Board Meeting — Minutes

1 VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING MINUTES 2 Tuesday, June 16, 2026 3 Approved as amended 4 5 1. Call to Order & Roll Call 6 President Nate Bell called the meeting to order at 6:02 PM on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. 7 8 Present: President Nate Bell, Lousie Howson, Brigid White, Terry Kelly, Steve Bacsi, Skip Heidler, 9 Patrice Champeau. 10 11 Staff: Administrator Benjamin Andrews, Finance Specialist/Treasurer Vlad Gannik, Village Clerk Julie 12 Thyssen. Zoom: Marina Manager Dave Lienau, Utilities Director Megan Barnes, Parks & Streets 13 Director Erik Linczmaier, Amber Drewieske CLA, Michael Miller 14 15 Others: Mike Goldstone, Elizabeth McMasters CLA 16 17 2. Approve Agenda 18 Motion to approve the agenda was made by Champeau and seconded by White. Motion carried – all 19 ayes. 20 21 3. Approve Meeting Minutes 22 a) May 19, 2026; Regular Meeting 23 Motion to approve the minutes as amended was made by Howson and seconded by White. Motion 24 carried – all ayes. 25 26 4. Comments, Correspondence and Concerns from the Public 27 Champeau raised two concerns on behalf of residents. First, she reported complaints regarding 28 littering of beer cans and alcohol containers along village sidewalks and streets following the goat 29 festival, noting that the Parks Department was absorbing cleanup costs. She suggested the Board 30 explore solutions including possible restrictions on open intoxicants in public areas. Second, she 31 relayed repeated resident requests for a yard waste and brush disposal site, noting that similar 32 requests had been brought before the Parks Committee in prior years. 33 34 A board member noted that the Sister Bay Association's contract with the village includes provisions 35 for cleanup at events, and that trash receptacles are lined along event routes. The prior request for a 36 refuse drop-off site was acknowledged as a recurring budget-related issue. 37 Bell reminded trustees that items raised during public comment may be referred to a future 38 committee or agenda under Item 10. 39 40 Future Action: The litter/open intoxicants issue and yard waste disposal request were referred to 41 the Parks Committee for discussion. 42 43 5. Presentation 44 a) 2025 Financial Audit Presentation 45 Elizabeth McMasters of CLA presented the 2025 financial audit. The village received an unmodified 46 (clean) opinion, consistent with prior years. Key highlights included: 47 • General Fund: Unassigned fund balance exceeded $2,000,000, placing the village at 58% of 48 the following year's budgeted expenditures, above the village's policy target of 25–40%. CLA 49 Minutes of the June 16, 2026 Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees – Approved as amended 2 noted this elevated balance is appropriate given the village's heavy reliance on the property 1 tax roll rather than consistent state aid streams. 2 • Capital Projects Fund: Ended the year just under $6,900,000. 3 • TID 1: Fund balance of $1,800,000, with approximately $6,100,000 in unreimbursed project 4 costs remaining. Notably, the TID made repayments to the General Fund and Capital Projects 5 Fund over the past two years, reflecting improving tax increment generation. 6 • Utility/Enterprise Funds: All funds — water, wastewater, and marina — showed positive 7 changes in net position for the year (water: $184,000; treatment/wastewater: $326,000; 8 marina: $190,000). Total net position across enterprise funds was approximately 9 $18,200,000, of which $10,500,000 is invested in capital infrastructure and $2,500,000 is 10 restricted for plant replacement. 11 • Audit Findings (pages 79–80): Two findings were noted, both considered routine: (1) 12 preparation of the annual financial report by the auditor, issued in approximately 90–95% of 13 municipal audits; and (2) year-end adjusting entries to the village's financial records. Both 14 findings were characterized as standard and not indicative of material recordkeeping 15 deficiencies. 16 CLA expressed appreciation for the responsiveness of Village Finance staff and Andrews throughout 17 the audit process. 18 Bell noted the report-preparation finding would remain a repeat finding indefinitely absent in-house 19 CPA capacity, while the adjustments finding could potentially be reduced over time. The Board 20 discussed whether to formally accept the audit and agreed to defer formal acceptance to the July 21 meeting pending receipt of the final signed copy. 22 Future Action: Andrews to place the final 2025 audit on the July 21 Board agenda for formal 23 acceptance. 24 25 6. Ordinances & Resolutions 26 a) Res. 2026-003 Approving 2025 Electronic Compliance Maintenance Annual Report 27 Barnes provided a brief overview of the 2025 Compliance Maintenance Annual Report (CMAR) for 28 the wastewater treatment plant and sanitary sewer collection system. The village scored the highest 29 available grade point average. Bell noted that not all facilities achieve a perfect score and 30 commended the Wastewater Department staff. 