_07132026-1153
City of Prescott · Pierce County · meeting of Jul 13, 2026 · Minutes
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HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
JULY 13 , 2026
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a meeting of the Health & Safety C ommittee was held on
Monday, July 13 , 2026, at 800 Borner St., Prescott, WI 54021.
1. Call to O rder/Roll Call : Meeting was called to order by Chair Dar Hintz at 5: 0 0 PM . M embers
present were Dar Hintz , Maureen Otwell , and Bailey Ruona . R epresent ing was City
Administrat or Matt Wolf , Clerk Rashel Temmers , and Police Chief Eric Michaels. Also present
was Mayor Mi chael Gerke
2. Approva l of Health and Safety Committee Minutes from May 11 , 2026 .
Committee Member Ruona motioned to approve the minutes from May 11 , 2026 , seconded
by Committee Member Otwell . Motion passed unanimously by a voice vote , 3 -to-0.
3. Review of City Code 435-9 Loud and Unnecessary Noise
City Administrator Matt Wolf stated that a complaint was received from a resident regarding
construction activity occurring at The Bluffs development. According to the resident, heavy
equipment began operating before 7:00 a.m., whic h is not allowed per the City ’s noise
ordinance 435-9. City staff contacted the contractor about the complaint and advised that
construction activity may not begin before 7:00 a.m. The development team was also notified
of the applicable start time. In addition to requesting enforcement of the existing 7:00 a.m.
start time, the resident asked the city to consider amending its noise ordinance to reduce the
permitted time for construction activity from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Construction projects are
oft en subject to strict schedules, weather-related delays, contractual deadlines, and potential
financial penalties for failing to complete work on time. Wisconsin ’s limited construction season
may also require contractors to work extended hours when weather and site conditions are
favorable. The city has experienced these circumstances on several municipal projects. Staff
have received prior complaints regarding contractors beginning work before the permitted 7:00
a.m. start time and are not aware of any s imilar complaints regarding the 10:00 p.m. end time.
With the residents ’ request to amend the end time to 7:00 p.m., it would limit the contractor ’s
ability to respond to weather delays, complete time-sensitive work, or maintain project
schedules. Committee Chair Hintz believes this should be addressed on holidays and weekends
as well and would like to see a 9:00 p.m. end time. Committee member Ruona asked if this was
being considered for all construction projects, including indoor projects. She also st ated that
the summer months are too short and crews need to get work done when they can. She did not
see an issue with construction crews working indoors until 10:00 p.m. if needed. Committee
member Otwell thought that a 9:00 p.m. end time would be good but does not believe the city
should change an ordinance like this based on only one or two complaints. She takes no issue
with revisiting this again if complaints continue to come in to staff.
Committee member Ruona motioned to approve keeping City Cod e 435-9 Loud and
Unnecessary Noise as is. Committee member Otwell seconded the motion. There was no
further discussion on the motion. Motion passed unanimously by a voice vote , 3 -to-0.
4. Two Rivers Restaurant (117 Broad Street)
a. Handicap Ramp
b. Dumpster Request
City Administrator Matt Wolf presented concerns from Two Rivers Restaurant at 117 Broad
Street regarding their handicap ramp and dumpster enclosure. Two Rivers requested
permission from the mayor to utilize a third dumpster during the summer months. Under City
Code, any additional dumpster(s) must also be screened and incorporated into an enclosure
consistent with the existing structure. As part of the December 13, 2021, approved business
expansion, the Plan Commission required that all garbage, rubbish, and recycling containers be
stored within a screened enclosure. To accommodate the business, the city authorized
placement of a dumpster enclosure within the Front Street right-of-way, which resulted in the
loss of one public parking space. Since the enclosure was installed, staff have experienced
multiple issues with the enclosure being left open and trash being placed outside of it. After
repeated attempts to resolve the issues through discussions and emails with the owners, a
formal letter was issued on September 6, 2024, advising that the arrangement could be
terminated if compliance did not improve. With the addition of a third dumpster, the city would
lose another public parking space. Regarding the handicap ramp, the site plan that was
subm itted in 2021 showed an accessible sidewalk extending along the front of the parking stalls
on Front Street before terminating at a curb ramp located beyond the last parking stall.
However, during construction, the city ’s building inspector found that the ramp was instead
being constructed to terminate directly into the middle of two existing parking stalls. This issue
was discovered on the morning the concrete was scheduled to be poured. At that point,
requiring the contractor to remove and reconstruct the forms would have resulted in significant
additional cost and potentially delayed completion of the project. Because the existing
accessible ramp terminates within two parking stalls, the ramp becomes inaccessible whenever
vehicles are parked in those spaces. After a brief discussion, there was no motion , but it was
decided that Two Rivers knew they would be expanding their deck space and should have
included calculations in the current enclosure to accommodate the extra trash . T he
committee decided n ot to allow an extra dumpster to take up another parking stall.
Committee member Ruona motioned to shift the handicap parking stalls to the end of the
handicap ramp to include two handicap parking stalls and a loading /unl oading area.
Committee member Otwell seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously by a voice
vote, 3-0.
5. Update to 1054/154 Wacota Street
City Administrator Matt Wolf briefly reviewed prior property-maintenance issues with this
address. Wolf informed the committee that Cedar Corporation has completed the land survey,
which identifies the property lines, adjacent right-of-way, existing buildings, and other relevant
boundary information surrounding the property. With these boundaries now established, staff
can more accurately determine which materials, equipment, and other items are located on
private property and which are encroaching upon city-owned property or the public right-of-
way. The overall condition of the property remains relatively unchanged. The noticeable
change is that several items located near the front of the property have been moved and
stacked into piles. While some of the materials have been consolidated, the underlying
property-maintenance concerns have not been resolved, and the property is still not in
compliance with the city ’s prior notices and deadlines.
After a brief discussion, t here was no motion on this item , and the committee recommended
tabling any further discussion until after the Municipal Court trial is completed .
6. Other Business :
a. Discuss Drafting an Ordinance for E-Bikes, Sc ooters, and Electronic Motorcycles
Chief Michaels discussed some recent issues with E-Bikes, Scooters, and Electronic
Motorcycles. The city currently does not have an ordinance addressing these new forms of
transportation and is currently working on drafting an ordinance. Recently, River Falls
implemented an ordinance addressing these, along with many other cities, as everyone is
having issues with misuse and safety concerns.
There was no motion on this item, and the committee asked Chief Michaels to move
forward with drafting an ordinance for E-Bikes, Scooters, and Electronic Motorcycles, and
to bring it back to the committee for review once it is completed.
7. Adjournment : Committee Member Otwell made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded
by Committee Member Ruona . Motion passed unanimously ( 3 -to-0); meeting adjourned at
5:4 4 p.m .
Respectfully Submitted,
Rashel Temmers
Rashel Temmers
City Clerk
Source: City of Prescott website. First collected Oct 9, 2026.