Town of Newton
Frequently Asked Questions

All refuse is disposed of at the Transfer Station and Recycling Center located at 6315 Center Road Manitowoc, WI.

Hours

Saturdays ONLY:
November 1st - March 31st
9:00 am - 3:00 pm

April 1st - October 31st
8:00 am - 3:00 pm.

Taxes are paid by mail or the drop off box at the town hall for FIRST installments only.

The second installment must be sent in the mail or dropped off at the Manitowoc County Court House.

Find contact information for the Town Board members and the Town Clerk here.

TOWN OF NEWTON FEE SCHEDULE 2012
This Fee Schedule was adopted by the Town Board.

TOWN HALL RENTAL: Payment: Two installments of money in the amount of $100.00 and $50.00 will accompany the application. $100.00 will be returned after the event if the hall is satisfactory.

SNOW REMOVAL RATES - PER HOUR:

• Minimum Charge $35.00
• Tractor $65.00
• One-Way Plow $70.00
• Grader With V-Plow and Wing $130.00
• Oshkosh With V-Plow and Wing $210.00

PHOTO-COPIES: $.25 per page.

ZONE BOOK: $30.00; Floppy $10.00; CD $10.00

TREASURER: $25.00 Charge to furnish abstract companies with special assessment information. $2.00 Charge per parcel for mortgage companies who request information about the amount of taxes their mortgage holders owe to the Town of Newton. Town will retain fees.

LAND USE PLAN BOOK: Charge subject to cost of printing. CD: $10.00 Note: A copy is available at the Manitowoc County Library.

BUILDING PERMITS:

• New Home/Business $50.00
• Other $10.00
• New construction building Inspector: $550.00
• Inspector Fee Deposit $300.00

OTHER:

• Address Sign $69.00
• Sign $20.00
• Dog License Late Fee $35.00
• VARIANCE REQUEST: $300.00
• CONDITIONAL USE REQUEST: $400.00
• ZONE CHANGE REQUEST: $400.00
• LAND DIVISION (MAJOR AND MINOR)
  • Conventional Design $12,000.00
  • Conservation Design $15,000.00

ADDITIONAL COSTS: The applicant shall be responsible for reimbursing the Town for engineering, inspection, legal and administrative costs incurred by the Town.

The Town of Newton’s goal is to maintain the roads in as good a winter driving condition as weather, equipment and budget allows.

Weather reports issued by the National Weather Service shall be taken into account when preparing for each storm.  Snow removal will begin when a sufficient amount of  snow has accumulated to make the removal operation productive.  Each storm, being different, will be treated in a different manner.  This policy will be adjusted to meet specific storm circumstances.

Service during off hours will be minimal and only provided when extreme storm conditions arise or in emergency situations when the request(s) are received from the appropriate emergency agency (Fire Dept., Police, etc.).  Operation may be suspended or reduced in severe storm conditions when there is danger to operators or it is not practical or cost effective to continue.  The responsibility for ordering personnel and equipment into service shall rest primarily with the Road Superintendent or his designee.

Due to cost and storage limitations, the Town does not apply straight salt to the roadways.  The Township uses an abrasive sand treated with just enough salt to keep the sand from freezing in the pile, and to keep the sand workable.  Sand is applied only at curves, intersections, hills and steep grades.  Some melting of snow and ice may occur from the salt in the sand mixture, but bare roads should not be expected.

The Town will not be responsible for replacement or repair of any mail box damaged by flying snow or slush during the removal of snow from the Town roads.

When there is no doubt that the plow or wing did hit a mail box, then the Town will furnish the owner of said mail box with a plain steel or poly box of the same size.  If there is no doubt that the plow or wing hits and breaks off a post then the Town will furnish the owner of said post with a six foot four by four treated post.

The Township will not take any responsibility for removal of snow that Is plowed into private driveways from the road clearing operation.

Stalled or stranded vehicles will not be moved by Town equipment unless it is an emergency situation.  If vehicles are presenting a hazard or blocking the roadway for snow removal, County Traffic will be notified and the offending vehicle will be towed at the owner’s expense.

State Statute prohibits the plowing of any snow from driveways on to the Town roadway.  Those doing so are liable for fines and possible damages in any occurring law suits.

There are two basic rules:

1. The Town Board and the town officers have only those powers which are specifically provided to them by the Wisconsin Statutes or which can necessarily be implied from the statutes. If we can't find the authority in the statutes, the Town Board can I act.
2. The Town Board can only spend public funds (Town money) for public purposes. This is known as the public purpose doctrine. The Town Board has no authority and it is unconstitutional to spend taxpayer money dealing with private disputes. The essence of this rule is that public funds should be used for the benefit of the community and not private individuals.

Based on those general rules, consider the following:

Surface Water Drainage

Question: My neighbor is diverting water from his land on to my land. This is causing me a hardship and I want it stopped. What kind of town do for me?

Answer: the Town Board does not have any statutory authority to intervene in a dispute about surface water drainage between two private land owners. In addition the Town Board cannot spend town funds on resolving a dispute between two private parties. It is only if the drainage matter has some affect on the community in general, such as directly affecting a town highway, that the Town Board may be able to become involved.

Smoke From Outdoor Wood Burning Stoves 

Question: My neighbor is operating his outdoor wood-burning stove on his property and the smoke from the store really bothers me and my family. Can't the Town Board do something about that?

Answer: The Town does have an ordinance regulating the installation operation of outdoor wood-burning stove. As long as the stove was installed according to the ordinance and the stove is being operated according to the ordinance, the Town Board does not have the legal authority to become involved in this private dispute. The remedy for the individual property owner would likely be a civil action between the two property owners, not involving the Town. If the ordinance is not being followed, then the Town has authority to enforce the ordinance only. It would not have authority to address the private issues between the property owners.

Removal or Moving of Survey Stakes From Property Lines

Question: I had my property surveyed and my neighbor remove some of the survey stakes. Can't the Town Board do something about that for me?

Answer: There is no statute which provides the Town Board with any authority over survey work. This is a private dispute between neighbors and the Town has no legal ability to spend taxpayer money to resolve a private dispute. The remedy would be a private civil action between the two neighbors. In addition, there may be a criminal statute which was violated by removing mistakes. That violation would be prosecuted by the District Attorney as a criminal matter.

Voting for all elections is done at The Town Hall.

There are no parking restrictions within the town at this time.

A permit to sell door-to-door is not required at this time.

The town will only remove trees or branches in the right of way.

Yes, the Town Board meetings are open to the public. The meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month, unless otherwise posted.