Village Board Meeting

VILLAGE BOARD MEETING MINUTES June 10, 2024 at 6:00 PM Kronenwetter Municipal Center - 1582 Kronenwetter Drive Board Room (Lower Level) 1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER President Chris Voll called the m meeting to order at 6:00 PM. A. Pledge of Allegiance Those in attendance recited the Pledge of Allegiance. B. Roll Call PRESENT Village President Chris Voll Trustee Alex Vedvik Trustee Chris Eiden Trustee Kelly Coyle - entered meeting at 6:06 PM Trustee Aaron Myszka Trustee Cindy Buchkowski-Hoffmann Trustee Ken Charneski STAFF PRESENT Administrator; