Public Safety Committee Meeting — Agenda Packet

VILLAGE OF MOUNT HOREB E. Main Street Mount Horeb, WI 53572 Phone: (608) 437-6884 Fax: (608) 437-3190 Email: mhinfo@mounthorebwi.info Web: mounthorebwi.info PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA Monday, July 20, 2026 at 6:00 PM Municipal Building Board Room 138 E. Main Street Mount Horeb, WI 1) Call to order a. Consideration of May 18, 2026 Meeting Minutes 2) Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items* 3) Police Chief Report a. Introduction of Gabe Altenbernd - New Village Administrator b. Staffing Update c. K9 Update 4) Agenda Items a. Follow Up on Second Street at Park Street Stop Sign b. Main Street and Washington Street c. Electric Bicycle and Scooter Continued Discussion d. Police Department Budget Requests 5) Future agenda items 6) Meeting adjournment. *Public Comment Policy Members of the public are invited to speak at meetings of all Mount Horeb Public Bodies. To comment, please complete a Public Comment Form at the Meeting Room entrance and submit it to staff before the meeting begins. Comments are limited to three minutes, must be made from the podium, and the speaker must return to the audience after speaking. • Non-agenda item comments are heard at the start of the meeting. Public Body members and staff will not engage in discussion during public comment but may consider topics for future agendas. • Agenda item comments are heard during the relevant item, after the proposers or staff present the item and before Public Body discussion. All public comments on the item will be heard before any discussion by the Public Body. Members of the public will only be allowed to speak outside these public comment times if they are invited by the meeting chair to share additional information requested by the Public Body. If so invited to speak, the member of the public must do so from the podium. Written comments are also welcome. Written comments shall include the name and address of the submitter and should be submitted to the Deputy Treasurer/Governance Coordinator by email at niki.erickson@mounthorebwi.info (subject line: Page 1 of 15 Public Comment Request-Name of Public Body) or delivered by to the Village at: 138 E Main Street, Mount Horeb WI, 53572, ATTN Public Comment Request-Name of Public Body. UPON REASONABLE NOTICE, EFFORTS WILL BE MADE TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEEDS OF DISABLED INDIVIDUALS THROUGH APPROPRIATE AIDS AND SERVICES. FOR INFORMATION OR TO REQUEST THIS SERVICE, CONTACT ALYSSA GAFFNEY, CLERK, AT 138 E MAIN STREET, MOUNT HOREB, WI (608) 437-9404. Page 2 of 15 Village of Mount Horeb 138 E Main St Mount Horeb, WI 53572 Phone (608) 437-6884/Fax (608) 437-3190 Email: mhinfo@mounthorebwi.info Website: www.mounthorebwi.info Public Safety Committee Minutes May 18, 2026 1) Call to order Sara Best, Nate Gauger, Mike McNall, Susan LeGrand-Levine, Interim Village Administrator Jon Hochkammer, and Chief of Police Doug Vierck. Ben Jones was excused. a. Consideration of March 16, 2026 Meeting Minutes Motion to Approve by Gauger, second by McNall – All Approved 2) Public Comments – non-agenda items – None 3) Police Chief Report Updated on Department Training, Emergency Operations Plans, and Community Engagement. Chief Vierck requested support to attend the FBI National Academy. McNall moved and seconded by Gauger. All approved. 4) Agenda Items a. Staff Presentation on Governance and Professional Standards Training. Only one member had not seen the presentation. Interim Administrator Hochkammer made arrangements for them to see the presentation at a later time. b. Stop Sign on Second Street at Park Street Went over the requirements for a stop sign. Looked at the intersection. Will follow up with traffic data at a later date. c. Pedestrian Safety 1. Sidewalk Circulation Plan Aaron Thomas spoke regarding the area around Waltz Park and sidewalks, parking issues, and vehicles speeding. 2. Follow Up on Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Plan Page 3 of 15 Scott Roethle and Tim White spoke regarding the plan. A request was made to forward to the Sustainability and Natural Resources Committee. McNall moved for the recommendation and forward. Gauger seconded. All approved. 