By Kelly Smith
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
LISBON, Wis. — By a split decision, the Town Board voted Monday, Nov. 23, to allow businesses based in the town to rent the community room on the lower level of the new Richard Jung Fire Station near Richmond Road for business meetings and training session for a $100 fee and a $200 deposit.
The policy will permit not-for-profit community organizations to continue to use the room at no charge but will not allow town residents or other individuals to rent the room for private parties.
Supervisor Joe Osterman said “there was a lot of discussion” over whether to rent the room for private parties during a meeting between Osterman, Town Administrator Jeff Musche and Fire Chief Doug Brahm at which they discussed establishing the rental policy..
Osterman said Brahm was concerned that full-time and volunteer firefighters assigned to the station would spent too much time answering telephone calls and making lease arrangements if the room were available to individuals for private parties.
Osterman said the chief did not object to continuing the policy regarding not-for-profit organizations and leasing the room for business training sessions or meetings.
Business parties or sales events will not be permitted, Osterman added.
The room will be available for lease during times it is not being used by the Fire Department. A rental agreement could be canceled if the room must become available for department use, according to the policy adopted by the board.
The chief is authorized to decline a lease if he thinks use of the room is not appropriate for the building or the department or if it conflicts with scheduled uses by Lisbon or other nearby community departments.
Supervisor Ron Esser voted against the policy, warning that it exposed to the Town Board to possible liabilities.
Town Chairman Matt Gehrke, Supervisor Dan Fischer and Osterman voted for the policy. Supervisor Dan Heier abstained from voting. Heier, a lieutenant in the volunteer department, occasionally does not vote on issues related to the department.
Fischer expressed concerned about leasing the room and urged there to be restrictions to how local businesses can use the facility.
“It is more of training room, and that is how it should be used,” he said.
Heier also expressed some reservations.
“I think you are opening up a can of worms when you tell businesses in the Village of Sussex or the Town of Merton that they can’t use it,” he said.
Musche told the board that court decisions have permitted municipalities to restrict the use of leased facilities based on geographical or municipal boundaries but not on the lawful purposes of the organizations.
Both Osterman and Gehrke said they did not anticipate many businesses would use the facility.
Gehrke initially proposed the idea of leasing the room during a board meeting earlier this month. Gehrke said he thought the room could provide some limited additional revenues to the town without interfering with department operations.
Copyright 2009 Journal Sentinel Inc.