Farmington electors voted Mohday night in favor of the town purchasing 10.54 acres of land.
Located kitty-cornered across State Highway 54 from the Farmington Town Hall, part of the land will eventually be the site of a new town hall.
Town Chairman Dale Trinrud said the land’s current owner, David Mesunas, had agreed to sell the land for $5,000 per acre.
“I think it is a very fair price,” Trinrud said.
Trinrud said town board members looked at other options, including the Chain O’ Lakes Elementary School.
The Chain School is expected to be closed as the Waupaca School District gradually consolidates its elementary classes into a single building due to declining enrollment.
“It’s a huge building and there will be kids going to school there for at least the next two years,” Trinrud said, noting that the town hall would only occupy a small portion of the school facility.
Trinrud said no timeline has been set for building a new town hall. The Farmington Town Board has been setting aside money for the project for many years and plans to fund the project entirely from its savings. The town’s fund balance exceeds $1.23 million, about half of which has been set aside for the new town hall.
Trinrud said the current town hall does not have handicapped-accessible restrooms and no fireproof space for storing town records.
At the meeting of electors, those present voted 18-0 in favor of the proposal.
In other business Monday, the town board passed an ordinance prohibiting the burials of human remains on private land.
“The state has no rules prohibiting burials on private property,” Trinrud said. “You can bury someone in your back yard if you want.”
Trinrud said if a resident buries someone, then sells the land, the town should could become responsible for the grave.