Meeting Minutes

Page 1 of 3 12/4/25 PH Minutes Minutes 28 townspeople were present in person including the Town Board members/Town Staff, and 3 members of the public via zoom Please see sign up sheet for list of present town electors. I. Call to Order: Meeting called to order by Glenn Carlson at 5:00pm. II. The purpose of this Public Hearing is to discuss the 2026 proposed budget. Glenn Carlson: I'd just like to point out something I think might be helpful in clarifying questions that people may have. The 2025 approved column was the budget that was approved for 2025, and those numbers were taken from the last year's approved amount. What was discovered recently is that those amounts did not include all of the expenses. In particular, it did not include the room accommodation tax amount. Therefore, $157,500 of Room Accommodation Tax that goes to the Chamber of Commerce was not included. Now, that said, we're still projecting that the general government line item, for 2025 is going to be less than what actually was approved at the meeting a year ago. The actual budgeted amount, if you include the Room Accommodation Tax, was $818,653. Does anyone have any questions or comments on the budget? John Carlson: Is the Chamber still paying for the pump outs for the porta potties? Also, could you please explain the increased wages for the Library Department. Glenn: Yes, the Chamber is. There are two components that increase the library’s budget (Last year's budget of approximately $242,000 to the proposed budget this year of roughly $303,000) First, the addition of a full-time Recreation Director, that is going to be shared with the Town Hall in the off-season and that position comes with full benefits as a full-time position. Secondly, the current librarian does take advantage of that benefit therefore employee insurances line goes from $28,856 to $79,462. John: Will recreation activities cover the wages of this new position? TOWN OF LAPOINTE PUBLIC HEARING: 2026 BUDGET THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2025 5:00 PM AT TOWN HALL Page 2 of 3 12/4/25 PH Minutes Glenn: No, not at this time. The department is charging what they believe is market pricing for this service. Lauren Schuppe: It is a goal to have the recreation income cover the costs, but not at this time. The current idea of this hybrid position is that they can also lend a hand to the Town Hall in the fall season, and in the shorter seasons to allow coverage in other areas. Mary Ross: Can you clarify the hybrid position? Glenn: The primary goal that we're looking for is a year-round Recreation Director, with the possibility of helping out in the Town Hall during the slower season, if we find a person with the required skills (Accounting, Payroll, Roads etc) Mary: Can you also clarify the Full-time Parks position? Glenn: The Parks position was turned into a full-time position, Public Work Laborer. The department has been struggling to hire the current seasonal positions, which affects keeping things maintained. This allows the department to be in shape when the season begins. The current employee in this position is working out really well. Mary: Is the Ambulance position full-time as well? Glenn: Yes, with Cindy’s departure as the Ambulance Director, Sarah Schram stepped up as the director and does not have an assistant combining those two jobs created the full-time position. Julie Hadges: It would be really nice to incorporate a QR code for donations on the park donation boxes out at the Town Park, as sometimes people don’t have cash. It could bring in more revenue for the Town. Glenn: That is a great idea, thank you Julie. John: Can you explain the need for a 12-month extension for the solar array? Glenn: The grant the Town received for the microgrid solar array at the ESB, the inverter, a key component, is not made in the United States. A waiver from the Department of Energy is needed, the request was made last January. There is an alternative Plan B to opt out & got with a battery purchase from the United States if the waiver is denied. John: Will the grant cover the extension/alternative options? Glenn: Yes, the options are funded by the grant we received. John: I don’t want to hear in the future that the grant money that we were given won't cover what we're going to do when we want to get paid back. John Sheldon: Is there a huge benefit to storing energy in the batteries vs casting to the microgrid? What is the advantage? Glenn: Now you're getting probably a little deeper than what I can answer here, but what excess we generate is only a fraction of the cost of what we have to pay from the grid. We get about a third of what they charge us back when we sell it back to them. Aimee Baxter: Also, during an emergency it's not using propane, it's using battery. John Carlson: I saw the announcement of the town was granted 1.5 million for the Big Bay Town Park Accessibility Project. How much more will the town need or what is the money coverage? Glenn: A lot is still unknown at this point. I can promise that this is going to be very transparent. We're going to be asking for a lot of input as we dive into this project, looking into the best plan moving forward. None of us want this to affect the taxpayers. Page 3 of 3 12/4/25 PH Minutes John: Will the bridge be able to handle emergency equipment going down to the beach? Glenn: Yes, the goal is for emergency services/equipment to be able to access the park more efficiently, which is all apart of being ADA compliant. Micaela: Are we still in the Public Hearing meeting? Glenn: Yes. If there are no other questions, is there a motion to adjourn? III. Adjourn: Motion by Mike Anderson, seconded by Robin Russell, all in favor, Motion Carried. 5:23pm Submitted by Town Clerk, Alex Smith. Approved as submitted, 12/22/25.