Town of New Hope, Wisconsin
Town of New Hope, Wisconsin

Welcome to Town of New Hope, Wisconsin

Welcome to the Town of New Hope Website! 

Many of the postings below have links to websites.  To access a posted website, click on the link, then click on the web address that pops up.  And please give us a call if you run into issues (715-677-4784)…Thanks!

UPCOMING TOWN MEETINGS and IMPORTANT DATES:

Next Town Meeting:  Monday, March 24, 2025, 6:00 pm, North New Hope Church

Public Test of Voting Equipment for Spring Election: Tuesday, March 25, 9:00 am, North New Hope Church

Spring Election: Tuesday, April 1, 7:00 am – 8:00 pm, North New Hope Church

Please remember to vote – your vote does count, and because local elections can impact you as much or more than state and federal elections, it’s especially important to vote this spring.

  • On the Spring Election Ballot:
    • Town Chair, Town Supervisor 1, Town Supervisor 2, Town Treasurer, Town Clerk, Local School Referenda, Wisconsin Supreme Court, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Wisconsin Court of Appeals, WI ‘Require Voter Photo ID’ Amendment)

Helpful Videos, Information pages, and Election FAQs (from the Wisconsin Elections Commission):

  • What is Absentee Voting:  https://vimeo.com/456712059
  • How to Fill Out an Absentee Ballot: https://vimeo.com/456714972
  • Election FAQs:  https://elections.wi.gov/faq and https://elections.wi.gov/news-events/wisconsins-election-fact-checks
  • Election Concerns, Complaints, Security, etc.:  https://elections.wi.gov/elections/election-security-integrity/concerns-comments-opinions
  • Absentee Voting:  Please use MyVote.WI (https://myvote.wi.gov/)  You can request a mail-in absentee ballot for all elections for the entire year or specific election(s), register online, update your name and/or address, track your ballot, see whose running and what the referenda are, and a lot more.
    • Apply for a Mail-in Absentee Ballot through MyVote. WI (https://myvote.wi.gov/).  It’s quick, easy, secure, and instantly generates an email notice to the clerk requesting a ballot; it also logs in the request on the Wisconsin Elections Commission database with a timestamp.  Please allow enough time for mailing to ensure your vote gets back to your clerk no later than mail delivery time on election day.  You can also hand-deliver your ballot to the Polling Place or the clerk if time’s running out.
      • Your clerk will be mailing absentee ballots from the week of March 11 through March 28 – Again, please allow enough time to mail the ballot to you, and have your ballot be returned to your clerk by election day.
    • Even better: Call your clerk (Pat, 715-677-4784) to vote In-Person Absentee – Even quicker, even easier: vote with the same security as with mail-in absentee or election-day voting (registered with the State Election Commission – same as mail-in ballots and ballots voted at the polls, sealed by you in an official envelope and kept by the clerk along with returned mail-in ballots to be counted on Election Day, but without the worry about ballots being returned by mail too late…
      • Your clerk will begin In-Person Absentee Voting (Clerk’s office by appointment)from March 18 – March 29 – call (715) 677 4784 for an appointment.  You will avoid any delays in mailing, and save the Town about $3.00 in postage.

WORRIED ABOUT THE SECURITY OF YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT?

