Fun Facts about the Town of Florence




Helpful Community Links

Click on the links below to be directed to these websites:

Explore Florence County (Tourism Page)

Florence County (Government Page)

Florence County Economic Development

Florence County Chamber of Commerce

Wild Rivers Interpretive Center

State of Wisconsin

Florence County Fair

Wisconsin Bandshells & Stands
A Little History of the Town of Florence
From the Heritage of Iron & Timber 1880-1980
Published for Florence County, Wisconsin, 1980

The Townsite of Florence is Laid Out
In 1879 Mr. VanDyke and Mr. Hagerman, financiers, purchased a three-fourths interest, arranged for railroad extension because of the good work done in this mining region by Mr. N.P. Hulst and called the mine in Florence in honor of Mrs. Florence Hulst, his wife.  This name was first applied to the iron mine, then to the town and county.  The following is an account of the letter sent to Mrs. Florence Hulst on December 15, 1879 by Mr. J.J. Hagerman President of the Menominee Mining company:

Mrs. Hulst -- The time is come when we must give a name to the new town in Wisconsin at the end of the Railroad now building, and to the new mine in the vicinity, now called the Eagle, but which name we do not wish to keep, as there is already an Eagle P.O. in Wisconsin.  The Company owns all the land around the lake, where the town will be located.  It will be a lively town.  We shall put an anti-whiskey clause in all deeds and we expect it will be as much noted for its temperance and morality as for its -- well, anything the future may develop.  We all wish to call the new town and the mine FLORENCE, in honor of the first white woman who had courage enough to settle (for a while) in that rugged country.  I mean the first white woman known to us.

Will you permit your name to be used?

Thus the town and mine had been given a name, a very prim and proper name!

Because of the mine people rushed into the region and by 1880 Mr. Fisher laid out the townsite, putting  a number of lots upon the market.  He said he would put the lots in at government prices selling the ordinary lots from $100.00 while the corners sold for $150.00.

In sixty days Mr. Fisher had sold $60,000 worth of realty.  The population at this time was 50 people.  In a short time a blast furnace was put up as was a foundry, five coal kilns, a large sawmill and a cheese factory.
This page was last updated: December 6, 2024
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Information about the Town of Florence Board & Town Office
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Town Office Information

The Town of Florence Office is located 
at 749 Central Avenue. It is in the 
corner of the Community Center building. 

The mailing address for the 
Town of Florence is P.O. Box 247; 
Florence, WI 54121.

Office hours are Monday through Friday 
from 8:00 a.m. to noon and 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.


Phone Number: 715-528-3595
Fax Number: 715-528-3591

Shelly VanPembrook, Clerk/Treasurer 
svanpembrook@florencewi.gov

Jessica Klumpp, Deputy Clerk/Treasurer
jklumpp@florencewi.gov


Click on Shelly's name or Jessica's name to e-mail them.
Click here to see some fun facts about the Town of Florence
Click here to read a little history of the Town of Florence
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www.townofflorencewisconsin.com
Page last updated: 11-25-2024
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Town Board Members

Timothy Bomberg, Chairman
PO Box 251
Florence, WI 54121
to contact Tim, please contact the Town Office 715-528-3595


John Holbrook, Supervisor #1
3498 Montgomery Lake Rd
Florence, WI 54121
to contact John, please contact the Town Office 715-528-3595


Shane McLain, Supervisor #2
5561 N. First Crossing Road
Florence, WI 54121
to contact Shane, please contact the Town Office 715-528-3595
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Town Board Meeting Dates

Town board meetings are held every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at the Community Center located at 749 Central Avenue, Florence. Meeting agendas will be posted online no later than the Friday before the meeting. Agendas are also posted at the Florence Post Office, Courthouse, and at Bigfoot's Riverside Liquor.  

Minutes are posted after they are approved from the most recent meeting only. For copies of minutes prior to those posted online, please contact the Town Office.

