Committee of the Whole — Minutes

Committee of the Whole Minutes The Committee of the Whole met at the City of Nekoosa Office Location: Council Chambers, 951 Market St. Nekoosa, WI 54457 Time: Tuesday, July 28th, 2026, at 5:30 P .M. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 5:30pm by Mayor Daniel J. Carlson. The roll call was conducted by Clerk Kallee Ferk. Roll Call Aldermen Present: Alan Marcoux, Larry Krubsack, Adam Buehring, Anthony Carlson, Dan Downing, Garett Kuhn, and Brad Hamilton. Mike Kumm was noted as absent. Also in attendance was Jon Trautman – CPA with CLA, Mike Hartje – Fire Chief, Shawn Woods – Police Chief, Rick Schmidt – Public Works Director, Bobbi Hertzberg – City Treasurer, Eric Shymanski – Public Works Streets Employee, Bill Kaberle Jr. - Water Operator, Josh Kolo – Assistant Police Chief , Dennis Fenske and Tim Bowe. Attendance via Zoom: Darla Allen – Library Director Discussion and possible action on the preliminary budget status for the City of Nekoosa 2027 budget with Jon Trautman – CPA from Clifton Larson Allen. Discussed presentation provided by Jon Trautman on the city’s current 2026 budget status and the beginning of planning the 2027 budget. Jon Trautman provided a summary of the 2026 budget, reporting that the city is currently operating slightly under budget. He noted that the 2026 budget was adopted with an estimated deficit of approximately $150,000 and that this issue would carry over for the 2027 budget process. Trautman then reviewed preliminary projections for the 2027 budget. He stated that carrying the 2026 deficit forward increased the budget gap in 2027 and that an estimated range of $250,000 to $300,000 of reductions or cuts may need to be evaluated. It was also noted that recent changes in insurance costs are expected to reduce this deficit by approximately $125,000 but are not projected to fully offset the anticipated shortfall. As a result, he stated that the city will need to evaluate staffing levels, positions, and services as part of the 2027 budget development process to create these reductions and balance the 2027 budget. See the agenda packet and presentation materials for additional details and graphs. Discussion and possible action on the open positions in the police department and public works department related to the 2027 budget. Recommend leaving both the police department position and the public works position open and unfilled for 2027. Following discussion of the projected 2027 budget deficit, the committee returned to the topic of filling the current police department vacancy and the anticipated public works vacancy at the end of the year. The Police Chief and Public Works Director each provided information regarding the operational needs and responsibilities associated with their respective positions. The committee discussed the value of both positions in relation to departmental operations while also considering the projected budget constraints. The committee determined that funding was not available to fill both positions within the 2027 budget and discussed the need to evaluate potential departmental restructuring and operational efficiencies. By consensus, the committee decided to leave both positions vacant for the 2027 calendar year. The committee will reassess budget projections and review departmental operations and efficiencies during the 2027 budget process to determine future staffing needs. Discussion and possible action on insurance policies with the Hartford for 2027. Discussed future decisions regarding long-term disability and ancillary insurances. City Clerk Kallee Ferk discussed the potential of cancelling the remaining insurance policies the city has with The Hartford when they transition over to Teamcare’s benefits. She highlighted this as this insurance is not really being used and is an expense on the books for the city that they need to evaluate if they want to continue it or not in comparison to all the other benefits the city offers. Discussion and possible action on Teamcare information to send over to begin census for new insurance. Discussed documents that were provided by Teamcare to begin transition with participation contracts and census for the 2027 insurance benefits. Kallee Ferk provided the committee with the documents outlining the contracts that would put the new Teamcare insurance into effect for 2027. She mentioned this was provided for them to look over and discuss at a potential future Personnel committee meeting after they had looked over the documents. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned and a date was set for the next meeting - August 18th, 2026 at 5:30pm. Meeting adjourned at 7:28pm