Your Elected Officials

Your Elected Officials FEDERAL ELECTED OFFICIALS Honorable Barack Obama, President The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC 20500 (202)456-1414 Web site: www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ U.S. Senator Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) District Office: 1 Russell Courtyard 14 West Mifflin St. Washington, DC 20510 Suite 207 Phone: (202)224-5653 Madison, WI 53703 TDD: (202)224-4464 (608)264-5338 WEBSITE: baldwin.senate.gov Toll-Free: (800)247-5645 (Six year term: expires January 2019) U.S. Senator Sen. Ron Johnson (R) District Office: 2 Russell Courtyard 219 E. Washington Ave. Washington, DC 20510 Oshkosh, WI 54901 Phone: (202)224-5323 (920)230-7250 TDD: (202)224-1280 EMAIL: ron_johnson@ronjohnson.senate.gov (Six year term: expires January 2015) U.S. House of Representatives 6th District Thomas E. Petri (R) District Office: 2462 Rayburn House Office Bldg. 490 W. Rolling Meadows Dr. Washington, DC 20515 Suite B Phone: (202)225-2476 Fond du Lac, WI 54937 EMAIL: www.house.gov/writerep Toll-Free: (800)242-4883 STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS *Governor Scott Walker (R) Phone: (608)266-1212 115 East Capitol, Box 7863 Fax: (608)267-8983 Madison, WI 53707-7863 EMAIL: govgeneral@wisconsin.gov

State Senator 1ST Senate District Frank Lasee (R) HOME: Room 316 South 830 Spring Hills Ct. State Capitol DePere, WI 54115 P.O. Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707-7882 Fax: (608)282-3541 Phone: (608)266-3512 EMAIL: Sen.Lasee@legis.wisconsin.gov 2nd Assembly District André Jacque (R) HOME: Room 123 West 1615 Lost Dauphin Rd. State Capitol DePere, WI 54115 P.O. Box 8952 Madison, WI 53709-8952 Fax: (608)282-3602 Phone: (608)266-9870 Toll-Free: (888)534-0002 EMAIL: Rep.Jacque@legis.wisconsin.gov MANITOWOC COUNTY BOARD OFFICIAL Manitowoc County Board Supervisor District 17 Susie L. Maresh (920) 682-0725 susiemaresh@co.manitowoc.wi.us Community Calendar January 8 Lions Meeting, Machuts Supper Club, 6:00 p.m. 13 Village Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Village Office 20 Sportsman s Club Meeting, 7:00 25 Fellowship Meeting and Steak Fry, Sportsman s Club 5:30 Cocktails/6:30 Supper

Lions Club As we begin the New Year, here are some things to consider relating to the Lions Clubs motto of We Serve (quotes taken from the January 2014 Lions magazine): Individually, we are one drop. Together we are the ocean, wrote a Japanese poet. The secret is to gang up on the problem, not on each other, said an American businessman. Alone we can do so little; together we do so much, insisted the great Helen Keller. Because I am pressed for time, I did not have time to collect a direct quote from a local Francis Creek Lions Club member, but I will take the liberty to paraphrase one that I have heard: I belong to a number of organizations and have over the years, but the Francis Creek Lions Club is the best! Not only do we get to work on and support many very worthwhile projects but we have fun doing it. While Lions Clubs International is the largest service organization in the world as measured by membership, it is comprised of local Lions Club like ours all over the world. Currently we have 24 members and have a monthly dinner meeting from September through June which is typically held at the Francis Creek Sportsmans Club. We normally meet the fourth Wednesday of the month beginning at 6:30 p.m. and gather for a social for about a half hour before. We strive to keep the cost of membership as low as possible, so our dues are $75 per year, while a husband and wife total is $125. In addition, we each pay $5 per meeting to help defray the cost of the meal. Occasionally we will alter our meeting schedule if we are meeting with another Lions Club(s) as we are this month. A portion of our dues go to pay International, State and District dues but we view this as a great investment because of all the resources they provide to our Club membership. We have a diverse and fun mix of members. Women and men are active in our projects and leadership. Our members are also diverse in age, so the old conception that we are a bunch of old crotchety men is not true (although personally I m much more mature that I was when I joined the Francis Creek Lions in 1985 and hopefully not crotchety).

