January 2021
Wishing You a Happy, Safe & Healthy 2021!
We hope that you and your family have had a great holiday season, and that you will have a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous 2021!

Please note that the Village Office is closed today, January 1, and will re-open on Monday, January 4 at 8:30 a.m.

Christmas Tree & Wreath Pick Up
During the month of January, Public Works personnel will pick up Christmas trees and wreaths left at the edge of the road. Lights, ornaments and other decorations must be removed in order to be collected.

Please note that Public Works staff is only picking up Christmas trees and wreaths; no other yard waste or branches can be collected at this time.

It is not necessary to call in your tree or wreath to be collected, but if you have left it out for a week or more and it has not been collected, please contact the Public Works Office at 262-639-3560.
Village Board Appoints Jay Hammes
By unanimous vote, the Village Board appointed Jay Hammes to fill the vacant Village Trustee position that was recently made open by the resignation of Emily Lawrence. As has been customary, the Village Board advertised the open Trustee position for the remainder of the term, and requested interested candidates apply and be interviewed at the Village Board's regular meeting on December 10. The term of the seat ends in April 2022.

Mr. Hammes' previously served as a Wind Point Village Trustee from 2001-2013. During his time on the Village Board he served as chair of the Public Safety Committee.

For over thirty years he was a teacher, coach and athletic administrator at Sussex Hamilton High School and in the Racine Unified School District. For the last fourteen years, Mr. Hammes' work has been in the field of safety and security. He is currently the president and founder of Safe Sport Zone, LLC, which is a national after-school event security program.

Welcome back to the Village Board Jay!
Deepwood Drive Development Update
On December 14, the Village and KEW Investments held a neighborhood meeting to present the conceptual site plans for the proposed single family development at 4403 Main Street.

Two preliminary site plan options were discussed, one proposed seven lots and the other proposed eight lots. Under each plan, the westernmost lot included Main Street frontage, while the remaining lots would have access to Deepwood Drive. In order to provide a natural tree buffer on Deepwood Drive, a 30-foot tree preservation easement along the north edge of the property with a building setback of 20 feet was proposed.

Both proposed site plans included provisions that approximately 45% of the property would remain in open space. The open space would be preserved in an outlot that will run on the east and south sides of the property, and would create a natural buffer between Deepwood Drive on the east and the properties to the south.

A wetland delineation identified two isolated wetlands on the property. No construction can occur in the wetland area and the buffer between the wetland boundary and building area must be at least 10 feet. Click here to view the two conceptual site plans.

The meeting was recorded and can be viewed on the Village's You Tube Channel by clicking here.

Subsequent to the neighborhood meeting, soil tests were completed at the property. KEW Investments will be using this information, along with the comments received at the meeting, to adjust its proposed site plans accordingly. The formal review of the site plan will be completed by the Plan Commission with a final recommendation being made to the Village Board. These meetings will be open to the public with information about the meeting date, time and subject matter posted to the Village's website, Facebook page, and Twitter.

If you have any questions about the proposed development project, please contact Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer Casey Griffiths at 262-639-3524 or c.griffiths@windpoint.org.
Property Taxes Due January 31
The full amount or first installment of property taxes is due by January 31. Payments may be made by mail, dropbox or in-person at the Village Office. Payments may also be made at any branch of Johnson Bank.

After January 31, tax payments must be made to the Racine County Treasurer’s Office.

If you need a copy of your bill, you can find it online using Racine County's My Tax Bill or contact the Village Office at 262-639-3524 or info@windpoint.org. 
Dog License Reminder
Don't forget to obtain your annual dog license! A dog license application can be found on the bottom of the insert mailed with the property tax bill. Additional applications can be downloaded from the Village website or picked up at the Village Office. The fee for a dog license is $15 per altered (neutered or spayed) dog and $35 per unaltered dog. Checks (payable to the Village of Wind Point) or cash are accepted. Submit the application and fee along with a copy of an unexpired rabies certificate obtained from your veterinarian to the Village Office.


