City Council Organizational Meeting

CITY OF PRESCOTT, WISCONSIN MEETING NOTICE ORGANIZATIONAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2026, AT 5:30 P.M. 800 BORNER STREET PRESCOTT, WI 54021 AGENDA 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 4. ORGANIZATIONAL ITEMS a. Oath of Office to Mayor Michael Gerke b. Election of Council President of the Common Council (The Common Council will elect the President of the Council after the Mayor receives nominations from the Council Members present) c. Confirmation of Mayor Appointments of Common Council Members to the Standing Committees to the Common Council: Finance, Health and Public Safety, Parks and Public Works Committee, and Personnel Committee d. Confirmation of Mayor Appointments of Council Members to serve as Voting Members of the Following Boards, Commissions, and Committees i. Board of Review – Alderperson Bettis, Sorenson, and Hintz ii. Friends of Freedom Park – Mayor Gerke iii. Library Board – Alderperson Granquist iv. Plan Commission – To Be Determined v. Prescott Area Fire & EMS Commission – Alderperson Sorenson e. Common Council Confirmation of Appointments of Citizen Members to: i. Plan Commission – Kate Otto ii. Library Board – Susan Oney iii. Library Board – Penny Peterson iv. Police Commission – Tom Gotzinger v. Prescott Housing Authority – Audrey Johnston f. Confirmation of Appointments i. City Engineer – Greg Adams, Cedar Corporation ii. City Attorney – Christopher Gierhart – Weld Riley iii. Municipal Court Attorney – Kevin Urbik, Heywood, Cari & Anderson iv. Public Newspaper – Pierce County Journal g. Resolution 29-25 Designating Public Depositories and Authorizing Withdrawal of City Monies h. Review of Wisconsin Compliance and Regulations: i. Open Meeting Regulations ii. Convening of Members – Correspondence iii. Ethics Regulations iv. Resources for Local Officials i. Discussion and Determine Next Steps on Filling the At-Large Alderperson Vacancy 5. OTHER BUSINESS 6. ADJOURNMENT NOTICE ACCESS TO THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING FOR THE DISABLED IS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE REAR PARKING LOT ENTRANCE. ALL THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS SHOULD CALL CITY HALL OFFICES (715-262-5544) IF ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED Official Oath STATE OF WISCONSIN, ) ) ss PIERCE COUNTY ) I, Michael Gerke, having been elected to the office of Mayor, but have not entered upon the duties thereof, swear that I will support the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the State of Wisconsin, and will faithfully discharge the duties of said office to the best of my ability. So help me God. _______________________________ Michael H. Gerke Subscribed and sworn to before me this 21 st day of April, 2026. __________________________________ Rashel Temmers, Prescott Municipal Clerk To: Mayor and Council From: Matt Wolf, City Administrator Date: April 15, 2026 Subject: Council and Committee Appointments All changes, vacancies, reappointments or new appointments are highlighted in yellow: PRESCOTT CITY COUNCIL ELECTED POSITION NAME TERM END MAYOR Mike Gerke 2028 1st WARD Ben Bettis 2028 2nd WARD Maureen Otwell 2028 3rd WARD Darlyn Hintz 2029 4th WARD Lindsey Sorenson 2029 5th WARD Adam Granquist 2027 AT-LARGE Vacant 2027 COUNCIL COMMITTEES FINANCE PARKS & PUBLIC WORKS HEALTH AND SAFETY PERSONNEL All Members Lindsey Sorenson - Chair Dar Hintz - Chair Maureen Otwell - Chair Dar Hintz Vacant Dar Hintz Ben Bettis Maureen Otwell Adam Granquist COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES COMMISSION OR BOARD COUNCIL REP. APPOINTED REP. APPOINTED REP. PLAN COMMISSION Vacant FIRE & EMS COMMISSION Lindsey Sorenson Steve Most Vacant FRIENDS OF FREEDOM PARK Mike Gerke LIBRARY BOARD Adam Granquist COMMISSION OR BOARD COUNCIL REP. COUNCIL REP. COUNCIL REP. BOARD OF REVIEW Dar Hintz Lindsey Sorenson Ben Bettis MAYOR APPOINTMENTS CITY ENGINEER: C edar Corporation – Greg Adams CITY ATTORNEY: Phil Helgeson MUNICIPAL COURT ATTORNEY Phil Helgeson OFFICIAL PUBLIC NEWSPAPER: P ierce County Journal BUILDING INSPECTOR: All-Croix Inspections – Todd Dolan ASSESSOR: Accurate Appraisal ANIMAL CONTROL: FINANCIAL ADVISOR: Ehlers – Sean Lentz AUDITORS: Johnson & Block PUBLIC DEPOSITORY: Per Resolution FIRE AND EMS COMMISSION ENABLING LEGISLATION: SECTION 60.55, 62.13, and 66.0301 WI. STATUTE BY JOINT AGREEMENT WITH MEMBERS MEMBERSHIP: SEVEN (7) MEMBERS (3 FROM PRESCOTT, 2 FROM OAK GROVE, and 2 FROM CLIFTON) APPOINTING AUTHORITY: MAYOR WITH COUNCIL APPROVAL MEETING: WEDNESDAYS AT 7:00 PM, DATES SET BY COMMISSION QUORUM: FOUR (4) MEMBERS: MUNCIPALITY POSITION NAME City of Prescott Vice Chair Lindsey Sorenson Steve Most Vacant Oak Grove Township Chair Rich Ruemmele Dan Johnson Clifton Township Sherry Keller Mike Harriage STAFF Fire Chief Chad Johnson Admin. Assistant Ruth Whall PLAN COMMISSION ENABLING LEGISLATION: SECTION 62.23 WI. STATUTES SECTION 2-4-4 MUNICIPAL CODE MEMBERSHIP: EIGHT (8) - MAYOR - 1 COUNCIL MEMBER - BUILDING INSPECTOR (NON-VOTING) - FIVE (5) CITIZENS TERM: THREE (3) YEAR STAGGERED TERMS APPOINTING AUTHORITY: MAYOR WITH COUNCIL 2/3 VOTE OF COUNCIL MEETINGS: 1 st MONDAY OF THE MONTH AT 6:00 PM QUORUM: FIVE (5) MEMBERS: POSITION NAME TERM END CHAIR (MAYOR) Mike Gerke 2028 COUNCIL REP. Vacant - CITIZEN REP. Steve Most 2027 Josh Gergen 2027 Bailey Ruona 2028 Dave Hovel 2028 Kate Otto 2029 NON-VOTING MEMBER Building Inspector: Todd Dolan - POLICE COMMISSION ENABLING LEGISLATION: SECTION 62.13 WI. STATUTE SECTION 2-4-6 MUNICIPAL CODE MEMBERSHIP: FIVE (5) CITIZENS TERM: FIVE (5) YEARS APPOINTING AUTHORITY: MAYOR WITH COUNCIL APPROVAL MEETING: MEETINGS SET BY PRESIDENT AS NEEDED QUORUM: THREE (3) MEMBERS: POSITION NAME TERM END CHAIR Anne Kressly 2024 CITIZEN REP. Susan Oney 2023 Penny Peterson 2023 Gerald Klasen 2024 Amy Fiege 2024 Tasslyn Magnusson 2025 COUNCIL REP. Pat Knox POSITION NAME TERM END President Mark Pierce 2028 CITIZEN REP. Dave Hovel 2029 Tom Gotzinger 2031 Scott Grabowski 2030 Lisa Johnson 2027 STAFF Police Chief Eric Michaels LIBRARY BOARD ENABLING LEGISLATION: SECTION 43.54 AND 58 WI STATUTES MEMBERSHIP: TOTAL OF 7  1 SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION  1 COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE  5 CITIZENS TERM: 3 YEARS QUORUM: 4 MEMBERS APPOINTING AUTHORITY: MAYOR WITH COUNCIL APPROVAL MEETINGS: 3 rd THURSDAY AT 6:30 PM MEMBERS: POSITION NAME TERM END CHAIR Anne Kressly 2024 CITIZEN REP. Susan Oney 2023 Penny Peterson 2023 Gerald Klasen 2024 Amy Fiege 2024 Tasslyn Magnusson 2025 COUNCIL REP. Pat Knox STAFF Police Chief Carissa Langer - HOUSING AUTHORITY ENABLING LEGISLATION: SECTION 66.1201 WI STATUTES SECTION 21-1 MUNICIPAL CODE TERM: FIVE (5) YEARS MEETINGS: 3 rd WEDNESDAYS AS NEEDED AT 9:00 AM AT ST. CROIX MANOR MEMBERS: POSITION NAME TERM END CHAIR Dorothy Morris 2030 CITIZEN REP. Brenda Haas 2028 Ed Lucas 2029 Karen Peterson 2027 Audrey Johnston 2031 BOARD OF REVIEW ENABLING LEGISLATION: SECTION 70.46, 47 & 48 WI. STATUTES SECTION 2-4-1 MUNICIPAL CODE MEMBERSHIP: MAYOR, CLERK AND 3 COUNCIL MEMBERS TERM: ONE (1) YEAR QUORUM: THREE (3) MEETINGS: ANNUALLY MEMBERS: MAYOR Mike C OUNCIL Dar Hintz Lindsey Sorenson Ben Bettis CLERK R ashel Temmers CITY ADMINISTRATOR Matt Wolf ASSESSOR Accurate Appraisal PRESCOTT CABLE TELEVISION CITIZEN ADVISORY ENABLING LEGISLATION: SECTION 30-7 MUNICIPAL CODES MEMBERSHIP: 5 MEMBERS TERM: 5 YR TERM APPOINTMENT AUTHORITY: CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS: TBD QUORUM: 3 MEMBERS MEMBERS: POSITION NAME TERM END CHAIR Vacant 2031 CITIZEN REP. Penny Peterson 2027 Heather Hove 2030 Christopher Hove 2029 MAYOR Mike Gerke STAFF Cable Coordinator Larry Imm - Monday, April 27 Monday, May 11 No Meeting - Monday, May 25 Monday, June 8 Monday, June 22 Monday, July 13 Monday, July 27 Monday, August 10 Monday, August 24 Monday, September 14 Monday, September 28 Monday, October 12 Monday, October 26 Monday, November 9 Monday, November 23 Monday, December 14 No Meeting - Monday, Dec. 21 Monday, January 11, 2027 Monday, January 25, 2027 Monday, February 8, 2027 Monday, February 22, 2027 Monday, March 8, 2027 Monday, March 22, 2027 Monday, April 12, 2027 Monday, May 18 Monday, June 15 Monday, July 20 Monday, August 17 Monday, September 21 Monday, October 19 Monday, November 16 OFF- December 2026 Tuesday, January 19, 2027 Monday, February 15, 2027 Monday, March 15, 2027 Monday, April 19, 2027 Monday, May 11 Monday, July 13 Monday, September 14 Monday, November 9 Monday, January 11, 2027 Monday, March 8, 2027 Wednesday, May 6 Wednesday, August 5 Wednesday, November 4 Wednesday, Februrary 3, 2027 *Does not include special Council Workshops setup on an as needed basis. ^Finance Committee meetings are scheduled on an as needed basis around budget season (Aug.