Common Council Meeting — Agenda packet

City of Black River Falls COMMON COUNCIL - AGENDA Tuesday — February 3, 2026 — 6:00 PM City Hall — 101 S. Second Street, Black River Falls, WI Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86241711746?pwd=3j1mdQUH6aHx285zbIlcyh27Na3byaM.1 Or Dial: 1-312-626-6799 Meeting ID: 862 4171 1746 Password: cityhall 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Pledge of Allegiance 4. Reading of the Minutes of the January 6, 2026 Special Common Council Meeting — 5. Citizens in Attendance 6. Committee Reports: a. Airport Commission b. Utility Commission c. Committee of the Whole 7. Meetings: Committee of the Whole 8. Adjourn Posted: January 30, 2026 January 15, 2026 January 19, 2026 January 21, 2026 Action Wednesday, February 18, 2026 6:00 PM Page 1 of 1 The Common Council met at City Hall in the City of Black River Falls on January 6, 2026 at 6:00 P.M. Alderpersons Ammann, Peloquin, Dougherty, Busse, Gearing-Lancaster, and Wussow were present. Alderpersons M. Rave and E. Rave attended remotely via Zoom meetings. Mayor J. Eddy presided. It was moved by Alderperson Peloquin, seconded by Alderperson Wussow to dispense with the reading of the minutes of the December 17, 2025 Special Common Council meeting and approve as presented. Motion carried. CITIZENS IN ATTENDANCE There was 1 citizen in attendance. Brady Palmer shared his concerns on what he felt were unsafe pedestrian conditions and nitrous oxide use. COMMITTEE REPORTS It was moved by Alderperson Gearing-Lancaster, seconded by Alderperson Dougherty to place on file the minutes of the December 29, 2025 Utility Commission meeting. Motion carried. It was moved by Alderperson Busse, seconded by Alderperson Dougherty to approve ORDINANCE 900 — An ordinance rezoning Parcel 206-2577.0010 from R-1 Single Family Residential to B-3 Highway Business District. Motion carried. CITY OF BLACK RIVER FALLS ORDINANCE NO. 900 Pursuant to a public hearing held on September 24, 2025, in accordance with the provisions of Wis. Stat. Section 62.23(7)(d)(2), and pursuant to the recommendation of the Plan Commission for the City of Black River Falls, Jackson County, Wisconsin: The Common Council of the City of Black River Falls, Jackson County, Wisconsin do ordain as follows: SECTION 1. Zoning ordinance amended. The following described property, which is currently zoned R-1 (Single-Family Residential), is hereby rezoned as B-3 (Highway Business District). PARCEL # ADDRESS 206-2577.0010 441 State Highway 54 The City Administrator recommended not moving forward with the proposed ground mount solar panel arrays between City Hall and the Library. The recommendation was based on the proposed system only projected to offset 40% of the annual energy use at City Hall with projected annual savings of only $3,800. The Administrator recommended re-evaluating a roof mounted system for City Hall in 12-15 years when the roof will be near the end of its life cycle, and to explore other municipal buildings that may benefit from solar now such as the Milt Lunda Memorial Ice Arena or the Hoffman Aquatic Center. There was consensus not to proceed with the proposed ground mount solar panel arrays for City Hall. The City Administrator advised that all City officials that are up for re-election have submitted nomination papers and there are no contested races and no registered write in candidates for the April election. It was moved by Alderperson Dougherty, seconded by Alderperson Peloquin to adjourn. Motion carried at 6:16pm. A. Brad Chown City Administrator Page 1 of 1 The Airport Commission met at the Black River Area Airport on January 15, 2026 at 5:30 P.M. Commissioners Desiree Gearing-Lancaster, Ed Chamberlain, Garth Rolbiecki, Dale Hoff and Kylee Wussow present. Other attendees included Airport Mgr. Frank Voge, Larry Lunda, Melissa Underwood, Josh Holbrook, City Administrator Brad Chown, and Real Property Lister/GIS, April Riley. 1. The meeting was called to order at 5:30 P.M. by Chairperson Gearing-Lancaster. 2. It was moved by Commissioner Rolbiecki; seconded by Hoff to approve the October 2025 minutes. Motion carried. 3. It was moved by Commissioner Chamberlain; seconded by Wussow to approve the financial vouchers presented by Voge. Motion carried. 4. Airport Mgr. Voge presented his report: a. Financial Status: discussion of Transaction Report by Account. b. Fuel System Upgrade: nothing to report at this time. c. Master Plan Project: Josh Holbrook and Melissa Underwood provide update from SEH; have been awaiting the contract and funding from BOA; presentation of Master Plan process. d. Creation of Special Hanger Parcels: presentation by Brad Chown. Hangers need to be assessed as real property, as rules have changed. Airport maintenance fees will come directly to the owner as a tax bill. Ethan Remus, Hurlburt & Remus Surveying, Inc., proposed cost to create metes and bounds legal description for hangers. April Riley and Brad Chown provided details of this process. It was moved by Commissioner Chamberlain to approve surveying cost, not to exceed $4,500; seconded by Rolbiecki. Motion carried. Leases will be changed to reflect the removal of the airport maintenance fee. e. Airport Perimeter Fencing Maintenance: Coordination with city on inside and outside went well, only minimal obstructions remain. f. Airport Hanger Leases: all invoices have been sent out, some payments are coming in. g. Runway 8 Tree Obstructions: still two trees that need to come down, will get taken care of in the spring. Next Meeting: April 16, 2026 4. Moved by Commissioner Hoff to adjourn; seconded by Robliecki. Motion carried at 5:56 PM. Respectfully submitted by, Kylee Wussow Airport Commission BLACK RIVER FALLS UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES January 19, 2026 Utility Commission President John Lund called a meeting of the Black River Falls Municipal Utility Commission to order on January 19, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. in the Utility Conference Room at 349 South McKinley Street. Commissioners in attendance