Mary Censky is the new Village Planner/Zoning Administrator. She began in March and has over 20 years of experience in Planning. Mary currently also works with other Villages : Pewaukee, Big Bend & Bayside.

Two new Parks, Public Works & Forestry Operators L-R

Riley Kling started on March 30, 2020. His previous employer was Farmers Grain & Feed. Riley has wide variety of mechanical experience working on heavy duty to light duty pieces of equipment. Todd Leonard started on July 8, 2020. He worked at Paper Machinery Corp. Todd’s experience in snow plowing and landscaping will be greatly beneficial.

L-R -In January, Jade Schrader was hired as the Youth Services

Librarian to take on services for birth to 17 years old. In March, Julia

Carl was hired as a Circulation Clerk. Julia is now a Library

Cataloger, replacing Nancy Bingen.

I am hoping that you and your family have avoided the Covid-19 virus or at least have not had a very bad case of it. Hopefully 2021 will be a better year with several vaccines becoming available. Even though this pandemic has affected us all, The Village of Slinger employees have all continued to serve you delivering the same level of service you have come to expect. I applaud our Clerk Tammy Tennies and all of the election workers who braved working through three elections during this pandemic. I know this was not an easy task as they handled a record number of voters by mail in, early in person and the day of the election in person. This is my last letter to you as Village President as I have decided not to seek another 2-year term. I have enjoyed these past 18 years serving you and being part of a team of other elected members of the Village Board and citizen members appointed to the various committees, commissions and boards of the Village. Not running for another term as President doesn't mean I am walking away from everything. I hope I will have the opportunity to continue on one of the committees and encourage others of you whether you are new or a longtime resident to seek out serving on a committee also. As I set out to write this letter, I thought about the last 18 years and all of the changes that have come to Slinger. When I opened my business in 1974 the population was about 1380. To say the least Slinger was a much different community back then! But its location close to major highways made it ripe for growth. By the time I became President in 2003 the population had grown to about 4000 and over the next 18 years it has grown by almost 50% to near 6,000. We have seen many new subdivisions such as Whispering Pines, the American Eagle area, Cedar Bluffs, Stork Landing, Sherman Heights, Pleasant Farm and the ever expanding area of Farmstead Creek just south of Arthur road. All of this growth has made Village government more efficient because the tax base has also greatly expanded making our tax rate one of the lowest of Washington County Cities and Villages and the Village is in a very good financial position with a very favorable bond rating that allows for low rates on borrowings. This growth has also aided in expanding our parks. This coming year we hope to open a new splash pad and inclusive playground in place of the swimming pond. The Village is also in the process of obtaining additional lands for the Future Breuer Park which is located adjacent to Farmstead Creek. We are also proud of the new trail at Community Park that links to the Ice age Trail and the listing of Slinger as an Ice Age Trail Head Community. Many more exciting things will be happening to our Parks in the future. Finally, after what seems as decades of talk, we have defined an area of the old downtown area as a redevelopment zone. The Redevelopment Authority has been given the mission to move forward with improving the area which may include programs to help property owners improve the exteriors, provide the area with zoning that allows a variety of uses and pursue ways to bring more value & create a downtown area that will become a welcoming gathering place at the center of the Village. I am proud of what has been accomplished over the years I have been President and thank all of the elected officials, appointed committee members and employees who have dedicated themselves to make Slinger one of the best places to call home. I end this message with the hope that in the years ahead this community will continue to become even better and be a community of helpful, friendly and engaged citizens working together. Russ Brandt - President 2003-2021

Questions About Your Tax Bill?

The following are some common questions that may come up as you look over your 2020 tax statement. Where does this money go? As you can see from the enclosed tax statement and the graph shown here, your tax dollars go to a number of governmental and educational institutions: *The largest portion of your tax bill goes to the Slinger School District, which receives 49%. *The Village of Slinger receives the next largest portion, or 32%. *Washington County receives 15% for its programs and services. *Moraine Park Technical College receives 4%. In 2017, the State of Wisconsin eliminated the State portion of the property tax bill. Specific questions you may have about any individual part of your tax bill should be directed to the agency concerned.

So who do I pay, and when is everything due? Tax payments must be postmarked by January 31, 2021. Taxes paid by January 31, 2021 must be made payable to: Village of Slinger – Treasurer 300 Slinger Road, Slinger WI 53086

You also have the option of paying your taxes in two installments. If you decide to take advantage of that option, the first half needs to be paid to the Village of Slinger Treasurer by January 31, 2021. The second payment must be made no later than July 31, 2021 to: Washington County – Treasurer PO Box 1986, West Bend WI 53095

What will the mill rate look like?