-Oct.) and includes all Councilmembers. PRESCOTT CALENDAR OF MEETINGS^ Prescott City Council Meeting* Second and Fourth Monday of Each Month - 6:00 PM Personnel Committee Quarterly - First Wednesday of the Quarter - 5:00 PM Parks and Public Works Committee Third Monday of Each Month - 5:00 PM Health and Safety Committee Bimonthly - Second Monday of Month - 5:00 PM RESOLUTION 22-26 CITY OF PRESCOTT PIERCE COUNTY WISCONSIN RESOLUTION DESIGNATION PUBLIC DEPOSITORIES AND AUTHORIZING WITHDRAWAL OF CITY MONIES BE IT RESOLVED, the following being qualified public depositories under Chapter 34 of the Wisconsin Statutes shall be and are hereby designated as public depositories of all public monies coming into the hand of the City of Prescott: First National Bank of River Falls Local Government Investment Pool Old National Bank Hiawatha National Bank Citizens State Bank Citizens Community Federal Bank That the withdrawal or disbursement from any one of the above-named depositories shall be made in accordance with Section 66.0607 of the Wisconsin Statutes: with all checks signed by two (2) of the following persons: Michael Gerke, Mayor, Matt Wolf, City Administrator, Rashel Temmers, City Clerk and Elizabeth Lansing, Treasurer/Deputy Clerk. It is further resolved that in lieu of their personal signatures, a facsimile signature may be affixed on such checks. In addition, the Common Council authorizes the investment of public moneys, within the terms established by law acting to the best of their ability to ensure the safety of these funds. FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution shall be provided to the above named depositories and Treasurer, State of Wisconsin. Dated this 21st day of April 2026. ________________________________ Michael H. Gerke, Mayor ATTEST: __________________________ Rashel Temmers, City Clerk To: Mayor and Council From: Matt Wolf, City Administrator Date: April 15, 2026 Subject: Review of Wisconsin Compliance and Regulations Discussion 1. Open Meeting Regulations – Wisconsin State Statute 19.82 defines that all meetings of all local governmental bodies shall be publicly held in places reasonably accessible to members of the public and shall be open to all citizens always unless otherwise expressly provided by law. Meetings are defined as “the convening of members of a governmental body for the purpose of exercising the responsibilities, authority, power or duties delegated to or vested in the body. If one-half or more of the members of a governmental body are present, the meeting is rebuttably presumed to be for the purpose of exercising the responsibilities, authority, power or duties delegated to or vested in the body. The term does not include any social or chance gathering or conference which is not intended to avoid this subchapter . . . An open meeting may move to closed session to cover any of the following items as covered by Wisconsin State Statute 19.85: a. Judicial or Quasi-Judicial Hearings b. Consideration of Dismissal, Demotion, Discipline, Licensing, and Tenure of Employment c. Consideration of Employment, Promotion, Compensation, and Performance Evaluations d. Consideration of Financial, Medical, Social, or Personal Information e. Conducting Public Business with Competitive or Bargaining Implications f. Conferring with Legal Counsel with Respect to Litigation g. Other- Very specific items covering burial sites, government accountability ethic boards, considering strategies for crime detection or prevention and worker’s compensation. 2. Convening of Members Correspondence – Staff has pulled language for discussion regarding Written Correspondence, Telephone Conference Calls, and Electronic Communications from the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law Compliance Guide, which is attached to this memo. Walking Quorums - A “walking quorum” is a series of gatherings among separate groups of members of a governmental body, each less than quorum size, who agree, tacitly or explicitly, to act uniformly in sufficient number to reach a quorum, which is prohibited by Wisconsin Law. 3. Ethic Regulations – Wisconsin State Statute 19.59, establishes minimum standards of ethical conduct that prohibit local public officials from using their public office to benefit or enrich themselves, their immediate families, or organizations with which they’re associated. The state ethics code prohibits local public officials from engaging in four types of conduct: (1) Using their office to obtain financial gain or anything of substantial