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Preliminary Budget Approved at Annual Tomahawk School Board Meeting Published on 09/13/2017 under News

A sparse crowd of residents heard the proposed Tomahawk School district budget and approved the necessary tax levy to support the budget at last night's annual meeting.

School Administrator Terry Reynolds briefly walked through the various figures for those in attendance. In the end, the numbers added up to a levy of $13.7 million dollars, up from $11.3 million last year.

This year is the first under the voter approved $3 million dollar referendum passed this spring.

The district's portion of the levy amounts to a $9.75 mill rate.

Reynolds noted these figures are preliminary. They still await both finalized enrollment numbers, as well as approval of the state budget which includes education funding.

The final budget will likely be back before the board at a special meeting in late October.

School Board Recap

Following the annual meeting, it was the regular September board meeting.

The board approved consent agenda items with minimal discussion. The list included the hires of Theresa L'Esperence as an elementary teacher; aides Alex Martino, Margie Welke, Julie Theis, and Sara Pfarr; as well as Joe Lilley as a custodian.

A majority of the meeting was staff reports and updates related to the start of the school year. High School Principal Ryan Huseby noted that their registration event went well this year, as did the transition to utilizing online registration and sign up forms. He estimated about a 75% attendance for the freshman orientation.

Likewise, Middle School Principal Wendell Quisenberry their open house went well overall, as did their technology night outreach for parents. He briefly went over a small change to their PBIS reward program. Traditionally the students received 'Hatchet Cash' as a reward, to use on themselves. This year they will introduce a program that allows those students to spend their rewards for community outreach causes. They'll be selected on a rotating monthly basis.

Elementary Principal Penny Antell briefly mentioned their 'kindness slips' theme, as well as a Kindness Quilt being hung within the halls of the cafeteria.

There were just a few action items at the meeting. Due to a schedule conflict, the board will meet a day early next month. As part of the ongoing several year project to update and modernize policies, the board approved the first reading of what was described as four boiler plate policies.

The board then entered closed session for superintendent evaluation.

In Other News

Music on the River Week #3; The Ramble Makes Series Debut

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Published on 07/08/2026 under News Before an ambulance arrives in an emergency, there's a lot happening behind the scenes—and the Merrill Fire Department wants the public to better understand it. The Merrill Fire Department is inviting residents to a series of public meetings this month focused on ambulance service, EMS challenges, and the future of emergency medical care in Lincoln County. Fire Chief Josh Klug says the department hopes the meetings will give residents a better understanding of how ambulance service operates and encourage community involvement. The meetings come as the City of Merrill and Lincoln County continue negotiating a new ambulance service contract. The two have partnered to provide service in the southern two-thirds of the county since 1970. The first meeting begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, at the Merrill Fire Station. Fire department command staff will discuss the history of ambulance service in the county, current operational challenges, and possible funding options. Each meeting will also feature a guest EMS expert. The first session includes James Small with the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health, who will discuss statewide EMS trends and strategies for meeting growing demand with limited resources. For those that can't attend, the presentations will also be livestreamed on the Merrill Fire Department's Facebook page. Additional meetings are scheduled for July 14, 15, 27, and 28.

Published on 07/08/2026 under News The Tomahawk City Council took a small but meaningful step toward a major new housing development last night. At its meeting Tuesday, the Council approved a resolution authorizing the Community Development Authority (CDA) to sell a parcel of land located off Comfort Drive to developer S.C. Swiderski. City Clerk Amanda Bartz noted the official sales paperwork is expected to be signed later this week. The City and the CDA have been working closely with the Mosinee-based developer to construct a new 72-unit apartment complex on Tomahawk's east side near U.S. Highway 51. The developer's agreement, which was initially approved by the Council last month, includes financial incentives funded through tax revenue generated directly by the project. Once complete, the multi-family residential complex is expected to bring a minimum assessed property value of $9.5 million to the city's tax rolls. Based on the project timeline discussed last month, construction is slated to begin this fall and will take approximately 18 months to complete. The development will add 72 much-needed rental units to Tomahawk's tight housing inventory. S.C. Swiderski is a major property management and real estate development firm with residential holdings in more than 30 communities across the state, including Athens, Eagle River, Merrill, Medford, and Wausau.

Published on 07/08/2026 under News Traffic was briefly backed up in northern Lincoln County following a single-vehicle crash on Tuesday afternoon. Emergency responders were dispatched shortly after 4:00 p.m. to Highway 8 near County Highway L, just north of Tomahawk. Witnesses reported a vehicle went off the roadway while navigating the curve located just west of the intersection. No further information was provided regarding the cause of the crash. The incident initially forced a closure of the eastbound lane of Highway 8. Emergency crews eventually reopened the roadway with traffic control to allow the removal of the vehicle. Crews remained on the scene for more than two hours to clear the crash.

Published on 07/08/2026 under News As electric bicycles continue to grow in popularity, local hospitals are seeing a corresponding rise in serious injuries related to e-bike crashes. Aspirus Trauma Coordinator Jamie Armbruster says that because e-bikes are heavier and faster than traditional bicycles, they require much longer stopping distances. This combination often leads to more severe trauma when a crash occurs. Common injuries treated at Aspirus emergency facilities include fractures, facial trauma, internal organ damage, and brain injuries. Many of these cases involve riders who were either skipping helmets entirely or using standard bicycle helmets not safety-certified for higher e-bike speeds. Armbruster emphasizes that wearing a properly fitted helmet remains the single best defense against head injuries, with national statistics showing a proper helmet cuts the risk of severe head injury by 85 percent. According to Armbruster, demographic data highlights two groups facing the highest risk: children and teens, particularly boys under 16, and adults between the ages of 45 and 64. E-bikes can also pose a hazard to pedestrians sharing multi-use recreational trails, parks, and sidewalks. To prevent collisions, riders are encouraged to slow down and use verbal cues or a bike bell when passing others. Finally, local law enforcement agencies encourage all riders to familiarize themselves with the specific rules of the road and local ordinances governing motorized bikes before hitting the pavement.

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Published on 07/08/2026 under News The DNR has officially opened its annual summer Game Bird Survey, calling on hikers, hunters, and outdoor enthusiasts to report sightings of wild turkeys, ruffed grouse, and pheasants. The data collected is designed to measure the nesting and reproductive success of the state's game birds for the current breeding year. Specifically, biologists are looking to establish the ratio of adults to juveniles spotted in the wild. When paired with fall harvest data, these summer reproductive numbers give state scientists the exact information they need to make critical wildlife management decisions. Paul Frater, DNR surveys coordinator says, "Every submission increases our dataset and helps build a more complete picture of how game birds are doing throughout the state." Participation is simple...whenever you spot a game bird or a brood during daylight hours, you can log the date, location, and species directly into the DNR's "Survey123" smartphone app. To learn more or to download the tracking app, visit the DNR's official Game Bird Survey webpage. The survey runs through August 31.

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