1-12-26 Village Board Meeting — Minutes

Village Board Meeting Minutes January 12, 2026 On January 12, 2026, President Mike Brusberg called the Village Board meeting of the Village of Brooklyn to order at 6:30 p.m. Trustees present were Mike Gehrmann, David Berland, Christian Allen, Dan Olson, Jacob Bachim, and Todd Klahn. Also present were Ananya Hoffman, Public Works Director Leif Spilde, Clerk- Treasurer Linda Kuhlman. Pledge of Allegiance. No public comments. President report – Brusberg wished everyone a happy new year and welcome to 2026. He thanked all board members for everything they did in 2025. We will have some challenging times in 2026, including the business complex and reassessments. He appreciated the debate culture and thoughtful dialogues. Update on business complex - we have been trading emails with Mortensen. They were meeting with their bank last week, and hopefully by the 26th we will have a date for the closing. If something changes, we will let everyone know. Klahn made a motion to approve minutes of December 8. Gehrmann seconded. Motion carried. Bachim and Allen abstained. Public Works – Spilde – all board members have year-end list. They had a lot of big accomplishments last year – Hotel Street, well 1 roof, Highway 92 project, business park finished up, some broken water mains, new sludge agreement. Gehrmann asked if sludge hauling is okay for this year. Spilde said yes, we’re under contract with landowners through Bytec, unless the DNR makes more changes. CMOM report was given to the board. It’s DNR required for the collection system on wastewater treatment. We had five complaints about sewer backing up in basements, and had one that was a sewer main plug, otherwise it was their own laterals. They have to describe maintenance, and we had one pump failure last year on the Sunrise lift station. They are required to TV so many feet of sewer each year. This is for the DNR. Brusberg thanked him for flagging the years of install for lift stations. Board got the monthly December report. They replaced relief valve at well 1, and he thinks that caused two broken water mains. It was spiking pressure out. Software options under water -- they’re required by PSC and DNR to keep track of fire hydrants, valves, water meters, laterals, and keep records of install, maintenance, testing, etc. That software is 28 years old. He got a new laptop and the program doesn’t work on it. We have other programs we pay for like Workhorse, and we’re meeting with them tomorrow, and GIS that we pay through Strand with mapping which has some options. They will see if that meets DNR requirements. Sewer plant – in 2026 we start new testing requirements, and there will be a lot investigation for the next permit. We now have to do an acute WET test and testing for more chemicals, which is more intense process than in the past. End of this month a temperature study has to be done per the permit. He thinks they will find the effluent doesn’t affect the creek. They’re doing PFAS testing more intensely, and testing every other month, and report is due in September. They’re hoping to prove we don’t have enough PFAS to worry about. They’re now doing nitrogen ammonia testing every other month. It’s very intensive new testing program for the treatment plant. April 30 we will have to have facility study done with plans for next upgrade. He’s working with Strand. Emergency management had a few meetings in December. They moved the sculpture today. Plowed four times, salted two. Did furnace repairs and inspections on this building and community building. The replacement light pole that was hit on Church Street was received last week. They replaced light fixture in middle of the LED sign and are getting a price on a new sign for the south side. Last item is the water quality trade for phosphorus limits. They do a trade with Kevin Klahn and Todd Klahn, local farmers. They have to do a report for DNR every year. They trade for 224 pounds and last year we only needed to use 53 of those pounds, so phosphorus removal was pretty efficient last year. Gehrmann asked if it will help in the future. Spilde said if we met all their monthly limits, we would never get to 224, so it’s nonacheivable because the monthly limits are so strict, but it’s there in case it’s needed. Spilde sent copies to the farmers involved. All Star Properties new residential subdivision project – Brusberg said items were in board packet. Tonight is just a discussion. There is no decision or action. At a future date All Star Properties will join us, and at that point the board will need to take action. He wanted to give updates on the project. There have been multiple dialogues with All Star, Strand, Spilde, and him to review plans. The materials show conceptually a combination of multiple family, mostly single family, and some duplexes. They are pretty large lots reflected as part of the layout, but he anticipates further changes. It talks about a nature friendly street profile. It has no curb and gutter and doesn’t seem like it has sidewalks. The photos shown are from a neighborhood area in Oregon that they also did with that street profile. Board has to think about what profile they want to have. Do we want to annex into the community, and before All Star spends a lot of dollars, the board needs to decide if they want to bring it into the village. Klahn asked if it is connected or separate island. Brusberg said right now a separate island, but potential in the future to connect. Before they come, board needs to decide on possible annexation and the street profile. Spilde commented about the photos. The Oregon public Works Department said they’d probably not allow it again. Every driveway has a culvert, and there’s no good parking lanes, snow removal is difficult and all water runs into ditch. Allen asked what is the benefit. Discussion about the street profile. Allen said seems like a giant safety concern. Klahn