5) Future Agenda Items Second Street and Park Street – Crash and Speed Data Pedestrian Safety / Sidewalks at Jefferson and 8th Street 6) Meeting adjournment. Gauger Moves for adjournment. LeGrand-Levine seconds. All Approve Page 4 of 15 AGENDA ITEM REPORT MEETING DATE PREPARED BY July 20, 2026 AGENDA ITEM # 3.a Introduction of Gabe Altenbernd - New Village Administrator BACKGROUND RECOMMENDATION ATTACHMENTS None Page 5 of 15 AGENDA ITEM REPORT MEETING DATE PREPARED BY July 20, 2026 AGENDA ITEM # 4.a Follow Up on Second Street at Park Street Stop Sign BACKGROUND Last meeting we discussed the area and the requirements for a stop sign. We will look at some traffic count data and crash data for the area to further discuss the intersection. RECOMMENDATION ATTACHMENTS None Page 6 of 15 AGENDA ITEM REPORT MEETING DATE PREPARED BY July 20, 2026 AGENDA ITEM # 4.b Main Street and Washington Street BACKGROUND A resident called to discuss this intersection. They said it is almost impossible to safely turn east (left) onto Main Street when heading south on Washington. The resident specifically stated before and after school times as the worst, but wanted the intersection looked at to see if there were ways to make turning easier. Part of the issue is due to large vehicles parking on the corner. RECOMMENDATION ATTACHMENTS None Page 7 of 15 AGENDA ITEM REPORT MEETING DATE PREPARED BY July 20, 2026 AGENDA ITEM # 4.c Electric Bicycle and Scooter Continued Discussion BACKGROUND This will give an update on what has been done to date, what is still planned for the future, and discuss ordinance possibilities as well as safety concerns. RECOMMENDATION ATTACHMENTS None Page 8 of 15 AGENDA ITEM REPORT MEETING DATE PREPARED BY July 20, 2026 AGENDA ITEM # 4.d Police Department Budget Requests BACKGROUND RECOMMENDATION ATTACHMENTS 1. Police Department 2027 - 2031 Capital Budget Plan 2. 2027 Budget Requests Mount Horeb Police Department Page 9 of 15 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 Expense Other Revenue Levy/Rate Expense Other Revenue Levy/Rate Expense Other Revenue Levy/Rate Expense Other Revenue Levy/Rate Expense Other Revenue Levy/Rate New Police Vehicle 83,000 5,000 78,000 83,000 5,000 78,000 83,000 5,000 78,000 84,000 5,000 79,000 84,000 5,000 79,000 Computers (3) 5,000 0 5,000 5,000 0 5,000 5,000 0 5,000 5,000 0 5,000 5,000 0 5,000 AEDs (3) 0 0 0 6,000 0 6,000 6,000 0 6,000 6,000 0 6,000 6,000 0 6,000 Taser Upgrade 11,986 0 11,986 11,986 0 11,986 11,986 0 11,986 13,986 0 13,986 13,986 0 13,986 Drone 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 K-9 5,000 0 5,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Police Total 104,986 5,000 99,986 105,986 5,000 1000,986 105,986 5,000 100,986 106,986 5,000 101,986 106,986 5,000 101,986 Page 10 of 15 Mount Horeb Police Department 2027 Budget Request Page 11 of 15 New Squad Car 400-521000-810 Capital Equipment $83,000 (No Increase from 2025) One (1) Ford Squad Car (SUV) at a cost of $83,000. (Including install, new computer, hardware, lights, cages, etc.) These costs, as well as set up fees, equipment, and installation fees (approximately $37,500 on top of squad purchase price) are all included in the funding request. We will sell the oldest squad car to reduce some of this cost. This is estimated to be between $4,000 and $8,000 for auction. Sergeant Position (Promotion – No Added Staff) 100-521200-111 (wages), 100-521200-131 (health), 100-521200-132 (dental), 100-521200-133 (life), 100-521200-135 (retirement), 100-521200-136 (FICA), 100-521200-345 (clothing allowance) $5,429to $13,437 for wages $2,606 to $6,450 for Benefits $8,035 to $19,987 Total Costs The range of costs listed above is because the officer promoted will determine the increase to the budget. The officer’s current wage rate will determine the impacted increase to the budget. These numbers are based on the 2027 WPPA CBA rates and an estimated 2.5% Cost of Living Increase. Part of the plan for 2024 was to add a third sergeant position. That would give a supervisor for each shift. Currently, the lieutenant is the dayshift supervisor and also serves as an administrative position, working on overseeing several projects and programs. Having a dayshift sergeant would allow for better employee evaluation and mentoring and allow the lieutenant to better focus on the administrative side to keep us moving forward, such as overseeing our training programs, supervising the school resource officer and investigative division, and managing evidence. Page 12 of 15 Due to the age of our agency and current staffing, we were not ready to create this sergeant’s position in 2024. We added the officer position in 2025 