Town of Barton, Wi – A spirited annual meeting Tuesday night, April 21, in the Town of Barton as taxpayers packed the town hall and came armed with thoughts and resolutions.
The meeting included several resolutions presented by those in attendance including, “directing the Town of Barton to cancel the Woodford Bridge project.” Town Chair Kris Turner noted the resolutions were “advisory in nature.”
The Town of Barton is looking to replace the Woodford Drive steel bridge after receiving a $1.6 million grant.
Some neighbors were pushing back on the project claiming the small community of Young America would not be able to handle a sizable increase in traffic of up to 750 vehicles a day. Others in the historic burg felt added traffic would compromise the charm of the area and neighbors offered several challenges to the DOT regarding some of the information passed along during the public meeting in May 2025.
Click HERE to review the meeting agenda
A second resolution was proposed to “ensure that Young America is given proper notification of future project consideration.” The crux of the issue was neighbors in Young America wanted to ensure the “unique and historically significant area.” The resolution also suggested “the Board of Supervisors failed to explore other options for the Woodford Bridge and acted in bad faith by having employed the bare minimum legal requirements for notifying the public of its intentions.”
The final resolution, drew a heated response from Town Chair Kris Turner as resident Janet MacFarlan offered a resolution asking Turner to resign from the board.
“This is not happening,” said Turner, after MacFarlan read the first line. “Number one, I will not resign. Number two, there is a remedy to remove me and that’s called a recall. And if you’d like to do that, please do. But I am not going to resign and I’m not going to even put this forward for voting.”
Supervisor Dan Mueller acknowledged there was a proper recall procedure to follow. “Take the paperwork out. Do all the leg work and then bring it to the board. You got enough signatures, we’ll have a recall election. It’s that simple,” he said.
The annual meeting was then adjourned.
Below is the resolution proposed by MacFarlan, which was not read at the annual meeting but distributed to board members.
Where as: Chairperson Kris Turner has repeatedly failed to lead the Town Board Open Meetings in accordance with the Wisconsin Open Meeting Laws.
Where as: Chairperson Turner continues to list agenda items in such a vague way that they do not sufficiently inform the public with enough detail to make a decision on attending. Open Meeting Laws expressly prohibit one word agenda items such as updates, announcements, or Trautwein.
Where as: Chairperson Turner claimed the grant and subsequent bridge replacement were announced with a “properly posted” meeting notice, yet a search of several years of monthly meeting agendas reveal nothing that would indicate the application for, or acceptance of, a grant for replacement of the Woodford Steel Bridge. A person interested in the subject matter of the steel bridge, or it’s replacement, or application or acceptance of a grant, would not be able to make a decision to attend a meeting based on agenda information. Residents learned of the grant and the project through a resident that went door to door to inform the public, after the bidding process for the design of the already approved project had begun.
Where as: Chairperson Turner refuses to place the Woodford Steel Bridge Project on the agenda for further discussion and has further claimed that cancelation is out of her hands. Direct communication with the DOT reveals that the Project is in the hands of the board, always has been, and could be canceled for any reason, at any time.
Where as: Chairperson Turner claimed on the grant application that the new bridge is necessary to give the residents of Young America a second access point. For the 35 years that the Steel Bridge has been closed, the area has had 2 access points, one from the south and one from the west.
Where as: Chairperson Turner closed the second access point for repairs. Turner succeeded in keeping the Wooden Bridge access closed for 10 months, using various excuses such as needing a qualified and insured tuck pointer, on a wooden bridge. Keeping the second access point closed also backed up her untrue statement on the grant application, that a second access point was necessary.
Where as: Chairperson Turner’s propensity to interrupt and talk over members of the community is highly unprofessional. Her inability to control her own temper demonstrates that she is unwilling or unable to work with the community towards their own goals, because they don’t align with hers.
Where as: Chairperson Turner has stated that placing her resignation on the agenda would be inappropriate, when in fact, it is the only appropriate place.
Therefore, we, the Electors of the Town of Barton, hereby request that Chairperson Turner submit her resignation no later than the May 19th, 2026 monthly Town Board Meeting.
Although this resolution is an advisory request, if it is not heeded we will then proceed to a recall petition.
On a side note:
-The Town of Barton has secured a federal grant to replace the Woodford Drive steel bridge that runs over the Milwaukee River. The bridge, located in the hamlet of Young America, dates to 1891 and the days of horse and buggy. The bridge used to be open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic but is now fenced off for “safety.”
-The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has notified officials in the Town of Barton that the project to replace the Woodford Bridge is now delayed by two years.
This is a working story and more information will be posted when details are available.