31 Motion to approve Resolution 2026-003 was made by Kelly and seconded by Heidler. Motion carried 32 – all ayes. 33 34 7. Discussion/Action Items 35 a) Annual License Review; Cigarette, Electronic Vaping Device, and Tobacco Licenses 36 Village Clerk Thyssen presented renewal applications for five tobacco, cigarette, and vaping licenses. 37 No compliance issues or complaints were noted in any applicant file. 38 Motion to approve the five tobacco, cigarette, and vaping licenses as listed was made by Kelly and 39 seconded by Howson. Motion carried – all ayes. 40 41 b) Annual License Review: Alcohol Beverages and Operators 42 Thyssen presented the renewal applications by license class. She reported that One Star Burger's 43 application was initially flagged due to a sign violation; however, because no fines or tickets had 44 been issued and the ordinance only allows withholding a license for unpaid monetary obligations, 45 the application was included for renewal. Staff noted the sign application is scheduled for Planning 46 Commission review and that future ordinance amendments may be considered. 47 48 Licenses were approved by class as follows: 49 Motion to approve the Combination Class A license renewals was made by Kelly and seconded by 50 White. Motion carried – all ayes. 51 Minutes of the June 16, 2026 Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees – Approved as amended 3 Motion to approve the Combination Class B license renewals was made by White and seconded by 1 Champeau. Motion carried – all ayes. 2 Motion to approve the Class B Beer and Class C Wine license renewals was made by White and 3 seconded by Bell. Motion carried – all ayes. 4 Motion to approve the Class B Beer license for Ecology Sports was made by White and seconded by 5 Howson. Motion carried – all ayes. 6 Motion to approve the Class C Wine license renewal for Blush Salon & Bridal was made by White and 7 seconded by Kelly. Motion carried – all ayes. 8 Operator (bartender) licenses were presented for one- and two-year terms. The majority of 9 applicants applied for two-year licenses. 10 Motion to approve the operator's licenses as listed was made by Bell and seconded by Bacsi. Motion 11 carried – all ayes. 12 13 Future Action: Staff to explore and draft an indebtedness ordinance for Board consideration that 14 would allow license withholding based on outstanding compliance violations. 15 16 c) Operational Agreement for Fire Training Facility 2026 – Sister Bay–Liberty Grove Fire 17 Department 18 Andrews introduced the item with additional context from Fire Chief Goldstone. The fire department 19 aims to convert the vacant concession stand near the fire station into a fire training facility, investing 20 $50,000–$75,000 funded through annual donations. The exterior will largely remain unchanged, 21 with possible minor updates. Goldstone highlighted that the closest similar facility is in Green Bay, 22 entailing a two-hour travel, which leaves the area unprotected. This agreement secures the 23 building's modification rights for the department. Legal counsel has reviewed the agreement. The 24 village maintains building insurance, while the fire department covers operational costs. 25 Motion to approve the Operational Agreement for the Fire Training Facility was made by Kelly and 26 seconded by Bacsi. Motion carried – all ayes. 27 28 d) Employee Handbook Revision 29 Andrews detailed personnel committee-recommended updates to the employee handbook, focusing 30 on on-call duties, PTO, emergency response expectations, and a new disciplinary documentation 31 form. Changes arose from an incident involving an employee on vacation being contacted during an 32 emergency. The policy now specifies that employees on approved PTO aren't recalled unless an 33 emergency poses an immediate public health, safety, or infrastructure threat. Supervisors shouldn't 34 contact employees on leave for non-emergencies. Definitions of "emergency" were clarified to 35 prevent ambiguity, ensuring employees unavailable during such instances aren't penalized. Bell 36 noted discomfort with the language that all employees are "always on call" but recognized this 37 necessity. White explained that changes address this by stressing recalls occur only during 38 emergencies, shielding those on PTO. A consensus was reached to revise the policy phrase to "during 39 an emergency, all employees are on call" for better clarity. 40 Motion to adopt the revised employee handbook provisions was made by White and seconded by 41 Champeau. Motion carried 5-2. Bell and Kelly opposed. 