_07272026-720

Minutes of the Village Board Meeting July 27, 2026 Village Board Room at Village Hall 1. CALL TO ORDER Village President John Muraski called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL President Muraski called for a roll call. Present: Village President John Muraski; Trustee Maria Lasecki, District 1; Trustee Chris Nielsen, District 2; Trustee Cathy Hughes, District 3; Trustee Daniel Kussow, District 4; Trustee Mike Nieft, District 5; Trustee Ray Suennen, District 6; Trustee Adam Lemorande, District 7; Trustee Craig McAllister, District 8 Staff: Administrator Paul Evert, Director of Administrative Services Chris Haltom, Director of Public Works Geoff Farr, Director of Engineering Josh Gerrits, Director of Community Development Dave Wiese, Fire Chief Dennis Staeven, PIO/Deputy Clerk Ciara Hurrish 3. RECITE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE President Muraski led the meeting in the pledge. 4. REPORT BY THE VILLAGE PRESIDENT REGARDING COMPLIANCE WITH OPEN MEETING LAWS President Muraski read the following notice: Pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes 19.81-19.98, the Village Board is meeting to conduct public business. In accordance with state law, the meeting agenda was posted at Village Hall, other municipal buildings, and on the Village of Howard website and was also distributed to the local media and other requesters at least 24 business hours prior to the start of this meeting. 5. APPROVE THE AGENDA FOR THE MEETING C. Hughes made a motion to approve the agenda. A. Lemorande seconded. The motion carried unanimously. 6. PUBLIC APPEARANCES J. Muraski opened public appearances and invited members of the public to speak. Nobody came forward to speak. J. Muraski closed public appearances. 7. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS/ANNOUNCEMENTS C. McAllister requested that a discussion regarding Greenfield Avenue safety improvements be placed on the agenda for the next Village Board meeting. M. Lasecki asked that everyone keep the communities impacted by the recent severe storms in northeastern Wisconsin in their thoughts and prayers. 8. COMMUNICATIONS 9. SWEARING IN OF FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC ERIC PAULOWKSI Fire Chief D. Staeven introduced Firefighter Paramedic Eric Paulowski and highlighted his background and experience in the fire service. E. Paulowski was sworn in as a Firefighter Paramedic for the Village of Howard by Director of Administrative Services C. Haltom. Chief Staeven and the Village Board welcomed and congratulated E. Paulowski on his appointment. 10. APPROVE CONSENT AGENDA M. Lasecki made a motion to approve the consent agenda. R. Suennen seconded. C. McAllister pulled Item 19f. The motion carried unanimously, and the following items were approved: a. The Village Board meeting minutes from July 13, 2026 b. The Deer Control Committee meeting minutes from July 16, 2026 c. The Municipal Invoices totaling $948,990.14, paid with checks #87975-88049. Village Board Meeting Agenda, July 27, 2026 Page 2 of 4 d. Change Order #1 to Northeast Asphalt, Inc. for the 2026 Resurfacing Contract involving a $2,795.00 increase e. Change Order #2 to McKeefry & Sons, Inc. for Valley Brook Pond Contract involving a $2,213.00 decrease f. Ordinance 2026-10 rezoning several properties in the Village of Howard g. The following Operator Licenses Operator licenses, per s. 125.17 of the Wisconsin Statutes and s. 12.02(4)(h) of the Howard Municipal Code, if approved, are valid for a period of up to two years expiring on June 30. i. Ella M Mooren ii. Jackson Patrick George iii. Elsa Violet Benz iv. Aaron George Stengel v. Mayra Lupita Patske Juarez vi. Kayla Brooke Kohn vii. Tina M. Harvey viii. Tammy Jean Katers ix. Melinda Loreen Wentworth x. Theresa Aurelia Schulte- Campbell xi. Phillip Anthony Southworth 10f Ordinance 2026-10 rezoning several properties in the Village of Howard D. Wiese explained that the rezoning requests included in Ordinance 2026-10 had all been previously approved by the Village Board and that the ordinance was needed to officially amend the Village's zoning map as required by state statute. C. McAllister stated that he would be voting against the ordinance for consistency, as it included an item he had previously opposed. M. Nieft made a motion to approve Ordinance 2026-10 rezoning several properties in the Village of Howard. C. Hughes seconded. The motion carried 8-1 (No: C. McAllister). 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS OR OLD BUSINESS ITEMS (NONE) 12. NEW BUSINESS ITEMS a. Review and take action on Packerland Sunrise Rotary Storybook Trail P. Evert introduced the request from the Packerland Sunrise Rotary Club to create a Storybook Trail at the Village Arboretum in Spring Green Park. He noted that the proposed project would promote literacy by installing story stations along the trail and that the Rotary Club would fund the project through donations and grants. Nancy Loberger, representing the Packerland Sunrise Rotary Club, presented the proposed concept and future vision for the Storybook Trail, which includes story stations, a Little Free Library, benches, an amphitheater, and other family-friendly amenities. She explained that the Rotary Club would provide funding and volunteer labor for the