Annexation Requires Creation of Election Ward 4 in Village of Theresa

At its meeting on Monday, January 19, Village of Theresa Clerk-Treasurer Becky Tellier informed the village board that a new election ward must be created due to the recent annexation of a portion of property that was formerly in the township.

“The county missed it, and this was passed by the election commission,” said Clerk-Treasurer Tellier. “This will affect us in that we will have two ballot styles going forward for one property. There is nothing that can be done until redistricting is done, and that’s every ten years. It was just done.”

The one different ballot will be printed for the August and November elections.

When annexing the property, the village board believed that the property would join the rest of the village in Election Ward 3.

“It was just missed,” reiterated Clerk-Treasurer Tellier. “I was told it would join Ward 3, and that’s not the case.”

Trustee Dave Brandenburg made the motion to approve Ordinance 2026-01: Revision to 2025-03 – Creating Election Ward 4 in the Village due to Congressional Districts. The motion passed unanimously.

Board Matters:
• Fire Commission Treasurer Chris Giese asked the board about the proper procedure for returning surplus funds borrowed from the Village and Town of Theresa boards. $16,000 was borrowed from each municipality for fire truck repairs; however, not all of the repairs could be completed at the time of service. While some of the repairs still need completion, the $8,859.59 that was not spent cannot be rolled over from the Fire Commission’s 2025 budget to the 2026 budget because the village’s portion of the funds came from a loan. The village board explained that the funds will have to be returned and evenly split between the municipalities. The Fire Commission will then need to ask for funding again when the repairs are scheduled for completion.
• The Public Safety Committee recommended that the board approve Resolution 2026-02: Intent to Join the Statewide Public Safety Interoperable Communications Systems. The resolution includes updating the police department’s radio communication systems by applying for a grant. The grant will cover 80% of the $48,000 cost, with the police department paying the remaining $9,600. The encrypted radio systems would connect with the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office and allow Theresa police officers to better respond to calls for mutual aid. A motion to approve Resolution 2026-02 was made by Trustee Joe Haak and passed unanimously.

• The board considered passing Resolution 2026-01: Recognizing Village President Jody Steger for Volunteer Service in the Department of Public Works. According to the resolution, the village was without full-time public works employees from September to November 2025, and President Steger volunteered to assist with public works responsibilities during that time. Trustee Brandenburg made the motion to approve Resolution 2026-01, which passed unanimously.
• The board also discussed installing a water softener in the village hall for $1,550. The motion to approve Maxwell Plumbing to install a water softener was made by Trustee Pat Bodden and passed unanimously.