021126_VillageBoard_Minutes

Following the Pledge of Allegiance and moment of silence, President Russ Gehm, called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Gehm read the statement regarding the posting of the meeting. PRESENT: Sean Falk, Russ Gehm, Matt Pleshek, Brenda Staszak, and Michelle Streetman. Excused: Andrew Court and Kay Zuleger. AGENDA: Motion by Staszak, second by Falk, to approve the agenda as presented and to deviate from the order as necessary. Motion carried unanimously. MINUTES: Motion by Falk, second by Pleshek, to approve the minutes from January 14, 2026, Village Board Meeting as presented. Motion carried unanimously. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF CITIZENS AND OPEN FORUM. Jesse Rankin, Director of Municipal Operations; Keith Fischer, Police Chief; and Tim Novitski, Village Resident. Tim Novitski, a village resident, requested to speak on the proposed changes to the zoning code definitions and sign ordinances. Novitski was concerned that flags were not included in the definitions, despite being mentioned twice in the ordinance. It was explained that the ordinance states that flags are not considered signs and are not subject to the zoning code. Novitski also believed that the Village's $50 sign permit was unnecessary, and that residents should not be required to pay to display a permitted sign. Rankin explained that many municipalities charge a sign permit fee, noting that the Village's fee is reasonable in comparison to others in the area. Permit fees help to cover meeting and staffing costs. Novitski inquired as to how the size of signs was determined; Pleshek responded that these dimensions were determined when the ordinance was created, and the majority adhere to industry standards. REPORTS: COW: Minutes on file. VILLAGE BOARD MEETING Wednesday, February 11, 2026 Village of Bonduel – Village Board Wednesday, February 11, 2026 Page 2 Police Department Report. Report on file. The new squad has been ordered, but there are no updates on when it will be delivered. Fire Department Report. No report. EMS Report. Report on file. Clerk/Treasurer Report. Report on file. Municipal Operations Department Report. There have been six water main breaks since the start of the year. Rankin will meet with the playground equipment company to discuss installation requirements and dates. The parts for the plow truck arrived, and while at the service shop, additional repairs to the fuel emissions system were discovered. The repairs would cost approximately $14,000, which is not worth spending on the truck. Looking into other ways to repair and keep the truck running until it can be replaced. The new tractor loader backhoe is scheduled to be delivered at the end of March. NEW BUSINESS: K1. Discussion and possible action approving the amended Village Personnel Policy 2024-01. The Committee of the Whole recommended that the Village Personnel Policy handbook include Family and Medical Leave, as well as Leave Sharing/Donation. Both items mentioned by the Committee have been added. The Village Attorney has been out of the office, and she will complete her review of the additions next week. Maroszek asked the Board if they wanted to move the agenda item to March or approve it with any changes from the Attorney. Motion by Staszak, seconded by Streetman, to approve the amended Village Personnel Policy 2024- 01, along with any additional changes provided from the Village Attorney. Motion carried unanimously. K2. Discussion and possible action approving Ordinance 2026-01 amending Sec. 115.1 Definitions. The zoning code definitions have been updated to remove any references to types of signs. These definitions have been moved to Section 115-24 Signs. The Committee of the Whole has reviewed and recommended amendments to the ordinance. Motion by Streetman, second by Pleshek, to introduce Ordinance 2026-01 amending the Zoning Code, Sec. 115.1 Definitions as presented. Roll call vote was taken. Falk-Aye, Pleshek-Aye, Staszak-Aye, Streetman-Aye, and Gehm-Aye. Motion carried unanimously. K3. Discussion and possible action approving Ordinance 2026-02 amending Sec. 115.24 Signs. The signs zoning code ordinance has been amended to include definitions for the Village of Bonduel – Village Board Wednesday, February 11, 2026 Page 3 most common types of signs. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation uses these definitions as its state standard. In addition to defining the types of signs, the ordinance has been updated to allow the Director of Municipal Operations to approve temporary signs while the Village Board approves all other sign applications. The Committee of the Whole reviewed and recommended these amendments to the ordinance. Motion by Pleshek, seconded by Staszak, to introduce Ordinance 2026-02 amending the Zoning Code, Sec. 115.24 Signs to reflect the changes. Prior to voting, Streetman addressed Tim Novitski's concerns about the ordinance's reference to flags. Novitski expressed concern that the amended ordinance did not address or define flags directly. The Board did not believe that flags needed to be defined, and the ordinance states that flags are not signs. The original motion was repeated. Roll call vote was taken. Falk-Aye, Pleshek-Aye, Staszak-Aye, Streetman-Aye, and Gehm-Aye. Motion carried unanimously. K4. Discussion and possible action approving department hours of operations. The Committee of the Whole recommended that departments adjust their working hours from May to Labor Day to work 9-hour days Monday through Thursday and half-days on Friday. The departments have set tentative hours for the trial period. Village hall would open an hour earlier in the morning and a half hour later in the evening. The office will keep track of how many residents use the extended hours; if the usage is low, the office will return to closing at 4:00 p.m. Motion by Streetman, second by Staszak, to approve the hours of operation for all departments and to allow adjustments to the schedule as needed. Motion carried unanimously. Approval of Payments. Motion by Staszak, second by Falk, to approve the monthly payments for February 2026 with the addition of the invoices for the February property tax settlements. Motion carried unanimously. Treasurer’s Report. Maroszek pointed out TID #1 fund balance. The TID has been closed and the balance once the audit is complete will be paid out to the taxation jurisdictions. The preliminary draft is showing a fund balance of $445,000 which will be paid to the school district, the county, and the vocational school accordingly. Motion by Staszak, second by Pleshek, to approve the January 2026 Treasurer’s report as presented. Motion carried unanimously. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Upcoming monthly meetings were discussed. Village of Bonduel – Village Board Wednesday, February 11, 2026 Page 4 Motion by Staszak, second by Pleshek to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 6:38 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Michelle Maroszek, Clerk