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Town of Portland Annual Report (2022)

Contains info about recycling site, meetings, permits, voting, zoning regulations, etc.

Burning Permits: Quick link to Burn Permit Application

TOWN BOARD MEETINGS

Monthly Town Board meetings are typically held at the Portland Town Hall on the third Thursday of each month beginning at 7:00 PM. Anyone wishing to have an item placed on the agenda for one of the monthly Board meetings must contact the Town Chairperson or Town Clerk no later than the second Thursday of that particular month.

Notices of meetings and/or meeting agenda are posted at the following locations:

Corner of Port Road and Highway BB

Portland Town Hall – W 11720 Taylor Street

Town Solid Waste/Recycling Site – Witt Lane

In addition, most meeting notices are also posted on the Town website (www.townofportlandwi.org).

MEETING/HEARING FEES

Anyone requesting a Special Town Board Meeting to be held must pay a $250.00 fee before the meeting will be scheduled.

Anyone applying for a zoning change, conditional use permit, variance, or (in some cases) land division must pay both a Town fee ($350.00) AND the pertinent General Engineering fee BEFORE the needed hearing/meeting will be scheduled.

All such fees are non-refundable.

VOTING INFORMATION

Elections are conducted at the Portland Town Hall located at W 11720 Taylor Street. All electors must be registered voters in the Town of Portland, must have resided in the Town of Portland for at least 28 days prior to the specific election, and must provide proof of identification at the polls. More information regarding voting is available from Town Clerk Nancy Thompson (920-478-3724 or portlandtownclerk@gmail.com), the Wisconsin Elections Commission website (https://elections.wi.gov), or the Elections Commission Help Desk (608-261-2028).

ZONING REGULATIONS

Anyone purchasing or selling property in the Town of Portland is encouraged to contact Kory Anderson at General Engineering Company for information about Town zoning regulations that affect the property. Anderson can be reached at 608-742-2169, 608-697-8001, or kanderson@generalengineering.net.

Both the Town’s Zoning Ordinance (which was last updated in 2011) and the Town's Comprehensive Plan (which was last updated in 2015) are posted on the Town's website (www.townofportlandwi.org) under Information/Notices/Reports, Plans, Maps.

LAND USE, BUILDING, ELECTRICAL, AND DRIVEWAY PERMITS

Any person desiring to have a one or two-family residence constructed, a mobile/manufactured home or other residential dwelling moved onto a Town site, or planning any other new construction or remodeling project must secure the required permit(s) prior to initiating such project. Follow-up inspection is also required. Any needed driveway must be completed and approved before any associated building permit will be issued. In addition, all electrical service for commercial entities (which include agricultural operations), as well as other electrical service requires permitting and inspection.

Any person failing to secure any required land use, building, electrical, and/or driveway permit(s) prior to beginning any new construction or remodeling project will be subject to payment of double the associated fees.

Questions regarding permit applications, fee amounts, and other related issues should be directed to Building Inspector Dion Okeson. He can be reached by phone or text at 608-697-3737or by email at dokeson@generalengineering.net).

ROAD EASEMENTS

Due to the Town’s ever-increasing liability exposure, Town roadway easements will be enforced. Crops kept less than thirty-three feet (33 feet) back from the centerline of a road will be cut.

BURNING REGULATIONS/PERMITS

Any person wishing to burn any leaves, grass, brush, clean wood, or other vegetative debris on his/her property MUST obtain a burning permit and then call the Dodge County Dispatcher (920-386-3726) before lighting the fire. The burning permit can be accessed by logging into the Town’s website (www.townofportlandwi.org) and following the directions under “Burning Permits/Wood-Fired Furnaces.” There is no fee for that permit. (SEE LINK AT TOP OF PAGE FOR BURN PERMIT APPLICATION)

WOOD-FIRED FURNACES

Anyone wanting to install an outdoor wood-fired furnace must obtain a permit from General Engineering Company (dokeson@generalengineering.net or 608-697-3737). The furnace must have an appropriate length of stack--no short stacks are allowed. The Town Board reserves the right to designate the location for any such furnace.

DOG LICENSES

All dogs (including house dogs) five (5) months of age or older must be licensed. Current licensing fees and required license application forms are available from Town Treasurer Carleen Benninger (920-927-5244). A current rabies certificate must also be provided before any dog license will be issued.

Households with more than four (4) dogs must apply for a kennel license by providing Treasurer Benninger with current rabies certificates for all the dogs, along with a $50.00 kennel license fee. She will then present the kennel application to the Town Board for consideration and possible approval at its next monthly meeting.

STRAY ANIMALS

The Town of Portland utilizes the Fond du Lac Humane Society for STRAY DOG (no other animals) services. Permission must be granted by a Town Board member prior to asking the Fond du Lac Humane Society to pick up any stray dog(s). Without such prior authorization, no dog(s) will be accepted.

RECYCLING SITE OPERATION AND FEES

The Town operates a site located on Witt Lane for disposal of recyclables and solid waste. The site is for the use of Town of Portland residents only and is typically open from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. each Saturday, though hours are subject to change upon posting. Town residents must sign in EACH TIME they use the site.

CURRENT fees for permitted non-recyclable materials are as follows:

$ 2.00 per 15-gallon trash bag

$ 4.00 per 30-gallon trash bag

$ 6.00 per 55-gallon trash bag/barrel

$35.00 per level pickup load of loose garbage materials

$55.00 per full pickup load of loose garbage materials

$10.00 per load of construction materials

CURRENT fees for disposal of other items are as follows:

Paint cans $ 1.00 per can

Tires $ 4.00 - $30.00 each

Appliance containing Freon: $ 30.00 each

Appliance without Freon: $ 5.00 each

Televisions $ .75 per pound

Large/ "stuffed" chair $ 10.00 each

Sofa/couch $ 25.00 each

Hide-a-beds $ 25.00 each

Mattresses/Box springs $ 10.00-$20.00 each (+$5.00 more if pillow top)

Florescent bulbs $ .25-$1.00 each

Residents need to contact site attendant Joseph Pantely (920-219-0903) with questions on whether any other items will be accepted and, if so, the fee for such.

A clean area is also available at the site for dumping stones, cement blocks, bricks, and other similar items if approved in advance by the site attendant. A “clean burn pit” is also available for burning raw wood and brush. There is no fee for such.

State law bans placement of oil filters in the ground. Such filters are not to be

commingled with anything else but may be taken to the site and given to the center attendant for disposal. The current fee for such is $.50-$1.00 per filter.

PLEASE NOTE: All Town fees listed on the previous pages are subject to change at any time deemed appropriate by the Town Board. Similarly, the Town Board may institute additional new fees whenever the need arises.