Township of Deerfield, WI
All regular monthly board meetings will be held at 6:00 p.m. until further notice.
Another early step in the planning process was the SWOT analysis. During the SWOT analysis, the Deerfield planning committee was asked to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the town. The exercise was intended to provide the committees with a better understanding of the perception of the community and some of the issues that the community faces. According to the SWOT analysis, the committee felt that recreational land and an adequate water supply were the greatest strengths that the community offered, while benefits would be gained from a sewer system around the lakes, better enforcement of building codes and environmental regulation (enforcement) of the town's lakes. There is an opportunity to preserve what already exists, practice sustainable forestry and educate residents about farmland preservation and trusts. The committee felt that the greatest threat that the town faced was unregulated development, pollution of the lakes and air and forest diseases.
The Town of Deerfield, located in western Waushara County, lies in central Wisconsin west of the City of Wautoma. Concerned about the impact that development may have on the town, the Deerfield Town Board and Waushara County entered into an agreement with East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (ECWRPC) to prepare a community management plan. The community management plan was used as the basis for this comprehensive plan and the content of the existing conditions report of this comprehensive plan is primarily from the community management plan.
One of the first steps in the planning process was soliciting input from all town residents. The community management committee along with the ECWRPC prepared a survey that was distributed to all property owners within the Town of Deerfield. The results indicated that the preservation of farmland, wetlands, forestland and open space, and small businesses opportunities were supported by over seventy percent of all respondents. A summary of the Town of Deerfield's survey results are presented in Volume Two, Appendix A, a full report is available separately.
HISTORY
Settlers began to inhabit the western part of Waushara County, in what is now the Town of Deerfield, in the the mid-1850's. The town was named Deerfield in honor of an old New England town and because of the deer seen playing in the fields in the mid-1850's Rich in history, the town was once home to Native Americans. Evidence of its early history are still seen today neat the White River Millpond. Two Indian Mounds can be found in this area, as well as the remains of an earthen enclosure, traces of an old campsite, the grave of Big John, a local Indian chief of some distinction, and a cluster of small pits that may have been used to store food. An old grist and flour mill, known as Cox's, could also be found in this area in the 1860's as well as a school house. During the 1920's, the Dahlke Company of Neshkoro intended to build a dam on the millpond to generate electricity. While this project wasn't successful, it did raise the water level enough to support the many summer and permanent residences that exist on the pond today.
RECREATION
The following lakes are located in the Town of Deerfield: Fish Lake, a moderate sized landlocked seepage lake; Crooked Lake, a small lake located east of Fish Lake; Bohn Lake, a small landlocked seepage lake; Lake Virginia, a small seepage lake supplemented by springs; Hartford (Lyman’s) Lake, a small landlocked seepage lake; Marl Lake, an essentially landlocked seepage lake having an intermittent inlet that enters in the northwest corner, a lake district(Marl Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District) was formed in 1988 to address the problem of declining water quality in the lake; Ueeck Lake between Hartford and Marl Lake; Round Lake, a small lake located between Pine Lake and Crooked Lake; and the (White River) Mill Pond (Upper), a moderate size impoundment on the West Branch of the White River. This headwater pond has no inlet, seepage is aided by spring activity, and a 30-foot dam is located at the outlet.
Two county-maintained park facilities exist in the Town of Deerfield. Marl Lake County Park, located on the east end of Marl Lake between Wautoma and Hancock, is about ¼ mile north of CTH C on 12th Avenue. This 24-acre wooded site is leased by the county from the town. Facilities include a paved boat ramp, a shelter, restroom facilities, picnic facilities, play equipment, drinking water, and an unimproved swimming beach.
George Sorenson Natural Area is a 78-acre county park site located on Hartford (Lyman’s) Lake near CTH C about four miles east of Hancock. To enhance the lake’s natural setting and small size, Waushara County planned minimal development for this site. Present development is limited to a small parking area off of 11th Avenue, which provides walk-in access to the lake.
PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES
Town Hall – The Deerfield Town Hall is located on the north side of CTH C, near the intersection of CTH B about 3-1/2 miles east of the Village of Hancock. The town hall, built around 1894, was remodeled in 1994. Elections and town meetings, including town board meetings, which are held on the second Tuesday of the month, are held here. In addition, the building houses the town records and provides office space for town officials. The building is available for rent to town residents for special events.
