This Week's Headlines 

July 4th preparations

Photo by Sally A. Miller

Flags are erected along Main Street in downtown Galesville in preparation for the July 4th celebration at Reception Park.

Trempealeau Village Board reverses previous decision to deny Haug kennel license

by Terry Thompson, Staff writer

Paul and Holly Haug of Trempealeau got some good news last week: they don’t have to figure out which of their three dogs to get rid of.

At the June 1 meeting of the Trempealeau Village Board, the Haug’s application for a kennel license was denied, despite the fact the plan commission and chief of police had recommended approving the license.

But the village board reversed that decision at a special board meeting last Thursday.

Board members said they felt they  didn’t stick to the facts of the Haug situation when the license was denied, June 1.

Village Administrator Travis Cooke said, “The kennel license is up for reconsideration because last time our discussion kind of took in things about the broad village situation rather than facts in hand that the Haugs were to meet certain requirements and they did that.”

• For complete story, see this week's Galesville Republican.


 Contractors must register with state by July 1 to comply with  new mandatory state law

by Sally A. Miller, Staff writer

July 1 is the deadline for building contractors to register with the Department of Commerce. The registration is mandatory and is the result of an administrative rule change in Ch. Comm 5, Wis. Adm. Code, and finalized March 2, 2009.

The rule applies to businesses, including one person shops, that act as building contractors or subcontractors that are involved in the construction or modification of public buildings, places of employment and one- and two-family dwellings and are not already credentialed by Commerce.

“Contractor registration enables consumers to check an on-line registry when they consider hiring a contractor for a construction project,” said Commerce Secretary Richard J. Leinenkugel. “It also enhances the department’s ability to identify, communicate with and educate contractors and subcontractors of consumer protection issues, best practices, and changes in codes and regulations.”

Building or remodeling a structure is a major expense for both businesses and consumers. Both will find it helpful to check whether a contractor has registered with the department.

Commerce has posted the registry on the internet, where it is available to consumers available to the Wisconsin Departments of Workforce Development and Revenue. These agencies can use the registry to help them minimize the misclassification of employees as contractors and maximize contractor participation in both the unemployment insurance and workers compensation programs.

A contractor registration will cost $100 for a 4-year term if applied for electronically and $115 if applied for via paper. Contractors can register at http://commerce.wi.gov/SB/SB-BuildingContractorProgram.

 Consumers can check the registry at http://commerce.wi.gov/SB/docs/SB-CredListBuildingContractors.

• For complete story, see this week's Galesville Republican

(Copyright 2009 The Galesville Republican. No part of this site can be reproduced without permission. Flag photo of a farm in Crystal Valley outside Galesville, by Sally A. Miller)