The first annual Callahan and Mud Lake District Annual Meeting is coming up in a few weeks!
Members and electors of the Callahan and Mud Lake District,
The annual meeting of the Lake District is an opportunity for you, as a homeowner, property owner or resident of the District, to participate in the governance of our beautiful lakes. This meeting is primarily for you; while the meeting is open to the public, all time in the agenda is reserved for electors/District members only.
At this meeting, you will elect the new board members, vote on the current 2025 budget and levy, vote on the 2026 budget and levy, provide input to the district, and get informed.
Serving on the Board is a great way to contribute to our lake district community. The new Board will also need your support; volunteering for future committees is another way to contribute to the District. There will be sign-up sheets at the meeting for areas of interest. We need everyone’s participation to succeed.
Voting and Elections
The existing board was appointed by the County, so, in this first election, all three elected commissioner seats are up for election by secret ballot at the annual meeting. If you want to run for office, let the Chair know or be nominated at the annual meeting and be a write-in candidate. There will be time in the meeting for nominations, and brief candidate speeches. The current Chair and Secretary are not running for election, so we need to have at least two candidates, if not more, to run. One of the seats will be a 3-yr term, one a 2-yr term and one a 1-yr term, determined by who gets the most votes. The new board will meet following the annual meeting to elect a Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
Who can vote at the annual meeting? To vote at annual meetings of the lake district, an elector must be a U.S. citizen over 18 years of age who is either:
- An elector (a qualified voter who resides in the district)
- An owner of property within the district:
- A person whose name appears as an owner of real property on the tax roll
- A person who owns title to real property even though the person’s name does not appear on the tax roll (i.e. a spouse)
- A person who is the official representative, officer or employee authorized to vote on behalf of a trust, foundation, corporation, association or other organization owning real property in the district
Persons whose names appear on the tax roll are qualified to vote. If a person is not named on the tax roll, it is up to that person to provide evidence to the district that he or she is an owner of property or a designated representative of an organizational property owner. Electors who do not appear on the list published on the callahanandmudlakedistrict.org website must provide either: (1) a copy of a deed indicating ownership of the property; or (2) a letter on the stationery of an organization owning property which clearly authorizes the person to vote on behalf of that organization. Anyone who claims to be an eligible elector, but cannot provide proof by the annual meeting may sign an affidavit/voter certification and will be given a provisional ballot and voting cards.
Each qualified elector is entitled to cast one vote at the annual meeting. Ownership of more than one parcel of real estate within the District does not entitle the owner to more than one vote. Corporations, governmental bodies and other organizational owners are treated as single owners with one vote.
Electors must be physically present to vote, per Wis. Statute 33. Eligible voters will be checked in as they arrive and given a ballot for electing the board, and colored voting cards to vote on other matters.
2025 Budget and Assessment
Per Wis Statue 33.27 (4), the board may make an initial assessment of all taxable property within the district to raise funds to pay for organizational and operational expenses until the receipt of the tax voted by the first annual meeting.
So far, the District has operated by the generous donations of the Lake Association members, Callahan Resort and other donors in the District. For the remaining expenses for 2025, and to get us through the first months of 2026 until new revenue arrives, we are proposing a small levy as a flat $50 fee per parcel (see the included 2025 and 2026 budgets).
This letter serves as notice that, if the electors approve the 2025 budget and levy in the annual meeting, this assessment will be due by Oct 1.
2026 Budget and Assessment
In the annual meeting, we will also discuss the proposed 2026 budget. If the proposed budget is approved by the electors, the assessment for 2026 will appear on your regular tax bill from the Town of Round Lake as a line item. The assessment will use the same Sawyer County assessed property values as your other taxes use. The proposed mill rate is .5% on every $1000 of assessed value.
Please bring these documents to the annual meeting so that we do not have to print a lot of extra copies. We also encourage you to bring the $50/parcel levy, so that we don’t have to spend as much money sending out notices to collect.
We encourage you to attend this year’s annual meeting! On behalf of the entire Board, we look forward to your participation. Your voice, input and support are important to the success of our District.
Sincerely,
Holly Robbins
Chair, Callahan and Mud Lake District
See the website for more info and sign up for notifications: callahanandmudlakedistrict.org
Board Members:
Lynne Amundson, Secretary
Ray Schnepp, Treasurer
M. Scott Verbeck, Town Liaison
Kay Wilson, County Liaison
Sunday, 08.31.2025 9am-12pm
Sevenwinds Casino, Lodge & Conference Center, Large Conference Room
13767 County Hwy B, Hayward, Wisconsin
Join Google Meet Meeting
Time zone: America/Chicago
Video call link:
https://meet.google.com/yuw-tzam-hyx
Or dial:
(US) +1 484-641-8382
PIN: 571 153 855#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/yuw-tzamhyx?pin=8361858339850
Go to callahanandmudlakedistrict.org for more information about the meeting and to opt in with their email to receive direct notifications