Regular Village Board Meeting — Minutes

MINUTES Board of Review Adjourn to a Later Date/May Regular Board Meeting Village Office, May 20, 2026 5:30 p.m. – 7:06 p.m. Clerk Lisa Riley called the Board of Review meeting to order at 5:31 p.m. Roll Call. Members Attending: Liz Lenz, Marlin Harms, Nick Klaas, Alaina Benton Members Absent: Kristen Schoville, Renee Linscheid, and Alisha Martin Schedule Date and Time for Board of Review to Resume: MOTION (Klaas, Lenz): motion carried by unanimous voice vote to adjourn Board of Review to Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. Adjournment: MOTION (Lenz, Klaas); The motion carried by unanimous voice vote and the meeting was adjourned at 5:31 p.m. Regular Village Board meeting for the Village of Cobb was called to order at 5:31 pm by President Liz Lenz. Members Attending: President – Liz Lenz, Trustees – Marlin Harms, Renee Linscheid-Arrive at 5:32 p.m., Nick Klaas, Alaina Benton Members Absent: Kristen Schoville and Alisha Martin Staff Present: Village Clerk – Lisa Riley, Public Works Director – Mark Flanagan-arrived at 5:36 p.m. Public Present: Margaret Benson, Carol Anderson, and Pastor Joel and his daughter representing UMC-Cobb, Montfort and Livingston. Public Notices: MOTION (Benton, Harms): motion carried by unanimous voice vote to approve posting of agenda at the following four places: Cobb Post Office, Cobb Food Mart, Royal Bank, and the Village Office on Monday, May 18, 2026, and compliance of the open meeting law. Pledge of Allegiance Minutes: MOTION (Linscheid, Harms): a motion carried by voice vote to approve the Regular Village Board April 15th meeting minutes, as presented. Treasurer’s Report: MOTION (Harms, Benton): a motion carried by unanimous voice vote to approve the April Treasurer’s report. MOTION (Lenz, Harms) to suspend the agenda and move to item 6) Citizens and Delegations United Methodist Church Representatives-Trek Bench Donation. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Margaret Benson, Carol Anderson, and Pastor Joel Muiller and his daughter presented a Trex bench on behalf of the United Methodist Church congregation (Cobb, Montfort, Livingston) that participated in the NexTrex Recycling Challenge. Their congregation collected special plastics for over a year, a total of 3,000 pounds of recycled plastic. They have graciously donated NexTrex Recycling Challenge benches to all three communities. They would like to donate the bench to the Village to put in a location where it will be used. The Village Board expressed sincere thanks for the wonderful donation. COMMITTEE & COMISSION REPORTS Library Board – The May 19th agenda was provided. Alaina Benton provided an update from the last meeting. She stated the Library Board approved a strategic plan at the meeting and provided a copy to the Village Board. Both the library sign and the hours sign need to be replaced. Carrie would like something similar to the old ones. The library sign blew over/broke during the storm. Lisa said she can add it to the insurance claim. It was discussed that the library signs could be added to the order for the new entrance signs. Cobb-Highland Recreation Commission –The April 8, 2026 minutes and May 13th agenda were provided. Fire District Board – No updates. Splash Pad- Renee Linscheid reported that the Committee has completed the May Day basket fundraiser, making approximately 34 variety packs and a number of flower bouquets. She is coordinating the concession schedule for the upcoming summer rec season and continues to run concessions for the IG Softball season. Help is needed to work the concessions, so she asked to please spread the word. There was hail damage on some of the splash pad items, such as the cattail, and replacement parts have been ordered. This invoice will be submitted with the Village’s insurance claim. The splash pad is scheduled to open for Memorial Day weekend. Mark said the QR code signs will be up by the weekend. Entrance Sign Committee- Liz Lenz stated the committee meeting had been cancelled and they are working on a rescheduled date to meet. They have received the first design, but some tweaks need to be done. Personnel Committee – The April 22, 2026 minutes were provided for review. Renee updated the Board on the Personnel Committee’s recommendation. Action will be taken later on the agenda. CITIZENS AND DELEGATIONS- none UNFINISHED BUSINESS ENTRANCE SIGNS - No action needed at this time. SPEED LIMIT REQUEST DOT RESPONSE/UPDATE/SPEED STUDY/ENFORCEMENT- Updated the Board that a meeting was held with DOT officials Art Sommerfield and Joseph La Mere with Liz Lenz, Marlin Harms, Lisa Riley, Mark Flanagan, and Jared Yager in attendance. We discussed the request of moving the 30 MPH speed limit sign out further to the east on Highway 18 by Dollar General, to allow ATV/UTV traffic to travel legally to Dollar