Pine Lake holds annual meeting with small but engaged audience

Only two of Pine Lake’s residents took the opportunity to participate at the town’s annual meeting April 21. They joined three Rhinelander residents, all town employees, in the audience for the recap of 2025 and update on 2026 delivered by the Pine Lake town board. Town supervisor Ron Lueneburg was absent.

Town clerk Cindy Skinner presented the town’s financial report, including final 2025 financials of $1,892,030.77 in total revenues, $1,749,628.64 in total expenses, and a total tax levy of $1,120,779.86, while budgeted for 2026 is a total tax levy of 1,277,780, and $1,715,811 each for total revenues and total expenses.

The town updates portion of the meeting saw town supervisors Tim Oestreich address roads and Jennifer Cordy speak on the Pine Lake ballpark, which this year is expected to get “some TLC with elbow grease instead of TLC with financial dollars.”

Town supervisor and fire chief Brian Gehrig answered questions about the 30-member fire department, with Cordy adding, “We have a very, very nice fire department. We have a lot of nice equipment, but we have even better people. We have a really caring fire department that does things for the community.”

Among other highlights of the meeting, resident Patrick Cirilli tried to bring a property tax issue to the board’s attention, alleging he is overpaying after his home’s unfinished basement was assessed as being finished with an extra bed and extra bath. He said in December he emailed the town assessor, who did a walkthrough of Cirilli’s house the next day.

“He admitted that he assumed the basement was finished, which none of it is,” said Cirilli. “And then I asked for the value after that, and he wouldn’t give it to me. He said, ‘you’ll see it on your next tax bill.’”

Skinner explained to Cirilli that the procedure would be to meet with the assessor, Jef Muelver, at open book. If the two don’t come to an agreement there, then Cirilli should go next to the board of review.

“I’ll give you the information that you need, the forms that you need to fill out [for the board of review],” she said, “but you need to prove your case, as well as the assessor needs to prove why he has come up with the assessments that he’s come up with. And then the group who makes up the board of review, which is generally the town board and myself, will make a decision on whether there is any adjustments to be made to the assessments.”

The date of Pine Lake’s next annual town meeting was set as April 20, 2027.

The next regular monthly meeting of the Pine Lake town board will be May 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Pine Lake Community Building. 

Ardith Carlton may be reached at [email protected].