August 19 2025 Village Board Minutes

Allouez Village Board Meeting (August 19, 2025) ALLOUEZ VILLAGE BOARD MEETING TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2025 AT 6:30 P.M. ALLOUEZ VILLAGE HALL, 1900 LIBAL STREET CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL President Rafter called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Present: Atwood, Genrich, Harris, Leiterman, Marsch, Rafter Excused: Sampson Staff Present: Julie Beauchamp, Trevor Fuller, Sean Gehin, Jim March, Becky Nyberg, DEO Jason Vogel MODIFY / ADOPT AGENDA Genrich/Marsch moved to modify the agenda by having item #8 Discussion re: State Representatives will be present to discuss progress being made to secure a commitment and estimated timeframe for the closure of the Green Bay Correctional Institution (GBCI) be presented prior to item #7 Discussion/Action re: amendment to bulk and brush collection schedule. Motion carried. ANNOUNCEMENTS a. Village Hall will be closed September 1, 2025, in observance of Labor Day PUBLIC COMMENT Jim O’Rourke, 2339 Oakwood Avenue - Would like to see a rolling ten-year vision of the Village of Allouez developments of the “downtown area” and the location of Green Bay Correctional Institution (GBCI) and have yearly updates provided. APPLICATION FOR CLASS B BEER AND LIQUOR LICENSE FOR PICASSO MOON LLC (PICASSO MOON LLC-ANDREW MUELLER) AT 1235 S WEBSTER AVENUE Genrich/Harris moved to approve the application for Class B Beer and Liquor License for Picasso Moon LLC at 1235 S Webster Avenue. Motion carried. Andrew Mueller, 238 Oak Hill Drive, Chef & Manager of Picasso Moon - The restaurant will be named Picasso Moon. - It will be a very intimate setting and is being marketed as the world’s smallest supper club. It will be seating by reservation only or private parties. Will stop serving by 9:00 p.m. - Hoping to be open by the 2nd or 3rd weekend of September. REQUEST FROM HEATHER DACHELET FOR A NOISE VARIANCE PERMIT FOR A WEDDING CEREMONY LOCATED AT 540 DAUPHIN STREET ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2025 FROM 5:30 P .M.-10:00 P .M. Leiterman/Marsch moved to approve the noise variance permit for a wedding ceremony located at 540 Dauphin Street on September 27, 2025 from 5:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Motion carried. Allouez Village Board Meeting (August 19, 2025) STATE REPRESENTATIVES WILL BE PRESENT TO DISCUSS PROGRESS BEING MADE TO SECURE A COMMITMENT & ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME FOR THE CLOSURE OF THE GREEN BAY CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION (GBCI) President Rafter - Representatives David Steffen and Ben Franklin are present along with Senator Jamie Wall. The Governor and the secretary of the Department of Corrections (DOC) were not able to attend. - After ten years we have a Governor and Legislature agreeing that the Green Bay Correctional Institution (GBCI) needs to be closed. - In the Governor’s proposed budget approximately $300 million dollars was assigned to move people around, change some facilities, and to change some policies to expand early release. The Legislature assigned $15 million to appropriate the plan. Both agreed that the facility could be closed by December 31, 2029, but the Governor vetoed the closing date. - GBCI is going to close, it is just how and when. The Village needs to know what is being planned so we can move forward accordingly. Representative Ben Franklin - Two main objectives to be brought forward. First, that everyone learns more about the legislative process and secondly, that the representatives are working hard to get GBCI closed. - A budget motion that was authored by Rep. Franklin was to budget $15 million dollars to specifically go towards the closure of GBCI along with a decommissioning date of December 31, 2029. The date was line item vetoed, but the funds were still appropriated in the state budget. The Governor vetoed the date due to not having a specific plan in place. - Will be moving forward working with the state legislature down in Madison, working with the Village of Allouez, and the other people involved with the closure to get a decommissioning date into state law. - Planning to put forth a stand-alone bill, which will be coming out this fall. Will be working with all parties to get good legislation passed into law. o The statutory closure date will be December 31, 2029, as a legal decommissioning date of the Green Bay Correctional Institute with no authority to extend without explicit legislative authority. o A milestone schedule that will be defined by the Department of Corrections (DOC) to include asset inventory, inmate transfers, staffing transitions, surplus designations, etc.. Recommended follow-up dates would be June 30, 2027, 2028, and again in 2029. Quarterly progress reports to the Joint Committee on Finance to ensure responsible distribution and spending of the $15 million that has been appropriated. o Facility restructurings of juvenile detention centers and medium and maximum- security prisons for adults must be in place. A juvenile detention center is currently being built in Milwaukee County and Lincoln Hills will be repurposed into a medium security prison for adults. o Selecting the adoption of some of the facility restructurings is prohibiting any new permanent investment in GBCI beyond safety and compliance needs. o Add guard rails in the layers of accountability regarding the $15 million that has been appropriated. Have the monies designated to restrictive uses including independent contractor assessments that entail structural, MEP, utility, security systems, and hazardous material surveys. Pre-closure planning and design includes decommissioning plans, demolition, abatement scopes and cost estimates. Environmental coordination with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to Allouez Village Board Meeting (August 19, 2025) include storm water management, water run-off control, wetlands review, erosion and sediment plans related to facility restructure and site transition. o Employee transition plans would be provided with direction from the Department of Administration and the Department of Corrections. Will provide placement and re-training with no lay offs without an offer in the framework and with a priority of transfer rights within a 50-mile radius. Expect a report from both the DOA and the