Town of Richmond

Resource Guide

EMERGENCY NUMBERS Call 911 for any emergency

POLICE - Non-Emergency Walworth County Sheriff 262-741-4400

BOARD MEETINGS: Town of Richmond is governed by a five member Board that meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Hall, W9046 County Road "A". Agenda and notices are posted at the Town Hall, Richmond Community Park, and Turtle Lake Boat Landing 24 hours prior to each meeting, and a preliminary agenda is published on this website and in the Delavan Enterprise, Whitewater Register and The Shopper on the Wednesday prior to each meeting.

BICYCLING as per state statute is permitted on all Town roads. Bicyclists must obey traffic rules.

BOAT RAMPS: Boats may be launched at several areas in the Town: the south shore of Lake Loraine; the north shore of Turtle Lake; Krahn Drive and Townline Road accesses on Whitewater Lake. Vehicle and trailer parking is allowed only at the Lake Loraine and Turtle Lake launch areas.

Following is the notice published on May 23 and May 30, 2002 regarding piers at Whitewater Lake: NOTICE to Town of Richmond Residents/Property Owners. Under WI Stats 30.12 and 30.13, enforcement action can be taken by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on any piers/structures placed along Richmond/Whitewater Townline Road by persons other than the Town of Richmond or Scenic Ridge Campground, holders of riparian rights. Potential penalties are stated in ss 30.12(5) "PENALTY", which says: "Any person violating this section or any term or condition of a permit issued pursuant thereto shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than 6 months or both."

BRUSH CHIPPING SERVICE is supplied the first Monday of each month from April to November by appointment only. Call 608-883-2178. The first 15 minutes of chipping is free, then a charge of $30 per 10-minute intervals, per call. Brush 3' or longer, 3/4" to 4" diameter must be placed at curbside with cut end facing the road. Vines, rakings, roots and root balls will not be accepted.

CHURCHES located in the Town:
Christus Lutheran, N6116 Delaney Road
Richmond Unified Methodist, N6197 Church Road

DOG LICENSES: all dogs kept in the Town must be licensed on an annual basis. License fees are $5 and $10. A rabies certificate is required. Contact Treasurer Seaver for a license.

ELECTIONS are held in the Town Hall. Voter registration is required and may be done on the day of election at the polling place, or by contacting Clerk Ceas prior to any election. Voters must be 18 years of age, reside in the Town at least 10 days before the election, and furnish one item of identification showing a current address in the Town (See "VOTER REGISTRATION" below.) Contact Town Clerk Barb Ceas for information on absentee voting. Persons interested in serving as Election Officials should contact Clerk Ceas to express their interest.

EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE: If you or others residing in your home are physically challenged or bedridden, please notify us - leave a message at the Town Hall (608-883-2017) or call Town Clerk Barb Ceas (608-883-2017). This will enable us to assist you if a general emergency arises that may require evacuation of areas in the Town.

FIRE PROTECTION/RESCUE SQUAD service is provided by the Whitewater Fire Department and Rescue Squad for all areas north of County Road A, the Darien Fire Department and Delavan Rescue Squad for all areas south of County Road A. Call 911 for emergencies, and the dispatcher will contact the appropriate service. When calling 911, be sure the dispatcher has the correct address/location of the emergency before you get off the line. Fire and ambulance charges are the responsibility of the user. Controlled burns should be reported to the Whitewater Fire Department, (262-473-0555) for properties north of County Road A, or the Walworth County Sheriff (262-741-4400) for properties south of County Road A, on the day of the burn. Be sure to give your name and the fire location. If you do not report the fire and it is reported by another party resulting in a false alarm, you will be responsible for the $800 fire run cost.

FIREWORKS: a permit to use fireworks must be obtained from the Town Chairperson.

INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER IDC/Netwurx provides wireless internet service for the Town Hall and Town Clerk's offices. They also provide dial up service to individuals. For further information on their Wireless or Dial up service, contact Eric Kiernan at ekiernan@idcnet.com or by phone: 262-473-7700 or 888-621-5130.

PARKS: Walworth County Natureland is located on West Territorial Road. Richmond Community Park , with playground, ball diamond, and picnic shelter facilities, is located on West Lake Lorraine Road.

PARKING ON ROADS: there is no parking on any Town roads. If you plan a special event and need parking in addition to your driveway, contact the Town Chairman for permission for roadway parking.

POLICE PROTECTION: the Walworth County Sheriff's Department provides general police protection and traffic control. Whitewater Lake Boat Safety Patrol operates during the summer boating season to create a safe lake environment.