The Annual Town Meeting is held the third Tuesday in April each year at 6:30 p.m.  The Annual Town Meeting for 2024 will be held on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.




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Approved Town Board Minutes

Town board minutes will be posted online after they are approved (i.e. the January minutes are approved at the February Town Board meeting, and will be posted here to the website after the February meeting).  Only the most recent minutes are posted online.  For copies of previous meeting minutes, please contact the Town of Florence Office.  Please Note: The Annual Meeting Minutes are unapproved minutes. They will be approved at the 2024 Annual Town Meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. at the Town of Florence Community Center.

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Current Notices for Residents
Please note that any current notices for Town of Florence Residents/Property Owners that do not fall in a different category will be posted here.

OPEN BOOK & BOARD OF REVIEW
Please note R&R Assessing is in the area and has begun the work for on the 2024 Assessments.  The Town is required to do a Reval this year.  There will be a Market Reval done of all of the properties in the Town of Florence.  When the Open Book and Board of Review dates have been set for the Town of Florence for 2024 they will be posted online.  Visit the Taxes & Assessor Page of our website for details and complete information.



















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Click here to read a little history of the Town of Florence
Notice of Spring Election

Notice Of
Spring Election
State of Wisconsin
Florence County
Town of Florence

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that at an election to be held in the Town of Florence, on Tuesday,
April 4, 2023, the following officers are to be elected to succeed the present incumbents listed. The term for these offices are for two years beginning on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.

OFFICE & INCUMBENT
Town Board Chairperson
Tim Bomberg

Town Board Supervisor #1
John Holbrook

Town Board Supervisor #2
Shane McLain

Clerk/Treasurer
Shelly VanPembrook

NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN, that the first day to circulate nomination papers is December 1, 2022, and the final day for filing nomination papers is 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, in the office of the town clerk.  


NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, that if a primary is necessary, the primary will be held on Tuesday, 
February 21, 2023. GIVEN, under my hand, done in the Town of Florence, on this 17th Day of November, 2022.


Shelly VanPembrook
Clerk/Treasurer

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Click here to learn more about the Market Revaluation for Assessments in 2024
Assessment Market Revaluation Information 2024

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A Market Revaluation on Property Assessments in the Town of Florence is in process for 2024.

Note:  All assessments increased in the Town of Florence, but this does not mean that the taxes are going to go up the same percentage as assessment change.

Physical Inspections:

Looking at the Market:

Adjustments:

What does this mean for taxes?

The first step for information is reaching out to the assessor if you have more questions, to make an appointment for the open book, or to talk to the assessor directly about what exactly is included in the valuation of your property
920-846-4250
rrassessllc@outlook.com

For a printable version of this information, please click the file link below:​

Proposed Town Budget for 2024

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR OF JANUARY 1, 2024– DECEMBER 31, 2024

Submitted by the Town Board of Supervisors for Consideration at the Special Town Meeting to be
held on November 28, 2023

SUMMARY OF BUDGET
Total Expenditures$2,130,535
Less Revenues (excluding property taxes) $1,251,445
Property Taxes for Town Purposes$879,090

Prepared by:
Town Board of Florence 
Shelly VanPembrook, Clerk/Treasurer

Full Budget Summary

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Click here to learn what is happening for Halloween 2021 in the Town of Florence
Changeover to Automated Garbage Collection
Note:  The information below is for Town of Florence residents/properties only. If you are in the Town of Commonwealth, you need to contact them directly.  Contact information for the Town of Commonwealth can be found by visiting the Florence County website municipality page at:  https://www.florencecountywi.com/municipalities/?i=bc93992f6b36
We have received a lot of calls about Commonwealth garbage collection.  Florence and Commonwealth have similar systems, but they are not the same.  Commonwealth addresses list Florence as their mailing city.  The easiest way to determine if you are Florence or Commonwealth is to look at the physical fire number posted on your property.  It will identify the Town that your property is in.