Township of Deerfield, WI
Board of Review Notice
STATE OF WISCONSIN Town of Deerfield, Waushara County Notice is hereby given that the Board of Review for the Town of Deerfield, Waushara County, Wisconsin, shall hold its first meeting on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., at the Deerfield Town Hall, W10760 County Road BC, Hancock, WI. Please be advised of the following requirements to appear before the board of review and procedural requirements if appearing before the board: 1. *No person will be allowed to appear before the board of review, to testify to the board by telephone, or to contest the amount of any assessment of real or personal property if the person has refused a reasonable written request by certified mail of the assessor to enter onto property to conduct an exterior view of such property being assessed. 2. After the first meeting of the board of review and before the board's final adjournment, no person who is scheduled to appear before the board of review may contact or provide information to a member of the board about the person's objection, except at a session of the board. Open book shall occur no less than 7 days prior to the board of review. 3. The board of review may not hear an objection to the amount or valuation of property unless, at least 48 hours before the board's first scheduled meeting, the objector provides to the board's clerk written or oral notice of an intent to file an objection, except that upon a showing of good cause and the submission of a written objection, the board shall waive that requirement during the first 2 hours of the board's first scheduled meeting, and the board may waive that requirement up to the end of the 5th day of the session or up to the end of the final day of the session if the session is less than 5 days with proof of extraordinary circumstances for failure to meet the 48-hour notice requirement and failure to appear before the board of review during the first 2 hours of the first scheduled meeting. 4. Objections to the amount or valuation of property shall first be made in writing and filed with the clerk of the board of review within the first 2 hours of the board's first scheduled meeting, except that, upon evidence of extraordinary circumstances, the board may waive that requirement up to the end of the 5th day of the session or up to the end of the final day of the session if the session is less than 5 days. The board may require objections to the amount or valuation of property to be submitted on forms approved by the Department of Revenue, and the board shall require that any forms include stated valuations of the property in question. Persons who own land and improvements to that land may object to the aggregate valuation of that land and improvements to that land, but no person who owns land and improvements to that land may object only to the valuation of that land or only to the valuation of improvements to that land. No person may be allowed in any action or proceedings to question the amount or valuation of property unless the written objection has been filed and that person in good faith presented evidence to the board in support of the objections and made full disclosure before the board, under oath, of all of that person's property liable to assessment in the district and the value of that property. The requirement that objections be in writing may be waived by express action of the board. 5. When appearing before the board of review, the objecting person shall specify in writing the person's estimate of the value of the land and of the improvements that are the subject of the person's objection and specify the information that the person used to arrive at that estimate. 6. No person may appear before the board of review, testify to the board by telephone, or object to a valuation if that valuation was made by the assessor or the objector using the income method of valuation, unless no later than 7 days before the first meeting of the board of review the person supplies the assessor with all the information about income and expenses, as specified in the assessor's manual under s. 73.03 (2a), Wis. stats., that the assessor requests. The Town of Deerfield has an ordinance for the confidentiality of information about income and expenses that is provided to the assessor under this paragraph that provides exceptions for persons using information in the discharge of duties imposed by law or the duties of their officer or by order of a court. The information that is provided under this paragraph, unless a court determines before the first meeting of the board of review that it is inaccurate, is not subject to the right of inspection and copying under s. 19.35 (1), Wis. Stats. 7. The board shall hear upon oath, by telephone, all ill or disabled persons who present to the board a letter from a physician, surgeon, or osteopath that confirms their illness or disability. No other persons may testify by telephone unless the Board, in its discretion, has determined to grant a property owner’s or their representative’s request to testify under oath by telephone or written statement. 8. No person may appear before the board of review, testify to the board by telephone, or contest the amount of any assessment unless, at least 48 hours before the first meeting of the board, or at least 48 hours before the objection is heard if the objection is allowed under s.70.47 (3) (a), Wis. stats., that person provides to the clerk of the board of review notice as to whether the person will ask for the removal of a member of the board of review and, if so, which member, and provides a reasonable estimate of the length of time the hearing will take. Notice is hereby given this 6th day of May 2024.
/S/ Cheryl Pionke, Clerk, Town of Deerfield