related to the meetings or the election topic.
Hank Joustra, a 2nd Lt. with the Mercer Fire Department, informed the town board that the Mercer Fire Department has received its display fireworks permit. The pyrotechnics have arrived for the Fourth of July fireworks show in Mercer.
In other business, the board 3-0 approved:
—Sale of a 15-foot easement to Midwest Forest Products to be used for a road to the property from Lake Shore drive.
—Annual renewal of 35 liquor licenses.
—One day liquor license to Mercer/Manitowish Waters Area Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9536 for a semiannual fundraiser on July 24.
—Three cemetery deeds.