Less Credit $1.374570677 Net Rate $15.45 2020 Lottery Credit $128.43 2020 First Dollar Credit $52.41

Tax Levy 2021 2020

State 0.00 0.00

County 2.479299196 2.404033382

MPTI 0.670562566 0.646804878

School 8.178099060 8.205701813

Village 5.493995587 5.491509401

TOTAL 16.82195641

16.74804947

Monthly Meeting Schedule Village Board - 1st & 3rd Monday at 6pm Planning Commission - 2nd Wednesday at 6:30pm, normally Park Board - 4th Monday at 6pm The above meetings are all held at Village Hall in the Boardroom. During COVID conditions, meetings are held at 218 Slinger Road in the Village Community Room. Library Board - 2nd Monday at 4:30pm held at the Library

Dates subject to change Contact Information Village President Russell Brandt 262-644-8854 Village Trustees Jeff Behrend 262-644-9849 Lee Fredericks 920-843-2007 Rick Gundrum 262-644-7002 Richard Kohl 262-644-8673 Dean Otte 262-623-1906 Marlyss Thiel 262-644-8004 Front L-R R. Gundrum, R. Brandt. J. Behrend Back L-R M. Thiel, D. Otte, R. Kohl & L Fredericks

Administrator Margaret Wilber 262-644-5265 Ext. 118 mwilber@vi.slinger.wi.gov Building Inspector 262-644-2624 inspector@vi.slinger.wi.gov Clerk Tammy Tennies 262-644-2636 ttennies@vi.slinger.wi.gov Engineer/Public Works Director James Haggerty 262-644-2626 jhaggerty@vi.slinger.wi.gov Library Director Leslie Schultz 262-644-6171 Ext. 116 lschultz@monarchlibraries.org Parks & Recreation Director Tony Dobson 262-644-2620 tdobson@vi.slinger.wi.gov Planner/Zoning Administrator Mary Censky 262-644-5265 Ext. 108 mcensky@vi.slinger.wi.gov Police Chief Dean Schmidt 262-644-6441 dschmidt@vi.slinger.wi.gov Treasurer Valerie Knetzger 262-644-2640 vknetzger@vi.slinger.wi.gov

L–R On June 1st Alexander (AJ) Greenberg joined the Slinger Police Department. AJ com-pleted an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from Waukesha County Technical College in December of 2019 and the Police Academy in May of 2020, also at the Waukesha County Technical College. In early October AJ finished the 16 week field training program and will be assigned to night shift beginning the first of the year. On July 1st 2020, Casey O’Hagan a 22-year veteran of the Slinger Police Department began an assignment as the first ever Detective within the department. Detective O’Hagan’s focus will be to follow up and solve more detailed and time consuming complaints allowing for patrol officers to remain on patrol duties.

In March, Planner Marty Marchek retired after 18 years

with the Village. We will miss Marty but wish him well in

his retirement.

In August, after 18 years with Slinger Community

Library, Nancy Bingen, Library Cataloger, retired. She

will be greatly missed by staff and the

community.

VILLAGE OF SLINGER

When is Village Hall open for tax payments? Village Hall is open from 8am to 5pm Mon – Friday during normal workweeks. Over the holidays, there are a few days when the Village Hall offices will be closed: Thursday, December 24th Friday, December 25th and Friday, January 1st, 2021

A Message from the Village President

Friends of the Slinger Library Please consider joining Friends of the Slinger Library. Member-ship is $5.00. They meet four times a year, February, April, September, and November, to plan the annual Silent Auction, bake sales, and numerous fund-raisers. All proceeds go to the Slinger Community Library for youth programs, books, and the Summer Learning Program. Three other great ways to donate to the Friends of Slinger Library is the ongoing book sale, the ongoing aluminum cans recycling, and through Amazon Smile. Please visit our website www.slingerlibrary.org for more information about Friends of the Slinger Library.

One card…infinite possibilities with your

Slinger Community Library card!

Your Slinger Community Library card,

member of the Monarch Library System,

offers you access to over 1.1 million items

and access to seven databases to explore.

Libby and RBDigital offer access to audio-

books, e-books, and digital magazines.

RBdigital also offers access to streaming

services to include AcornTV, The Great

Courses, LearnitLive health and wellness

channel, and Method Test Prep. Ancestry

allows searching through millions of family

history records, and Pronunciator lets you

learn a new language. A-Z database offers

access to information about businesses,

Gale courses expand your knowledge

through taking online classes & Badgerlink,

Wisconsin’s Online Library, provides access

to hundreds of licensed content and reliable

information.

A l l A b o u t 2 0 2 0 … In 2020, the library closed to the public, in late March, in response to the COVID 19 pandemic raging through the country. We reopened in May and had to pivot our services to the community by offering Pick Up n’ Go curbside service and providing all-virtual programming with Take n’ Make Kits and STEAM kits for all ages. We also in-creased our online presence with adding Instagram, a YouTube channel, Beanstack for the Summer Learning Program, and RBdigital streaming services. Our Summer Learning Program saw 68,719 minutes read by 104 children and teens and 112 books read by 34 adults. We also added a learning component to the Summer Learning Program which saw families complete 488 activities. In 2020 we also updated our hours to 7pm, Monday through Thursday, to be more consistent for our patrons. We are currently getting ready for the 2020 holiday season with our Holiday Wish Tree, asking patrons to help make library wishes come true by donating money for programming and books. June 14th which will encompass reading and learning. Check the library’s website, www.slingerlibrary.org, for a complete schedule in early May.

DPW Expansion Complete In February 2020 the DPW expansion was completed! The Village added additional 16,382 square feet of garage space onto the existing 10,386 square feet. The expansion included a maintenance bay, wash bay, and a sign shop. These areas will help improve work flow efficiency. In addition, 4,268 square feet was renovated for offices, breakroom, and a Village Community Room. A new cold storage building was also constructed to help store equipment along with materials used throughout the Village. The Village held an open house in late September for all the residents to check out the new facility. A future open house is planned for spring 2021. We hope you can join us!

§ 425-15 Duty of owner or occupant. The owner or occupant of any lot or lands within the Village abutting upon a public street along the line of which sidewalk shall have been constructed shall, when-ever such sidewalk shall become encumbered with snow or ice, clear the entire width of the same therefrom within 24 hours after the cessation of each storm. In case it is impossible or impractical to remove the ice and snow therefrom, the owner or occupant shall treat the same with sand, salt or some other substance continuously until removed so that such sidewalk will not be slippery or dangerous to pedestrians. In case of the failure of any such owner or occupant to remove snow and ice from the entire width of the sidewalk or to treat the ice as described above within the time aforesaid, if the Director of Public Works determines to do so, the expense of such removal or treatment shall become a special tax or charge against the property, to be collected in the manner hereinafter specified.

§ 425-16 Assessment of cost. After clearing or treating any such side-walk as provided in this section, the Director of Public Works shall file with the Village a written report containing a description of such lot or tract charged and the amount of expense chargeable to the same. The Clerk shall thereupon make out and mail to the owner of such lot or tract, at his last known address, an itemized statement of the cost, and when paid, the amount of bill shall be credited to the Village General Fund. If not paid within 30 days, such charges shall be placed on the tax roll pursuant to § 66.0627, Wis. Stats For further information about snow removal, go to the www.vi.slinger.wi.gov On the home page click on the following link for all Village Codes. https://ecode360.com/SL3631

The Slinger Parks & Recreation Department is very excited to be working on

this new attraction at the Fireman’s Park Annex. This Splash Pad will replace

the old Slinger Pond at 645 Baehring Dr. It will provide kids with a spray area

of nearly 2,200 square feet & feature a basketball cannon, twin splash water

bucket, Aqualien Rain Forest & a rainbow sprayer. Look for this to be

opening in the summer of 2021.

Also in 2021 we will be installing the Village’s first Inclusive playground

featuring a pour in place surface along with activities for kids of all ages. This

new addition will be located directly west of the new splash pad at the

Fireman’s Park Annex.

Welcome to Slinger Community Library

Christmas Tree Pick Up The Village of Slinger will be picking up Christmas trees starting on 1-4-2021. Trees should be left curbside with the cut end of the tree facing towards the roadway.

Christmas Trees should NOT be placed in the compost dumpster!

Snow Removal on your property Chapter 425 Article VI of the

Village Code

Dog & Cat Licenses

This is just a reminder to those who have dogs and cats in the Village,

a license is required. Every dog and cat five (6) months of age or older

must be licensed: spayed/neutered pet licenses cost $7.00; otherwise

the fee is $12.00. Applications are available online or can be picked

up at Village Hall. Proof of rabies vaccination is required at the time of

licensing for your cat or dog. The licenses expire December 31st and

must be renewed annually. If you do not obtain a license for your dog

or cat on or before April 1st, a $5.00 late fee will be assessed. Just a

note: you do not need a separate check if obtaining your dog and /or

cat license when paying your taxes.

Where can I go to dispose large items?

The closest disposal station is located at 803 N River Road in West Bend (off of Hwy 33) and is open M-F 7am–3pm. Note that there are fees when dumping any material. Call Advanced Disposal at (262) 334-5618 for more information.

Well #3 Iron Filter Completed

Slinger is happy to report that the addition of an iron filter at our Well #3

site is complete and working as anticipated! In addition to the new iron

filter, the well casing and the existing reservoir have been refurbished as

well. This project, along with the new filter media at our Well #5 site,

should help Slinger deliver iron (rust) free water to

all or our customers.