DOC by September 1, 2027. Senator Jamie Wall - What will enable the closure of GBCI is creating enough slack in the general state correction system. We need places to put the people who now reside in GBCI. At the state level, are changes being made that will create beds to transfer the inmates from GBCI that will ultimately allow the prison to close. - The closure date for the prison in the budget is not as important as it seems to be. Must make sure that GBCI is operating safely until the last inmate is escorted from the facility. - The correction system needs some reform. The $15 million was put into the budget to plan and flush out some of the details. They are focusing those dollars on the changes that the Governor proposed in his budget. Converting existing prisons into medium and maximum- security prisons and creating new detention centers to house juveniles. Stanley Prison is the next step after Lincoln Hills, by converting it from a medium security facility into a maximum-security prison. - The DOC is now developing a plan on how to spend the $15 million. The budget required to have the money be brought to the State Building Commission. Once the building commission signs off, the money can begin to be spent. - Once plans are completed by special engineering firms, special architecture firms, contractors, etc. would like to have it come back to the Legislature. The Governor would like to see some of the projects enumerated to be approved prior to leaving office. He would like to get the project started while he is still in office. - A new juvenile detention center is being built in Milwaukee County, another has been approved for Dane County and hoping to have a third in Northeast Wisconsin. This would enable Lincoln Hills to be transformed into an adult medium security prison and allow for transfers of those employed at GBCI. - Legislature has time to consider and approve some of the new projects in relation to the closure of GBCI prior to February of 2026. Representative David Steffen - There is now a path and a plan as well as a Legislature and a Governor that is in agreement. - Deadlines are helpful but we should all be satisfied if progress is being made. - There has been the largest amount of communication and collaboration between departments, including the DOC, the State Senate, State assembly, and the governor’s staff in regard to the closure of GBCI that he has ever seen or been part of. - There are still issues that need to be addressed, but nothing that should postpone this project moving forward. - Large concern is the care of the 24,000 inmates in our correction system. Discussion: - President Rafter is proposing a Village steering committee regarding GBCI. - Important to come together quarterly to receive updates. - Joint Finance Committee should be aware of continuation of progress and plans. Allouez Village Board Meeting (August 19, 2025) - The Village needs clearly defined steps because it is limited on what can be spent due to operating levy. In order for Allouez to manage itself we need to plan accordingly. - A target date and project plan would be beneficial for the Village of Allouez to move forward. AMENDMENT TO BULK AND BRUSH COLLECTION SCHEDULE S. Gehin, Public Works Director and B. Nyberg, Neighborhood Compliance Inspector - Proposing a 2-year pilot program to reduce the amount of times that brush and bulk waste are collected throughout the village. - Major changes to the collection schedule were last made around 20 years ago. - Reducing the collection times would allow for a greater street department focus on street maintenance needs. - Being good stewards of the taxpayer’s money means reviewing policies and procedures on a regular basis. - A committee consisting of staff members was convened where the following topics were discussed and refined over several meetings. o Monthly collection data was reviewed and analyzed. o Prioritizing and scheduling of street maintenance activities. o Potential cost savings. o Municipal service comparisons. o Staff developed their ideal schedule. - Pros and cons of a new schedule: o Pros – more effective and efficient operation o Open staff availability for other street activities: HMA patching, spot repair of curb and sidewalk, yard waste site maintenance, and street sweeping. o Less wear and tear on equipment and decreased gas/fuel expense. o Still offering above and beyond services compared to neighboring municipalities. o Cons – there will be an initial learning curve for residents and staff members. o Difficult to change long-standing practices. o Fewer pick-ups. Allouez Village Board Meeting (August 19, 2025) Allouez Village Board Meeting (August 19, 2025) - Will get the new information into the 2026 All About Allouez magazine - Education campaign using the magazine, website, Facebook, and email list. - Will revisit the schedule in June of 2027 and will revise for 2028 if needed. - Special brush and bulk collections are available with a $200 fee. Marsch/Leiterman move to suspend the rules. Motion carried. Joan Brusky, 2568 S Webster Avenue - Concerned with the three-month gap of no brush pick-up during the summer months. - Utilizes the brush pick-up schedule throughout the year due to having a very large property with gardens and trees. - Would like the Board to re-assess. Harris/Leiterman move to pick up the rules. Motion carried. Genrich/Marsch moved to table the amendment to bulk and brush collection schedule until a future board meeting prior to October. Motion carried. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS - Creation of a Village Steering Committee regarding GBCI - Researching opportunities to use AI to streamline village operations. CONVENE INTO CLOSED SESSION Leiterman/Harris moved to convene into closed session pursuant to: Wis. Statute 19.85(1)(e), deliberating or negotiating the purchasing of public properties, the investing of public funds, or conducting other specified public business, whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session. Roll call vote: Atwood – aye, Genrich - aye, Harris - aye, Leiterman – aye, Marsch – aye, Rafter – aye Motion carried. RECONVENE INTO OPEN SESSION Rafter/Leiterman moved to reconvene into open session. Motion carried. No action taken. ADJOURNMENT Harris/Genrich moved to adjourn at 8:28 p.m. Motion carried. Minutes submitted by Kim Siudzinski, Deputy Clerk