Minutes

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING MINUTES May 5, 2026 7:00PM COUNCIL CHAMBERS, BERLIN CITY HALL, 2ND FLOOR 1. Call to order/Roll Call – Mayor Burgess called the meeting to order at 7:00PM. Alderpersons Cauley, Hill, Klawitter, Przybyl, Sorenson, and Stobbe were present. Also present were City Administrator, Jessi Balcom; Deputy Clerk-Treasurer, Debra Thiel; and Planning and Development Director, Timothy Ludolph. 2. Seat Virtual Attendees – None 3. Pledge of Allegiance 4. General Public Comments - None 5. Approval of Minutes - Alderperson Hill made a motion to approve the minutes from the April 8, 2026 Committee of the Whole meeting, with a second by Alderperson Przybyl. Voice vote carried. 7. Website ADA compliance and development – Mayor Burgess moved agenda item 7 up. Nathan Hess of Finish Line Studios, designer of the City of Berlin website, presented a proposal that would bring the City website into ADA compliance. Hess explained the current site was built around 10 years ago and is not ADA compliant. Hess would design a new website framework, which is subscription based, allowing the site to stay in compliance. Hess would use accessibilitychecker.org to scan the website to check whether all 44 pages of the website were in compliance. The scan would provide a detailed assessment of what and how components of the website need to be fixed. However, this would not include the pdf files as corrections would need to be made in the program that created them, Adobe Acrobat or Word. Discussion on historical documents not needing to be in compliance, but documents moving forward need to be, including searchable pdf files. Discussion on scanning documents and uploading pdfs to the website. The documents received by City staff from outside sources come in varying formats, not always digital, and not all City staff have subscription features to Adobe Acrobat allowing for the digital compilation of materials. There are approximately 4,000 pdf documents currently on the website. Hess recommended continuous compliance monitoring, which is $150 monthly, with a 20% savings if paid annually. This would provide continuous scanning and provide a compliance statement that could be posted on the website. Alderperson Przybyl made a motion to recommend to the Common Council approval of the quote from Finish Line Studios to bring the City’s webpage into compliance with ADA requirements and freshen up the look of the website, with a second by Alderperson Sorenson. Voice vote carried. 6. Resolution No. 26-03. Resolution Authoring the Issuance and Establishing Parameters for the Sale of Not to Exceed $2,000,000 General Obligation Promissory Notes - Bradley Viegut, Managing Director of Baird, presented the capital borrowing financing plan timeline resulting in a closing of June 10, 2026, borrowing amount of $2,000,000 every other year for the purpose of capital projects, and the summary of parameters. Taxpayers will see the tax increase in 2027. Alderperson Stobbe made a motion to recommend to the Common Council approval of Resolution 26-03 Authorizing the Issuance and Establishing Parameters for the Sale of Not to Exceed $2,000,000 General Obligation Promissory Notes, with a second by Alderperson Przybyl. Voice vote carried. 8. Raze and Repair/Unsafe properties update – Timothy Ludolph, Planning and Development Director, presented an update on properties in need of repair, as noted in the staff report. Discussion that this list is not all inclusive of all properties being monitored and Mayor Burgess noted there is more than one nuisance property. Discussion on definitions of nuisance property, unsafe building, and a raze and repair property, which are defined by the City Ordinances. Discussion on the City of Berlin Property Nuisance Flowchart. 9. Council Chambers Audio - Video System Upgrades - Mayor Burgess discussed her efforts to get the audio-video equipment and software in the Council Chambers running again, but explained she was unable as the current computer is unrepairable. Mayor Burgess explained the audio-video hardware and software were pieced together quickly to use to stream meetings during Covid restrictions, and were not completed thoroughly. She received recommendation from Berlin Area School District to seek a quote from Peak Systems Group, Inc. The quote includes prices for using the current cameras and a quote for purchasing new cameras. The proposed quote would allow meetings to be run on an iPad from the Council dias, rather than the AV room. Discussion on whether to keep the current cameras or purchase new cameras. Alderperson Hill made a motion to recommend to the Common Council approval of the quote from Peak Systems Group to upgrade and restore the audio-video system in the Council Chambers, to include the video, of an estimate of $34,700, with a second by Alderperson Przybyl. Voice vote carried. 10. Pool Request For Proposals process – City Administrator Balcom reminded the Council that they do not have to choose to move forward with any RFPs that get returned. Discussion that a site visit date will be scheduled for anyone interested in submitting an RFP to visit the pool site. City Administrator Balcom will have the RFP ready for approval at the Common Council meeting next week. 11. Charter Ordinance #05-26 to Amend Chapter 2, Article I of the Municipal Code to institute At-Large Representation of the Common Council (rather than representation by aldermanic district) – City Administrator Balcom explained that it was best to amend the Charter Ordinance instituting an At-Large Representation of the Common Council separate from amending residency requirements of committee, board, and commission members as it would cause any potential referendum questions to be lengthy and confusing. Discussion that it has been difficult to fill Aldermanic positions. Alderperson Hill made a motion to recommend to the Common Council the adoption of Charter Ordinance #05-26 of the Municipal Code to institute At-Large Representation of the Common Council, with a second by Alderperson Stobbe. Voice vote carried. 12. Residency Requirements of Committee, Board, and Commission Members – Discussion that State Statutes and City Ordinances determine residency requirements for boards, committees, and commissions. The Council can amend City Ordinances on residency requirements for boards, committees, and commissions if State Statutes do not specify a residency requirement. Discussion that the Board of Appeals and Planning Commission not be open to non-resident business members. Discussion the Police and Fire Commission and Sewer and Water Commission have input on any change, and to put the discussion on their next agenda. Discussion to open Oakwood Cemetery Board, Committee on Aging, Community Development Authority, Parks and Recreation, and Travel and Tourism Commission to non-residents. City Administrator will bring this item back to Council after receiving any recommendations from the Police and Fire Commission and Sewer and Water Commission. 13. Adjourn – Alderperson Sorenson made a motion to adjourn, with a second by Alderperson Stobbe. Voice vote carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:03PM. Minutes Respectfully submitted by Brittani Majeskie, Deputy Clerk-Treasurer