Village Board — Minutes

VILLAGE OF FOOTVILLE-MEETING NOTICE REGULAR BOARD MEETING THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2026 MINUTES 1. The February 5, 2026, Regular Board Meeting of the Village of Footville was called to order at 6:00 pm by President John Thomson. Board members present: J. Thomson, N. Beal, N. Conaway, J. Harnack, R. Nath, and D. Wells. Also present: O’Malley Lomax, Robert Shrock, Julie Meehan, Ryan Meehan, John Pounder, Diane Pounder, Robert Selck, Chuck Duncan 2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA: Motion by N. Conaway, 2nd by N. Beal to approve the agenda. Motion carried unanimously. 3. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES: Motion by N. Conaway, 2nd by N. Beal to approve the meeting minutes for the Economic Development Committee meeting, the Regular Board meeting, the Planning Commission meeting, the Police and Fire Committee meeting and the Health and Human Resources Committee meeting. Motion carried unanimously. 4. CITIZENS WISHING TO BE HEARD: None 5. VOUCHERS: Motion by N. Conaway, 2nd by R. Nath to approve the vouchers. Motion carried unanimously. 6. REPORTS: Treasurer’s/Water: Motion by N. Conaway, 2nd by N. Beal to approve the Treasurer’s and Water report. Motion carried unanimously. 7. OPERATOR’S LICENSE: Eva Mason – Toe Town Tap: Motion by J. Harnack 2nd by R. Nath to approve the operator’s license for Eva Mason. Motion carried unanimously. 8. REPORT: Economic Development Committee - Bob Selck will talk about Economic Development Committee updates later in the meeting 9. REPORT: Planning Commission - The next meeting of the Planning Commission will be Tuesday, February 24, 2026. 10. REPORT: Parks and Recreation Committee –D. Harnack submitted an update for the committee – she noted Brodhead students will be building 2 new wooden planters for the Village. A short presentation was given during the Viking Youth Baseball meeting highlighting the plans for the park and diamonds. They talked about the Friends of Footville Parks taking over the concession stand for the Viking Youth. They will work on this at upcoming meetings. The diamond upgrade will be starting in the spring. 11. REPORT: Health and Human Resources Committee – N. Conaway gave an update on the last HHR meeting. They are working on updating the disciplinary process along with creating employee agreements and updating the Employee Handbook. The next HHR Committee meeting will be Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 4 pm. 12. REPORT: Footville Department of Public Works – Mike Tinder, Greg Richter, Mike McGuire, David Landis – David reported they will be putting the spill containment unit in on Monday. N. Beal reported they bought a pump from Martelle for the Alum. One pump is pumping faster than the other so it will need to be pulled. N. Beal also noted an action plan needs to be created for wastewater treatment plant upgrades. 13. J & D Pounder Inc. will present their 2026 Plan for Assessments: John Pounder informed the board they will be doing a revaluation this year as the Village is not in compliance with state laws which require the total assessed value of each major class to be between 90% and 110% of full value. They are hoping to view all properties in the Village to provide accurate property assessments. Viewing of properties is optional for property owners. It they cannot view the property they will use the best information available to assess the property. They have had challenges retrieving the Village’s information from the previous assessor. The cost of converting the poor data that they received is too high so they will be starting off with blank cards for all properties. They will be photographing the front and rear of properties and any outbuildings. There is no charge to residents for assessing. They ask if residents do not allow an interior inspection to please allow an exterior inspection. The more information they have the more accurate the assessment will be. 14. Approval of Bob Selck joining the WI Economic Development Corporation’s Connect Communities program: The Connect Communities group is similar to the Wisconsin League of Municipalities. They offer many resources the Village can take advantage of. The group shares information and expertise in economic development and grant availability. The Village would be a member as an entity, not individual members. Motion by N. Beal, 2nd by J. Harnack to approve the Village of Footville joining the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s Connect Communities program. Motion carried unanimously. 15. TID update: Bob Selck reported there are currently five developers that are interested in the subdivision project. Bob and Chuck are meeting with each interested developer. 