Kettle Moraine Fire Board — Minutes

KETTLE MORAINE FIRE BOARD MEETING MINUTES Approved December 18, 2025 Call to Order: President C. Mommaerts called the meeting to order at 6:30pm on December 18, 2025, at the North Prairie Municipal Building at 130 N. Harrison St, North Prairie, WI. Roll Call: C. Mommaerts, J. Davis, G. Planning, R. Spurrell, C. Wood, and D. Miresse were all present. B. James was excused. Pledge of Allegiance: C. Mommaerts led the Pledge of Allegiance. Announcement of possible closed session pursuant to WI State Statute §19.85(1)(c) for considering employment, promotion, compensation, or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the government body has jurisdiction or exercise responsibility- Primarily to conduct performance evaluation of the Fire Chief and Administrative Assistant and WI State Statute §19.85(1)(f) for preliminary consideration of specific personnel problems or the investigation of charges against specific persons, if discussed in public, would be likely to have a substantial adverse effect upon the reputation of any person referred to or involved in such problems: C. Mommaerts made an announcement of possible closed session pursuant to WI State Statute §19.85(1)(c) for considering employment, promotion, compensation, or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the government body has jurisdiction or exercise responsibility- Primarily to conduct performance evaluation of the Fire Chief and Administrative Assistant and WI State Statute §19.85(1)(f) for preliminary consideration of specific personnel problems or the investigation of charges against specific persons, if discussed in public, would be likely to have a substantial adverse effect upon the reputation of any person referred to or involved in such problems. Discussion/action as necessary to approve minutes from November 20, 2025: R. Spurrell noted a correction under discussion regarding district funding options, implanting fire fees should read implementing fire fees. Motion by C. Wood to approve with the noted correction. Motion seconded by J. Davis. No further discussion. All in favor. Motion carried. Citizen comments/concerns: Art Rydzik, 115 N Harrison St, North Prairie. Art requested if members reach out to any fire board, village or town board members, they should just take in the information, refrain from sharing more information than they should and ensure the concerns are directed to the proper individuals. Discussion/action as necessary to approve the financial report and monthly account payables: J. Davis inquired about check #2254 for approximately $9000 related to Ambo 33 body shop repairs and was wondering if we had insurance to cover this bill. Chief Nottling confirmed insurance reimbursement was received, with the district only paying the difference. C. Cliffgard noted the insurance check was $8,076.37. Motion by J. Davis to approve the financial report and the monthly account payables as presented. Motion seconded by D. Miresse. No further discussion. All in favor. Motion carried. Report from Administrative Assistant: C. Cliffgard mentioned following last month’s meeting she reached out to EMS regarding what their time frame is for an account to be sent to collections. They responded that after the insurance payment, and two unpaid statement cycles with each being about 30-45 days, the account will be sent to collections. C. Cliffgard also mentioned two insurance claim checks were deposited into A40605, a payment in the amount of $34,141.54 for the 2026 State Funding EMS Assistance Program was received and QuickBooks will resume charging a monthly per employee fee beginning in April. R. Spurrell asked what those charges would be, C. Cliffgard stated she will provide the specific amounts at the next meeting. 1. Audit update for KMFD: No update has been received from Baker Tilly regarding the audit start date. Discussion regarding concern of former North Prairie Fire Department Auxiliary member: C. Wood requested this to be put on the agenda. He was contacted by his neighbor who had received the letter from Chief Nottling regarding the auxiliary being dissolved. C. Wood stated he has already discussed the matter with the Fire Chief and believes it’s being handled appropriately. C. Nottling commented that for a point of reference it states former employer, no one was dismissed from the Kettle Moraine Fire District. C. Nottling has since had conversations with a few of the auxiliary staff and talked with them about staying on as a support staff role. Discussion regarding exit interviews: C. Mommaerts distributed to the fire board a sample of exit interview questions and an SOP from another community which can be modified if needed and is looking for guidance and feedback. She suggested that exit interviews be conducted by a neutral party, possibly a fire commissioner. Chief Nottling mentioned he would personally caution on choosing a Fire Commissioner and suggested the possibility of having a municipal clerk conduct the exit interview as they would be a neutral party. A motion was initially made to table this discussion to next month’s meeting; R. Spurrell mentioned no motion can be made when there is no action listed. Discussion only. Chief’s Monthly Report: Chief Nottling summarized his written report. He stated that as of December 17th we are at 550 calls, all three ambulances passed their inspections the first time due to the amazing teamwork by our staff, non-destructive training is continuing at the structure on Wilton Road, the department started the new weekend staffing model, we have interviewed several new employees and he is still working with Lexipol and Motorola on the AFG grant for new radios. Chief Nottling mentioned an initial training was held on December 8th for the new NERIS system (National Emergency Response Information System) used for incident reporting and will continue to work through the process for the rest of the year as it goes live on January 1st. He has received several questions regarding the clearing of snow around fire hydrants and would like to encourage the villages to create an ordinance that covers this topic. Lastly, he mentioned he suffered a knee injury and will not be able to respond to calls until he is cleared for duty, but he will maintain office hours and focus on administrative duties. Motion to enter closed session pursuant to WI State Statute §19.85(1)(c) for considering employment, promotion, compensation, or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the government body has jurisdiction or exercise responsibility- Primarily to conduct performance evaluation for the Administrative Assistant and WI State Statute §19.85(1)(f) for preliminary consideration of specific personnel problems or the investigation of charges against specific persons, if discussed in public, would be likely to have a substantial adverse effect upon the reputation of any person referred to or involved in such problems: C. Cliffgard noted that the Fire Chief was omitted from the agenda motion. R. Spurrell asked if C. Mommaerts made the motion or just reading it, and she replied reading the motion. Motion by R. Spurrell for paragraph (C), specifically for evaluation and compensation discussions about the Fire Chief and the Administrative Assistant as stated in the announcement and (F) for personnel issues if discussed in public, would be likely to have a substantial adverse effect upon the reputation of any person referred to or involved in such problems. R. Spurrell stated the Fire Chief was not in the motion but was mentioned in the announcement. Motion seconded by D. Miresse. Roll Call Vote: C. Mommaerts - Yes, J. Davis - Yes, G. Planning - Yes, R. Spurrell - Yes, C. Wood - Yes, D. Miresse - Yes Closed session: Closed session at 7:07pm Motion to reconvene into open session: Motion by C. Wood to reconvene into open session. Motion seconded by G. Planning. No further discussion. All in favor. Motion carried. Open session: Open session at 8:52pm Discussion/action as necessary regarding any closed session item if needed: Motion by R. Spurrell that Chris Cliffgard’s hourly rate increases by $2.00 an hour and Dan’s salary increases by 3%. Motion seconded by D. Miresse. No further discussion. All in favor. Motion carried. Upcoming Meeting: The next regular Fire Board meeting is Thursday January 22, 2026, at 6:30pm at the Eagle Municipal Building. Motion to Adjourn: Motion by R. Spurrell to adjourn. Motion seconded by J. Davis. All in favor. Motion carried. C. Mommaerts adjourned the meeting at 8:54pm