City Council Meeting — Minutes

Common Council Minutes – August 19, 2026 Clerk’s Initials _________ CITY OF SHULLSBURG, WISCONSIN COMMON COUNCIL MINUTES AUGUST 19, 2026 A regular meeting of the Common Council of the City of Shullsburg was held August 19, 2026 in the Community Room of the Shullsburg Community Townsend Center, 190 N. Judgement Street, Shullsburg, Wisconsin. Mayor Dan Morrissey called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Notice of the meeting was posted at the Townsend Center, Shullsburg Post Office and Turpin’s Home Town Grocery. Roll Call - Duane Wedige, Emmett Reilly, Griffin Wiegel, Cheryl Mulcahy – Present; Others present- Peyton Doyle, Tyson Morrissey, Mary Ubersox, Emily Pedley Fecht, Taryn Apodaca, Peggy Steger and Janelle Schumacher. Pledge of Allegiance Approval of Minutes – Motion by Wedige second by Reilly to approve the minutes of the July 15 and July 29, 2026 Council Meetings. All aye, motion carried. Committee Reports – Nothing reported. Police Chief Report – The report was emailed and there was no further questions or comments. Approve Bills – Motion by Mulcahy second by Wiegel to approve the bills for General, Water, Sewer, Electric, Pool, Museum, Library & TIF Funds. All aye, motion carried. Resolution #2026-10 – The Council reviewed a resolution to authorize funds through the DNR Safe Drinking Water Loan program for the 2026 Infrastructure Improvement Project. Motion by Reilly second by Mulcahy to approve Resolution #2026-10 Authorizing the Issuance and Sale of up to $153,297 Water System Revenue Bonds. All aye, motion carried. Approval of DNR SDWLP Financial Assistance Agreement – The Council reviewed the financial agreement for the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program which is set to close on September 9, 2026. Motion by Reilly second by Wedige to approve the DNR SDWLP Financial Assistance Agreement for the 2026 Infrastructure Improvement Project. All aye, motion carried. Six-Oh-Ate Food Truck Festival – The Council reviewed an application for and Tyson Morrissey from Advance Shullsburg gave an overview of the upcoming event being held on Saturday, September 5, which will be the fifth year. They have 12 food trucks attending and the street will be closed beginning at 11:00am with serving starting at 3:00pm. Motion by Mulcahy second by Weigel to approve the special event application submitted by Advance Shullsburg for the Six-Oh-Ate Food Truck Festival as discussed. All aye, motion carried. Cheesefest Special Event – The Council reviewed a special event application for the 28th annual Cheesefest event to be held on October 3, 2026. Tyson Morrissey spoke on behalf of Advance Shullsburg again stating the event will be similar as in years past. Motion by Reilly second by Wedige to approve the special event application as discussed. All aye, motion carried. 2026 Swim Team Season – Taryn Apodaca approached the Council to discuss the swim team program and making some potential changes for next year. She suggested having a separate bank account in order to keep track of the funding, noting she did not know how much money was raised through the glow swim event or the concession stand, or how much money was being spent on equipment and supplies. There was discussion about the lifeguards being paid to travel to away swim meets. Apodaca noted that they tried to have four coaches attend away meets, but they could try to use just three coaches in the future. There was further discussion about lifeguards and coaches being paid for swim team and Mayor Morrissey asked for clarification about how the lifeguard/coaching hours are tracked. Morrissey was under the impression that only two coaches were being paid to run the program. Mayor Morrissey confirmed the swim team program should keep the funds they raise from fundraisers, but the lifeguard and coaching payroll needs to be discussed further. Peyton Doyle confirmed that lifeguards note on their timecards when they work for open swim or swim lessons and when they work for swim team. Mary Ubersox asked about the process for having pool staff and office staff count money before it gets deposited. Schumacher and Doyle confirmed there is a cash receipt form to be completed when cash is handled. Mulcahy asked about whether the entry fee cost should be raised, noting the Tiny Tide cost is only $25, but the younger swimmers need more coaching staff. Apodaca reported they had 84 swimmers signed up for the 2026 season. Doyle noted that swim lesson attendance was down due to the number of people enrolling kids in swim team instead of swim lessons. Mayor Morrissey requested a budget from Apodaca for Common Council Minutes – August 19, 2026 Clerk’s Initials _________ the program going into next year and said there would be further discussion about the program having a separate bank account. No action taken. Municipal Code Section 6-11(b) – The Council discussed the ordinance that allows the keeping of chickens and whether or not it should be changed. Mulcahy stated it does need to be changed due to the restriction stating that ‘No person lives or resides within 100 feet of the quarters in which animals are kept.’ Mayor Morrissey wishes to discuss with Zoning Administrator Scott Jelle before making a decision and suggested using a setback to determine where chickens can be kept compared to buildings and property lines. Peggy Steger commented on roosters being kept and shown at the fair and there was further discussion about whether roosters should be allowed or not. Emily Pedley Fecht weighed in on her experience having chickens and the ordinance in Lancaster, stating they were allowed as long as it wasn’t a nuisance. Peggy Steger also suggested removing the restriction completely about the distance chickens can be kept from a residence. No action was taken. Short Term Rental Ordinance & Permit Fee– The Council briefly discussed an ordinance that would repeal the ordinance charging a tax for short term rentals. There was brief discussion regarding changing the ordinance to define short term rentals, as well as allow for a permitting process and a permit fee. Legal counsel will weigh in on the appropriate chapter of code for an ordinance to define the short-term rentals and allow for a permit fee. Motion by Reilly second by Wedige to approve Resolution #330 to Repeal Ordinance #329. All aye, motion carried. Police Department Job Description and Hiring Process – The Council reviewed the police chief job description and discussed a potential hiring process. Mayor Morrissey directed the Police Committee to schedule a meeting to discuss whether there are any changes needed to it and present it to the Council. Reilly asked about the timeline for advertising the position and also questioned whether the intent is to fill a full-time position. There was additional discussion about the difference between hiring a police chief or a full time officer. No action taken. Clerk/Treasurer Report – Reports were emailed prior to the meeting. There were no questions. At 7:37 p.m. a motion was made by Reilly second by Wedige to adjourn. All aye, motion carried. Janelle Schumacher Clerk/Treasurer