The fee increases by $10 for licenses obtained after April 1. Failure to obtain a license may result in a municipal ordinance citation and fine of $187 for an unlicensed dog.

If submitting by mail, be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope for the receipt and tag to be returned to you.  If you have any questions please contact the Village Office at 262-639-3524.
Village Road Projects: How the Decision is Made
During a recent Village Board meeting, a resident questioned how the Board decides what road projects are to be funded in a given year. The Road Program is part of the Village’s 10-year Capital Improvement Plan, which is a schedule of future major capital acquisition and construction activities. A road project is scheduled in the Capital Improvement Plan based on an estimate of the road’s useful life.

Annual funding decisions on road projects are based on the condition and expected future use of various road segments as well as other budgetary considerations. Road condition is determined by the completion of a bi-annual Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) review. PASER is a 1-10 rating system used by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. In odd numbered years, the Village Engineer reviews all roads and assigns a PASER rating to each. Each year, staff provides the Village Board with recommendations on needed road repairs to be included in the next year’s budget.

In 2020, the Village repaved Lake Meadow Drive, with some residents questioning the need for repaving. The Village started planning the reconstruction of this road in 2015, as the road had a PASER rating of 6, indicating a fair road condition. By 2019, the rating declined to 4, indicating poor condition when structural renewal (overlay) is recommended. This is the treatment the Village implemented in 2020. Had the Village delayed the project, the road likely would have deteriorated further and the cost to repair would have increased.

If you have questions about the Village’s budget or road projects, please contact Village Administrator Casey Griffiths at c.griffiths@windpoint.org.
Deadline for Village Board and Municipal Judge Nomination Forms is Tuesday, January 5
The deadline to submit nomination forms to run for Wind Point Village Trustee or Wind Point/North Bay Municipal Judge is Tuesday, January 5, 2021 at 5:00 p.m.

Village Trustees serve two-year terms, with the next term beginning in April 2021 and ending in April 2023. The Municipal Judge will serve the remaining two years of the current four year term that will end in April 2023. Candidate forms and instructions can be obtained at the Village Office or by going online.

The incumbents for Village Board are: President Susan Sanabira and Trustees Don Gloo and Marty Meissner. Trustee Janet Bernberg has decided not to run for another term. The incumbent for Municipal Judge is Georgia Herrera.

The Spring Election will be held on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 and the Spring Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, February 18, 2021, if necessary.

For more information please contact the Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer Casey Griffiths at 262-639-3524 or c.griffiths@windpoint.org.
Yard Waste Sticker Buy Back Program
With the transition to a community wide yard waste pick up program, the Village will be offering a yard waste sticker buy back program from now until Friday, April 30, 2021.

If you have any unused yard waste stickers you may come to the Village Office during normal business hours, and receive a cash refund. The stickers must be unused and must be quantities of 5 or more.

If you have any questions about the buy back program please contact the Village Office at 262-639-3524 or info@windpoint.org.
Village Board Updates
The Village Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on Thursday, December 10, 2020. The following actions took place at the meeting:

  • Interviewed and appointed Jay Hammes to the position of Village Trustee.
  • Reviewed updates on development projects at the Deepwood Drive property and the former Wind Point School property.

Please note that this is a synopsis of the items discussed at the Village Board meeting. To view complete meeting minutes for all Village Board and Committee meetings please visit the Agenda and Minutes page on the Village's Website. Minutes are added to the website once they have been approved by the Village Board or the respective committee, which typically occurs at the next regular meeting.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 14 at 5:30 p.m. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting will be held virtually via Cisco WebEx. Details on how to access the meeting virtually are below.

For general help accessing WebEx Meetings please click here.

Internet via the Cisco Web Ex App
Meeting Number: 126 180 1688
Password: 5p3Qsbppp7g

Phone
Number: +1-415-655-0001
Access code: 126 180 1688
Pass code: 57377277 
Village of Wind Point, Wisconsin
215 E. Four Mile Rd.
Racine, WI 53402
262.639.3524