Since our goal is to serve our community we tend not to boast about the many projects we are involved in and all the good that we do. Most of you see the work part of what we do, which is to raise funds to support our projects. Currently our fundraising projects include a rose sale (early spring), the community rummage sale food tent (early summer) and the wreath sale in fall. Every dollar that we raise in our fundraising projects is spent for community projects and is not used for any administrative costs or to benefit our members personally. Over the 51 years that the Francis Creek Lions Club has been in existence the number of projects we have undertaken would produce a very long list and I won t attempt to address even a small portion. From personal knowledge some of these have been on a local level (playground equipment, park improvements, tree planting, sponsoring students to attend Badger Girls State to name a few), within Wisconsin (our Lions Camp in Rosholt, diabetes awareness & education, Leader Dogs, Wisconsin Eye Bank in Madison, subsidized hearing aid program ) and Internationally (recycled eyeglasses to needy, disaster relief, programs to eradicate River Blindness ). Would you consider coming to one of our meetings to check us out? We d love to have you! Give one of a call to get more information: Mark Geiger (860-9740), Chuck Bornemann (732-3267) and Janet or Joe Debilzen (682-2860). MARSHAL LAW Snowmobile season is here! Because so many of our area citizens enjoy riding trails in Wisconsin s fields and woods, I thought I d review a few of the regulations and safety guidelines regarding just where to ride to help keep everyone safe this season. Common sense would dictate that one should always ride on marked snowmobile routes and trails approved by the DNR and DOT. There are times; however, that riding off marked routes may be necessary. Riding on Freeways is expressly prohibited, while operation on many Highways and roadways is permitted under some conditions. Please remember that the roadway is the paved portion of a travel way, while the highway includes the shoulder and ditch, extending to the black and white highway markers or fence line. You can cross a roadway, but only after coming to a complete stop and yielding to all vehicles on the roadway. Unless otherwise posted, you can ride on a highway or roadway to cross a bridge, culvert, or railroad right-of-way. Snowmobiles can be operated next to a roadway if done so safely. This includes riding at least 10 or more feet from the roadway surface, and traveling in the same direction as the traffic in the nearest lane of travel at night, so that a snowmobile s headlamp does not blind drivers of on-coming vehicles. It should be remembered that persons must obey the speed limit of the roadway next to which they are operating. Riding on roads illegally is the most common violation cited by the DNR. Please remember to ride only on roadways that are posted as a snowmobile route, and then only on the extreme right side of the roadway, yielding to all pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Obey all signage, including all stop, yield, and speed signs. Do not operate a snowmobile to private property without the consent of the land owner or lessee.

Finally, remember that any Conservation Warden or Police Officer can enforce snowmobile laws, and that violations of these laws can result in fines of up to $2,000, up to one year in jail, and the revocation of your snowmobile operating privilege. Winter in Wisconsin can be a lot of fun. Riding snowmobiles allows us to enjoy our state s natural resources in a whole new way. But this requires you to be vigilant of hazards, and be sober and safe when operating a sled. Please contact the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Office or website for more information. Have fun!! -- Karl Puestow President s Corner We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. I would like to thank our service organizations, the Francis Creek Lions and Fellowship Clubs along with all of the home owners for the Christmas light displays that you put up yearly. It truly brings a holiday atmosphere to the village. The Village Board would like to extend it's sincere thanks to John Kimmes who retired as Sanitary and Streets Supervisor after serving our village for 31 years. John has not only been a loyal employee, but is a good friend to many of us. We wish John and Grace the very best in their future plans, and encourage John not be a stranger around the village office. Dave Endries, who has been employed with us, is now our in charge of sewer, streets and park maintenance. Please be sure to say hello to Dave if you see him out and about. I was disappointed when Mike Molepske of Bank First Nation called me to discuss their decision to close the Francis Creek branch. He explained the reasons for the closing and answered any questions that I had. All village customers should have received a letter of explanation from the bank. The letter insures that the employees of our branch will continue to be employed by Bank First Nation at one of their other locations. I would like to thank all the faithful employees who have always been kind and helpful. We will miss your smiling faces and wish you all the best in the future. I would also like to thank both our local and county snow plow drivers for the great job they have been doing to keep our streets cleared during our snowy December. This kind of winter always takes a big chunk of money out of our budget. PROPERTY TAX PAYMENT DEADLINES Full Payment of Taxes: Due on or before January 31, 2014 to the Village of Francis Creek Two Part Payments: First installment is due on or before January 31, 2014 to the Village of Francis Creek Second installment is due on or before July 31, 2014 to the Manitowoc County Treasurer To receive a receipt when paying by mail or drop box, please include a stamped, self-addressed return envelope. Please make your check payable and mail to:

Village of Francis Creek PO Box 68 Francis Creek WI 54214 You will notice on your tax bill, the State of Wisconsin cut our Shared Revenue again this year by over $2000, as well as reductions in our General Transportation Aides (street maintenance) and our Recycling grant money. DOG LICENSING INFORMATION All dogs must be licensed yearly in the Village of Francis Creek. Dogs Licensed in 2013 Expire on December 31, 2013. A good time to do this is when you pay your property tax bill. Spayed and Neutered dog is $5.00 and Intact Dog is $10.00. Please provide current Rabies Certificate if you have not provided a current copy to Village Clerk. All dogs must be licensed by April 1, 2014 or an $8.00 late fee will be added to cost of license and a list of unlicensed dogs is sent to Manitowoc County District Attorney. Payments can be made at Village Office, put in drop box, and by mail. Please enclosed selfaddressed envelope with postage to have your tag and license sent to you. Please make check payment to: Village of Francis Creek (separate checks needed for dog license) *NOTICE: SEPARATE CHECKS ARE NEEDED FOR TAX BILL PAYMENT, DOG LICENSE PAYMENT, AND SEWER BILL PAYMENT. ALL CHECKS PAYABLE TO THE VILLAGE OF FRANCIS CREEK.