Protective Services — Minutes

Meeting Minutes PROTECTIVE SERVICES COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY, March 4th, 2026, 5:00 PM TOWN CONFERENCE ROOM W3728 Franklin Walsh St. Zenda, WI. 53195 1. Call to Order – 5:10pm 2. Roll call: Weiss, Zimmerman, Palmer, Weiss, Pillman 3. Approve minutes of previous meeting – January 7, 2026: - Palmer motioned to approve. Pillman seconded. All voted, Aye. Motion carried. 4. Comments from the Public: - No comments were made from the in-person or online attendees. 5. Police Profit & Loss Statement – February 2026 - Administrator-Treasurer David Zimmerman presented. Expenses to date are minimal, primarily for expected subscriptions. Context was provided that the year-end audit is ongoing, which may shift some expenses between fiscal years. 6. Fire Department Profit & Loss Statement – February 2026 - Administrator-Treasurer Zimmerman presented, noting he distributed an updated document because some budget items were missing from the original. He explained that the large $701,000 expense shown for "City of Lake Geneva staffing" should be disregarded for 2026. This represents invoices for Q3 ($266,920) and Q4 ($434,549) of 2025 that were received in January. The auditors will advise on moving this expense back to the 2025 budget. He reported that the total actual cost for this line item in 2025 was $1,399,152.90, which was $500,847 under the $1.9 million budget. The 2026 budget is $1.93 million. - Chairman Weiss noted the significant difference between the Q3 and Q4 invoices and asked what was included. Administrator Zimmerman explained the invoices include both the fire contract staffing and an admin fee, and offered to share the invoices for review. Chief John Peters interjected to say the department is glad to provide a better breakdown if needed. 7. Police Department – all items for discussion/possible action a) Monthly Police Report: - Citations: 26 total, primarily for speeding, with one OWI and one PAC (Prohibited Alcohol Concentration) violation. Incidents: 715 calls for service, with 86 traffic stops and 23 arrests. - Squad 4 is out of service and being upfitted, with its usable equipment removed. Squad 1 required an ABS module repair at 95,837 miles. Lt. Gunyon proposed removing the projected fleet replacement matrix from future reports, as it is largely guesswork and used internally to balance mileage among shifts. He will instead report actual start/end mileage. The committee agreed this was acceptable. b) Report – Police Department check book activity - Reviewed. No discussion. c) Report – Squad Mileage. - Reviewed. No discussion. d) Parking Ordinance Changes - Lt. Gunyon introduced a draft ordinance to prohibit vehicles without a connected boat trailer from parking in designated trailer spaces at boat launches, stemming from an incident last fall where enforcement was not possible. - Supervisor M. Zimmerman raised broader concerns about overnight parking at the launch, noting vehicles (including vans and semi-trucks) staying overnight, particularly Sunday into Monday, causing conflicts with early-morning fishermen. She asked for an ordinance with "teeth" to allow compliance checks. - Lt. Gunyon noted legal complexities, including recent case law challenging "chalking" tires as an unreasonable seizure. He suggested using cameras to monitor duration. - Mr. Pillman sought to clarify whether the primary problem was misuse of trailer spots or overnight parking, noting residents also use the lot for guest parking and contractors during the day. - Supervisor M. Zimmerman recounted an incident where an individual became abusive toward her and an employee after being confronted about parking in a trailer spot without a boat. - Lt. Gunyon was directed to research both the trailer-only parking violation and potential overnight parking restrictions, and report back with comprehensive recommendations at the next meeting. e) Outside Employment Policy Changes - Lt. Gunyon presented items 7e and 7f together, as they are closely related. Please see 7f for discussion. f) Private Duty Police Service Agreement - Lt. Gunyon explained that the policy revision (Section c) was requested by the town's insurance provider. It clarifies that officers cannot engage in outside private security employment within the Town of Linn. If any entity wants police services for an event, they must contract with the town (Section d), which provides a uniformed officer, squad car, and clear authority. This avoids conflicts where officers in plain clothes witness violations (e.g., underage drinking) but feel awkward acting on them. - Chairman Weiss questioned why the town should contract for private parties at all, noting the officer would still be in an awkward position of potentially arresting a host's guest. Lt. Gunyon responded that a uniformed presence is a powerful deterrent and that parties like those at the Grecos' residence have grown significantly, attracting non-guests who cause problems. Contracting allows the department to staff up for known events at the host's expense rather than relying on citation revenue to justify the presence. - Chairman Weiss requested Lt. Gunyon gather information on how neighboring communities (Lake Geneva, Fontana, Williams Bay) handle such agreements and report back. g) Squad Car Auction - Lt. Gunyon reported that Squad 4's replacement graphics were delayed because the graphics installer had a baby. The car should be ready early next week. The old squad has been stripped of all salvageable equipment. No other town department expressed interest in the high-mileage vehicle. - Supervisor M. Zimmerman motioned to recommend auctioning the old squad car through the Wisconsin Surplus program. Seconded by Mr. Palmer. All voted, Aye. 8. Fire/EMS Department a) Calls for Service - Chief John Peters and DC Dennis Detkowski presented. DC Detkowski explained that the department is experiencing significant issues with its records management system, Pro Phoenix. A major federal reporting update (the first in 50 years, switching from NEMSIS to NEMSIS) has rendered their ancillary reporting tools unusable. They cannot generate standard statistical reports and are manually mining data from Excel exports. Reports will be abbreviated until the issue is resolved, possibly moving to quarterly reporting. - Chief Peters added that the problem is county-wide, and they are exploring a potential move to a different system, though they must continue using ProPhoenix for dispatch integration. b) Monthly Report - The monthly report highlighted notable calls, including a crash at Hwy B & 120 involving a jackknifed semi with only minor injuries—a positive outcome compared to past severe accidents in that area. Total calls for service in January were 270. c) Fire/EMS Donated Funds Report - Administrator-Treasurer Zimmerman reported the fund balance is $53,341.93. - The Big Foot Lions Club donated $2,000 to the department, specifically requesting to purchase needed equipment. DC Detkowski identified a need for new cold-water rescue (dive) suits. The suits were ordered on January 29 and received on February 2. They have already been trained on and placed in service, including on the Linn ambulance. - Chairman Weiss noted that town policy requires committee and board approval for any expenditure of donated funds over $500, which was not followed in this case. However, he acknowledged it was a needed item, transparently discussed, and a wash transaction. He clarified for all members that in the future, any such expenditure must come to the committee and then the board for approval. - Administrator Zimmerman will place an item on the next Town Board agenda to formally approve the use of these donated funds retroactively. No committee vote was taken, but no objections were raised to moving it forward. 8. Adjournment: Palmer motioned/Pillman Seconded. All voted, Aye. – 5:46pm