PRICE COUNTY, Wis., A quiet shift is reshaping how Price County towns fill their most essential administrative roles. Georgetown, Lake, Catawba, and Hill have each taken steps in the past two years to convert elected clerk and treasurer positions into appointed ones, citing recruitment difficulties, low compensation, and new flexibility under state law.
The trend reflects a broader challenge across rural Wisconsin, where small towns struggle to find residents willing to run for offices that carry significant legal responsibility for modest pay. A treasurer in Georgetown earns $3,600 per year. A clerk in Kennan earns $9,000. Both are part-time positions with full-time legal exposure.
Georgetown: From Budget Strain to a 6-0 Vote
The groundwork began in November 2025, when Georgetown’s board reviewed the county’s increasing fee chart for tax collection during its budget hearing. The town was paying the county to handle tax collection, a task typically performed by the treasurer, because the sitting treasurer did not wish to perform the duty. The board also voted to return to a two-payment tax collection system starting in 2027.
By March 10, 2026, the town held a Special Meeting of the Electorate immediately following its regular monthly board meeting. The sole agenda item was converting the elected position of Town Treasurer to an appointed one.
Treasurer Rebecca Kempen submitted her resignation at the conclusion of the regular meeting. Chairperson Ginny Strobl then called the special electorate meeting to order. James Walcisak, an elector, made a motion to change the treasurer position from elected to appointed. LeRoy Lallemont seconded. The roll call vote was 6-0 in favor.
The board advertised the position in The Review for two weeks, with resumes due by May 10. At the May 12 meeting, the board set the annual pay rate at $3,600 and reviewed the treasurer’s job description. On June 9, the board voted to appoint Susan Ihlenfeld as treasurer. She was sworn in that evening, and the board signed a letter to Citizens State Bank requesting she be added to both the general and tax checking accounts.
Town of Lake: Act 71 on the Agenda
The Town of Lake placed the issue on its January 22, 2026 board meeting agenda as The meeting was held by videoconference.
The agenda item referenced 2025 Wisconsin Act 71, signed into law on December 9, 2025, which modified several procedures related to town government. Among its key changes, the act removed a population threshold that had previously limited the ability to appoint clerks and treasurers to towns with 2,500 or more residents. Most Price County towns fall well below that mark. The act also allowed appointed officials to serve terms of up to three years set by the town board, permitted dismissal only for cause, and enabled towns to combine clerk and treasurer offices more quickly when both positions become vacant.
Catawba: Exploring the Process
The Town of Catawba discussed converting its positions at a June 16, 2026 board meeting. According to the meeting minutes, board members discussed and raised questions about Clerk Marissa Raab was directed to discuss the matter with Lynn Redfall, then the Kennan town clerk.
Town of Hill: Already Appointing
The Town of Hill has been filling its clerk and treasurer positions through appointment rather than election, according to town records. The town adopted Ordinance 2024-2, which designated the appointed clerk as a voting member of the Board of Review. Treasurer Alan Niemi was appointed in April 2025. Clerk Sandra Behling was appointed and later replaced by Kristin Torgler.
Hill’s experience illustrates a practical reality: when a position turns over, the ability to recruit and appoint a replacement based on qualifications, rather than waiting for an election cycle, can stabilize town operations.
A Pattern Across Price County
The convergence is not coincidental. Price County’s towns are responding to the same pressures that have pushed rural municipalities across Wisconsin to rethink how they fill administrative offices. Clerks run elections, issue licenses, maintain records, and file state reports. Treasurers manage tax collection, banking, and audit compliance. Both roles require specific knowledge and carry legal liability.
When no one runs for the position, or when the elected official resigns mid-term, towns face a choice between holding a special election that may draw no candidates or seeking an appointment. Converting the position to appointed eliminates the election requirement entirely and gives the board flexibility to recruit based on qualifications.
The Kennan Town Board demonstrated the advantage in July 2026, when Clerk Lynn Redfall resigned effective July 15. Because the position was already appointed, the board interviewed candidates in closed session that same night and offered the job to Deanna Doxtator four days later at $9,000 per year. An elected vacancy would have required a special election or a temporary appointment until the next election cycle. A previous Price County Fun report documented how four municipalities navigated clerk and treasurer departures within a 15-month span.
Georgetown’s conversion took longer, roughly three months from the special electorate meeting to Ihlenfeld’s swearing in, but followed the same principle. The board recruited, interviewed, and hired based on the needs of the position rather than the outcome of a vote.
What Comes Next
Lake and Catawba have not yet held special meetings of the electorate to formalize conversions, but both have placed the issue on their agendas. Under Act 71, the process requires a vote of the electorate at a special meeting, not merely a board decision. Towns that combine the clerk and treasurer into a single office can now do so immediately when both positions become vacant, a change from prior law that required waiting until existing terms expired.
For Price County’s smallest towns, where the pool of willing candidates is thin and the responsibilities are significant, the shift from elected to appointed offers a practical path forward. Whether more towns follow Georgetown’s example may depend on how the first wave of appointees performs, and whether the flexibility proves worth the loss of a ballot-box check.
See also: our guide to free camping in Wisconsin
See also: what makes Price County communities special
See also: our weekend weather preview