October 21

City of Bayfield Common Council • October 21, 2025, Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 3 City of Bayfield Common Council October 21, 2025, Meeting Minutes 4:30 p.m. • Bayfield City Hall, 125 South First Street, Bayfield, WI 54814 Meeting called to order at 4:30 p.m. Attendance Council: Acting Mayor/Council President Lyn Cornelius; Alders Bill Bland, Matt Carrier, and Diane Fizell City Staff: City Treasurer Anne Adams, Harbormaster Nick Hays, Police Chief Josh Novac, City Clerk Grace Stolen, Public Works Director Joel Weber, Library Director Teresa Weber Public: In Person—Carol Fahrenkrog, Francisco (Workhorse), Justin (Workhorse), Michelle Shrider; Online—Caller 01, X Review/Approve Agenda Motion by Carrier, seconded by Fizell, to approve the agenda as drafted. All ayes. Review/Approve Minutes of September 16, September 19, and October 1, 2025, Common Council Meetings Motion by Carrier, seconded by Fizell, to approve the minutes as drafted. All ayes. Public Comment and Suggestions from Persons Present on Agenda Items Michelle Shrider introduced herself as chair of the Harbor Commission and stated she is present to answer any questions. Agenda 1. Municipal Accounting System: Workhorse Two representatives from Workhorse, a company that provides software for municipal governments and public entities in Wisconsin, gave a brief presentation on a potential new software system for the City. 2. Appointments a. City Hall Task Force The City is still looking for five members and two alternates but has not identified a slate of appointees yet. Recommendations are still welcome, and people outside the City would be considered if they have a skillset that would benefit the process. b. Parks and Recreation Committee Kylie Vadnais stepped down from the Playground Subcommittee due to other commitments, and they are looking for additional members to carry on the work. Grace Hogan has stepped up as chair, Pete Havlik is secretary, and there are talks with other potential members. City of Bayfield Common Council • October 21, 2025, Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 3 Motion by Bland, seconded by Carrier, to appoint Mollie Carrier and Jessica Waclawski to the Playground Subcommittee and accept the resignation of Kylie Vadnais. All ayes. 3. City of Bayfield Restrictive Covenant Agreement: Police Academy, George Adams Cornelius: George Adams V has passed the interview process and been accepted to Fox Valley Technical College. This is the same agreement as the last hire with the exception that lodging will be provided. Motion by Fizell, seconded by Carrier, to approve the City of Bayfield Restrictive Covenant Agreement with George Adams. All ayes. 4. 2026 Budget and Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Requests—Discussion Common Council resumed its discussion on the 2026 budget and CIPs. No votes were taken. There is a revised figure for a pavilion CIP expense, and City staff will look into whether there is a per- user cost associated with a new software application. Discussion ensued regarding potential removal of the carryover column from the CIP table and differentiating between grants that have been secured vs. applied for. The City will proceed with the same table structure and consider revisions for 2027. One of the Courthouse CIPs is a safety issue and should be funded due to the conditions a ramp is in. Considerable discussion ensued regarding the harbor/City Dock CIP . The quote has increased from prior years and will likely increase again if the project is done in a future year. Harbor Commission Chair Michelle Shrider estimated that the cost to just remove the current finger piers without replacing them would be around $1,000,000; the City would lose $300,000 in grant funding and may need to reapply for the $587,250 grant. Shrider stated that the marina’s revenue can cover the debt payment and still contribute to the general fund; the City already has this infrastructure and needs to maintain it. Some alders expressed concerns regarding the return on investment; Shrider stated that the economic development impact should be considered in addition to the revenue generated. An updated total is needed for the East Dock CIP . It was suggested that the City use funds from the water and sewer enterprise accounts for the water meters CIP . The budget still has a 1.5% wage increase. 5. Project Updates a. Harbor b. Parks and Recreation There have been some changes to the Playground Subcommittee membership, and they are working on strategizing for fundraising and grant applications. c. Public Works The Manypenny Avenue project is almost to substantial completion; there are still some punch list items to finish. Public works staff are working on getting ready for winter. d. Planning City of Bayfield Common Council • October 21, 2025, Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 3 The Plan Commission is working on a proposed ordinance to address issues with mooring and abandoning boats in the water and on City beaches; the Commission is seeking feedback from the Parks and Recreation Committee. The Commission is also continuing work on the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC)/Historic Preservation Ordinance (HPO). Discussion ensued regarding the HPC/HPO, what would change after shifting to this model, what still needs to be done to adopt it, and public engagement. The Architectural Review Board (ARB) is seeking guidance from the Plan Commission on what the new process should look like, and the latter is currently considering what could be done if a property owner wants to contest a nomination of their property. The HPO would still need to be adopted by Common Council. ARB would like to do a town hall or info session on the proposal, ideally implementing the new model before the next building season. 6. Acting Mayor’s Report 7. File Reports from Committees, Commissions, Boards, and Departments Ambulance: No meeting ARB: August 25, 2025 Fire Department: September 4 and September 29, 2025 Harbor: September 8, 2025 Library: August 20, 2025 Parks and Recreation: No meeting Parks and Rec Playground Subcommittee: August 27, 2025 Planning: August 19, 2025 Police Department: September 2025 Public Works: No meeting Tree Board: August 27, 2025 Motion by Carrier, seconded by Bland, to file reports from committees, commissions, boards, and departments. All ayes. 8. Correspondence: None 9. Future Agenda Items The City Hall Task Force and keeping the HPC moving forward were both raised for future meetings. Meeting adjourned at 6:23 p.m. Next Meetings: • October 28, 2025, at 7 a.m.—Budget Discussion • November 24, 2025, at 4:30 p.m.—Budget Hearing