The latest information is that Payne and Dolan has completed pulverizing the surface of Speedway Road north of Schaller Road, and has graded the road preparatory to paving.  The road is open to traffic.

Payne and Dolan expects to pave at the end of next week (week of September 7th), but their scheduling is weather dependent, so the paving may occur later.  This will be a one day job, but we do not know precisely when it will occur nor exactly how long it will take.  During the actual time of paving, and possibly for a couple of hours thereafter, the road will not be usable.

From now until the paving occurs the road patrolman will be visiting the area frequently, and will be happy to answer any questions.  The clerk will be on vacation from Labor Day through September 17th, but phone messages left on the town phone (608-424-3848) will be returned to the extent possible.  

The first mailing of ballots to those who have absentee ballots requests on file (which currently is 214 of 775 voters, or 27%) will be the week of September 21, 2020.  Ballots can be returned through the mail, or by bringing them to the Town Hall.  If no one is in, they can be put through the letter slot in the office door on the south side of the  building.

The clerk will be on vacation from Labor Day through September 17, 2020.  Absentee requests received during that time period will be put into the system before the mailings start.  Thereafter, the Town will make every effort to mail out absentee ballots within a day of the receipt of the request.  The easiest way to make a request is to go on myvote.wi.gov.  We will be glad to handle requests in person at the town office if need be.  Just call 608-424-3848 after the clerk gets back to set up a time to do the paperwork.

There will be in-person absentee voting available the last two weeks before the election.  Hours will start on October 20, 2020.  The hours are weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon, and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  If those hours do not work, get in touch to arrange a different time.   

Election Day is November 3, 2020.  Polls open at 7:00 a.m.  All absentee ballots must be returned to the Town Hall before the polls close at 8:00 p.m., so that they can be tabulated along with the ballots cast in person on election day.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch.  Contact info is montrose@chorus.net or 6608-424-3848.

The latest from Payne and Dolan:

They expect to do the pulverizing and grading on the portion of Speedway north of Schaller on Thursday, September 3, 2020.  Residents should be able to get in and out during this process, although perhaps not easily.  This is expected to be a one day operatioin.

Laying fresh pavement is expected to occur the week of September 7, 2020, after Labor Day.  This is also a one day process, but may involve some times during which the road will not be passable at all.

We have just learned that Payne and Dolan will NOT be working on the north end of Speedway Road on August 29th. They expect to start sometime the week of September 1st.  Additional information will be uploaded as soon as it is known.

We do regret giving erroneous information, and will try to get correct information out as soon as we have it.

Posted 28 August 2020

On Saturday August 29th Payne & Dolan will start preparation for paving Speedway Road north of Schaller Road.  They will be pulverising the existing pavement, and then grading and compacting it to make a suitable surface for paving.  This process will take most of the day.

Sometime during the week of September 1, exact day TBD, they will pave the road with 2 1/2″ of asphalt 18′ wide.  The exact date is not yet known, but will be posted here when it is known.

The town regrets the inconvenience of this process, but hopes that having a freshly paved road will make up for it.

Posted August 26, 2020.

The Town of Montrose is making great headway in the matter of applications for absentee ballots.  We now have 771 registered voters, and 196 applications for absentee ballots on file for November. That is 25% of the electorate! Any voter with an absentee request on file before the middle of September should be getting a ballot in the mail by the end of September.  It would be wonderful to have 771 applications on file by September 15th.  

The easiest way to apply for an absentee ballot is to go to myvote.wi.gov and apply for one.  If you have any difficulty uploading an ID, go ahead and complete the application and give the town a call.  You can take a picture of the ID and text it to the town phone (608-424-3848), or e-mail it, or photocopy it and mail it, or drop it off if need be.  Call the town for help if there is a problem; there are other ways to apply.

All absentee ballots can be returned either by mail or by being dropped off at the town hall, through the office door slot if no one is in.  You can check on myvote.wi.gov to make sure that the ballot has been received, and phone the town if you are concerned about that.  Almost any procedural problem can be solved – more easily the earlier it is discovered.

We want every person who is eligible to vote to be able to vote.  Get in touch if you have any problem at all with any part of the process, and we will be delighted to help out.

Posted 25 Aug 2020

Please call the town hall (608-424-3848) if you lost an earring during the election on August 11.  It has been found.

There was one race in yesterday’s partisan primary election – the primary for the Democratic candidate for State Assembly District 80.  Incumbent Sondy Pope received 141 votes; challenger Kimberly Smith 36. 

Other results:

Democratic:  Mark Pocan, Congress, 167; Ismael Ozanne, District Attorney, 163; Scott McDonell, Dane County Clerk, 159;  Adam Gallagher, Dane County Treasurer, 157; Kristi Chiebowski, Dane County Register of Deeds, 157.

Republican: Peter Theron, Congress, 33; Chase Binnie, 80th Assembly District, 31. 

Congress: No candidates.

We had 226 voters; 150 of them absentee.

And now, the usual plea to consider getting an absentee ballot for the next election

If you want an absentee ballot for November, just go to myvote.wi.gov to get your request on file. You can also call the town clerk at 608-424-3848 for help in getting an absentee ballot. All requests on file before the end of September should result in a ballot being mailed to you by early October.  All absentee ballots are kept securely and then counted on election day as any other ballot.

Posted 12 August 2020

The Annual Meeting will be held on September 1, 2020, at 8 p.m., an hour after the regularly scheduled town board meeting.  The meeting was postponed from its normal date because of the COVID 19 public health emergency. We wll mail or e-mail the treasurer’s report to anyone who requests it (requests to the clerk at the town hall, montrose@chorus.net or 608-424-3848). 

There will be no refreshments, masks are required, and we will maintain social distancing for the meeting.  

Posted August 7, 2020

As of this morning, there have been 196 absentee ballots issued to Town of Montrose voters – a hair more than 25% of our 765 registered voters.  Already an impressive turnout.

You can still request a mailed absentee ballot (until Thursday, August 6, at 5 p.m.).  For all voters with Belleville or Verona addresses, ballots will go the next day to the local post office for inclusion with the local mail.  For voters with Oregon & New Glarus addresses, at this point you may want to consider in person absentee voting at the Town Hall – which is available through Friday August 7, from 10 to noon and from 2 to 4.  You can also call the clerk to make an appointment outside of those hours.

You can apply any time for a mailed absentee ballot for the general election in November, and please, please do so.  Just go to myvote.wi.gov, or call, email or text the clerk.  Call/text:  608-424-3848.  E-mail:  montrose@chorus.net