were Jeff Amo, Justin Dougherty, and Don Mathews. Commissioner Jay Eddy was excused. Also present were General Manager Casey Engebretson and Garrett Aleckson (Banner Journal). A motion was made by Commissioner Mathews and seconded by Commissioner Dougherty to approve the minutes from the December 29, 2025 regular meeting. • Aye: Lund, Amo, Dougherty, and Mathews Motion carried. A motion was made by Commissioner Dougherty and seconded by Commissioner Amo to approve the accounts payable vouchers; CK #43428 -43508 and EP #100983 - 100989 — Totaling $1,050,873.65. Aye: Lund, Amo, Dougherty, and Mathews Motion Carried. The Commission reviewed the December 2025 arrears and the unaudited year-end 2025 financial statements. Casey Engebretson reviewed the results of the test well drilling and water pumping test. Drilling at the primary site found bedrock at a depth of 70 feet. The shallow bedrock and insufficient unconsolidated geology depth resulted in a sustainable pumping rate of only 17 gallons per minute. Drilling at the secondary site resulted in even shallower bedrock at 40-45 feet. No test pump was performed. The approved agreement contained an estimated cost of approximately $114,000. A preliminary estimate of actual costs is projected to be around $65,000, due to the shallower than anticipated drill depths. The Commission expressed that they would support proceeding will the process of constructing a new water tower in an effort to support economic development and improve system pressures and fire protection capabilities. Casey Engebretson reported that the year-end average effluent phosphorus results at the WWTP were approximately 0.45 mg/L, below the limit of 0.6 mg/L. Preliminary calculations indicate the annual Phosphorus Multi Discharger Variance payment-to-counties will be in-line with the last two (2) years. During the December 2025 meeting, Sam Linehan discussed the transition between the last payroll of the year and the first payroll of the subsequent year. Typically, the first payroll of the new year consists of a number of days in the previous year. Therefore, employee pay checks contain two wage rates that must be manually entered. Sam stated that since the first payroll of the year is recorded in the new year, she was asking the Commission to authorize paying the new wage rate for all hours worked in the first pay period. The Commission approved a motion authorizing using the new wage rate for all hours worked in the first payroll of the year 2026. The Commission requested a resolution be presented at the January 2026 meeting to memorialize this practice moving forward. Casey Engebretson presented Resolution 2026-1; Establishment of Wage Rate Practice for First Payroll Annually for the Commission's consideration. A motion was made by Commissioner Amo and seconded by Commissioner Dougherty to adopt Resolution 2026-1; Establishment of Wage Rate Practice for First Payroll Annually. Aye: Lund, Amo, Dougherty, and Mathews Motion carried. BRFMU IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER Casey Engebretson presented the Commission with a sponsorship request from the Black River Falls Rotary Club for their Pickleball Tournament fundraiser. A motion was made by Commissioner Mathews and seconded by Commissioner Amo to approve a $100.00 sponsorship donation to the Black River Falls Rotary Club. Aye: Lund, Amo, Dougherty, and Mathews Motion Carried. Casey Engebretson informed the Commission that he has been working with City Administrator Brad Chown on proposals for a new phone system. Casey has requested quotes for internet and phone service from different vendors. Quotes already received show the possibility of measurable savings for the Utility. Once all quotes are received, Casey and Brad will review and make a decision based on what is most beneficial to the Utility and City, respectively. Next Meeting: February 23, 2026 @ 3:30 p.m. A motion was made by Commissioner Mathews and seconded by Commissioner Dougherty to adjourn the meeting at 4:08 p.m. Aye: Lund, Amo, Dougherty, and Mathews Motion Carried. Casey Engebretson, General Manager comm.mtg.minutes.1.19.2026 BRFMU IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER The Committee of the Whole met at City Hall in the City of Black River Falls on January 21, 2026 at 6:00 P.M. Alderpersons Peloquin, Busse, and Gearing-Lancaster were present. Mayor Eddy and Alderpersons Ammann, E. Rave, Dougherty, and Wussow attended remotely via Zoom meetings. Alderperson M. Rave was excused. Council President Joel Busse presided. 1. There were no citizens in attendance. 2. It was moved by Alderperson Ammann, seconded by Alderperson Wussow to approve Amendment #9 to the Employee Handbook establishing a Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use policy. Motion carried. 3. It was moved by Alderperson Gearing-Lancaster, seconded by Alderperson Peloquin to approve the Ad Hoc Branding Committee's recommendation for a new City logo using the "B" icon and the SuperClarendon text font as presented. Motion carried. 4. The Department Head monthly reports were reviewed. Department heads present were Darryl Nelson, Travis Brown, Cara Hart, Mark Nordahl, and Brad Chown. Jarod Meyer was excused. 5. The Fire Chief advised the new Lifepack 35 monitors have been received. Training is scheduled for February 10th and 12th, and they hope to have them in service by the end of February. 6. It was moved by Alderperson Gearing-Lancaster, seconded by Alderperson Dougherty to award the bid for rubble crushing to PGA, Inc out of Weston, WI at a cost of $4.60 per ton and a $5,000 mobilization fee. Motion carried. 7. The Chief of Police introduced Josh Radaj as the new Patrol Sergeant. Sgt. Radaj was present and answered questions from Council members. 8. Financial reports for December 2025 will be presented at a later date after all December invoices have been paid and expensed back to 2025. 9. It was moved by Alderperson Wussow, seconded by Alderperson Dougerty to adjourn. Motion carried at 6:26pm. A. Brad Chown City Administrator Page 1 of 1