07-15-24:  There are have been issues with the 96 gallon bins and the 300 gallon bins.  These issues that have come up may result in garbage not being picked up by GFL, which can create a nuisance and a mess for the areas that are not following the rules.  A couple of pictures were taken on the containers that would not be serviced on 07-08-24 & 07-16-24. There are a list of rules below the pictures.  NOTE:  Ash from a firepit is not material that will be serviced by GFL.  Someone put bags of ash that became wet in one of the 300 gallon containers, and it could not be serviced by GFL because of the weight.































































A list of address receiving bins is posted below.  It includes the location for where bins will be placed and where the bins need to be set out for for pick-up.  






The week of June 24, 2024 some 300 gallon containers were placed throughout the Town of Florence for household garbage pick-up only.  Items placed in these larger containers still need to be in bags.  Any Town of Florence resident may place garbage in these containers.  These containers are for residents that live on the surrounding roads including those who do not have their own bin.  

Second containers:
If you consistently have more garbage than will fit in your container, please contact the Town of Florence Office to get signed up for an additional bin.



Automated Refuse Collection Reminders
Please note the items in red below as after 6 month these are still issues that keep coming up from the garbage collection company.
The Town of Florence was required to switched to automated refuse collection with Green For Life (GFL) providing the service. In the 6 months that the system has been in place, GFL has communicated with the Town of Florence about some of the issues they are having servicing refuse collection carts in the Town of Florence and Spread Eagle locations.

Here are some reminders when it comes to the procedures to have your cart serviced:

The Town is charged by the number of carts that are serviced. Currently, there are 788 carts. The Town of Florence is planning on passing on approximately 70% of the cost (the approximate amount previously covered by the sale of garbage stickers). Note: this charge may change depending on the number of carts that are out and serviced for the entire year. At this point, the Town cannot confirm the amount of the charge until the actual cost for the year is known. This charge will show up on their 2024 Tax Bill, which will be mailed in December.


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You can still reach out to the Town of Florence by e-mailing Shelly svanpembrook@florencewi.gov or Jessica jklumpp@florencewi.gov.

NOTE:  If you are a Town of Florence resident who lives in the Patten Lake area, you use the Town of Fern drop-off site. Nothing is changing in regards to how your garbage handled.  You will still drop it off there.

We ask for your patience and cooperation as we work thru this process.
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Agendas for Upcoming Meetings
Agendas for upcoming Town Board Meetings are posted below.  They are typically posted on the Thursday or Friday prior to the regularly scheduled Town Board Meeting (Monday).


AGENDA
TOWN BOARD MEETING
TOWN OF FLORENCE
Monday, December 9, 2024
at 6 p.m. at the Town of Florence Community Center located at – 
749 Central Avenue, Florence, WI 

1.Meeting called to order

2.Adoption of agenda

3.Approval of minutes of previous meeting(s) held on November 11th, regular town board meeting and budget hearing, town meeting and town board meeting on November 14, 2024

4.Communications from the floor (up to 30 minutes)

5.Discussion and possible action on operator license applications received

6.Discussion and possible action update with Bret Whaley of LaChapelle Insurance regarding impact of construction of Spread Eagle Fire Hall on homeowners fire insurance premiums. To include discussion and possible action to proceed with Request for Proposals.

7.Discussion and action 2025 Health Insurance Coverage and Employer Contributions to Health Savings Account

8.Treasurer’s report, voucher approval, correspondence, notices, and if available the following reports will be submitted to board for review and approval: Journal entries, November bank reconciliation, FERC, Florence Utility Commission meeting minutes, Timber cut notices. 

9.Board Member Concerns

10. Adjournment



Shelly VanPembrook
Clerk/Treasurer






Note: If you have any special needs or require special accommodations in order to attend town board meetings, please call 715-528-3595 or write PO Box 247, Florence, WI 54121


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Frequently Asked Questions (last updated 12-19-23)
Frequently Asked Questions (last updated 12-19-23)
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Printable Assessment Market Revaluation Explanation
Printable Assessment Market Revaluation Explanation