Q&A: Buchanan Town Board chair candidates tell us their goals ahead of April 4 election

BUCHANAN - Incumbent Greg Sprangers and Buchanan plan commission member Joe Coenen will vie for a two-year term for Buchanan town chair on April 4.

Spranger is seeking his second term as town chair and previously served on the Buchanan Town Board, while Coenen has served on the town's plan commission since 2018.

While the town is currently awaiting a state Supreme Court decision on if the town can collect its transportation utility fee to fund street improvement projects, both candidates listed road and drainage repairs as the top issue they would address if elected.

According to a town newsletter, Buchanan deemed road drainage as the most significant issue facing the town after resident complaints concerning road drainage increased by more than four times from 2014 to 2018.

In an effort to fund road and drainage improvement projects, voters approved the transportation utility fee in 2019. The additional $850,000 collected caused the town to exceed its property tax levy limit of $2.4 million in 2020, prompting an Outagamie County judge to strike down the fee stating it was in excess of Buchanan's levy limit, and later appealed to the state Supreme Court.

The Post-Crescent asked each candidate to fill out a questionnaire before the spring election explaining why they are running and what issues they want to address if elected. Candidates' responses are listed in alphabetical order by last name. Some responses are lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

For information about registering to vote and polling locations, visit the MyVote Wisconsin website at myvote.wi.gov.

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Joe Coenen

• Age: 66

• Occupation: Retired mechanical engineer

• Highest level of education: Bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from University of Wisconsin-Platteville

• Relevant experience: Plan Commission since 2018, lead of the ATV/UTV Task Force, Kimberly-Clark Corp engineer for 36 years, chair of the leadership team for Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Appleton

Greg Sprangers (i)

• Age: 67

• Occupation: Sharkys Orchard owner

• Highest level of education: High school degree

• Relevant experience: Buchanan Supervisor 1999-2006 and 2019-2020, Buchanan Chair 2021-2023, Planning and zoning 2021-2023. Garners creek storm water commissioner 2000-2006, Buchanan storm water chair 2021-2023

Why are you running for Buchanan Town Board chair?

Coenen: I care about the Town of Buchanan. It’s a beautiful place to live and I know people want to keep it that way while keeping the town taxes reasonable. I want to bring reason and logic to the decisions made in the town.

Sprangers: Being a lifetime resident, I feel it's important to get involved in local government. We have many challenges ahead with a state Supreme Court ruling coming on our transportation utility fee. Our road system is in dire need of repair and funding our current capital improvement plan is not workable without extra revenue.

What makes you the better candidate in this race?

Coenen: I will take the time needed to be prepared for meetings. I see board members struggle with meeting etiquette and decorum. I have been using Roberts Rules of Order in various roles for 50 years. I don’t know all of the rules but am able to facilitate meetings effectively without alienating people. I am a retired engineer and feel I have the time and background to do an effective job as chair of the Buchanan Town Board.

Sprangers:  My 10 years of experience on the Buchanan Board is huge compared to my opponent who never held a Buchanan supervisor position, much less Chairman. I stay in touch with the voters via social media and get a clear understanding of the public's support on important issues.

What are the residents telling you are their most important issues, and how would you address them?

Coenen: We need to stop saying that “urbanization” of our roads is an objective. It is not. The objective is to solve the road and drainage issues with the most reasonable methods for each road. To do this with the best interest of the town’s residents will take a multifaceted approach. We need to take into consideration the amount of traffic, drainage slopes, state and federal funding sources, and potential for underground drainage. We need to increase communication with our taxpayers prior to decisions being made so that all might have a voice.

Sprangers: Our unfunded capital improvement plan: After losing the transportation utility fee we have revenue issues;  Drainage issues: Curbs and gutters fix wet ditches, but cost millions of dollars we don't have;  Utility costs: Our urbanization requires perfectly good piping to be moved for construction, costing extra millions of dollars to consumers; Gas mains, water mains, fire hydrants and electric poles all relocated on Emons Road is wasteful. We need a new plan or an added revenue source.

Sophia Voight is a local government and political reporter for The Post-Crescent. She can be reached at svoight@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_voight.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Buchanan town chair candidates share why they are running