The Owen Common Council held their regular meeting on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
Samantha Hubbard from Forward Bank was present to talk about what Forward Bank could do for the city. She said she has been with Forward Bank for 13 years and is currently the point of contact for commercial customers. They have over 500 charities that are eligible to get donations from their Charitable Money Market accounts. Account holders can rotate the charities they contribute to. They have given over $8,000 in donations to charities in the Owen-Withee area. They have no minimums on their accounts. The city could also select different charities for different accounts. They would be able to use ACH through online banking. Positive Pay is their fraud protection program. The city could also use remote deposits and accept credit card payments through them. Hubbard said that Forward Bank is involved in Owen even though they don’t have a physical presence in the city. They have donated over $123,000 in the community. The presentation was for information only and no decisions were made.
Under Feral Cats Update, Alderperson Pam Jaffke had written something up to put in the water bills. It was provided for the council to look at. She recommended that people keep their cats indoors. There was discussion that if cats are live trapped the city would have to hold them somewhere for three days in case there was an owner to reclaim them. There was a suggestion to start with live traps at the former Owen Theatre building. Alderperson Ken Martine suggested that maybe it was time to register cats.
The notice going into water bills notes that the problem is affecting businesses and homeowners. It says they are a problem because feral cats are using inappropriate places to defecate and their feces can carry disease, they kill birds, and most of them have fleas. It goes on to say that people feeding the cats aren’t doing them any favors as they live shorter lives than indoor cats and they often are infected with a number of feline diseases. The solution is to stop feeding the cats, don’t feed domestic pets outside, and use the Feral-to-Farm program. They are looking for farms willing to take cats. If people continue to feed the cats, the city ordinance will be enforced and people can be cited for having too many cats as a cat is considered yours if you feed it for three days.
The council voted to send the letter and a copy of the ordinance in the water bills. The item will stay on future agendas for further discussion.
The council went into closed session with their attorney Harold Wolfgram under statute 19.85(1)(g) to discuss strategy related to litigation regarding the 2nd Street nuisance property. They were in closed session for about an hour and had nothing to announce when they came into open.
The city does have a court order in regard to the property owned by Christine Poppe that was signed by Judge Bratcher on March 11, 2026. A hearing was held March 10. The judge ordered a default judgement since the defendant didn’t file an answer to the complaint. He ordered an abatement “to remove the junk, debris and other materials in violation of the City of Owen Municipal Code.” The city has 100 days to complete the abatement if they choose to take action. They can either do the abatement themselves or hire it done. Poppe will also have to pay $10,000 to the city, along with fees and costs of the court action and any cost incurred to complete the abatement.
Under Land Contracts and Agreements, Clerk Tracy Rau looked for the agreements for both the Bohl and Tyznik properties. There is no written agreement for the property Tyznik purchased on the northeast corner of the city. There is one with Bohl for the property where he was planning to build apartments. It was signed in 2021 and he had three years to complete. To date, nothing has been done to build on the property. Alderperson John Mauel said, “there is no reason to fight to get back land no one wants.” No action was taken.
In regard to the lots for sale signs that had previously been discussed for the Industrial Park on the east edge of the city and Countryside Estates, the council approved spending $125 per sign for a sign for each area.
The Garage Rental Agreement was tabled.
Under Bank Account Updates, Clerk Rau reported that several of the savings accounts were moved to accounts with higher interest rates. Interest went up about one percent for each of the accounts moved. It was also noted that funds in the Local Government Investment Pool are not insured like funds in the bank. The council voted to leave their funds in the accounts at Prevail Bank given the higher interest rate.
Under the Mayor’s Report, Mayor Scott Jalling said that Sheriff Kerry Kirn and Emergency Management Director Jason Thornton spoke at the United Communities meeting about an Integrated Preparedness Plan. The focus to start will be on getting everyone’s Emergency Operations Plan updated. Thornton said boards should do Incident Command Training.
Under Other Reports, everyone was reminded that Prevail Bank is doing a Shred Day on May 8 and the funds will go toward the new playground equipment. Prevail is also looking for organizations to do brat frys at the bank starting on May 8. The Parks & Recreation Committee will do the first brat fry on May 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Alderperson Thornton reported that the Fire Department Building Committee had met and will be exploring funding options.
Open Book will be April 21 and the Board of Review will be April 28.