42 43 e) By-Law Review; Committee and Trustee By-Laws 1:01:29 44 Bell presented proposed changes to the composition of three advisory committees, with the intent 45 of adding community member seats to increase transparency and public engagement. Discussion 46 focused primarily on the Parks, Property & Streets Committee, and whether non-resident 47 "stakeholders" should be eligible to serve alongside trustees. 48 49 Several trustees expressed strong opposition to allowing stakeholders who neither reside in nor pay 50 taxes to the village to serve in a voting capacity on committees that make financial 51 Minutes of the June 16, 2026 Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees – Approved as amended 4 recommendations — particularly on the Parks Committee, which administers the village's largest 1 departmental budget. The consensus view was that non-residents without a financial stake in village 2 expenditures should not hold voting seats on such committees. 3 Arguments that broader community participation reduces trustee time burden, introduces diverse 4 expertise, and increases public trust in the process. It was noted that all committee appointments 5 require full Board approval, providing a check on any individual appointment. 6 After straw polling and extended debate, the Board reached consensus on the following revised 7 committee compositions: 8 • Parks, Property & Streets Committee: 2 trustees, 3 citizens. 9 • Sewer and Water Utility Committee: 2 trustees, 1 citizen. 10 • Personnel Committee: 3 trustees, up to 2 stakeholders with demonstrated expertise in 11 human resources. 12 The term "stakeholder" in the bylaws was acknowledged to require a definitional update to reflect 13 its intended broader meaning. Board would seek to make simultaneous appointments to the 14 Personnel Committee to avoid an even number of voting members. It was also agreed that an 15 ongoing interest form would be developed to build a pool of prospective committee volunteers. 16 Motion to approve the amended committee and trustee bylaws as described was made by Bell and 17 seconded by Kelly. Motion carried – all ayes. 18 19 Future Action: Andrews to develop and publish a standing community interest/volunteer form for 20 committee participation. 21 22 f) Commemorative Bench Program Policy and Donation Agreement 23 Andrews presented the revised Commemorative Bench Program policy, which had undergone six 24 rounds of review at the Parks Committee level. Key changes include: a tiered location system (Tier 1 25 for applicants with stronger village connections, Tier 2 for general connections); an increase in the 26 donation amount from $1,000 to $3,000 to more accurately reflect actual installation costs (staff 27 time, concrete slab, bench materials); and a shift in renewal responsibility from the village to the 28 bench applicant after the 10-year term. 29 Concerns were raised about the $3,000 cost potentially limiting access to the bench program for 30 residents with modest means. It was noted that the village has a partial subsidy in place but should 31 not bear the full cost. The discussion also highlighted the limited number of bench locations 32 (approximately 78–85 currently), the administrative burden of managing renewals, and previously 33 poor communication with bench holders. The possibility of including a formal waitlist in the policy 34 was suggested, with 3–4 applicants already on a waiting list. 35 Motion to approve the Commemorative Bench Program Policy and Donation Agreement as presented 36 was made by Bell and seconded. Motion carried – all ayes. 37 38 g) Development Agreement; Coming of Age in Sister Bay, LLC; 10615 & 10619 Sister Bluff Drive 39 Andrews summarized the proposed new development agreement for the Coming of Age in Sister 40 Bay, LLC project, incorporating revisions from prior amendment rounds. The agreement includes: 41 two 18-foot driveways in lieu of one; approval of a proposed sunroom on the second house; clarified 42 screening requirements for propane tanks; and a confirmed landscaping plan. The Planning 43 Commission reviewed the updated driveway and drainage plan; non-board members of the 44 Commission indicated no concerns via email. 45 The missing building height on the plans was highlighted, with the maximum allowed height being 35 46 feet. The applicant’s representative stated the building reaches about 25.5 feet to the peak, 47 complying with the code. However, since the specific measurement wasn't included in the current 48 plans, it was agreed to add explicit height documentation to the development agreement before 49 final approval. 50 Minutes of the June 16, 2026 Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees – Approved as amended 5 Motion to approve the Development Agreement for Coming of Age in Sister Bay, LLC, with the 1 condition that building height be explicitly documented in the plan set prior to execution, was made 2 by Heidler and seconded by Bell. Motion carried – all ayes. 3 4 Future Action: Applicant to provide an elevation profile or plan sheet explicitly noting the building 5 height measurement and submit to staff for incorporation into the executed development 6 agreement. 