  • At ANY time before the Public Test, your clerk would be happy to talk about equipment security.  Please call Pat at (715) 677-4784.
    • None of the equipment used (ExpressVote, Badger Book, DS200 Tabulator) has any connection to/with the Internet – all data is transferred directly by the clerk from the Wisconsin Election Commission (WEC) official website or the County Clerk via a flash drive.  After the election, all data related to the election is returned to the County Clerk and to WEC for inspection before the election can be closed.  Election material for ExpressVote and DS200 tabulator are prepared, tested, retested, and encoded by the County Clerk, then entered into ExpressVote and Ds200 via a flash drive, and sealed and locked in place prior to the election.  After the polls close, and before any data can be viewed, the DS200 runs a tape with all information from the election that is then transmitted by modem directly to the County Clerk, with paper copies delivered to the clerk and school districts within hours of the election.  A phone call after the transmission from town clerk to county clerk is required within two hours to complete the process.
    • When the Public Test is run the week before the election (time, date, place posted on the website, the kiosks at Sunset Lake and at North New Hope Church, and noticed in the local paper), your clerk would be happy to show you how the DS200 Tabulator works, and go through how the ExpressVote and Badger Book work as well.  All members of the public are welcome.  A minimum of three people witness and reconcile the results printed on the DS200 with ballots used to run the test before the unit is sealed and locked.
      • If you choose to vote In-Person Absentee, your clerk can show you the ExpressVote equipment, and walk you through the security process for that machine.
    • Whether you vote Absentee Mail-In or In-Person Absentee, YOU complete your ballot, YOU place it in an official return envelope that bears a tag with your name, address, and a unique tracking number.  YOU seal the return envelope, sign it, and have a witness sign and enter his/her address (your clerk’s initials should already be on it).  Once your completed sealed ballot is received by mail or handed to your clerk in person, your clerk securely stores that sealed envelope until election day.
      • Your ballot cannot be processed until after 7:00 am and must be processed before 8:00 pm on Election Day.  It is tracked by the Wisconsin Election Commission (WEC) from issuance through mailing until its return is officially recorded by the clerk.  Then it is recorded at the polls.  AND the US Postal Service and MyVote.WI uses that same official unique identifier on the mailing label so you can track your ballot’s progress from the time you request it until it is checked in at the polls.  You can also check your participation, further ensuring that your vote was counted.
      • On Election Day, after 7:00 am and before 8:00 pm, your name and address on the sealed envelope are read aloud by an election inspector, and your envelope is assigned a voter number (just as you would for in-person voting).  Your ballot envelope is then opened by the Chief Inspector in the presence of at least two election inspectors who serve as witnesses, and the ballot is run through the DS200 tabulator to count your votes.  Your ballot contains only your votes – no number, name, or other marking to identify your ballot, so you can rest assured that your vote is confidential, secure, and indistinguishable from any other processed ballot.  Before the election is considered complete, all processed ballots are tabulated, recounted, matched with numbers held by WEC, and returned along with the numbered return envelopes to the County Clerk where they will be stored for the next two years.
    • BOTH TYPES OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS are closely monitored by the WISCONSIN STATE ELECTIONS COMMISSION (WEC) through the entire process:
      • When a ballot is created for you by your clerk, that generated ballot is recorded by WEC and a unique number generated and recorded by the WEC is printed on the mailing sticker that is placed on the election envelopes (for both mail-in and in-person absentee ballots).
      • That number is tracked with the US Postal Service to and from your address and back to the clerk for mailed ballots – you can track your ballot’s mail progress using MyVote.WI to ensure your ballot gets returned before the end of Election Day-
      • That number is also tracked by WEC, and is recorded in the poll book on Election Day when that envelope is brought to the polls, handed to the Chief Inspector, checked in by an election inspector, and assigned a voter number.
      • Your clerk records receipt of your ballot in the WEC system the same day it is returned (trackable by you and WEC).  It is also recorded by the clerk if it arrives too late for the election, along with sufficient documentation.
      • Starting at 7:00 am on Election day, and before the end of the Election, your sealed envelope is checked in on the poll books (Badger Books), your envelope is issued a voter number (just as though you were there in person), and finally the envelope is opened by the chief inspector – your ballot is run through the DS200 Tabulator (which has been checked and re-check before and during the Public Test, then sealed and locked until 8:00 pm on Election Day), and your anonymous vote is recorded.  At the end of the evening, after close of polls, all votes are tallied in the DS200, modemed to the County Clerk, then called in by the clerk.  The election inspectors then do a hand count of ballots.  Your election participation and your voter number are trackable online through MyVote (and by the WEC), and are part of the public record.

What’s in your garbage?  Wondering what you can recycle and what can be thrown away?  Wondering what the garbage schedule is for 2025?  Here are several documents that should help.  Please call Pat (715) 677-4784 if you have questions.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY….The Town of New Hope Mitigation Plan 2024 is available (click the underlined link).  In serving our community, the Board and Staff have prepared and approved an emergency mitigation plan for New Hope (also available on the Ordinances/Resolutions section).  Any comments are welcome – please call or email Pat Zellmer, Clerk.

  • Please take a look at our PC Local Emergency Response Guide December 2024 document, which includes emergency contacts (starting on page 6) and procedures in an emergency.  It’s a work in progress, so please let us know how we can improve it – the best tool is only as good as it is useful.
  • And we are looking for anyone who would volunteer in an emergency.  If that’s you, please call (715-677-4784) or email Pat Zellmer (clerk@tn.newhope.wi.gov) – we’re all grateful.

Property Tax Information:  Lottery and Gaming Credit:  Please look at your 2024 property tax bill.  You qualify for the lottery and gaming tax break 1) if you are a Wisconsin Resident 2) who owns a dwelling that is your primary residence as of January 1 of the tax year.  You are allowed to claim that credit on one residence.

If you have any questions, please call Pat Zellmer, your town clerk.

COMMUNITY ALERTS:

As you know, the Town of New Hope takes pride in its rural nature, but that has some downfalls, including how best to communicate with each other, especially in emergencies.  Here are two ways we’re working toward making this better:

  • Sign up for local and county alerts (weather, safety, community).  Click on Portage County Community Alert system., then click on the link that comes up, and follow the simple directions.  It only takes a few minutes, and you can get alerts via cell phone, landline, and/or email.  It’s the closest thing we have to a phone tree, and much more certain… linked with the Portage County Sheriff and Portage County Emergency Management Offices.  You can cancel this at any time, and the information you provide is secure.  Thanks for giving it a try.
  • With winter (and COLD weather) at our doorstep, in case of an emergency (especially power outages) click on Portage County Warming Centers to find a place near you.  You can also call (715) 346-1400 (non-emergency) or 911 to reach the Sheriff.

DOG LICENSES:

  • All dogs 5 months of age or older require a license.
    The fee is $12.00 for neutered or spayed dogs.
    The fee is $22.00 if not spayed or neutered.
    You must show proof of rabies vaccination for a license to be issued.
  • You will need to send a copy of your dog’s rabies certificate, the appropriate fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the New Hope Treasurer Dorene Stolpa.  Your dog license, tag, and the information sent in will be returned to you in the envelope you provided.  Please e-mail the treasurer for more information at treasurer@tn.newhope.wi.gov
  • A late fee of $5.00 shall be assessed to the owner for each dog not licensed by March 31st of the current year.
  • First offense fines for County Animal control Ordinance violations are $169-$263.50 (this includes failure to license).

 

 

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Upcoming Events
Apr
1
Tue
7:00 am Spring Election @ North New Hope Church
Spring Election @ North New Hope Church
Apr 1 @ 7:00 am – 8:00 pm