value for the private benefit of themselves, their immediate families, or organizations with which they’re associated. (2) Receiving anything of value if it could reasonably be expected to influence the local public official’s vote, official action or judgment, or could reasonably be considered a reward for any official action or inaction. (3) Taking official action substantially affecting a matter in which the official, an immediate family member, or an organization with which the official is associated has a substantial financial interest or using their office in a way that produces or assists in producing a substantial benefit for the official, an immediate family member, or an organization with which the official is associated. (4) Offering or providing influence in exchange for campaign contributions. 4. Local Resources for Officials – The League of Wisconsin Municipalities operates a Local Government 101 webinar that covers important basics for officials. If any member of Council wishes to take this webinar it will be covered by the City. The link for more information is below. http://www.lwm-info.org/799/Local-Government-101-Important-Basics Attachments Convening of Members – Wisconsin Open Meetings Law Compliance Guide pages 16- 17 - 10 - o The Numbers Requirement The second part of the Showers test requires that the number of members present be sufficient to determine the governmental body’s course of action on the business under consideration. People often assume that this means that the open meetings law applies only to gatherings of a majori ty of the members of a governmental body. That is not the case because the power to control a body’s course of action can refer either to the affirmative power to pass a proposal or the negative power to defeat a proposal. Therefore, a gathering of one- half of the members of a body, or even fewer, may be enough to control a course of action if it is enough to block a proposal. This is called a “negative quorum.” Typically, governmental bodies operate under a simple majority rule in which a margin of one vote is necessary for the body to pass a proposal. Under that approach, exactly one-half of the members of the body constitutes a “negative quorum” because that number against a proposal is enough to prevent the formation of a majority in its favor. Under simple majority rule, therefore, the open meetings law applies whenever one-half or more of the members of the governmental body gather to discuss or act on matters within the body’s realm of authority. The size of a “negative quorum” may be smaller, however, when a governmental body operates under a super majority rule. For example, if a two -thirds majority is required for a body to pass a measure, then any gathering of more than one- third of the body’s members would be enough to control the body’s course of action by blocking the formation of a two- thirds majority. Showers made it clear that the open meetings law applies to such gatherings, as long as the purpose requirement is also satisfied ( i.e., the gathering is for the purpose of conducting governmen tal business).80 If a three-fourths majority is required to pass a measure, then more than one- fourth of the members would constitute a “negative quorum,” etc. • Convening of Members When the members of a governmental body conduct official business while acting separately, without communicating with each other or engaging in other collective action, there is no meeting within the meaning of the open meetings law. 81 Nevertheless, the phrase “convening of members” in Wis. Stat. § 19.82(2) is not limited to situations in which members of a body are simultaneously gathered in the same location, but may also include other situations in which members are able to effectively communicate with each other and to exercise the authority vested in the body, even if they are not physically present together. Whether such a situation qualifies as a “convening of members” under the open meetings law depends on the extent to which the communications in question resemble a face-to-face exchange. o Written Correspondence The circulation of a paper or hard copy memorandum among the members of a governmental body, for example, may involve a largely one-way flow of information, with any exchanges spread out over a considerable period of time and little or no conversation -like interaction among members. Accordingly, the Attorney General has long taken the position that such written communications generally do not constitute a “convening of members” for purposes of the open 80 Showers, 135 Wis. 2d at 101–02. 