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April 27, 2026, City Council Meeting Minutes Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council Meeting of the Prescott City Council was held on Monday, April 27, 2026, in the Prescott Municipal Building, 800 Borner St. , Prescott, WI 54021. 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Gerke called the regular City Council meeting to order on April 27, 2026, at 6 :0 0 p.m . 2. ROLL CALL Members present for the roll call were Bailey Ruona , Maureen Otwell , Adam Granquist , Dar Hintz, and Ben Bettis . Lindsey Sorenson was excused . Also present were City Administrator Matt Wolf, C ity Clerk Rashel Temmers , and Police Chief Eric Michaels . 3 . PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS There were no public comments. 4. ORGANIZATIONAL ITEMS 1. Resolution 23-26 Appointing Bailey Ruona to Fill a Vacancy in the At-Large Alderperson Position 2. Oath of Office to Bailey Ruona 3. Approval of Council Appointments of Alderperson Ruona to the Plan Commission and the Health and Safety Committee 1. City Administrator Matt Wolf provided a brief on Wisconsin State Statutes regarding either holding a special election or appointing someone to complete the remainder of Mayor Gerke ’s aldermanic position. Since Mayor Gerke ’s At-Large position will be on the ballot in the Spring of 2027, it would be cost-effective to appoint someone to fulfill the position until then. Hintz/Otwell motioned to approve Resolution 23-26 Appointing Bailey Ruona to Fill a Vacancy in the At-Large Alderperson Position. There was no discussion on the motion. Motion passed without a negative voice vote. 2. Clerk Temmers administered the Oath of Office to Bailey Ruona. 3. Hintz/Bettis motioned to approve the Council Appointments of Alderperson Ruona to the Plan Commission and the Health and Safety Committee. There was no discussion on the motion. Motion passed without a negative voice vote. 5 . CONSENT AGENDA 1. City Council Minutes – April 13, 2026 2. Parks and Public Works Committee – April 20, 2026 3. Special Event Permit – Akey Graduation Party at Freedom Park – Sunday, May 24 from 12:30 PM – 4:00 PM 4. Special Event Permit – Friends of Freedom Park 20 th Anniversary Party at Freedom Park - Saturday, May 16 from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM 5. Special Event Permit – Music in the Park at Freedom Park – May 21 st , June 18 th , July 16 th , August 20 th , and September 17 th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Granquist/ Ruona motioned to approve the consent agenda items 1 through 5 . There was no further discussion on the motion. The motion passed without a negative voice vote. 6 . REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS A. FINANCE COMMITTEE B. PLANNING COMMISSION – Next meeting – Monday, May 4 , 2026 , at 6:00 PM C. PARKS & PUBLIC WORKS – Next meeting – Monday, May 18 , 202 6 , at 5:00 PM City Administrator Matt Wolf provided an overview of the P arks and Public Works Committee meeting minutes from April 20, 2026. D. HEALTH & SAFETY – Next meeting – May 11, 2026, at 5:00 PM E. PERSONNEL - Next Meeting – Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 5:00 PM 7 . COMMUNICATIONS AND NEW BUSINESS 1 . PUBLIC COMMENTS – The City Council will receive public comments on any issue(s) not related to agenda items . Limited discussion by the City Council may take place; however, no action will be taken on any items. This includes receiving written requests or documentation and possible action at a future meeting. There were no public comments. 2 Approval of the Trail Concept Plan Connecting Magee Park to Walnut Circle City Administrator Matt Wolf reviewed the proposed trail connection from Walnut Circle to Magee Park under the development agreement . The city has approved the preliminary plan , road plans, and development agreement for the Walnut Circle subdivision. As part of the development agreement, the city is responsible for constructing a trail connection between the Walnut Circle development and Magee Park. The city has a $100,000 grant agreement with the Friends of Freedom Park/Coulee River Trails and will provide up to $40,000 in matching funds . Coulee River Trails has developed a concept plan to connect Walnut Circle to Magee Park , which includes the following phases: Phase 1 – a 0.24-mile ADA-accessible trail connection between Walnut Circle and Magee Park; Phase 2 – Future trail segments; Phase 3 – Bridge locations; and Phase 4 – Mountain Bike trails. The Parks and Public Works Committee reviewed the concept plan at their Monday, April 20 th , meeting and recommended sending the plan to Council by a vote of 3 to 0. Alderperson Ruona asked if the trails meet the ADA requirements in terms of the topography and grade, or if there will need to be major adjustments to get the trail s ADA-compliant . Wolf stated that the first 0.24 miles does , but the slope after that does not, and will need work to make it ADA accessible. Alderperson Otwell