project and would work with the Village on future improvements and maintenance. Trustees expressed support for the project and praised the educational and recreational opportunities it would provide for the community. M. Lasecki made a motion to approve the Packerland Sunrise Rotary creating a storybook trail at the Village Arboretum in Spring Green Park. M. Nieft seconded. The motion carried unanimously. b. Review and take action on 2027 Budget Policies and Calendar C. Haltom presented the proposed 2027 budget calendar and budget policies, noting that the schedule is consistent with previous years. He explained that preparation of the budget is dependent on receiving key financial information from the State later in the year. He also recommended reducing the General Fund balance policy, stating that the Village has consistently maintained a healthy fund balance and has rarely needed to draw from it. R. Suennen asked whether lowering the minimum fund balance could affect the Village's bond rating and whether other municipalities have similar fund balance policies. C. Haltom responded that rating agencies generally prefer higher fund balances but that he had not compared policies among other municipalities. Trustees discussed maintaining an appropriate fund balance while balancing the cost of borrowing and the Village's financial needs. R. Suennen made a motion to approve the Village Board Meeting Minutes, July 27, 2026 Page 3 of 4 budget policies and budget calendar as presented by staff. C. Nielsen seconded. The motion carried unanimously. c. Consideration and action on a contract with Miron Construction for the addition of living quarters at Fire Station #2 P. Evert explained that bids had been received for the addition of living quarters at Fire Station #2 and noted that while the bids came in higher than originally budgeted, the results were not unexpected given current construction costs. Amanda Manteufel, a representative of Miron Construction, reviewed the bid results and presented the recommended contract amount of $2,402,320. C. McAllister asked about the site utility work included in the project. J. Gerrits explained that the existing septic system cannot accommodate the addition, requiring a new sanitary sewer connection, relocation of the water service, and modifications to the storm sewer system. Trustees discussed the importance of the project, noting it would improve emergency response times for residents on the west side of the Village. Questions were also asked regarding the financing of the project. C. Hughes made a motion to accept and reject the bids as presented by Miron Construction and enter into a contract with Miron Construction with a not to exceed price of $2,402,320 to add living facilities to Fire Station #2. D. Kussow seconded. The motion carried unanimously. d. Review and take action on the award of two leaf and plow trucks G. Farr presented the recommendation to purchase two new tandem axle trucks for leaf collection, snow plowing, and material handling. He explained that the Village currently operates three leaf trucks and that a fourth truck would improve reliability and service as the Village continues to grow. He also noted the lengthy lead times for truck production, increasing equipment costs, and the plan to extend the service life of the existing fleet. C. McAllister asked about the anticipated delivery timeline for the truck chassis. G. Farr stated that delivery is expected in 2027, with the completed trucks anticipated to be in service by 2028. M. Nieft asked how the current fleet performed during the previous leaf collection season. G. Farr responded that the Village was able to keep up with leaf collection but noted that the addition of a fourth truck would provide a backup in the event of equipment failures. C. Hughes made a motion to award 2 Tandem axle truck chassis to Packerland International Truck for $336,260, 2 Body upfitting packages to Monroe Truck for $519,584 plus $95,000 in allowances as listed. C. McAllister seconded. The motion carried unanimously. 13. REPORTS OF VILLAGE OFFICIALS a. C. Haltom presented the financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2026 for the General Fund, Village Green Golf Course, the three utilities, Howard Commons Apartments and Howard Commons Activity Complex. No action was taken. 14. CLOSED SESSION C. Hughes moved to convene to a closed session. C. McAllister seconded. The motion carried unanimously, and the Village Board of the Village of Howard convened into a closed session pursuant to Sec.19.85(1)(e), Wis. Stats, to discuss an Offer to Purchase the Village-owned property at 1919 County Hwy U. 15. RETURN TO OPEN SESSION M. Lasecki moved to return to open session. A. Lemorande seconded. The motion carried unanimously, and the Village Board returned to open session at 7:30 p.m. 16. ACTION (IF ANY) C. Nielsen made a motion to accept the Offer to Purchase from Harlan and Abby Pritzl and the Amendment to Offer to Purchase with a purchase price of $385,000. M. Lasecki seconded. The motion carried unanimously. Village Board Meeting Minutes, July 27, 2026 Page 4 of 4 17. ADJOURNMENT M. Lasecki made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:30 p.m. R. Suennen seconded. The motion carried unanimously. Ciara Hurrish PIO/Deputy Clerk