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A REGULAR VILLAGE BOARD MEETING A regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of Whitefish Bay was held in-person September 21, 2026. Pursuant to law, written notice of this meeting was given to the press and posted on public bulletin boards. I. Call to Order and Roll Call President Buckley called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. Present: Trustees Dettmann, Haller, Saunders, Serebin, Vanevenhoven and President Buckley Absent: Trustee Kasper Also Present: Village Manager – Kelsey McElroy-Anderson Assistant Village Manager – Anna Christopherson Police Chief – Patrick Whitaker Library Director – Nyama Reed Director of Building Services – Joel Oestreich Finance Director/Clerk – Jaimie Krueger Deputy Clerk – Erin Granstrom II. Consent Agenda It was moved by Trustee Haller, seconded by Trustee Serebin, to approve the consent agenda as presented. Motion carried 6-0. 1. Minutes of the regular meeting held on August 31, 2026. 2. Check Register for August, 2026. 3. Operator licenses for Sendik’s Food Market. 4. Craig Counsell Park Improvements. 5. Contract with Native Range Ecological for Buckley Park Stormwater Improvements. 6. Proposed changes to permitted, conditional, and prohibited uses and other standards in District 11 (Silver Spring Drive Business District). III. Report of the Village Officers 1. Village Attorney – Excused. 2. Village Manager – No Report. 3. Village President – Mentioned the passing of John Bolger who has volunteered in many ways in the Village. 4. Miscellaneous Trustee –The Bike Rodeo has become a great tradition and was successful event. It is an exciting week as the new Sendik’s opening this week. The infrastructure improvements that have been complete as well as the upcoming improvements were mentioned. IV. Petitions and Communications No Petitions or Communications received. V. General Business 1. Discussion/action on Resolution No. 3205 – Recognizing Tom Fehring’s Service to the Village of Whitefish Bay. President Buckley read Resolution No. 3205 aloud. President Buckley shared his personal experiences of serving the community with Mr. Fehring. It was moved by President Buckley, seconded by Trustee Serebin that the Village Board adopt Resolution No. 3205 – Recognizing Tom Fehring’s Service to the Village of Whitefish Bay. Motion carried 6-0. Mr. Fehring shared gratitude for the acknowledgement and shared his love for his work on the Historic Preservation Commission. It was mentioned that Mr. Fehring also wrote several books on the history of Whitefish Bay. 2. Discussion/action on design concepts for the Klode Warming House. Village Manager, Kelsey McElroy-Anderson, summarized previous discussions on this topic and stated the feedback that staff is seeking this evening. Peter Damsgaard, with Groth Design Group, first inquired on the darker or lighter finishes with the Village Board preferring brick and darker finishes with some trustees preferring a lighter brick than in the rendering. The Board’s preference on orientation of the pavilion described is the doglegged location over being in line with the pavilion or on the west side of the field. The family restroom was described since it was added resulting from the last discussion, with board in favor of the updated design. A grander pavilion, if a donor came forward, was presented with staff inquiring if it should be included in the bidding process and if the location would change the preferred placement. The board showed preference of the doglegged positioning and grander pavilion included if a donor comes forward. Laura Gleason (5524 N. Berkeley Blvd.) inquired about the pavilion being attached to the warming house. Discussions on this topic from previous meeting were provided to Ms. Gleason. Ellie Nill (5555 N. Shoreland Ave.) expressed her thoughts on color of the warming house. Ms. Nil shared concerns with a larger stage and mentioned that we should be targeting to accommodate what we currently have at the park. 3. Discussion/action on parking meters in District 11 an employee permit parking. Village Manager, McElroy-Anderson, stated that there were many emails received on this topic which were shared with board members. Background on the development of this agenda item was presented. Changes that would take place as of October 1, 2026, were described and it was stated that 30 of the 80 meters are currently not functioning. Park Mobile contacted the Village today and the meters that are currently working could be maintained by Park Mobile. The recommendation from the Business Improvement District was described and discussed. It was suggested to sign the meters that they cannot accept coins and are app only meters. Due to changes occurring in the business district, it was suggested to wait to see how parking is impacted. It was mentioned that parking enforcement would require a device to check if the meter has been paid. Inquiring what the City of Milwaukee is doing to address this situation to align with similar system was recommended. It was suggested to bag the meters with the cover stating payment is on the app only with QR code. Overall, the Board was in support of removing meters, but if meters were to be used in the future a Kiosk style system was preferred. The length of a stopgap option being in place was discussed. The system that the Village of Shorewood has was described and the cost for that option was mentioned. The board came to a consensus that a 6 month trial period would commence after Silver Spring is open in both directions and the new stop light is operational, mentioning start date of January 1, 2027. When changes occur, it was suggested to mail letters to residents on the 5500 blocks. Current employee permit parking was described, including the number of permits currently issued noting the length of the permits. There was mention of changing the permits to a sticker possibly rather than rear-view mirror hanger. Staff also reviewed the Business Improvement District's (BID) proposal to allow employees with permits to park for up to 10 hours on the southbound side of designated side streets, with a potential 60-day trial. Board members discussed concerns regarding residential impacts, driveway access, snow removal, enforcement, and the actual number of employees needing parking. The Board also discussed directing employees to unrestricted parking on the 5400 blocks and improving employee parking maps and communication. The possibility of charging for employee permits was also raised as a way to encourage employees to park farther from the business district. Further consideration will be given to these options before any changes are implemented. Tom Dixon (5573 N Kent Ave) is a business owner of two buildings on Silver Spring. Stated that issue is not employee parking but rather customers. It is on the business owner to tell employees not to take spaces from customers. Solving the issue will take business and the Village working together. Mr. Dixon stated he supports eliminating the meters long-term but does not support 10-hour employee