REFUSE/RECYCLABLE COLLECTION: all homes in the town are serviced with a weekly pickup of refuse and recyclables. Pickup days are Tuesday in subdivision areas, Thursday for rural areas. A blue bin is supplied for recyclables. Dry paper material should be placed in a clear plastic bag. All refuse should be placed in a garbage bag in a covered garbage can. Cost of this service ($125/year) appears on tax bills and must be paid with the January 31 tax payment. New homeowners should contact the Town Garage to obtain a blue recycling bin. Residents with complaints regarding weekly pickup service should call Nieuwenhuis Bros. At 262-728-8155. The following items are included in the Recycling Program, and should be placed in or around the blue recycling bin: 1) Clean glass bottles and jars, lids and caps removed. 2) Plastics - No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 7 - if the item does not have a number in a triangle, or is no. 6, it can not be recycled. Plastic oil bottles should be disposed in garbage. 3) newspaper/magazine/officepaper/junk mail. 4) Cardboard. 5) Aluminum cans/foil, tin cans. 6) scrap steel, maximum length 5 ft., maximum weight 50 lbs. per week. 7) Appliances. 8) Engine Oil must be in one gallon milk jugs with cap on tightly, placed next to blue bin. Gasoline, oil mixtures, antifreeze, other non-motor oil liquids are not acceptable. 9) Car, truck, tractor, motorcycle batteries only, placed next to blue bin. 10) Car and pick-up truck tires, rims removed, limit 10 tires per year. Over 10 tires will be charged $2 per tire. Contact Clerk Barb Ceas or Recycling Coordinator Bonnie Wagner for more details on the recycling program.

ROAD MAINTENANCE: Town of Richmond provides snowplowing, sanding, roadside mowing and maintenance for all Town roads. Residents are encouraged to respect the road right-of-way by not using it for dumping of refuse items. Please report any dangerous road conditions to the Town Chairperson.

SCHOOLS: first rate learning experiences are provided for grades K-12 by the Whitewater Unified School District and the Delavan/Darien School District. Tax bills indicate the district for each property. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's four colleges offer quality Undergraduate and Master's degree programs.

SNOWMOBILING and ATVs (all terrain vehicles) are not permitted on Town roads.

TAXES: tax bills are mailed in December, and full or partial payment is due by January 31 to Town Treasurer Seaver. Treasurer Seaver's mailing address for tax payment and a tax collection schedule for payment in person at the Town Hall are included with your tax bill. The second installment of taxes is due July 31 payable to the Walworth County Treasurer.

TOWN HALL: the Town hall is available for use by Town residents (capacity 105 persons.) There is no charge to residents, but donations are welcome. No smoking is allowed in the hall. Alcoholic beverages may be used by permission of the Town Board. Contact Clerk Ceas to schedule use of the hall.

VOTER REGISTRATION:Anyone wishing to vote in the state of Wisconsin, where they are required to register, has three options to register:
1. BY MAIL: Download the Application for Voter Registration (EB131), complete the form and mail it into your municipal clerk's office up to 5:00 PM on the 13th day before the election, along with a copy of your Identification (Driver's License, etc.).
2. IN PERSON: Register in the municipal clerk's office up to 5:00 PM on the day before the election. You must bring proof that you have lived at your present location for 10 days preceding the election. Contact Clerk Barb Ceas (608)883-2017.
3. AT THE POLLING PLACE ON ELECTION DAY: If you wish to register to vote at your polling place, you must bring proof that you have lived at your present location for 10 days preceding the election. For purposes of voter registration, a form of identification constitutes acceptable proof of residence if it includes:
A: A current and complete name, including both the given and family name; and
B: A current and complete residential address, including a numbered street address, if any, and the name of a municipality.
Forms of identification which constitute acceptable proof of residence, when they contain the information specified above, include the following:
a: A Wisconsin Driver's license.
b: A Wisconsin identification card.
c: Any other official identification card or license issued by a Wisconsin governmental body or unit or by an employer in the normal course of business, but not including a business card.
d: A library card.
e: A check-cashing or courtesy card issued by a merchant in the normal course of business.
f: A real estate tax bill or receipt for the current year or the year preceding the date of the election.
g: A residential lease which is effective for a period that includes election day.
h: A university, college or technical institute fee card.
i: A university, college or technical institute identification card.
j: An airplane pilot's license.
k: A cable television, gas, electric telephone or other utility service statement for the period commencing not earlier than 90 days before election day.
If you cannot supply acceptable proof of residence, your registration form can be substantiated and signed by one other elector who resides in your municipality, corroborating your residency information. The corroborator must then provide acceptable proof of residence.

WALKING, JOGGING, Etc.: exercise is encouraged in the Town but participants are reminded that they must walk on the left side of the road facing oncoming traffic and must yield the road to vehicular traffic.

WEED NOTICE: state law prohibits growth of noxious weeds on any lands. Property owners are expected to destroy all noxious weeds before the plants bloom. Failure to do so could result in a 5-day written notice to destroy, and if not complied with such weeds will be destroyed by the Town and expenses charged to said land on the next tax roll.

WHITEWATER LAKE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT is a governmental district separate from the Town which provides maintenance for preservation of Whitewater Lake. Meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at the Whitewater Town Hall.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Contact Clerk Barbara Ceas clerk@town.richmond.wi.us
or Chair Wayne Redenius chairman@town.richmond.wi.us