Chairman Dick Smith called the meeting to order at 2:00PM.

Members present at the open session were Chairman Dick Smith, Supervisors Jack Meinke, Larry Peterson, Chris Webb, and Dixie Chermack. Also present were the clerk Lu Peet, Tom Renz, Dick Collyard, Jim Hardy, Gene Ratzel and Marcia Wellnitz.

The agenda items to be covered at this meeting are as follows:

1. Formally accept the election results of the fire department in choosing Tom Renz as the new fire chief.

2.Go into closed session to discuss the wages of the fire and ambulance department personnel and other pay

issues, LOSA requirements, the ordinances for the fire and ambulance departments pursuant to State

Statute 19.85 (b.) and (c.) for the purpose of considering employment, promotion, compensation or

performance evaluation data of any employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or

exercises responsibility. The board will be looking at establishing the ordinances for the fire and ambulance

departments and the wages for these departments.

The board will then immediately bring back the findings to the regular convened session following the closed session.

Motion (Peterson/ Meinke) to accept the election results of the fire department to have Tom Renz as the new fire chief. All agreed. Motion carried. The board wanted Renz to know that they will support him and the department 100%. As far as the fire department internal issues are concerned, both the chief and the board felt that it was in the best interest of the department if these issues can be dealt with within the department itself, only going to the board for those issues not resolved internally.

Chris Webb made an announcement of a special meeting to be held at the Town of Highland Town Hall on Tuesday January 14, 2003 at 1:00PM. Keith Kessler will be there from Emergency Government. This meeting will be in regard to the 911 system and how it affects the residents of the Town of Highland and our emergency services. All board members are encouraged to attend. The clerk will post a notice for this meeting. Webb also said that Jan Victorson has not been able to meet with our departments as yet. Victorson said she would like to book a meeting.

Dixie Chermack announced the upcoming meetings that the board members should consider attending. These meetings are: the WTA Convention in October, the WTA seminar on February 18, 2003 in Hayward and the WTA District Conference in March, either in Cumberland on March 1st or at Odanah on March 22. Please let the clerk know so that the reservations can be made. Chermack also asked the board to make a motion to pay for any member of the Land Use Committee to attend the ETN class on Local Land Use Planning to be held on January 30th, 2003. The motion was made by Webb and seconded by Peterson. Jack Meinke said that this could not be moved on because it was not on the agenda. The motion was resided and the issue will be put on the January 21st agenda.

Motion (Chermack/ Webb) to go into closed session. A role call vote was taken. Chermack-yes, Webb-yes, Smith-yes, Meinke-yes, Peterson-yes. Motion passed. The regular open meeting was adjourned at 2:20PM to go into closed session.

The closed session was called to order at 2:45PM by Chairman Smith. Members present at the closed session were Chairman Smith, Supervisors Chermack, Webb, Meinke, and Peterson. Clerk Peet and the new fire chief

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Renz, were also present. Renz left after submitting his ideas to the board after the fire bar went off and he had to respond to the call.

The only items discussed were the wages of the fire and ambulance departments and how they might be paid and when, the LOSA regulations and what issues would have to be addressed before the town can implement the LOSA program and the ordinances for the fire and ambulance departments. There were no decisions made in the closed session.

Motion (Webb/ Meinke) to return to open session. Motion carried. The closed session was adjourned at 4:05P.M.

The open session was reconvened. There was no one other than the board and clerk present. The board decided to hold all information until the next regular meeting. The fire department will meet on Wednesday the 15th of January to discuss the recommendations of the board. The ambulance department does not have a scheduled meeting in January, but the ambulance director will be notified of the findings and could then schedule a special meeting if necessary.

Motion (Peterson/ Webb) to adjourn the reconvened session. Motion carried. The reconvened meeting was adjourned at 4:15P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Lucille J. Peet

Barnes Town Clerk

Dated this 16th day of January 2003