with the intention of promoting a sergeant in 2027. The sergeant position was estimated to cost $15-17,000 in annual costs with benefits in 2024. Due to wage progressions, the estimated cost is likely to be slightly lower overall. In a comparison of local, similarly sized agencies, all agencies except Mount Horeb have at least 3 sergeants with at least 1 lieutenant and 1 chief. Adding this sergeant position would make us competitive with other surrounding agencies and also better distribute the workload of the agency (scheduling, analysis of crime/traffic patterns, directed deployments, training, evidence, etc.). Agency Organization in Dane County Population Total Sworn Chief Assistant Chief Captain Lieutenant Sergeant Patrol Sworn per 1,000 McFarland 9,737 18 1 0 0 1 3 13 1.84 Verona 16,796 27 1 0 0 1 3 22 1.31 DeForest 13,101 23 1 0 1 1 4 16 1.22 Cottage Grove 9,470 21 1 0 0 1 3 16 1.68 Monona 9,084 22 1 1 0 1 3 16 1.76 Oregon 12,441 21 1 0 0 2 3 15 1.2 Mount Horeb 7,967 17 1 0 0 1 2 13 2.13 Training 100-521100-335 Police Administration Training budget $9,000 (No Increase, just included to highlight a few areas of the budget) Leadership is a perishable skill that needs continuous work and learning to stay current in methods and techniques. This requires additional leadership and management training. Trainings include First line leadership training ($300 per student), Leadership in Police Organizations (LPO) a top-level statewide leadership course ($625 per student), FBI LEEDA Courses ($795 per student), Command College ($2,000 per student), and Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command ($4,000 per student), and other trainings as they come up. Our goal has been to promote a culture of learning. This means we want our supervisors to continue learning and we want patrol staff to grow to become the next leaders of Page 13 of 15 the agency. The administrative training budget allows for leadership specific training, while not taking away from training for patrol officers. Radios 100-521200-810 Police Patrol Equipment $12,500 (No Increase, just included to highlight a few areas of the budget) In 2025, we were notified that radio changes were occurring across the state. This means we need to work to upgrade our radios over the next couple years. The upgraded radios are more expensive. In 2025, we upgraded the radios scheduled for that year because the ones we needed were on sale. The discount has been extended through March 2027. We have a total of 17 radios that are used for patrol. We have upgraded 8 of them so far. The process to upgrade all of them will take another 3 years. Mental Health Wellness Checks 100-521200-390 / 100-521100-390 Miscellaneous Expenditures $4,495 (No change, just included to highlight a few areas of the budget) Losing staff is expensive in general. Even if we are not losing staff, we are going to see loss in productivity due to mental health concerns. The push for Wellness checks is for preventative maintenance BEFORE trauma happens for resiliency and retention. Rather than being responsive after the fact. Taser Contractual Payment 100-521000-810 Capital Equipment $11,986 (No Increase, just included to highlight a few areas of the budget) We purchased the new tasers in 2024. There is a five-year payment plan of $11,986 which covers the cost of the tasers, VR software and hardware, as well as batteries, cartridges, warranty, and support. The final payment of the five-year plan would be in 2029. The 2030 and 2031 costs were increased by 10% to Page 14 of 15 anticipate a higher payment for the next five-year cycle. The company will not defend the use of the devices outside of the cycle, so we will have to upgrade and/or replace them in that next cycle. We will check the costs as it gets closer and upgrade accordingly. Computers 100-521000-810 Capital Equipment $5,000 (No Increase, just included to highlight a few areas of the budget) Three (3) desktop computers. There are four computers that are 5 years old or older (these are now the original computers from when we moved, the upgrade is almost complete). These computers are all outdated and having trouble running software needed for law enforcement functions. We are almost complete with our phased in plan where computers will be replaced on a five-year cycle to reduce the annual computer cost and improve efficiency and planning. Each computer will cost $1285 and the remainder will go toward installation. Page 15 of 15