City Council — Minutes

Common Council Minutes – February 18, 2026 Clerk’s Initials _________ CITY OF SHULLSBURG, WISCONSIN PUBLIC HEARING MINUTES FEBRUARY 18, 2026 6:30 P.M. A public hearing was held in the Community Room of the Shullsburg Community Townsend Center, 190 N. Judgement Street, Shullsburg, Wisconsin on February 18, 2026 at 6:30 PM. Those present for the public hearing are listed in the meeting minutes for the regular council meeting being held immediately following the hearing. The purpose of the hearing was to hear all interested parties regarding an application for a conditional use permit submitted by Water Street Suites LLC. The applicant is requesting a conditional use permit to convert the building located at 303 W. Water Street to residential units. Mayor Verne Jackson opened the hearing at 6:30 P.M. by asking for questions and comments from the public regarding the conditional use permit. There were no comments or questions. Mayor Jackson asked again if there were any questions or comments. There were none. Mayor Jackson asked a third time for questions and comments and being none, entertained a motion to close the public hearing. At 6:31 P.M. there was a motion by Reilly second by Mulcahy to close the public hearing. All aye, motion carried. COMMON COUNCIL MINUTES FEBRUARY 18, 2026 A regular meeting of the Common Council of the City of Shullsburg was held February 18, 2026 in the Community Room of the Shullsburg Community Townsend Center, 190 N. Judgement Street, Shullsburg, Wisconsin. Mayor Verne Jackson called the meeting to order at 6:31 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, Cheryl Mulcahy, Dan Morrissey - Present. Others present- Andy Foley, Tom Lethlean, Deb Lethlean, David Landau, Ellie Landau, Casey Fennell, Dave Timmerman, Chad Teasdale, Paul Ranum, Jason Weiskircher, Darrell Morrissey, Larry Teasdale, Pam Teasdale, Kevin Leahy, Wendy Leahy, Stephanie Leahy, Mark Doyle, John Weiskircher, Jackie Leitzinger, Mike Raso and Janelle Schumacher. Pledge of Allegiance Approval of Minutes – Motion by Wedige second by Reilly to approve the minutes of the January 21, 2026 Council Meeting. All aye, motion carried. Committee Reports – Park Committee chair commented that several items from the Park meeting were on the agenda for further discussion. Police Report – A report had been emailed, and there were no further questions. Approve Bills –Motion by Morrissey second by Wedige to approve the bills for General, Water, Sewer, Electric, Pool, Museum, Library & TIF Funds. All aye, motion carried. Public Comment – None Conditional Use Permit for 303 W. Water Street – Morrissey confirmed that abutting property owners had been notified and asked if there have been any objections. Reilly said he spoke to one person who was inquiring about the change, but wasn’t expressing an objection, just asking about it. Morrissey confirmed the potential new owners had met with the Historic Preservation Commission who had given them some suggestions. Morrissey also suggested there was help from the Main Street of America community with design help for the building. Motion by Reilly second by Morrissey to approve the Conditional Use Permit application for 303 W. Water Street. All aye, motion carried. 2026 Infrastructure Improvements – Mark Doyle, on behalf of Delta 3 Engineering, addressed the Council regarding the 2026 Infrastructure project taking place in the SE corner of Shullsburg to replace Water and Sewer mains, install curb and gutter and resurface streets. Doyle had recently met with City employees to discuss final details of the project. Doyle explained an issue with Ringold Street that would be resolved by adding curb and gutter for an additional $18,000. There was further discussion about the Common Council Minutes – February 18, 2026 Clerk’s Initials _________ corner of Ringold and Park Streets. Doyle confirmed he has discussed arrangements with Dan Webster if there needs to be any funeral processions during the dates of the project. Doyle continued by discussing the project costs, which are estimated roughly to be $1.58 million. The City has received $945,000 of CDBG grant funding, as well as funding from the DNR Safe Drinking Water program. Approximately $385,000 was awarded by the DNR as a grant, and another $255,000 awarded as a low-interest rate loan. Doyle also mentioned additional money was available from the DNR through the Clean Water Grant program, however his recommendation is for the Council to pay cash for the remaining project costs to avoid a $15,000 bond