said it would be more of an urban setting, but if it’s annexed and village goes out there, it’s not a good idea not to have curb and gutter. It will be at the expense of the people living there. Berland asked if they had thoughts on how to get water and sewer out there? Brusberg said we had a meeting with them and we set expectations that water and sewer is a must and curb and gutter. We were clear. If we grant them an exception, it sets a precedent for future development. He thinks it’s important to be consistent. Allen said we want to develop Brooklyn but don’t want to compromise what we see in the neighborhoods. Olson said if you look at the setup, and it looks nice on paper, but then the DNR will tell them what they need. Bachim said it’s wetland. Berland asked how they are paying. Brusberg said it’s on them to pay. They have talked about TIDs, but there’s nothing right now where that will work. Bachim asked if any problems with the residential uses. Spilde said sewer plant would benefit from it, and water system will handle it. He said PSC sets a fire flow rating, and residential property isn’t that big compared to business. Allen asked about lift stations. Spilde said Strand thinks they will have to put a lift station in, and the village would be involved with how it connects. We can safely double population with current plant, excluding business. Spilde commented on water and sewer, if we don’t and the town lets them put a subdivision in, we don’t have as much control. Every well drilled into the ground is a risk for us, so if they don’t annex, we will want to be involved to protect our water system. Allen asked if they still can. Bachim said Rutland would have to approve it. Berland said he thinks it would behoove us to control the annex. Discussion on annexation into village versus staying in township. Kuhlman said property owner to the south is not in favor, because they’re into farmland preservation. Brusberg said we might need more services in the future. Brusberg asked if there were any questions from anyone that we should look into before All Star comes to the board. Bachim said there’s a lot that needs to be figured out on their end before it gets that serious. Allen said we don’t really like the street profile. Board agreed we need sidewalks for sure. Allen asked how wide are the roads. Brusberg said we have a fiduciary responsibility to the village and responsibility to homeowners as well to make sure everything is built properly. Brooklyn is ripe for development. Allen said positives are there, but we need to think hard about the negatives. Brusberg said they might come on the 26 th with a video presentation, so the board should come ready with questions. Kuhlman stated Frontier met with us last week. They will be putting fiber into the whole village. It will take a month, month and a half. They are using overhead lines and underground. It will be a lot of construction. They plan to have 4-6 crews working at the same time. They will be going into easement areas. Spilde said there will be boring crews for up to three months possibly. It will be a lot of locating for public works. Berland said it will be minimal disturbance because it’s boring. Berland said Verizon is buying Frontier. As part of that deal they need to expand fiber, and Verizon is fronting the money for the project. Discussion on putting out social media posts. Berland will be point of contact. They’ve sent permit applications, which were approved by the village zoning administrator with caveat of getting certificate of insurance, making sure we get before and after photos of sidewalks in case repairs are needed, and make sure they have a plan for pedestrian safety. Olson would like to take a year off from Dumpster Days. Berland said he would be open to volunteer. Spilde said Seitler would help also. Berland will get some dates to public works and talk with Seitler. Kuhlman had pricing from a few places for e-waste collection day, from URT out of Janesville and Pellitteri. Both companies said it would be about $2,000 total, depending on e-waste. We would need a covered space, like at public works, and it would be too busy to do on same days as dumpster days. It would be for about 4 hours on a Saturday, and we would need a couple volunteers along with their person. Discussion on possibly charging a fee or a donation. Mentioned there are other locations for drop off, including Town of Brooklyn. Brusberg made a motion to postpone further action. Bachim seconded. Motion carried. Kuhlman said we are a member of Dane County Cities and Villages Association. They are looking for members to host meetings, two options in person and several virtually. In person options are March 11 and September 9. We would need a projector possibly and light food, if in person, and a representative to give a short speech of what’s happening in Brooklyn in either case. Discussion of where to hold it in Brooklyn. Brusberg made a motion to approve moving forward hosting the DCCVA meeting in September. Klahn seconded. Motion carried. Kuhlman explained we received a rate increase letter from Roth Professional Services, our zoning administrator. They haven’t raised their rates since 2023. Klahn made a motion to approve rate increase. Olson seconded. Motion carried. Kuhlman stated there was a change to the amount for the MetLife invoice. We were charged for single coverage for an employee, and it should have been family coverage, and gas receipts for the squad were added. Olson and Berland reviewed the bills and they are okay. Olson made a motion to approve bills as presented with the addition of MetLife and gas receipts. Klahn seconded. Motion carried. Clerk’s report – Financials for end of year were handed out. In December $1,310,467.80, of that was a collection of $1,217,802.18 of taxes. We had withdrawals of $155,137.59 and ended year at $3,759,867.41. December tax collection is down from last year. Green