Troy Town Board debates renter’s ordinance

Talk about it

In recent months, the Troy Town Board has heard concerns from residents of the Fox Trailer Court regarding sanitary, crime and building construction issues, and has asked the town board for action.

“This is a difficult issue,” said Town Chair Ray Knapp at a board meeting Thursday, Feb. 11. He said the town currently has no real authority to address these concerns, as the town does not have a “renter’s” ordinance, unlike neighboring River Falls. While they are encouraged to call the sheriff and department of health for their concerns, the town board is concerned with expediency.

“Nothing really comes to direct aid to residents,” said Knapp.

Supervisor Brian Schwab echoed these concerns.

“Other than adopting a renter’s ordinance, there is not much we can do,” Schwab said. “But that can open a huge can of worms.”

The problems with adopting a comprehensive renter’s ordinance were many according to board members. Not only would it take a long time to complete, but who to cover in a “renter’s” ordinance could be an issue. Supervisors expressed concerns that if a single area was covered by the ordinance, would that open up the town to problems with other renting areas that are not covered? Inversely, would it cause problems if said other areas were covered?

“This would be a lot to take on,” said Supervisor Jan Cuccia. Knapp agreed, saying, “There is no easy answer.”

No permanent solution was found during the discussion, but the board agreed to take a “good first step” by having a free educational meeting at the town hall for the residents of Fox Trailer Court sometime in August. The meeting would be focused on renter’s rights and the current proper channels to take any and all complaints to get them taken care of in the most efficient manner. The town will bring in an expert on this issue, and any other concerns that the residents may have.

Speed limit

The Troy Town Board read a letter of concern regarding the speeds driven on Old County M (CTH M) The letter asked that the board reduce and post the speed limit on the road to 15 mph.

Currently, there is no posted speed limit on the quarter-mile stretch of road, which only provides access to three homes. Without a posted limit, it is legal to drive at a safe and appropriate speed up to 55 mph on Wisconsin roads.

“I think it may be a mistake to post a sign,” said Knapp, citing concern that posting a limit may actually encourage people to drive too fast on the road.

Reducing the speed limit raised another issue, currently the town is authorized to reduce the speed limit on a non-posted road by 10 mph, and if they wish to reduce it any lower the town would need Wisconsin Department of Transportation approval. The town would not need approval, however, to erect a yellow advisory sign.

The town board has added the Old County M speed issue to their annual April road tour to decide if an advisory sign is needed.

Internet

The town has signed a resolution in support for the broadband deployment project with Baldwin Telecom in an effort to keep moving forward should the town be granted stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for the project.

The resolution reads in part: The Town of Troy has determined that the deployment of broadband high-speed internet service is critical to the employment, financial, educational, and medical wellness of the Town; and, they Town of Troy does fully support a collaborative relationship with Baldwin Telecom. Applications for funding are due by March 15.

Tags: local government, communities, troy