Village Board

EAST TROY TOWN AND VILLAGE OF EAST TROY TOWN OF TROY JOINT BOARD MINUTES January 9, 2020 Page 1 of 3 Call Meeting to Order; Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call: Chairmen Kendell called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Present: Village of East Troy – President Seager, Trustees John Alexander, Alexander Alger, Alan Boyes, Matt Johnson, Mary Nugent Town of East Troy – Chairman Joe Klarkowski and Supervisors Barbara Church and Clayton Montez Town of Troy - Chairman John Kendall, Supervisor Thomas Lorden, Kathleen Tober Excused: Trustee Fortune Renucci (Village of East Troy) Others: Administrator Clerk-Treasurer Eileen Suhm, Town of East Troy Clerk-Treasurer Kim Buchanan, Town of Troy Clerk-Treasurer Tracey Raymond, Attorney Eric Larson, and Library Director Gartman (arrived at 6:08 p.m.) Citizen Participation/Public Comment None Miscellaneous Business 1. Tri-Troy Library Discussions a. Updates and discussion regarding forming joint library and levy limits related to funding joint library Attorney Larson reviewed the question regarding the levy limit and the response he received from the Department of Revenue (DOR). Their opinion was the levy limit exception would not apply in this situation. They also think the Village may have a levy limit issue because the responsibility for the library would be transferred to the towns in part and the Village’s levy may need to be reduced accordingly. Possible solutions included raising the levy through a referendum or getting a legislative member involved and working with the DOR on this issue. There are examples of exceptions for cooperative efforts such as joint fire departments. He also discussed if the joint library is created, he believes the Towns would be relieved of the county tax. He cautioned, this should not be interpreted to state municipalities will save money. There is still a payment to the Lakeshore Library System made by the library, and he does not know what that amount will be. Attorney Larson stated in his opinion the three-year lookback provision for exemption from county tax does not apply because this would be a new entity, not an existing library. In addition, if the goal is maintaining the amount of support as previously received by the library, this would be accomplished, which is what is required by the State Statutes. Library Director Gartmann confirmed a payment is made to the Lakeshore Library System for the services they provide such as  EAST TROY TOWN AND VILLAGE OF EAST TROY TOWN OF TROY JOINT BOARD MINUTES January 9, 2020 Page 2 of 3 internet and computers. He does not believe that would be impacted by a transition to a joint library, rather it is linked to the services provided by the System. Chairmen Kendell stated he sent information to Senator Nass. Senator Nass’ concern was whether the County was willing to drop their levy limit and he planned to call the County Administrator, Dave Bretl, to determine whether the County has any concerns. This information will be forwarded to the Boards. It was discussed that the Town of Troy would not need a referendum, but the Town of East Troy would because of their population. It was also mentioned that the DOR had indicated they would be able to give a more definitive answer if there were an agreement in place for the joint entity. Attorney Larson asked for direction and consensus was to begin working on the agreement to form a joint library. He will draft the initial agreement and each municipality’s attorney will review it. Motion by Supervisor Church, second by Supervisor Montez that Attorney Larson begin to draft terms of the joint library agreement. Motion carried. Supervisor Montez suggested utilizing the Towns Association to lobby for this effort. b. Discussion and possible action regarding MOU for Potential Library Building Project Attorney Larson’s review of the MOU indicated the governing bodies are not ready to enter into an agreement like this. There is not an entity to enter into the agreement so it cannot be named as a party to a contract. He was also concerned some of the details were not specific enough. He offered the option of redrafting the MOU into a statement of intent that would be nonbinding and each of the Boards could approve and sign separately. Items discussed included a development agreement incorporating plans, parties to the agreements, numbers, the cost of running utilities, the value of the parcel, the cost of a new library and whether the Boards are ready to commit to that cost. 2. Update Regarding Multi-Use Recreational Trail Chairmen Klarkowski distributed a MOU for the multi-use recreational trail. He reported the application has been submitted for the multimodal grant and it would be beneficial for a potential grant to have a MOU. He would like the governing bodies to review the MOU within the next week and provide him with any necessary commentary.  EAST TROY TOWN AND VILLAGE OF EAST TROY TOWN OF TROY JOINT BOARD MINUTES January 9, 2020 Page 3 of 3 Motion by Supervisor Church, second by Supervisor Montez to authorize Chairman Klarkowski to obtain the signatures needed for the preliminary memorandum of understanding. Motion carried. (voting by Town of East Troy and Village of East Troy) 3. Recommendations for future agendas • President Seager discussed concerns he has heard regarding the speeds on Townline Road. He suggested the Boards discuss the sections from Highway 20 to Highway ES and from Highway ES to Troy Hills Estates at a future meeting. • Supervisor Church stated the school district would like the Boards to consider a presentation to express their concerns regarding development. She was directed to coordinate setting up a presentation. • Multi-Recreational Trail The next meeting date was scheduled for March 19 at 6:00 p.m. Adjourn Motion by Chairman Kendell, second by Trustee Alger, to adjourn at 6:58 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Eileen Suhm, Administrator Clerk-Treasurer