Annual Town Meeting Minutes - 2022

ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES – TOWN OF GRAND CHUTE - 1900 GRAND CHUTE BOULEVARD – APRIL 19, 2022 Annual Town Meeting called to order at 6:36 p.m. by Jason Van Eperen, presiding officer. 2021/2022 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Jason Van Eperen, Ron Wollf, Jeff Ings, Walter Nocito, and Brad Gehring PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Pledge of Allegiance was led by Jason Van Eperen INTRODUCTIONS AND OTHERS PRESENT Jim March, Administrator; Kayla Filen, Town Clerk; Tim Bantes, Fire Chief; Mike Patza, Community Development Director; Greg Peterson, Police Chief; Julie Calmes, Finance Director; Katie Schwartz, Director of Public Works; Brent Braun, IT Director; Sue Brinkman, HR Director; Mark Van Der Wegen, Town Engineer; Angie Cain, Michelle Korth, and Deb Welk, Clerk’s Office; Jason Herzog, IT; Kelly Hanick, Asst. Fire Chief; Nick Vande Hey, McMahon; and Attorney Rossmeissl, Herrling Clark Law Offices; and other interested residents and non-residents (see attachment). MINUTES Minutes of the Annual Meeting – April 20, 2021 Motion (Dave Schowalter/Mark Heling) to approve minutes of April 20, 2021. Motion carried. AWARDS Presentation of Awards – Presiding Officer Van Eperen stated the Town of Grand Chute motto, Experience Better, and wanted to recognize individuals in the community that help make Grand Chute the best that it can be. Three awards were issued as follows: 1. Houdini School, 2nd Grade Classes for the coin drive to raise money for the Grand Chute Police Department K-9 Unit. 2. Beautification Committee, volunteer committee that helps the Parks Department by helping maintain the parks by planting, weeding, mulching, watering, etc. 3. Mystery Garbage Man, a community member, Dick Pontzloff who was performing random acts of kindness by bringing in his neighbor’s garbage cans after garbage pick- up. Fire Chief Bantes stated that 60-70% of the calls that the Grand Chute Fire Department receives each year are emergency medical calls. The Grand Chute Fire Department impacts the community by answering these calls of duty, but the most impactful calls are the responses to the pulseless, non-breathing. Previously these calls were recognized internally, but the goal is to be more public in providing recognition for the men and women who respond to these calls so the public knows about the positive impact they are having on the community. Life-saving awards were issued to the individuals listed below: 1. Crew C, Lt EMT Chad Siegmann, Engineer EMT Jeremy Ristau, and Firefighter Paramedic Devin Nikodem 2. A Shift, Station 2, LT EMT Brad Paltzer, Engineer Jeremy Hanson, and Probationary Firefighter Paramedic Rick Guerra. REPORTS 2021 Annual/Financial Report – There were no questions on the annual report. ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES – TOWN OF GRAND CHUTE - 1900 GRAND CHUTE BOULEVARD – APRIL 19, 2022 Page 2 of 4 RESOLUTION Resolution 2022 – E1 setting compensation for elected offices for 2023-2025 term (Chairperson and Seats #1 & #3), 2024-2026 (Seats #2 & #4). Motion (Mark Heling/Dave Schowalter) to approve. Nancy Christensen, 2519 W 1st Avenue, asked why the salary was being set for both terms for elected officials. Wisconsin State Statutes allows for the salary to be set for the next term. Ms. Christensen stated that circumstances change and that she has never seen salaries be set this far in advance for future terms. Clerk Cain stated that the reason salaries are set for both terms is so that the salaries for all the Board Members are the same and no term was making more than the other term. This has been past practice for a number of years and the electors can change this if they wish. Edward Perkins, 4486 N White Hawk Drive, stated he did not have a chance to read the packet and that the amount of the compensation was not listed. He asked what the proposed compensation amounts were for the Board Members. Clerk Cain stated that the amounts were listed on the last page. Presiding Officer Van Eperen stated he would allow a few moments for the electors to review the resolution in the packet that listed the compensation amounts. Brad Gehring, 5070 W Century Blvd., asked that the electors vote the motion down and do a follow-up amendment that the salaries remain as they have been in the past for these positions. Clerk Cain clarified that the proposed salaries are the same as the current salaries. Mr. Gehring withdrew his request. Presiding Officer Van Eperen asked for any additional comments. There being none he asked for a motion and a second. Clerk Cain clarified there was already a motion and a second on the floor. 54 voted in favor and 7 voted against. Motion carried. BUSINESS FROM TOWN ELECTORS Karen Weinschrott, 2316 W. Twin Willows Drive, stated she was here to bring up a few things that she found disturbing: 1. She reads the political campaign flyers and she thinks they contain misinformation, such as, Mr. Ings campaign flyer which stated “we will not go backwards where the old Board members refused to listen to people and there were unfair special assessments, some of which they should have known to be illegal.” Ms. Weinschrott further stated that the special assessment policy did not start with the previous Board, that she believed it started back in 1993. She served many Boards. The special assessment policy was critiqued through the years, and sometimes critiqued based on the property since there is not a one size fits all in Grand Chute. She stated it disturbs her that this political campaign ad says there could be something illegal about the special assessments and asked if anyone on the Board or maybe the attorney could tell her if there has ever been a judge that has declared special assessments illegal. ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES – TOWN OF GRAND CHUTE - 1900 GRAND CHUTE BOULEVARD – APRIL 19, 2022 Page 3 of 4 2. Ms. Weinschrott stated that the Town retains one of the best law firms in the Valley and if the Town was doing something illegal with past special assessments or the policy the attorneys would not allow the Town to go forward. She referred to her time working with Attorney Koehler and how he mirrored the language from State Statutes in preliminary and final resolutions, which means it would say that it specifically benefits properties. She shared an example of Town duties including providing passable roads and asked what does that mean, gravel? She stated she would not like to drive on gravel and she assumed many others would not want to either. Ms. Weinschrott stated she did not want to go backwards and did not believe that many of the others in the Town would want to go backwards. She further stated that for many years the cost of roads and infrastructure has been paid by the property owners in Grand Chute and special assessments were in addition to that, also property owners’ benefit from special assessments. The Town has always been transparent and held many public hearings. Ms. Weinschrott expressed her disbelief that the Town Board relieved certain special assessments on properties this year including one of the properties she believes is owned by one of the Board members and some of the other Board members are campaign donors; she believes this is a conflict of interest. She also stated because the special assessments were relieved for some properties, the rest of the Town residents are paying for it. She does not agree with large special assessments and believes there are things to work on related to special assessments, but that it is not right to cherry pick, leaving everyone else to pay their special assessments. Ms. Weinschrott went on to state various concerns related to storm sewer and flooding due to the location and level of the Town. Additionally, Ms. Weinschrott stated she watches the Board meetings and reads the minutes and stated it was clear that the Board members do not read their packets and advised them to do so since staff put in time and expertise into creating the packets. She supports special assessments, but said maybe they could be capped. She stated past Town Boards have struggled with the way to handle special assessments, but they did not cherry pick which properties to relieve. Attorney Rossmeissl reminded everyone that the annual meeting should still be run under Robert’s Rules of Order and there are 10-15 or so powers reserved to the electors that they should try to keep to as to not have a free for all meeting. Tim St. Marie, 1407 W. Lynndale Drive, stated there were two items he would like to discuss: 1. Mr. St. Marie stated he lives on Lynndale. Near Kolosso Toyota and Howie Voight Appliance and there is T intersection. He has concerns about the people that park at the T intersection. When people are trying to turn right into the subdivision they cannot see because cars are parked there and people trying to leave the subdivision cannot turn left because there is no room since there are cars parked in the street. 2. Mr. St. Marie asked if the Town has any policy for lighting. He lives right across from Suess, Copps, and other businesses that have bright lights that light up his house, particularly his second floor. He asked if the Town had considered any policy for lighting, including minimizing it or directing it to only their properties. Edward Perkins, 4486 N. White Hawk Drive, stated he was not going to make a motion and was directing his comments to Presiding Officer Van Eperen. He personally feels that if someone has a problem with a Town Supervisor, that we each have the responsibility to go to that person and discuss it with them. He is bothered that statements were made tonight and that it appeared clear that the person speaking did not make an effort to discuss it, but instead brought it out at a meeting like this not allowing a response is not what he would call a good public forum. He requests that in the future that whoever the individual is, they make the effort to go and talk to the Board member before coming to a public meeting. ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES – TOWN OF GRAND CHUTE - 1900 GRAND CHUTE BOULEVARD – APRIL 19, 2022 Page 4 of 4 Karen Petersen, 3325 N. Casaloma Drive #41, stated that she is the President of the Park Commission and there are serious problems with the boardwalk at Arrow Park. The Park Commission is looking for matching funds from the State to help fund the repairs on the boardwalk. The boardwalk is not ADA compliant and there are boards that are broken. This needs to be approved as the boardwalk is in disrepair and needs to be fixed. ADJOURNMENT Motion (Mark Heling/Brad Gehring) to adjourn. Motion carried. 2022 Annual Meeting adjourned at 7:12 p.m. These minutes were taken at a regular meeting held on April 19, 2022 and entered in this record book April 21, 2022 by: _________________________________ Kayla Filen, Town Clerk Town of Grand Chute Approved April 18, 2023