General. DOT officials stated that moving the sign would be a safety concern, as people do not slow down and could possibly rear end the vehicle in front of them who actually slows down to the speed limit posted. DOT informed those attending the meeting that grant funds are available through TAP grant and possibly other funds. The Village was told that speed enforcement is the main issue in this area. We explained that we currently hire Iowa County for patrol services. DOT stated they would be willing to do a speed study in the area, but the Village’s speed trailer would need to be removed along with no patrol enforcement happening in the area when they are doing the speed study. DOT confirmed they would cover the cost of the speed study. It was suggested by DOT that the Village install a gravel path in the field for ATV/UTV access to Dollar General as a solution. Curb/gutter and sidewalk would need to installed along this entire area of the highway before a speed limit sign relocation would be considered. Questions were asked about moving the Welcome Sign to the Village limit line, since new signs are currently being worked on. Information will be provided by DOT to address this process. MOTION (Linscheid, Benton); motion carried by unanimous voice vote to approve sending an email to WI DOT requesting a speed study for this area and the west end of Highway 18 within the Village limits. Background information is being documented in these minutes for explanation of request/response: Due to the significant cost to the Village to comply with the response being received from DOT , the Village had reached out for assistance in finding a timely solution without a significant cost impact to the Village. The Village had reached out to Representative Todd Novak’s office for assistance following the initial response from DOT. The Memorandum of Agreement document from July, 2020 between the Village and WI DOT Regarding Changes in Access-USH 18 was sent to the Village, along with the following summarization of the history DOT provided to Representative Novak’s office from Kathey Bilek, Legislative Advisor of the Office of the Secretary: Thanks for your patience here while staff pulled and summarized the history here. In February, the Village of Cobb contacted WisDOT requesting the 30-mph speed zone be extended to the Dollar General to accommodate ATV/UTV access. In mid-March regional staff responded: • A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between WisDOT and the Village of Cobb concerning access to the Dollar General was signed in 2020. • Cobb’s recent request for a system alteration -- extending the 30 mph speed zone out of the village to accommodate ATV/UTV traffic to the Dollar General -- would require the village to conduct an engineering study to investigate converting the highway to an urbanized cross section and adding multimodal (pedestrian and bicycle) accommodations at the Dollar General. (MOA Section 11) • The village can pursue converting the highway and providing multimodal accommodations. The modifications to the roadway would also be used as justification to approve the speed limit change at the location, thereby allowing ATV/UTV traffic. • The cost of the study and associated work would be the responsibility of the village. The village could apply for TAP (Transportation Alternatives Program) funding to help offset the improvement costs for bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Our Access Supervisor, Art Sommerfield, reached out to Cobb to set up a meeting to discuss the MOA and a path forward on their request – meeting date to be determined. The roadway and geographic context near the Dollar General is different than to the west where the 30 mph speed limit exists. Sidewalks, curb and gutter, driveways, and denser land uses all contribute to the roadway and geographic context. WisDOT establishes speed limits based on roadway and geographic context, review of crash information, and measurement of prevailing speeds. This evaluation is completed in an engineering and traffic investigation. The village is responsible for that investigation. Additional information about how speed limits are established can be found on our Speed Limit webpage: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/doing-bus/local-gov/traffic-ops/speed-management/establishing- speed-limits.aspx Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you! DOT P .E. Joseph La Mere responded via email: In 2020, Representative Todd Novak and Senator Howard Marklein wrote to WisDOT expressing the communities support for Dollar General and the importance the grocery store had to the area. In your recent letter dated 2/23/2026, the village reiterates the importance of the grocery store and notes accessibility issues relating to non- drivers. Understanding this importance, WisDOT is willing to work with