Spring Green, Wisconsin
Thursday, May 29, 2025 | Vol. 6, No. 9 FREE, Single-Copy
Inside this edition
Local governments hold organizational meetings
Community Calendar: Live music, theatre and more!
Best of the River Valley poll opens June 1
Page 1
Pages 4, 5
Vote at: valleysentinel.news/best-of
Village of Arena holds yearly organizational meeting, waives water bill late fees for April Luukas Palm-Leis, Reporter At the May 12 Village of Arena Board of Trustees special organizational meeting, the board appointed members to standing committees and commissions, waived late fees for April water bills and approved a beverage permit. Board actions The board discussed the ACES Home Talent beverage license. Temporary Village Clerk/Treasurer Robin Meier had informed the village typically requires a 15 day waiting period after the clerk receives an application and the board takes action on approving a beverage license, however, due to the lack of permanent
village clerk, an application could not be received 15 days prior. The board unanimously voted to accept the application and waive the 15 day waiting period clause for the license. The board also voted unanimously in favor to waive the late fees for water and sewer billing for the month of April, as the village was unable to send out bills and receive payments for bills in time due to the resignation of the previous village clerk/treasurer. Board organization As the new members of the board had not yet to be seated in April, the board had to conduct its yearly organizational
meeting in May to seat members for the Public Works, Finance and Personnel committees. Steve Wilkinson, Don Helt and Joe Hipsky were seated on the Public Works Committee. Matthew Schroeder, Joe Hipsky and Ted Strang were seated on the Finance, Technology and Licensing Committee. BeccaRaven Uminowicz, Steve Wilkinson and Matthew Schroeder were seated on the Personnel committee. The board voted on appointments to inter-governmental commissions. Nathan Pinkham was selected as the village representative to the Dane-Iowa Wastewater Commission. Pinkham had
expressed his interest in serving on the village board but was ultimately not chosen for trustee at a previous meeting, but his extensive credentials in water treatment drew the board to select him for the commission. Trustee Ted Strang was selected for the village’s seat on the village-town Fire and EMS Commission. The two open Plan Commission appointments were held for the next meeting for public outreach to find willing village residents. Looking ahead The board next meets June 3 at 7 p.m. at the Arena Village Hall.
River Valley School Board holds organizational meeting, approves raises Luukas Palm-Leis, Reporter At its May 8 regular board meeting, the River Valley School District Board of Education conducted its yearly organizational meeting, approved salary raises for much of the district’s staff and heard a policy change on the tobacco and smoking devices policy. Tobacco policy change A change on Policy 832: Tobacco and Electronic Smoking Devices Possession and/or use on School Premises was reviewed by the board. The policy change adds “tobacco product look-alikes (including all pouches, whether they contain tobacco or not)” in the list of items which are not allowed to be possessed or used by students or staff on school grounds.
Middle School Principal James Radke had reported to the board an incident where a student had brought pouches which contained caffeine into school. The board voted to do first and second readings on the policy change to expedite the process and allow enforcement of the policy change sooner. Salary Raises The board discussed salary and benefit recommendations as provided from the Budget and Employee Relations Committee. The committee recommended a 2.95% salary increase for River Valley Education Association union teaching staff, buildings and grounds staff, non-union staff, co-curricular/activities staff, junior high athletics, high school athletics and administrators,
as well as a 10% pay increase for hourly support staff, which includes building secretaries, food service staff and teaching assistants. Also recommended was a 2% base wage increase for RVEA staff as well as a 7% increase for support staff. The board unanimously approved all salary and benefit recommendations. Organizational meeting The meeting served as the board’s yearly organizational meeting in which they set the roles within the board. Kathy Jennings was nominated and voted in as School Board president, John Bettinger was nominated and voted in as School Board vice president, Sara Carstensen was nominated and voted as clerk, and Frederick Iausly was nominated and voted in as treasurer. This was also the first meeting for newly
Valley Sentinel's 2025 Best of the River Valley reader poll open June 1 - 15
Valley Sentinel's 5th Annual Best of the River Valley reader poll opens June 1! The poll focuses on June 2024 to May 2025, limited roughly to 15 miles around the Spring Green area — Arena, Lone Rock, Plain and Spring Green — unless stated as regional.
June 1 - June 15: Polls open! This is your time to vote on the nominations and help decide who or what wins each poll question. Popular write-in options will be added to the poll as well. June 26: Winners announced! On or around this date winners will be announced in Valley Sentinel.
elected board member Emily Beck. Beck won the Area 6 seat against Jess Heisl in the April 1 election, and took over the seat from Sara Young, who did not run to retain her seat. The board voted to maintain the same time and place of meeting, the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m., in the Intermediate School library. They also voted to retain Renning Lewis and Lacey as the district’s law firm, People’s Community Bank as the Depository of Funds and the Independent Star News as the official newspaper. Looking ahead The River Valley School District Board of Education next meets June 12 in the Middle School Library at 7 p.m. The board streams meetings to the district’s YouTube channel.