7 8 9 h) Development Agreement Amendment; Luna View; 2399 Maple Drive 10 Andrews presented the revised development agreement amendment for the Luna View 11 development at 2399 Maple Drive. Revisions include reassignment of the rooftop deck to Unit 301, 12 updated guest parking locations along the entryway, and clarified rooftop and pergola stair color 13 requirements (brown, tan, or gray). The Planning Commission reviewed the proposed changes 14 without objection. A minor address discrepancy (399 vs. 2399 Maple Drive) in the staff memo 15 heading was noted and acknowledged as a typographical error; the body of the agreement correctly 16 reflects 2399 Maple Drive. 17 Motion to approve the Development Agreement Amendment for Luna View was made and seconded. 18 Motion carried – all ayes. 19 20 i) Monthly Financial Report & Appropriations 21 Bell moved approval of the monthly financial report and payment of bills in the amount of 22 $455,119.94. 23 Bell noted the village is paying approximately $600 per month for cell phone service and suggested 24 potential savings of approximately $400 per month through renegotiation or provider review. 25 26 Motion to approve the monthly financial report and pay bills in the amount of $455,119.94 was 27 made by Bell and seconded by White. Motion carried – all ayes. 28 29 Future Action: Andrews to contact the village's Cellcom representative to review the current cell 30 phone contract and identify cost-reduction options. 31 32 33 8. Staff Reports 34 Bell requested that future staff reports be kept to summary narrative form and that extraneous 35 external attachments not be appended directly to the staff report section; items requiring visual 36 support should instead be presented as separate agenda items at the appropriate committee level. 37 Andrews confirmed he met with Michelle Lowry in early June to discuss village economic 38 development projects and initiatives. 39 40 9. Committee Reports 41 Finance Committee: 42 A clarification was requested on a Finance Committee dissenting vote regarding budget direction. 43 Howson noted the vote didn't oppose a zero-percent increase but objected to budgeting flat against 44 the previous year's budget, questioning why projected current-year actuals weren't considered. 45 Gannik explained that basing on the prior budget, as opposed to actuals, is standard in Wisconsin to 46 maintain future levy capacity. This was acknowledged. 47 Parks, Property & Streets Committee: Champeau reported that the historical signage project 48 currently contains errors and inaccuracies flagged by the Historical Society, including the omission of 49 several historically significant Sister Bay sites and the inclusion of locations outside village limits. 50 Minutes of the June 16, 2026 Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees – Approved as amended 6 Andrews confirmed a meeting had been scheduled with the artist, the Historical Society president, 1 and relevant committee members to review and address the discrepancies. 2 Motion to accept all committee reports was made and seconded by Kelly. Motion carried – all ayes. 3 4 10. Matters to be Placed on a Future Agenda or Referred to a Committee, Official or Employee 5 a) Tour of Wastewater Treatment Facility for Village Board Members; Week of June 22nd, 2026. 6 The Board scheduled a wastewater treatment facility tour for Monday, June 22, 2026, at 9:30 AM. 7 8 b) TID 101 and TID Overview Presentation; Finance Committee; July 13th, 2026 – 10:00 AM 9 The TID overview presentation by Baird is scheduled as a joint Board and Finance Committee 10 meeting on July 13, 2026, at 10:00 AM. All Board members were encouraged to attend, in person or 11 via Zoom, given the long-term financial significance of TID 1 to the village. The strategic plan review 12 will also be incorporated into that meeting. 13 14 c) Notice of Possible Quorum; Sister Bay Historical Society – Tour of Little Sister Bay; June 18, 2026 15 – 11:15 AM 16 Noted for the record. 17 18 11. Next Meeting 19 a) July 21, 2026; 6:00 PM 20 21 12. Executive Session 22 a) Wisc. Stats. 19.85(1)(g) — Fiber Optic Discussion 23 Motion to adjourn into executive session pursuant to Wis. Stats. 19.85(1)(g) to confer with legal 24 counsel regarding litigation strategy related to the fiber optic discussion was made by Bell and 25 seconded by Howson. Roll call vote: all ayes. 26 b) Closed Session 27 The Village Board met in closed session. No action was taken during the closed session. 28 29 13. Adjourn 30 The meeting adjourned from closed session at 8:49 p.m. 31 32 Minutes respectfully submitted by Julie Thyssen, Village Clerk 33