the village to accommodate multimodal access to the Dollar General for all non-drivers residing within the village. As a result of the discussion between Representative Novak, Senator Marklein and Secretary Craig Thompson, the village of Cobb and WisDOT signed an MOA on 7/15/2020 (attached). Since the village is requesting a system alteration due to new users, WisDOT requests the village to conduct an engineering study to investigate pedestrian and bicycle access to the Dollar General in addition to converting the highway to an urbanized cross section up to the Dollar General’s driveway. Please refer to section 11 of the MOA for details. It will be the responsibility of the Village to fund and complete the study along with the construction of the pedestrian facilities and any associated work on the highway. All work for this project will be done under permit issued by the department. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you. 2026-2027 Committee Appointments – Village President Liz Lenz presented the 2026-2027 Committee Appointments for approval. MOTION (Linscheid, Benton); motion carried by unanimous voice vote to approve COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS FOR 2026-2027 *Denotes Chairperson of Committee Farm Committee: --*Benton, Klaas, and Schoville Village Buildings and Maintenance: -- *Martin, Klaas and Linscheid Solid Waste Committee: -- *Klaas, Martin, Lenz Public Works Committee: -- *Harms, Benton, Linscheid Personnel Committee: -- *Linscheid, Benton, and Schoville (Alternate- Lenz) Development Committee: - *Harms, Martin, Klaas Personal Property Committee: - *Schoville, Lenz, and Harms (Alternate-Martin) Cobb Library Board: -- Carrie Jewell, Library Director; Alaina Benton, Board Member; Gina Peat, President; Karey Menard, Vice-President; Christi Kennicker, Treasurer; Colleen Fingerson, Secretary; Jenni Allen, Trustee; Carol Anderson, Iowa County Representative Cobb-Highland Recreation Commission: -- (5-year terms that expire May 1st of the year in parenthesis) Bret Barr (2026), Tom Jenks (2027) , Lee Jewell (2028), Nathan Flynn (2029), Steve Holmes (2030) Cobb-Eden Fire District Board: -- Alex Cejpek, Tyler Horton Weed Commissioner: -- Village Board Fire Inspector: -- Mitchell Sutter Zoning Administrator: -- Scott Jelle, Total Inspection Services Building Inspector: -- Scott Jelle, Total Inspection Services Village Planning Commission - *Schoville, Alisha Martin, Austin Benton, Carol Anderson, Dan Baker, Troy Thomas, and VACANCY Board of Zoning Appeals: -- Village Board Board of Review: -- Village Board (need AT LEAST one board member certified) 2026 certification: Village Attorney: -- Eric Hagen, Boardman & Clark LLP Village Assessor: -- Bruce Gardiner Appraisal Village Clerk/Treasurer: -- Lisa Riley Bank Depositories: -- Royal Bank-Cobb; Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP) Eastman Street Reconstruction Updates/Approximate Loan Rates – Surveying the area is in progress. Discussions are being held with Reynolds regarding their portion. Discussed talking with Engineer Greg Lee about drafting an signed agreement with Reynolds for the Village requirements for this project, of which they are responsible for paying. The project is from Wilson Street to Drury Street, where there is water main but no sewer replacement. We do not own this portion, but have an easement for it. The street was opened when Bill Fisher owned the property. An approximate interest rate for the $350,000 construction project, received from Josh Esser at Royal Bank as of April 23, 2026 would be 3.98% for a 10-year term/10-year amortization or 4.05% for a 10-year term/20-year amortization. Royal Bank is currently working on a 20-year term/20-year amortization loan, but is not available at this time but should be by fall. NEW BUSINESS Updated Contract for Substance Testing Services Agreement with Emplify Health by Bellin – MOTION (Linscheid, Harms); motion carried by unanimous voice vote to approve the Updated Contract for Substance Testing Services Agreement with Emplify Health by Bellin, as presented. Public Works Cell Phone – Lisa mentioned to the Board that it may be time to start looking into getting a Village cell phone for the Public Works Department, to enable transitioning the new cell phone number to publicized Village documents preparing for Mark’s upcoming retirement. It was discussed that one phone would be shared between the two employees, leaving the phone with the on-call person for the weekend. The Board directed Lisa to start the process of seeing what phones/plans would be available. Lisa suggested looking into AT&T FirstNet, which is for emergency personnel and public works personnel. Liz mentioned to look into the League of WI Municipalities as she was thinking there was something available through them. New 2-Year Operator License for Bryce Carns (Ends