on the 5500 blocks. Rohita Shah (owner of Mathnasium 5500 block of Diversey/Santa Monica) stated that there is a need to find spaces for the employees to park. Ms. Shah stated currently her staff often park on Birch Ave. or the 5500 block of a side street. Demographic of employees were described and safety concerns with lighting and uneven sidewalks were mentioned. Tom Harris (Great Frame Up 505) stated that the biggest problem is the parking meters. Stated businesses should not allow employees to park on Silver Spring. He supports more parking on side streets since employees have to go back to cars frequently. Cost of employee parking passes was discussed. The board agreed upon having long-term parking on the 5500 block is not desired, employees can be directed to the 5400 blocks, and there was overall support to remove meters in the long-term. There was not a desire to add restrictions to the 5400 blocks, however, there was concern for employees walking after dark. Parking permits with the sticker system was further discussed. Steve Bucaro (owner of Elements Salon) provided numbers of employees and clientele stating he tells employees to not use parking areas that customers park. A solution is needed as the problem is not going away. Lexie Deblitz (Executive Director of the Business Improvement District) thanked staff for asking the BID’s opinion. When businesses in the district were surveyed employee parking continued to be the largest concern of business owners. Constraints with school zones to the north were mentioned and it was noted that an alternative location for employee parking is needed. As a resident (6249 N. Lydell Ave.), Ms. Deblitz stated that she resides in an area that also has large influxes of parking and experiences issues similarly to the concerns brought forward by residents on this topic. The maximum impact on employee parking would be during the typical business hours, possibly when residents would be at work, the number of employees needing parking in addition to the 10-hour lot behind the Fox Bay Building was detailed. It was estimated to be 50 to 60 additional employees needing parking. There was commentary that many employees are in and out to meetings as they are not retail businesses. The board summarized tonight’s discussion as maintaining meters on Silver Spring until after Sendik’s is open a couple of months. During this time, the BID will further assess employee parking needs and explore alternatives, including potential adjustments to Beaumont lot hours. Staff will determine appropriate signage and educational materials for the meters. The Board also discussed longer-term parking options, including additional on- and off-street spaces and potential changes to parking requirements for future developments. No changes will be made to parking on the 5400 or 5500 blocks at this time. Elizabeth Lentini (5525 N. Hollywood Ave.) strongly recommends getting information on employee parking and encouraged education of the option to park in the 5400 blocks without restriction. Carl Biancuzzo (5536 N. Berkeley Blvd.) emailed about the topic earlier today but stated that he would like to see more restaurants or other businesses other than a bank. It was suggested to use the lot at Silver Spring and Lydell for a parking structure, however, that parcel is privately owned. Sherry Johnston (450 E. Beaumont Ave.) asked the board not to forget Beaumont Ave when considering parking. Stated that contractors have to park several blocks away. Tom Gleason (5524 N. Berkeley Blvd.) expressed gratitude to residents and businesses that contributed to this discussion. Residents want a thriving community but think that employee parking is the issue for residents on the 5500 blocks near the District. Pamela Eversfield (5555 N. Diversey Blvd.) expressed concern that employee parking needs should be addressed without reducing parking availability for customers. She noted that parking near the business district is frequently occupied by shoppers and customers and emphasized the importance of maintaining convenient customer parking to support local businesses. Charging for employee parking is reasonable. Laura Gleason (5524 N. Berkeley Blvd.) feels the build outs of the second and third floor businesses are creating stress on parking. Business owners have responsibility to provide parking passes for employees. 4. Discussion/action on recommendations from the employee benefits committee. Village Manager McElroy-Ander provided background on the development of this agenda item. Assistant Village Manager, Anna Christopherson, and Finance Director, Jaimie Krueger, presented information from the employee work group meetings. Employee recognition and adding Juneteenth as a holiday were low-cost items. Summer hours and DPW no lunch were also mentioned. Adding holiday pay within the first 30 Day of hire was proposed. EAB/Wellness Check-in was discussed. Medium cost employee recognition and lateral transfer benefits were described. Starting vacation proposal was detailed along with the challenges the current system has presented were mentioned. Adjusting the current steps in vacation time was presented. Conducting a comprehensive wage study was recommended. Village Board supports employee recognition low and medium cost and Juneteenth as a regular holiday with the addition of New Year’s Eve as a holiday rather than a floating holiday. Summer hours and DPW no lunch were discussed with support from the Board. Holiday pay within 30 days of hire was also supported by the Board. EAP/Wellness Check-In was discussed in detailed and agreed upon. Lateral transfer benefits recommendations and adjustments for current employees were supported. Carry-over with restrictions was discussed. Comprehensive Wage Study was discussed in detail with the Board preferring to wait to conduct a comprehensive wage study. 5. The Board may convene into Closed Session pursuant to Wisconsin State Statute 19.85 (1)(e) deliberating or negotiating the purchase of public property, investing of public funds, conducting other specified business whenever competitive and/or bargaining reasons require a closed session – specifically regarding contract negotiations with the Police Union. It was moved by Trustee Serebin, seconded by Trustee Saunders, that the Village Board convene into closed session pursuant to Wisconsin State Statute 19.85(1)(e) deliberating or negotiating the purchase of public property, investing of public funds, conducting other specified business whenever competitive and/or bargaining reasons require a closed session – specifically regarding contract negations with the Police Union. Motion carried 6-0 at 9:32 p.m. 6. The Board may reconvene into open session. The board reserves the right to take action on any topic discussed in Closed Session. It was moved by Trustee Serebin, seconded by Trustee Saunders that the Village Board reconvene into open session. Motion carried 6-0 at 9:53 p.m. 7. Adjourn There being no further business, it was moved by Trustee Saunders seconded by Trustee Dettmann to adjourn the meeting at 9:54 p.m. Motion carried 6-0.