News & Notices
Road limits on Town of Washington roads go into effect April 3, 2023 at 10:00 AM
The Town of Washington sledding hill is now open. It is located at 1850 Rangeline Rd at the entrance to the town transfer station and is open during daylight hours. Benches are present, and there is adequate parking for approximately 20 vehicles. The sledding hill is groomed by the Sno-Eagles Snowmobile Club as a service to the community at no charge to the town. Caution is advised while sledding as the hill may be icy. Use of the hill is contingent upon adequate snow. The sledding hill is open to everyone - not only Town of Washington residents.
ELECTION UPDATE
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled absentee ballot drop boxes are illegal in Wisconsin.
The Supreme Court also ruled that voters must personally deliver absentee ballots that are dropped off at the clerk's office.
It is illegal for someone else, like a spouse or roommate, to return a voter's completed absentee ballot to the clerk's office. The voter must carry out that task personally.
The “ballot box” which was placed at the town hall during the height of the Covid pandemic is no longer a ballot box. It is now a drop box. Ballots may not be placed in the drop box. Your ballot must be received in time to be delivered to the town polling place no later than 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Options for returning your ballot include:
- Mail it back
- Drop it off at the town clerk’s office by appointment
- Drop it off at the town polling place on Election Day
HERE'S AN UPDATE FROM LORI COLLINS AT SONICNET REGARDING THE BROADBAND EXPANSION PROJECT AS OF MARCH 1, 2023
SonicNet is currently accepting requests for service at both the 2022 Bass Lake fiber optic project area and the upcoming 2023 fiber project that will cover the Everett peninsula, Rangeline Road, Eagle Waters Road and off-shoots, as well as Scattering Rice Lake.
Bass Lake service has been live since fall 2022, and there is currently a wait list of 40 customers. Installation of service will begin in the spring as soon as the ground thaws and burying the cable to the home is possible.
The 2023 project will begin in the spring with the contractor burying the fiber optic cable along the roadways and will likely continue through most of the summer. SonicNet's technicians will begin installing the fiber to the homes or resorts soon after the contractor's work begins. Services will go "live" as soon as the roadway network in each area is turned on.
To be added to the list for either project area for service installation in 2023, please contact SonicNet at 888-631-9666, ext 100, or send a message to SonicNet Here
Details about the service and pricing are available Here
ADOPT-A-ROAD PROGRAM HAS BEEN RESTARTED!
Jill Faulkner is the Adopt-A-Road program coordinator.
Because there are no records from the previous Adopt-A-Road program, it will need to be started anew.
If you previously volunteered for the program, please contact Jill and let her know which road segment you covered. If you or your group would like to volunteer for a road segment, please contact Jill.
The Town provides all the required materials and support.
This is a positive program for the town and we are excited to get it going again! All that is required is for you or your group to pick up litter twice a year (spring and fall) on your desired segment of town road.
Please consider volunteering! To volunteer or for more information, please contact Jill here or by phone at 630-750-6563.
Download the Adopt-A-Road Application/Permit click here.
Please note the following procedures at the transfer station:
2 vehicles are allowed in both the drive-through and side entrance
Backing up is prohibited for safety reasons
You may not walk your garbage or recyclables in
Please be mindful of those waiting in line. Empty your garbage quickly and limit conversation.
NOTE: CHANGES TO OBTAINING BURN PERMITS. As of January 1, 2021, the Department of Natural Resources will NOT be issuing burning permits in-person from Emergency Fire Wardens or by DNR personnel at state offices until further notice. Burning permits are REQUIRED to burn.
Permits are free and can be obtained online and instantly emailed, or issued over the phone and delivered via postal service within 3-5 business days. The public is encouraged to plan ahead.
The Town of Washington is developing a forest management plan known as a Stewardship Plan .
With approximately 1,200 acres of town-owned land, we have enlisted the help of the WDNR in developing a forest management plan for these lands.
Our local WDNR Vilas County Forestry Department will be leading the effort. Ryan Brown, WDNR Forester will work with Jean Gillen, WDNR NR Regional Supervisor to produce the plan.
Some of the benefits include:
Providing an inventory of forest resources (e.g. forest cover types, approximate timber volumes, tree ages).
Providing a schedule of forest management activities to follow in order to meet land management objectives.
Once a Stewardship Plan is prepared and adopted by the Township, the Town can apply to become a Community Forest. Benefits of this program include free trees or seeds from the State Nursery and technical assistance from DNR Foresters to implement forest management practices and tree planting plans.
Implementing practices within the plan can help the Town sustain its forest resource for future generations while generating periodic income. Managed forests are typically healthy forests.
The Stewardship Plan will give us a good snapshot of our current land holdings and provide us with a basic framework of forest management practices.
There is NO COST for the development of this plan. We thank the WDNR for working with us to develop the plan!
Ryan and John provided an update to the town at our February, 2023 board meeting. They reported all town-owned parcels have been inventoried. The parcels were identified as eight specific compartments. No immediate needs were revealed. They will continue to develop the plan with more detailed compartment maps and management strategies.
Next update expected in summer of 2023. We'll keep you posted as the plan develops.
Please note #1 , #2 and #5 plastics are accepted for recycling.
Some examples of #1 plastics are soda bottles, water bottles, cooking oil bottles, and medicine containers, peanut butter jars, mouthwash bottles, and salad dressing bottles. They are glossy, rigid containers that sink in water.
Some examples of #2 plastics are containers for laundry/dish detergent, milk, shampoo, conditioner, butter tubs, and motor oil bottles. They are rigid containers that usually have a milky or solid color.
Some examples of #5 plastics are margarine containers, yogurt containers, syrup bottles, sour cream containers, plastic bottle caps and medicine bottles.
Look for the #1 , #2 and #5 symbols on the bottom of the containers.
These are the only containers to be placed in the recycle compactor. Place all other plastics in the garbage compactor.
Print 2023 Recycling Guidelines here
Oak Wilt, a 100% fatal disease of oak trees, has been confirmed at seven locations in the Town of Washington. To read more about it click here.
The 2022 Town of Washington newsletter is available here.
REMINDER: Short term rentals are defined as a "residential dwelling that is offered for rent for a fee and for fewer than 29 consecutive days."
Short term rental property owners must register with the Town of Washington and obtain a RoomTax Permit.
Most short term rentals are required to obtain a "tourist rooming house" license fron the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). Such a license is required for vacation homes, cabins and cottages that are rented out for more than 10 nights in a 12 month period.
The short term rental law requires owners of short term rentals and lodging marketplaces (Airbnb & VRBO) with a nexus in Wisconsin to collect state sales and use tax and any room tax owed from the person renting the residential dwelling.
PLEASE NOTE: Cardboard larger than 2' X 2' is NOT ACCEPTED at the transfer station as it causes the compactor to jam. Please ensure cardboard boxes are flattened.
Please note the phone number for the Town Shop 715-477-2024.
Do you need to dispose of old computer equipment or appliances? Recycling vouchers are still available. Voucher is limited to a maximum of $15. Contact the Town Clerk here to get your voucher.