81 Katayama Correspondence (Jan. 20, 2006). - 11 - meetings law.82 Although the rapid evolution of electronic media has made the distinction between written and oral communication less sharp than it once appeared, it is still unlikely that a Wisconsin court would conclude that the circulation of a document through the postal service, or by other means of paper or hard -copy delivery, could be deemed a “convening” or “gathering” of the members of a governmental body for purposes of the open meetings law. o Telephone Conference Calls A telephone conference call, in contrast, is very similar to an in -person conversation and thus qualifies as a convening of members. 83 Under the Showers test, therefore, the open meetings law applies to any conference call that: (1) is for the purpose of conducting governmental business and (2) involves a sufficient number of members of the body to determine the body’s course of action on the business under consideration. To comply with the law, a governmental body conducting a meeting by telephone conference call must provide the public with an effective means to monitor the conference. This may be accomplished by broadcasting the conference through speak ers located at one or more sites open to the public. 84 o Electronic Communications Written communications transmitted by electronic means, such as email , instant messaging, blogging, or other social media, also may constitute a “convening of members,” depending on how the communication medium is used. Although no Wisconsin court has applied the open meetings law to these kinds of electronic communications, it is likely that the courts will try to determine whether the communications in question are more like an in-person discussion—e.g., a rapid back- and-forth exchange of viewpoints among multiple members —or more like non-electronic written correspondence, which generally does not raise open meetings law concerns. If the communications closely resemble an in -person discussion, then they may constitute a meeting if they involve enough members to control an action by the body. 85 In addressing these questions, courts are likely to consider such factors as the following: (1) the number of participants involved in the communications; (2) the number of communications regarding the subject; (3) the time frame within which the electronic communications occurred; and (4) the extent of the conversation- like interactions reflected in the communications.86 Because the applicability of the open meetings law to such electronic communications depends on the particular way in which a specific message technology is used, these technologies create special dangers for governmental officials trying to comply with th e law. Although two members of a governmental body larger than four members may generally discuss the body’s business without violating the open meetings law, features like “forward” and “reply to all” common in electronic mail programs deprive a sender of control over the number and identity of the recipients who eventually may have access to the sender’s message. Moreover, it is quite possible that, through the use of electronic mail, a quorum of a governmental body may receive information on a subject within the body’s jurisdiction in an almost real-time basis, just as they would receive it in a physical gathering of the members. 82 Merkel Correspondence (Mar. 11, 1993). 83 69 Op. Att’y Gen. 143 (1980). 84 69 Op. Att’y Gen. 143, 145. 85 Krischan Correspondence (Oct. 3, 2000). 86 Schmiege Correspondence (Aug. 22, 2018). To: Mayor and Council From: Matt Wolf, City Administrator Date: April 16, 2026 Subject: At-Large Alderperson Vacancy Discussion With the election of Mike Gerke as Mayor, a vacancy has been created in the At-Large Alderperson position. Pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes § 17.23, when a vacancy occurs in the office of Mayor or Alderperson, the Common Council may either call a special election to fill the vacancy or appoint an individual to serve the remainder of the term. In this case, the At-Large position is scheduled for reelection in 2027. As a result, staff recommend filling the vacancy by appointment rather than holding a special election. Recommendation 1. Consider Next Steps on Filling the At-Large Alderperson Vacancy