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Tomahawk City Council Recap: 2022 Budget; Levy

Published on 12/01/2022 under News The Tomahawk City Council approved a slight increase in the budget for the upcoming year, though the general tax levy should be down slightly. Much of the work on the budget was completed during several special Finance Committee meetings last month. There was minimal discussion ahead of the vote and no comments during the public hearing. In the end, the total spending came in at $8.2 million up around $1.6 million from last year. This is largely due to an increase in capital outlay. Among the projects on the docket for next year are the reconstruction of Sixth Street, replacing the roof at city hall, and mandatory computer technology upgrades. The city will also fund a portion of planned renovation of Washington Square Park that will include a splash pad and all-inclusive playground. In addition to the budget, a corresponding ordinance set the city's general property tax levy at just over $1.7 million, a 13.5% drop or a decrease of approximately $300,000 when compared to the current year. The city's portion of the mill rate came in at $8.12 per $1,000 of valuation. The other pieces of the local budget puzzle, the Tomahawk School District, Nicolet College, and Lincoln County, have already completed and approved their budgets. ___ In addition to the budget, the City Council had one other topic on the agenda. They approved the division of a lot on Murphy Avenue off of CC. The property owner dividing one large lot into three smaller ones. That was approved with minimal discussion. Tomahawk Committee Meeting Recap The Health and Safety Committee held their regular November meeting. With a light agenda, the committee briefly reviewed the city's celebration budget. These are the costs the city picks up, primarily public works and police, during events like Powwow Days, the Fall Ride, and the Venison Feed, as well as duties such as hanging the holiday decorations. This year the city set aside $64,000, and they are running about $2,000 over budget. That budget had been down in recent years due, in part, to the pandemic and scaled back or canceled events. Police Chief Al Elvins, in his monthly report to the committee, highlighted the department received two separate state grants for $3,000. One was for the Fall Ride, and the other ongoing officer training. He also noted the number of calls for service is up, already surpassing last year's overall total. After a busy November working on the budget, the city's finance committee held their regular monthly meeting last night. The lone item on the agenda was the city owned property at 404 South Tomahawk Avenue. The city acquired it this summer from the county after it was taken for delinquent taxes. The eviction process is ongoing and the committee will discuss the future of the property once it is vacated. The city did have the property appraised at approximately $88,000.

Published on 12/01/2022 under News Wisconsin Public Service is celebrating a pair of national awards the power company received for reliability. Last month, WPS was presented with ReliabilityOne Awards for Greatest Improvement in Reliability and Superior Customer Engagement. WPS President Tom Metcalfe says, "Providing affordable, reliable and clean energy to our customers is at the heart of every decision we make. These awards show the dedication our employees have to enhancing reliability and delivering world-class service to our customers." The Most Improved Award recognizes utilities for significant and sustained improvements over a five year period. For WPS, improvements go back a bit further thanks to an eight-year, ongoing efforts to bury overhead powerlines here in the Northwoods. To date more than 2,000 miles have already been placed underground to improve reliability. The company has also focused on equipment improvements that will help pinpoint the location of outages for a faster response. The second award, for customer engagement, was the result of WPS communication with customers regarding power outages and restoration time. This was a multi-platform honor that recognized the WPS app, website, and social media accounts in providing real-time outage information. These awards, handed out each fall are eligible to all electric utility networks in North America.

Published on 12/01/2022 under News With the calendar flipped to December, complete focus has turned to Christmas. For folks planning an outdoor light spectacular, the staff at Aspirus are reminding caution on ladders to avoid a trip to the ER. December 1 is National Christmas Lights Day. Mark Heinrich is the grounds and landscape project coordinator at Aspirus. He and his team are tasked with holiday decorations at Aspirus. He says their teams access some pretty high spots, and safety is always at the top of mind. He shared a few tips for ladder safety when hanging lights and decorations. First, make a plan before you start and choose an appropriate ladder for the job. Check all your gear including the lights and the ladder. Wipe down the rungs and ensure it's on flat level ground. When climbing where appropriate shoes that won't slip. Always face the ladder. Avoiding reaching, instead move the ladder to the right location. A good rule: If your belly button passes over the rail, you're leaning too far. And finally, when done, put the ladder away rather than leaving a raised ladder unattended.

Published on 12/01/2022 under News We continue to receive closure announcements for the summer ATV/UTV trails this week. The latest to announce the end of the seasonal trails is Oneida County. Their ATV/UTV trails will close as of 8am Friday. The closure also includes the Enterprise campgrounds. We previously announced the closure of the summer ATV/UTV trails in Lincoln and Langlade Counties which close as of today (Thursday.) The Vilas County Trail system closed last month.

Published on 12/01/2022 under News More than 200,000 hunters registered deer during the recently completed season. That likely included a number of first time hunters. The DNR is offering a personalized memento for those hunters. The DNR offers free first harvest certificates for those who get their first deer. In addition to first harvest certificates, they also have a first hunting experience certificate for those that got out for the first time, but weren't lucky enough to bag a deer. Hunters and trappers of all ages are encouraged to check out the DNR's selection of free first harvest certificates. They have similar certificates for various other hunting seasons as well. Those interested can submit a photograph to be included, as well as details about the experience. This information will be displayed on the individually customized certificate sent electronically to the recipient. The DNR has additional information on their website.

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Sports Headlines

Tomahawk Boys Swimming Team Wins Their Season Opener

Published on 11/30/2022 under Sports Tomahawk's Boys' Swimming Team opened their 2022-23 season with a Great Northern Conference Dual Meet victory over the Medford Raiders at the Hatchet Pool. Tomahawk placed first in every event in the meet except the 100 yard butterfly. Tomahawk will host the Rhinelander Hodags at 5:30 pm on Thursday at the Tomahawk Swimming Pool.

Published on 11/30/2022 under Sports On Tuesday night, the Tomahawk Hatchet Boys Basketball Team hosted Three Lakes in the 2022-23 season opener at the Fieldhouse. Three Lakes led by five at half, and then outscored Tomahawk 32-21 in the second half for a 58-42 win. Gavyn Palmer had 13 and Jaxson Werner added 10 for Tomahawk. The Hatchets will travel to Northland Pines for the Great Northern Conference opener on Friday, with the opening tip at 7:15 pm.

Published on 11/30/2022 under Sports On Tuesday night, the Tomahawk Hatchet Girls Basketball Team opened Great Northern Conference action at Rhinelander High School. The Hodags improved to 3-3 overall and 1-0 in the GNC with a 68-41 win over Tomahawk. Ava Lamers led Rhinelander with 31 points, while Khianna Vacho had 14 for the Hatchets and Bryn Baalke added nine. Tomahawk will host Northland Pines on Friday night at the Fieldhouse, with the opening tip at 6:30 pm. Join Alex Koch for the Fehrman Orthodontics Pregame show at 6:05 pm on Northwoods 92-5, WJJQ.

Published on 10/31/2022 under Sports On Saturday night, the Tomahawk Hatchet Volleyball Team had their season come to an end in a three games to none loss to Xavier in the WIAA Sectional Final at Waupaca High School. Tomahawk's 2022 record was 30-8 and the Hatchet tied a score record with a 20 game winning streak and also finished as the Great Northern Conference Champions.

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