counsel, and additional interest. He recommends the Council confirm the financial standing of the Sewer utility to be able to pay for the Sewer portion of the project without taking additional funding beyond the Safe Drinking Water funds. Doyle also expects to receive $13,000 of LRIP funding to use towards the project. Doyle explained that the bid opening would likely be March 19th at 10:00 A.M. He asked if the Council would like to hold a public information meeting to answer any questions from the public about the project. He will work on scheduling that. Based on the finalized funding that had been awarded, Doyle requested approval to move forward with the proposed plans, specifications and estimates for the 2026 Infrastructure project. Motion by Reilly second by Wedige to approve the plans, specs and estimates for the 2026 Infrastructure Project as presented. All aye, motion carried. Proposed WWTF Clarifier #2 Project – Mark Doyle continued on behalf of Delta 3 Engineering explaining the City received additional DNR funding through the Clean Water Fund for adding a second clarifier to the wastewater treatment facility. Approximately $300,000 of the funding would be awarded as a grant and the additional $800,000 would be available as a low interest loan. He reminded the Council that a requirement of the DNR funding is that if a recipient takes their grant award, they must also take the loan. The Council discussed with Doyle whether the project would take place in 2026 or 2027 and given the other projects that are scheduled in 2026, it would likely be in 2027. Doyle told the Council they did not need to make a decision on the funding yet, but he would return to the March Council meeting for further discussion and a possible decision. Shullsburg School District Referendum – School Superintendent Mike Raso, and School Board President Casey Fennell, addressed the Council regarding the upcoming referendum which will be part of the April election. They discussed ways the school has been working within its means, and have cut several positions. Raso reviewed some of the reductions that had been made. He further discussed state funding and that the state will absorb 74% or more of the budget increase after the first year. Raso discussed the mill rate decrease in recent years, as well as if the referendum does not pass in April, they will have it on the ballot again in the November election. Jackson asked the public if there were any questions or comments Resolution 2026-01 Authorizing the Purchase of Property – The Council reviewed a resolution approving the purchase of previously discussed property to create a street dedicated for public use for expansion of the industrial park. Motion by Morrissey second by Reilly to approve Resolution 2026-01 Authorizing the Purchase of Property. All aye, motion carried. Resolution 2026-02 Declaring Intent to Levy Special Assessments – The Council reviewed a resolution declaring intent to levy special assessments for sidewalk improvements on the East side of the 200 block of South Judgement Street. There will be a public hearing on April 21, 2026 and proper notices will be sent to those residents affected. Motion by Reilly second by Wedige to approve resolution 2026-02. All aye, motion carried. Land Lease for Industrial Park – Motion by Morrissey second by Mulcahy to approve the land lease for 2026 to lease industrial park land out for crop use. All aye, motion carried. Museum Building Updates – Morrissey gave an update to the Council regarding a trip to visit the museum contents in early March. The restoration of the contents is primarily done and we will be looking for storage solutions until the building is rebuilt. Schumacher gave an update on potential WEDC funding for interior design of the new museum building. Motion by Reilly second by Mulcahy to accept financial assistance from the WEDC for interior design of the new museum building. All aye, motion carried. Common Council Minutes – February 18, 2026 Clerk’s Initials _________ The Council also briefly discussed a proposal from FEH design regarding interior design services for the museum, but will hold off until a comparison estimate from a second firm is available to review. Pole Yard Cold Storage – Morrissey proposed to the Council that any salvageable material from the existing museum building be moved to property owned by the Shullsburg Electric Utility and rebuilt into cold storage. Morrissey questioned whether the cost of the project would be split between the City and the Utility. The City employees have