Music in the Park

The Slinger Parks & Recreation Dept. was

extremely pleased with our music in the

park series for the 2020 season. We are

excited to have a new partnership with EIN

Prosit Beer Garden at Community Park.

Look for a music in the park schedule in

early spring with music

events every Wednes-

day and Saturday

evenings beginning in

early summer.

WPPI Recharge Funds Wisconsin Public Power Inc. (WPPI) is the Village’s wholesale electricity supplier. WPPI is a member owned, not-for-profit wholesale power supplier and they established the Community Recharge program to help its membership address the local health and economic impacts of COVID-19. The Village was given $5200 through this program. The funds went to: Fox Brothers Piggly Wiggly, Slinger Food Pantry; Slinger Police Department and Ice Age Trail.

High Hopes for 2021… We have high hopes to get back to offering in-person program-ming in the Spring to include baby lapsit for babies, Reading with Rover for youth, and Memory Café for adults. Mid-year, we are hoping to introduce new S.T.E.A.M. kits for families to explore at home. We are also planning to get the word out about library happenings through a new electronic news-letter being delivered to patrons through their emails. We hope to continue having teachers of 1st grade students book their class for their 1st Grade Field Trips in April and May of 2021. Each 1st grade class will have a tour of the library and receive their own library card. The 2021 eight-week Summer Reading Program starts on Monday, June 14th which will encompass reading & learning. Check the library’s website, www.slingerlibrary.org, for a complete schedule in early May.

Schleisingerville to Slinger Historical Museum Hartford Rd./James St. Road Reconstruction

Hartford Road and James Street is nearing completion. The contractor is constructing a new stormwater pond along Hartford Road near MBW which will need to be completed next year. The project proved challenging but solved a lot of long-standing problems, such as: *Replacing a private sanitary sewer main located underneath a building along James St. (photo 1) *Installing a liner in a 48 inch corrugated metal storm sewer pipe to extend the life of this critical storm sewer (photo 2) *Removing a 6 foot thick piece of concrete lying on top of two sanitary sewer service pipes that needed replacing. *Additionally, the project replaced 1,800 feet of leaking, vitrified clay sanitary sewer dating back to the 1930’s with new PVC sanitary sewer located within the roadway area that will allow for cleaning by utility personnel. The project also replaced 1,200 feet of transite water main and 300 feet of 4-inch diameter water main dating back to the early 1950’s with new 8-inch water main that will provide better water pressures and fire flows. The contractor will need to return in early 2021 to replace the curb and gutter and sidewalk and replace the surface course of asphalt along James Street. Hartford Road was improved by adding storm sewers, curb and gutters and replacing the failed asphalt pavement. (photo 3)

1

2 3

Coming Soon Splash Pad & Inclusive Playground

The excitement generated by the Village’s 150th anniversary in 2019 continued into this year as a very ambitious group of volunteers worked on creating an historical museum. The group worked with the owners of E.H. Wolf & Sons to arrange for a lease of the former railroad depot that had served as the company’s office building until recently. In spite of the pandemic-related slowdown experienced by everyone this year, the volunteers were able to prepare the location for a grand opening on June 27th. They’ve been open regularly since then during the following times: 11am –4pm on the 1st & 3rd Sundays 5pm-7:30pm on the 2nd Wednesdays 11am-4pm on the 4th Saturdays The museum is also available for special tours by appointment. These can be arranged by emailing museum staff at history@slingermuseum.org. The Museum Board and their volunteers have done an amazing job in creating a first-class museum that offers a fascinating look into the Village’s history and development. Be sure to check out the wonderful new museum at 414 Kettle Moraine Drive South!

Slinger’s National Night Out Brought the Community Together National Night Out is an annual campaign that promotes police and neighborhood relationships and community spirit. The Village of Slinger has participated in the National Night Out program for the past few years. This usually takes place on the first Tuesday in August but for 2020 the event was scheduled for October 6th and held at Community Park in the heart of the Village. This year’s October date coincided with the Slinger Fire Department’s annual Fire Prevention Week program which brought even more activity to the event. There were also displays provided by the Slinger Police Department, the Slinger Community Library, Friends of Slinger Parks & Recreation and local businesses. As if that weren’t enough excitement, the Ice Age Trail Alliance was also on hand to participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Village trail. The trail project relocated a portion of the Ice Age Trail through the Village, moving it off the streets, through Community Park and around the back of Little Switzerland ski hill. There is an additional loop around the Glen Hill pond providing scenic views of this natural area in the middle of the Village. More features will be added in the coming months as students from Slinger High School complete projects such as benches and interpreta-tive signage. This project was a terrific community effort that’s already proven to be a popular addition to our park facilities