June 30, 2027) - MOTION (Klaas, Harms); motion carried by unanimous voice vote to approve the new 2-year Operator License for Bryce Carns (Ends June 30, 2027). New 2-Year Operator License for Sara Heisner (Ends June 30, 2027) MOTION (Klaas, Linscheid); motion carried by unanimous voice vote to approve the new 2-year Operator License for Sara Heisner, contingent upon no additional alcohol related instances occur within the next year prior to renewal (Ends June 30, 2027). Water Runoff Issue from 505 E Main Street building - Concerns have been brought to the Board’s attention regarding the amount of water runoff being created from the large building on this property. With the recent heavy rains, the extra water runoff washes out the corner of the field, causing crop loss. It was also close to flooding out Dollar General. There is a new owner on this property and Mark informed the Board that the new owner (Brian Peat) is putting in a retention pond to alleviate the water runoff issues. In our meeting with DOT , they were also interested in knowing the potential use of this property and how the driveway access may impact Highway 18. If permits are applied for in the future, DOT would like to be informed. Ordinance 2026-02 to Adopt the Wisconsin Municipal Records Schedule - MOTION (Linscheid, Benton); motion carried 5-0 on a roll call vote (Benton – Aye, Linscheid – Aye, Harms – Aye, Klaas – Aye, Lenz – Aye) to adopt the Wisconsin Municipal Records Schedule. Notification of General Records Schedule Adoption to State of Wisconsin Department of Administration Public Records Board – To enable the process of cleaning up some old records, notification needs to be sent to DOA. MOTION (Harms, Klaas) a motion carried by voice vote to approve the Notification of General Records Schedule Adoption to State of Wisconsin Department of Administration Public Records Board. Personnel Committee Recommendation – Clerk/Treasurer benefits – The Personnel Committee met on April 22nd to discuss benefits for Clerk/Treasurer Lisa Riley. The Committee is recommending to offer 128 hours vacation, 80 hours sick, and availability for remote work. Consider/Approve Selling Lawnmower to Private Owner Versus WI Online Surplus - MOTION TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION – Committee may consider entering into closed session under Section 19.85(1)(c) Wisconsin State Statute considering employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation date of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility – Village Clerk/Treasurer benefits. MOTION (Klaas, Linscheid); motion carried 5-0 on a roll call vote (Benton – Aye, Linscheid – Aye, Harms – Aye, Klaas – Aye, Lenz – Aye) to go into Closed Session with Lisa and Mark in attendance at 6:40 p.m. MOTION TO RECONVENE INTO OPEN SESSION – Committee may consider taking a consensus to return to open session following the closed session to formally dispose of any issues discussed in closed session. MOTION (Linscheid, Benton) to reconvene into open session at 6:49 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Action of Closed Session MOTION (Linscheid, Harms); motion carried 5-0 on a roll call vote (Benton – Aye, Linscheid – Aye, Harms – Aye, Klaas – Aye, Lenz – Aye) to approve the following vacation and sick hour benefit to Clerk/Treasurer Lisa Riley, as recommended by the Personnel Committee, but pro-rated for the 2026 year to the hire date in March and to allow remote work availability. CORRESPONDENCE AND COMMUNICATIONS  Clerk Lisa Riley explained that she had ordered the training materials for Board of Review training and would let the Board know when they arrived. It is required by law to have at least one person certified, but she is recommending all board members go through the training since this is a revaluation assessment year.  The Village-Wide Garage Sales are scheduled for Thursday, June 25th-Saturday, June 27th  Clerk Lisa Riley asked if any of the board members heard any feedback from residents regarding the Shred Event with the Town of Eden. No input received.  Storm damage claim has been submitted to our insurance carrier  The Village was awarded WIDNR Recycling Grant of $1,811.88  The updated website launch will be Monday, May 18 th. Lisa asked the Board members to review the refreshed site and provide any suggestions/reviews for changes/improvements.  Reminder that the Memorial Day Holiday garbage pickup will be one day later on Wednesday, May 27th APPROVAL OF BILLS FOR THE MONTH: MOTION (Klaas, Lenz) motion carried by 4-0 roll call vote (Benton – Aye, Linscheid – Abstain, Harms – Aye, Klaas – Aye, Lenz – Aye) to approve the monthly bills. Adjournment: MOTION (Klaas, Linscheid); The motion carried by unanimous voice vote and the meeting was adjourned at 7:06 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Lisa Riley, Village Clerk/Treasurer