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: March 28, 2024
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Town of Florence, Wisconsin
Information about the Town of Florence Board & Town Office
Click on one of the buttons below to learn more about the Town of Florence Board and Town Office Information available for the Town of Florence:
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.
The Town of Florence Office will be closing at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, March 29, 2024 for Good Friday. Normal office hours will resume again on Monday, April 1, 2024
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.
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 2023 Annual Town Meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. at the Town of Florence Community Center.
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 the Open Book and Board of Review dates have been set for the Town of Florence for 2023. Visit the Taxes & Assessor Page of our website for details and complete information.
MATERIAL DROP-OFF CENTER CHANGES
The Towns of Florence and Commonwealth have switched the company used at the Material Drop-Off Site. There have been some changes as to what can be dropped off and what the charges are for some of those items. The updated list includes: Acceptable Material: Clean Oil; Metal; Compost; Batteries; Dried Empty Paint Cans; Oil Filters; Appliances —including refrigerators, freezers, microwaves, humidifiers, dehumidifiers and air conditions ($10 each); Car & Light Truck Tires ($6 each without rim, $8 each with rim); Mattresses ($20 each); Furniture – Only Florence & Commonwealth may dispose of furniture.
More information can be found on the City Services page of this website under "Material Drop Off Site."
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.
The Town of Florence has curbside garbage pick up for those roads that are designated as public roads in the Town of Florence. Residents living on private roads in the Town of Florence should place their garbage at the nearest public road intersection for pick-up. Pick-up locations may change during Spring Weight Restrictions--click on the Roads & Highways page of this website to see if your garbage pick-up location will be impacted by Spring Weight Restrictions.
Each resident is responsible for their garbage, so if an animal gets into the garbage it is your responsibility to clean-up the mess. All garbage must be placed in bags in the designated green Town of Florence refuse bins.
Yard waste (leaves, branches, grass, etc) should not be placed in garbage bags for pick-up. It should be brought to the Material Drop Off Site. Information on the dates and times that the Material Drop Off Site is open can be found on the City Services page of this website under "Material Drop Off Site."
Florence & Spread Eagle Garbage Pickup is every Tuesday.
Garbage must be placed out for pick-up by 6 a.m. on Tuesdays.
Every Tuesday--with only a few exceptions due to holidays. If the garbage pick-up date falls after a holiday, garbage collection will be one day behind for the rest of the week.
The 2024 holidays that impact us will be:
Memorial Day: Monday, May 27 is the holiday. Garbage will be picked up on May 29 (not May 28)
Labor Day: Monday, September 2 is the holiday. Garbage will be picked up on September 4 (not September 3)
NOTE: GFL Collection dates run normal on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve
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
PRESS RELEASE (December 2022) - Countywide Tax increase explanation - County tax increases due to providing EMS services in Florence County. (Click on the link to read more)
last updated 02-21-24 (changes from the other versions are bins added throughout and roads traveled changes to Harding Rd, Menominee River Rd & North Menominee River Rd and Romitti Dr) - 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.
PLEASE NOTE: SPRING/WINTER WEIGHT RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT BEGINNING MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5. THIS MAY IMPACT WHERE YOUR GARBAGE NEEDS TO BE PLACED FOR PICK-UP DURING THIS TIME. SEE THE NOTICE ABOVE TO KNOW IF YOU ARE IMPACTED BY WEIGHT RESTRICTIONS.
Automated Refuse Collection Reminders
The Town of Florence has switched to automated refuse collection with Green For Life (GFL) providing the service. It has been about a month since the service switched. 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:
Garbage stickers are no longer required
All refuse must be bagged. No loose items may be placed in the carts.
All bags must fit into the cart with the lid mostly closed. If the cart is over filled or the lid is not down, the cart will be left and not emptied.
Only Town of Florence Garbage Carts (or preapproved privately owned carts) will be serviced (emptied) by Green for Life. Do not put garbage into your Eagle Waste/Republic Services recycling bins as they will not be emptied even if there is garbage in them since they are recycling bins only.
All refuse carts should be placed on the street side your house. If a cart is placed in the alley, it will not be serviced (note: this does not currently affect where you are putting your Eagle Waste/Republic Services recycling bins—this is for Town of Florence garbage collection only)
There is a new GFL employee servicing the Town of Florence route. He is approximately 1-2 hour earlier than the previous driver. Bins should be placed out no later than 6 a.m. on Tuesdays for collection.
This refuse collection service is only for household waste. Do NOT put demolition material in the cart (insulation, lumber, concrete, etc).
The carts are owned by the Town. If you have a cart, you are considered the caretaker of the cart. You have the responsibility to bring the cart out and back in after collection day, which is especially true in the winter months for snow removal.
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.
FINAL UPDATE: Bins will be delivered beginning on Monday, January 8, 2023 and will be completed next week. Since this is a final update we have removed the sign-up to get updates for the automated garbage collection as the final update has been posted.
The Town of Florence is required to transition to automated refuse collection (similar to how our recycling is picked up) and has accepted a proposal from Green for Life for this service. We are not able to keep using the garbage sticker system that we have used in the past.
The Town of Florence will be mailing/e-mailing a letter to it's property owners at the end of September notifying them of this change and providing them with the information available at the time of the mailing.
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.
Click below to download and read the letter:
We ask for your patience and cooperation as we work thru this process.
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, March 25, 2024 at 6:00 p.m.
at the Florence Town Office 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 February 26, 2024
4.Review of 2023 Year-End Audit with Scott Sternhagen, CPA of CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP
5Communications from the floor (up to 30 minutes)
6.Discussion and possible action on operator license applications received
7.Discussion and possible action adoption of Resolution 03-25-2024 To Allow Voter Registration to take place in the clerk’s office on Election Day.
8.Treasurer’s report, voucher approval, correspondence, notices, February journal entries and bank reconciliation reports, FERC reports, Florence Utility Commission meeting minutes (if any), Timber cut notices, (if any)
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
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING AGENDA
TOWN BOARD SUPERVISORS And FLORENCE UTILITY COMMISSION
Thursday, March 28, 2024, at 1:00 p.m.
at the Florence Utility Office Building – 501 Spring Avenue, Florence
1.Meeting called to order
2.Approval of Sanitary Sewer Construction – Central Avenue (US-2) Bid
3.Adjourn
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