Wheatland town electors considered two proposals with the power to change the structure of town government at the town’s annual meeting Tuesday.
Electors present approved abolishing the office of town constable as of April 2027. That motion passed by a 21-12 vote.
Electors present rejected increasing the size of the Town Board to five from the current three. That motion failed 13-20.
Chad Toedter made both motions.
Current Constable Robert Santelli will fill out his current elected term, which ends in April 2027.
“In the meantime, we’re going to have to talk about what we’re going to do when he’s gone,” said town Chairman Jeffrey Butler.
The key concern for town officials in the wake of the vote is who will enforce town laws, which the current constable provides along with traffic patrol and other law enforcement.
“The big thing is ordinance enforcement,” said Supervisor Kyle Madsen.
Law enforcement can still be provided by the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office, which patrols all unincorporated areas of the county. Towns are not required to provide their own law enforcement.
But town officials will need a way to follow-up on and ultimately write citations when needed for town ordinance violations.
Town attorney Todd Terry said the Town Board could decide to hire a code enforcement officer to enforce town ordinances. That person would not patrol traffic or carry a gun, he said. Another option would be to contract with another municipality or contract with the Sheriff’s Office for dedicated patrol.
The cost of contracting with the Sheriff’s Office for dedicated patrol is about $140,000 annually for one shift of coverage, said Supervisor Kelly Wilson.