been working on taking the existing building apart. They will likely look for subcontractors to rebuild the structure as it will need new steel and rafters so the poles aren’t needed to support the building from the ground in the middle. Morrissey expects the cost of the supplies to rebuild the building to be approximately $35,000. It will have a gravel floor. Motion by Wedige second by Mulcahy to repurpose the existing Museum building materials as cold storage on Electric Utility property. All aye, motion carried. Badger Pool Rules and Policies – The Council reviewed and discussed the Pool rules and policies, specifically regarding lifeguard attire and the policy for keeping the pool open depending on numbers. Mulcahy suggested adding the required CPR training to the policies. Motion by Morrissey second by Mulcahy to update the Pool Policies to include required annual CPR training be completed. All aye, motion carried. There was additional discussion regarding the pool rules and keeping the pool open regardless of the number of participants at the pool. Motion by Morrissey second by Wedige to change policies to have no minimum number of participants required to keep the pool open and beyond that decisions are up to the managers discretion. All aye, motion carried. Park Department Truck – The Council discussed moving the old Sewer Department truck to the Park Department and then the little park truck can be sold. Motion by Reilly second by Wedige to publish a request for bids for the Park Department truck in order to sell it. All aye, motion carried. Clerk/Treasurer Report – The reports were emailed and there were no questions. Auditors will be onsite March 4-6. Election poll worker training will take place soon and there is a need for additional poll workers. Closed Session – At 7:49 p.m. a motion was made by Reilly second by Mulcahy to convene into closed session. Roll Call - Morrissey-yes, Wedige-yes, Reilly-yes, Jackson-yes, Mulcahy-yes. Motion carried. Closed Session is Pursuant to Wis. Stat 19.85 (1)(e) for the 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: Consideration of purchase of property for Industrial Park. Open Session – At 7:52 p.m. a motion was made by Wedige second by Reilly to reconvene into open session. Roll Call- Morrissey-yes, Wedige-yes, Reilly-yes, Jackson-yes, Mulcahy- yes. Motion carried. Action on Closed Session – Motion by Morrissey second by Wedige to approve the offer to purchase for property for the purpose of expanding the industrial park. All aye, motion carried. Closed Session – At 7:53 p.m. a motion was made by Reilly second by Mulcahy to convene into closed session. Roll Call - Morrissey-yes, Wedige-yes, Reilly-yes, Jackson-yes, Mulcahy-yes. Motion carried. Closed Session is Pursuant to Wis. Stat 19.85 (1)(c) for the Purpose of Considering Employment, Promotion, Compensation or Performance Evaluation Data of any Public Employee over which the Governmental Body has Jurisdiction or Exercises Responsibility- Discussion on 2026 Seasonal Employment Wages and Positions. Open Session – At 8:20 p.m. a motion was made by Wedige second by Morrissey to reconvene into open session. Roll Call- Morrissey-yes, Wedige-yes, Reilly-yes, Jackson-yes, Mulcahy- yes. Motion carried. Action on Closed Session – Motion by Morrissey second by Wedige to hire the seasonal employees as discussed in closed session. All aye, motion carried. Motion by Morrissey second by Reilly to approve the wage increases for seasonal employees as discussed. Mulcahy-yes, Reilly-yes, Wedige-abstain, Morrissey-yes, motion carried. Closed Session – At 8:22 p.m. a motion was made by Reilly second by Wedige to convene into closed session. Roll Call - Morrissey-yes, Wedige-yes, Reilly-yes, Jackson-yes, Mulcahy-yes. Closed Session is Pursuant to Wis. Stat 19.85 (1)(g) to confer with legal counsel for the governmental body who is Common Council Minutes – February 18, 2026 Clerk’s Initials _________ rendering oral or written advice concerning strategy to be adopted by the body with respect to litigation in which it is or is likely to become involved. Open Session – At 8:24 p.m. a motion was made by Reilly second by Wedige to reconvene into open session. Roll Call- Morrissey-yes, Wedige-yes, Reilly-yes, Jackson-yes, Mulcahy- yes. Motion carried. Action on Closed Session – Motion by Reilly second by Wedige to approve the settlement agreement as presented. All aye, motion carried. At 8:24 p.m. a motion was made by Morrissey second by Mulcahy to adjourn. All aye, motion carried. Janelle Schumacher Clerk/Treasurer