8-31-2026 Ex. Committee Minutes

Manitowoc County Executive Committee Heritage Building August 31, 2026 Attendance: Chairman Phipps, Supervisors Behnke and Schiesl. Also in attendance: County Executive Martell, Corporation Counsel Conrad, and Supervisors Dallas and Heilman. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Chairman Phipps at 4:00 p.m. Approval of the June 16, 2026 Executive Committee meeting minutes: Supervisor Schiesl moved to approve the minutes from the June 16, 2026 meeting, seconded by Supervisor Behnke. Upon vote, the motion was carried unanimously. Committee Meeting Locations and Upgrades to the Locations : The committee discussed the pros and cons of having two locations designated as central locations where the standing committee meetings would be held. The first location was the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the Communications and Technology Building. The second location was the County Board Room at the Heritage Building. The current meeting rooms at the Administration Building and Public Works Building are inadequate to continue to hold public meetings due to their size. The pros listed for moving the meetings to the EOC as a central location were the larger occupancy allowing for public attendance . The room would be equipped to allow for livestreaming and has multiple display monitors for reports/presentations for presenters. One con would be the automatic door lock, which would be a discussion with Public Works. The pros listed for moving the meetings to the County Board Room woul d large occupancy for public attendance. The room could be equipped for livestreaming and has one display monitor for reports/presentations for presenters. The con would be lack of a central microphone, which could be rectified with the IT department. The option of more display monitors was discussed even for the County Board meetings. That would allow the County Board Supervisors the ability to see presentation/voting system clearer on a closer monitor. One other meeting location issue discussed was t he Jay St. entrance where the Human Services Board meeting is accessed. Th e Jay St. entrance does not have an automatic door entry . The automatic door entry is located on S. 8th St. However, this entrance is not ADA accessible to the meeting room to due to stairs. The Public Works Department will need to review this issue. Next, the committee discussed upgrades to the County Board meeting room. The current voting system, microphones, and video have had numerous issues over the past six months. The IT Director informed the County Executive the voting tablets are at the end of their life. The voting system, microphones and video are piecemealed, which contributes to the cause of all the technology issues at the County Board meetings. The IT Department will be reviewing all the equipment to determine a better equipment route moving forward. The possibility of adding a few more tv/display monitors around the room was discussed . One more concern was the podium placement during public comment. Currently, the citizens providing public comment face the supervisors and gallery. To rectify this issue, the podium will be turned to face the County Board Chair, before public comment begins. After public comment, the s upervisor sitting closest to the podium will remove it from the view of the supervisors. The committee requested information regarding the max occupancy of the two central location rooms, verify the streaming ability, and when to implement the move, if agreed upon. The County Clerk will provide the max occupancy and streaming ability to the committee. The chair of the following standing committees; Finance, Personnel, Public Safety, and Public Works, would be presented with the information regarding moving their committee meetings to the EOC as the most central location to the departments that report to those committees. Public Works Committee and Public Safety Committee would have to work out meeting times or dates since they meet thirty minutes apart on the same day of the month. The Land Conservation and UW-Extension Ed. and Ag. Committee would continue to meet at the Office Complex because their offices that hold various materials, they may need during a meeting are located in that building. The same circumstance for the Highway Committee. Adjournment: Supervisor Behnke moved to adjourn, seconded by Supervisor Schiesl. Upon vote, the motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 4:58 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jessica Backus, Manitowoc County Clerk