After months of deliberation and careful study, the Trenton Town Board has decided to build a new combined town hall and municipal shop building. A fact sheet prepared by the board in March 2026 details the circumstances that led to the decision, which is not expected to raise the township’s tax levy.

“After thorough evaluation of our current facilities' severe limitations, exploration of alternatives, and analysis of long-term financial impacts on residents, the Board has concluded that a new facility is the most practical, safe, and cost-effective solution,” the fact sheet states. “Continuing to defer action would result in escalating repair costs, persistent operational inefficiencies, and ongoing diversion of township resources from essential services.”

The current town hall is located in the former Wilson Schoolhouse at W7926 250^th Ave., Hager City; it was built in 1912 and closed as a school in 1958. It’s owned by the Ellsworth Community School District.

“Our town hall and shop buildings are outdated, and inadequate for modern township needs, creating difficulties for officials, election workers, residents, and overall operations,” the report states. Located a half mile from the town’s shop buildings, the town hall lacks sewer, water, bathrooms and insulation in the walls and ceilings. It also needs a new roof, repair or replacement of steps and the rotting handicap ramp, new windows and doors and designated handicap parking. The town clerk and treasurer currently conduct business from their private homes, which according to the report, forces them to sacrifice personal living space, creates risks with homeowners’ insurance due to township business activity and introduces security and safety risks when residents visit.

“On voting days, workers have no access to indoor water or restrooms—only a portable toilet is provided. Shifts run from early morning to late night, creating uncomfortable and inefficient working conditions. The Clerk must transport voting machines back and forth between the hall and home to maintain security, adding time, effort, and risk,” according to the report.

Town Chair Bryan Reuvers said Trenton township is like many Wisconsin townships that have struggled over the last few decades with challenges in maintaining roads, equipment and facilities.

“Frozen state aid, cuts in transportation aids, and strict property tax levy limits with no automatic inflation adjustment have made this especially difficult,” Reuvers said. “We are now at a crossroads with our buildings. We must address these buildings that need many repairs, either by building new or by making major repairs. We can’t simply put this off any longer. If we do, we’ll be forced into a hasty decision that generally will cost more and won’t be well thought out.”

The township is fully responsible for all maintenance and repairs to the building and grounds while it remains in use for township purposes. However, when the township decides it no longer needs or wants to continue using the town hall building and land, ownership and responsibility revert (are deeded back) to the Ellsworth Community School District.

The township owns two buildings at N2551 County Road VV, including a small block building that’s more than 100 years old and a steel frame building that’s nearly 50 years old. The block building is structurally crumbling and while it includes water and a bathroom, the 47-year-old sewer system is inadequate for expansion. The steel frame building has no water supply and minimal insulation. Both buildings have worn out garage doors that need replacing, insufficient insulation and ventilation, cracked concrete floors damaged by salt, gaps in ceilings and walls allowing birds to enter; poor, outdated lighting; no indoor space to wash vehicles after snow plowing (done outside in all weather); inadequate facilities for equipment maintenance due to limited size, poor lighting, and supplies spread between two buildings.

“The Trenton Township Board has decided to build a new combined facility,” Reuvers said. “We believe this is the most cost-effective solution in the long run verses repairing the buildings that are on two different properties. In either case, we must spend money. The question is not whether to spend money, it’s whether we build new or make the major repairs to the old buildings.”

Reuvers said the necessary funds will be redirected from tax levy dollars that become available in 2026 after the town’s final truck and sand mine payments are complete, totaling over $100,000. The board plans to redirect the funds toward new building payments rather than a full-level reduction. The project is estimated to cost anywhere from $600,000 to $1.2 million, which includes the building, asphalt/concrete, retention pond and sewer. The financing would include a competitive low-interest loan from the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, possible grants and sale of the current town hall property (split with the school district).

“We don’t believe we would need to raise the tax levy to accomplish this; in fact, it might even go down,” Reuvers said. “With building the new facility now, we can solve our building problems while continuing to improve our roads which are below the Wisconsin township average PASER rating and deliver better service to our residents. Our next step is to protect our investment with a resolution to ensure proper maintenance, inspection and procedures are done on our buildings and equipment.”

Building the new facility now would help the township avoid future tax levy increases for the current facilities’ needed major repairs, the fact sheet states.

“The poor condition of our facilities creates uncertainty for the Township Board's budgeting and financial planning,” the report outlines. “Unexpected events—such as sudden roof leaks, broken garage doors in the shop buildings, or urgent town hall repairs—arise without warning. These unplanned expenses may force mid-year reallocations from other budgeted areas, including the highway/road fund, disrupting planned work and making it difficult to reliably forecast or commit to long-term improvements. The longer we continue without making meaningful improvements, the higher the chances become that these kinds of unexpected events will occur and potentially more frequently or severely as aging components continue to deteriorate. This reactive approach strains township finances overall and limits our ability to maintain essential services effectively.”

The board also considered outsourcing road maintenance, which proved more costly than keeping in-house operations.

The board believes having one modern building with water, bathrooms, proper insulation, lighting and ventilation, indoor vehicle washing and adequate equipment space will be beneficial to town employees and residents. Scattered sites and home-based operations would be eliminated and the building would be ADA compliant. An energy efficient design would lower utility bills and election workers, town meeting and resident events would have adequate facilities and space.

Bids will go out this month with construction expected to start in the summer or fall.