noted that there is $10,000 from the Friends of Freedom Park and the Coulee River Trails Group, but there needs to be an additional $40,000 to complete the project . Are those funds going to be raised? Wolf stated that in the approved grant agreements, the $40,000 is a cost -share . T he grant agreement stipulates that for every dollar raised by the Friends of Freedom Park and the Coulee River Trails , the city will match on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to $20,000 for a total of $40,000. Ruona/Otwell motioned to approve the Trail Concept Plan Connecting Magee Park to Walnut Circle. There was no further discussion on the motion. Motion passed without a negative voice vote. 3. Review of 2026 Borrowing for Replacement of Fire Engine #2 and Orrin Road Project City Administrator Matt Wolf presented the p roposed 2026 b orrowing for two Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects. The city plans to borrow $1,545,350 in 2026 for the Orrin Road mill and overlay project. CIP also originally scheduled $955,000 in 2027 for the replacement of Fire Engine #2. The Fire Association members from Prescott, Oak Grove, and Clifton held a joint meeting on January 14, 2026, and agreed to move forward with prepayment of Fire Engine #2 to Reliant Fire Apparatus, Inc., at a total cost of $1,045,414. This prepayment results in total savings of $147,730 for the Association members, of which $83,910.6 4 for the city . The Fire Department identified accessory costs totaling $427,653.12, not included in the base price. Based on the prepayment calculations, the city ’s borrowing would decrease to $836,692, resulting in a savings of $118,308. The full payment of $1,045,414 will be due by the end of August 2026. The Orrin Road project originally included a mill and overlay from Pearl Street to Dexter Street and a 10-foot pedestrian trail. Following TAP grant planning for Highway 10 pedestrian improvements, the Council approved a concept plan that includes closing Orrin Road east of Campbell Street. A TAP grant application has been submitted for design and construction. If awarded, the grant would cover approximately 80% of eligible costs. Total estimated project cost is $5,980,000. The total borrowing for both projects would be $2,382,042, includ ing fees. Alderperson Ruona asked about the Fire Engine accessories, SCBA/turndown equipment, and if these were upgrades from what they have in the current truck . Wolf stated he believed that the SCBAs they currently have would not work in a new fire engine, so they need to be upgraded to be compatible with the new truck. Mayor Gerke stated that the old engine will still be used and will be kept out at the Oak Grove Station. Wolf stated he would get the information on the SCBAs for the next meeting. Otwell stated that she read that the cost of fire trucks is increasing because each is individually designed, which the fire department mentioned at the joint meeting , but this trend has increased the cost of fire trucks. There has been some discussion about reining in this trend by having fire departments adopt more uniform requirements to become more standardized. Ruona asked if we participate in any trade association, or if our fire department is engaged in anything like this , to be a part of these types of developments. Wolf stated he would have to check into this and get back to the Council. 4. Approval of Commission Appointments a. Approval of Joel Reis to the Plan Commission b. Approval of Stewart Pulk to the Fire and EMS Commission a. Hintz/Ruona motioned to approve Joel Reis to the Plan Commission. There was no further discussion on the motion. Motion passed without a negative voice vote. b. Hintz/Ruona motioned to approve Stewart Pulk to the Fire and EMS Commission. There was no further discussion on the motion. Motion passed without a negative voice vote. 8 . OTHER BUSINESS There was no other business. 9 . CLOSED SESSION 1. Closed session per Wisconsin State Statute 19.85 (1)(g) “ Conferring with legal counsel for the governmental body who is rendering oral or written advice concerning strategy to be adopted by the body with respect to litigation in which it is or is likely to become involved. ” – City of Prescott vs. Leo ’s Landing, Inc. Hintz/Ruona motioned to go to closed session at 6:27 p.m. Mayor Gerke called for a roll-call vote; Ruona – yes, Otwell – yes, Granquist – yes, Hintz – yes, and Bettis – yes. There was no discussion on the motion. Motion passed without a negative voice vote. Granquist /Ruona motioned to come out of closed session at 6:52 p.m. Mayor Gerke called for a roll-call vote; Ruona – yes, Otwell – yes, Granquist – yes, Hintz – yes, and Bettis – yes. There was no discussion on the motion. Motion passed without a negative voice vote. 10 . ADJOURNMENT Granquist /Otwell motioned to adjourn the Council meeting at 6:52 p.m. There was n o discussion on the m otion . Motion passed without a negative voice vote. Respectfully Submitted, Rashel Temmers Rashel Temmers Clerk