16. Park redevelopment/improvement plan: J. Thomson asked if they have a comprehensive plan. Bob reported that they are still being considered for a grant. If they do not receive this grant there is another grant program that opens up in May. They do not have a comprehensive plan yet. They have people working on the park diamond and grants. It takes time and is not coming together as fast as he would like. Next year will be the 100th anniversary for the park and they hope to use that for a fundraiser. 17. Park bathroom project: Bob Selck reported the cost estimates they have received are high. They need final state approved plans. State of Wisconsin bidding laws must be followed. Next month Bob will have something to present to the board. 18. Approve resignation of Wes Noble and Marilyn Runaas from the Planning Commission and appoint new members – Nathaniel Francis and Joe Schwengels: Marilyn Runaas and Wes Noble have resigned from the Planning Commission. J. Thomson appointed Nathaniel Francis and Joe Schwengels to the Planning Commission. Nathaniel Francis was present to introduce himself to the board. 19. Police Department update: Officer Lomax reported they are moving forward with getting the department back up and running. The squad car has been fixed. They are working on tracking down passwords for some of the programs they use. They will have firearms training with the City of Brodhead on March 21st. The board will need to adopt a Field Training Process document at their next meeting. Officer Shrock will finish his field training by mid-March. They will be addressing parking issues they have seen around the Village. J. Thomson suggested they reach out to Parkview and talk to the superintendent about their reunification centers and ask to be a part of their next armed assailant drill. He also suggested they familiarize themselves with all local businesses, churches, and the nursing home. 20. Village operation update – next phase of operation plan to be developed: snow plowing plan/weekly mowing schedule/Jetter training reschedule/sewer maintenance annual plan: R. Nath would like to get the filter beds on a monthly schedule. Some of the piping in the beds will need to be replaced. That can be done as the beds are taken apart and tilled. There are also boards around the beds that need to be replaced. The jetter training has been rescheduled for spring. They need to come up with a plan to work through all the sewer lines in the year. They need to find out what has been televised. There also needs to be a plan for cleaning/jetting the sewer lines. They will have a Wastewater Committee meeting to make a schedule for the sewer lines. 21. Capping of hydrant behind the fire department: The Fire Department does not use the fire hydrant that is behind the fire station as it is too close to the building. As a result, they would like to have it capped and removed. The DPW will obtain quotes for having the hydrant removed. 22. Update to Fire Dept water reporting: The Fire Department will report their water usage quarterly. If they respond to a fire and need to refill trucks from a hydrant, they will contact the DPW to get readings and estimate the number of gallons used. 23. Fire Protection District update: The Footville Fire Commission voted against merging with the Orfordville Fire Department. 24. Approve health insurance renewal: Motion by R. Nath, 2nd by N. Conaway to approve the health insurance premium renewal. Motion carried unanimously. 25. Set special board meeting for employee reviews and wage discussion – February 19, 2026, at 6:00 pm: The HHR Committee requested a special meeting be held on February19, 2026 at 6 pm to conduct employee evaluations and make decisions on raises. They will also set a date in the fall to discuss these items before budget talks so raises can be incorporated into the budget. 26. PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION ON OTHER MATTERS NOT PROPOSED FOR BOARD ACTION: J. Harnack spoke with Matt at Bass Creek regarding a compost area. J. Thomson will give Matt more details on what we need. D. Wells – None. R. Nath – None. J. Thomson asked if we want to start getting quotes on sealing Edward Street. R. Nath will contact the company that gave demonstration last year. N. Beal asked if it would be worth getting ahold of the attorney to see if we have any recourse against Accurate Appraisal. J. Thomson will email the attorney to see what our options are. N. Conaway – None. 27. ADJOURNMENT: Motion by R. Nath, 2nd by J. Harnack to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 7:44 pm. SUBMITTED BY: STACY NEAL CLERK-TREASUER, VILLAGE OF FOOTVILLE