In Suamico, a chance to have one big happy village Suamico town board member Richard Gollnick hands out petitions relating to the annexation of the remnant Town of Suamico to the newly created Village of Suamico during a public discussion meeting Saturday (photo by Tina Gohr). Town residents meet to discuss annexation petitions By Monique Balas News-Chronicle TOWN OF SUAMICO - In Suamico, it might take two towns to make up one village. At least, that is what some town residents are hoping when they met Saturday morning in the Idlewild Park Shelter to discuss the prospect of petitioning for annexation into the larger village. The initial steps toward petitioning to join the village were made Wednesday. Residents in a 17-square-mile area in the southern half of the town voted June 10 to incorporate into a village, officially separating itself from the town. Now that the village is incorporated, it will be much easier for the town to be annexed by it. "One of the problems with the township as annexation begins is we begin to see a reduction in taxable land," said Richard Gollnick, the meeting's facilitator and a member of the Town Board. He pointed out the town has 145 years of history and incorporation would keep its history intact. Gollnick explained to the approximately 50 town residents in attendance the necessary procedure to petition for annexation. The town has approximately 2,820 residents. The petitions will be successful if they are signed by at least a majority of electors who voted in the last gubernatorial election and who own at least half the land or half of the real estate in assessed value. The town recently appointed its own board members - Town Board Chairman Jerry Poels was the only one of the former town board members who did not live in the new village's borders. If it were annexed, the town would be run by the Village Board. This concerned resident Omer Greatens. "I'm wondering if we got taken into the village, what say-so we'd have," Greatens said. Other residents were in favor of annexation because of financial benefits. "The town has no parks, no buildings," said resident Steve Dunks. "My kids have to pay nonresident fees to play in the park," said Dunks, a town resident since 1996. Longtime resident Carol Jean Schmitz had similar feelings. "There is a separation of everything that our taxes have bought," she said. "It just seems too expensive for two governments to exist." State law regulates that petitions may not begin to circulate until 10 days after the notice for petition was published in the newspaper - which was done Wednesday - meaning June 28 will be the first day petitioners can begin to solicit signatures. Petitions must be notarized and returned to Scenic View landscaping by July 10. Petition forms may be picked up at Henry House in Vickery Village, 434-0614, during normal business hours.