Rural, town government in Wisconsin can be confusing for people moving here from cities or another state. Though the services town governments offer vary throughouout the state, here is how the Town of Dakota (and many small, rural towns) work.

Q1: DOES THE TOWN HALL HAVE OFFICE HOURS?

A1: No, the town hall does not have regular office hours. This is because the town does not have any “employees” per se, but instead has six very part-time, elected town officers. Please see the Government/Town Board portion of the website for specific contact information. These officers are:

* A three-member town board, which sets policy for the town at its monthly board meeting (held the second Monday of every month except in April–that is held the THIRD TUESDAY of the month). Town board members are also responsible for keeping TOWN roads (NOT state or county highways) passable at all times. The board–mainly the chair–also makes sure the town’s three cemeteries are maintained, and assists people who wish to obtain plots in the cemeteries.

* A town clerk, who is responsible for election administration (registering voters, facilitating absentee/early voting, training and scheduling poll workers, documenting all aspects of an election, maintaining the town’s voter rolls, etc.), formatting and posting board agendas and minutes, creating the town budget for consideration by the public and the town board, paying the town’s bills (accounts payable) and calculating the town tax roll.

* A town treasurer, who mails tax bills and collects the resulting payments mid-December through January, as well as deposits other payments received by the town (accounts receivable), reconciles the town’s bank accounts, monitors cash flow, etc. The treasurer also schedules town hall rentals.

* A town assessor, who maintains records on every parcel in the town and assigns them a value. This ensures that each landowner pays their “fair share” of property taxes, and keeps the town in compliance with state requirements for assessing properties.