County is 31% versus 48% last year. Dane County is around the same. Taxes are due January 31, and make sure you mail early because the Post Office doesn’t postmark at the place you drop, but rather at regional offices. Every year we look at amounts for sewer equipment replacement fund, which is required by DNR, and we need to add more money every year. This year we added $25,000 and put that into the investment account. Michael Gehrmann and Christian Allen handed in their nomination paperwork on time. Allen is first on ballot and Gehrmann is second, and we have a write-in position for a board trustee. We will need a February 17 primary in Dane County only because there are three candidates for a Dane County Judge position. Spring election is April 7. The audit is scheduled for February 23 and 24. There is a new scam happening in municipalities, where scammers look at agendas and packets and send invoices to people who are doing conditional use permits or rezoning. They look like the municipality is sending but it’s not, and people have paid. We don’t put packets out online so it would be harder here to do that. The PSC approved our water rate increase, and it will start February 1, so will be reflected on March bills. Base water rate will go up a little under a dollar. It was a three percent increase. Brusberg added if we did a full rate case, it could potentially be a lot more than three percent. Next meeting there will be a budget amendment for 2025 because a few of the main categories we are over in expenses, so we have to amend it. We have plenty of revenue to cover the expenses. Fire/EMS – Brusberg stated their last meeting was on December 17. There were a lot of year-end updates. One thing is the association has had a material impact on the fire/EMS district during 2025 with investments into the department. They purchased new Class A uniforms for members, worth about $25,000. They are paying for new sign board out front of fire/EMS. They also purchased a binder lift for about $2,000. Bachim said it puts a strap around a person with handles to give many handles to grab someone and lift them. The outgoing ambulance was discussed. Mercy Health had provided a full price offer of $65,000 for the ambulance. The boiler work is scheduled for week of January 5. Bachim said it’s finished and working well. Brusberg handed out information on-call hours, etc. They approved the Service Award Program contributions for members to take advantage of the state match. The new rate is $509, so we roughly contribute $255 per member. They discussed the purchase of a tender. There will be multiple discussions. Mason said new trucks are about $400,000-600,000 and it takes quite a while to build new. He’s looked into used as well. It's instrumental for rural fires hauling water. 2021 price was around $250,000. It’s 3000-3500 gallon tank. If we go older, the price drops from $150,000-250,000. Previously they haven’t looked into used market. The existing tenders, one is quite old from 1996 and they have a newer one also, but they want to have a 20-year replacement schedule and are well past that. The old one is a steel tank and could rust, but it’s been well- maintained and it’s a good truck. No action needed tonight, but he wants the board to start to think about wanting to go new or willing to consider used. Olson said buying used, you’re buying someone else’s problems. Bachim said on a tender it would be pretty basic. They all make on someone else’s chassis and put a tank on the back. There are some local communities that have gambled and lost on used trucks. Bachim thinks a safer option is to try with used. It could be over a year to get one made. Brusberg said they will probably talk about it at the budget meeting. With used we might be able to self-fund with fund balance and won’t have to discuss with municipalities. The district needs to make sure they’re diligent over what’s being purchased. Bachim said the truck services other communities in the area also. Recreation Committee – Gehrmann said they still don’t have a chair and are looking for more people to join the committee and are trying to come up with new ideas for the direction of the committee. Ballet, yoga and pickleball are doing well. Pickleball is popular and doing well. Summer rec is being discussed, and this year the teacher is going to grad school and will not be able to teach. So they decided to get something in the newsletter right away, and if nobody responds by March 2, we would not have summer rec program. Summer sign up for Oregon School has gone out, so that would be another question if we want to have the program, but the first problem is having someone to teach it. Food trucks at end of last year were given packets for this year, so that is taken care of and will need to follow up. There is interest in the craft fair to see if it can take place at the school and doing a much larger craft fair. They asked if clerk will contact the school and see if we can host it in the cafeteria and gym. It will be the same weekend as last year. Talked about sending a survey to the community to see what they would like for parks, pickleball courts, events, and fundraising. Gehrmann will do the survey questions, to see where interest lies, and gauge energy on fundraising. Allen said when we do the survey, toss the fireworks question on there and start looking at that soon. Gehrmann said they will meet again next month on February 9 before the board meeting to go over some of these things. Brusberg said with food truck nights, maybe consider having a booth with a couple board members to do a free will donation and one or two there to do meet and greets. They can rotate. It’s an easy way to get donation dollars into the community; something to consider. Gehrmann will send notes of the meeting. Klahn made a motion at 8:14 p.m. to adjourn. Olson seconded. Motion carried. Linda Kuhlman, WCPC, CMTW Clerk-Treasurer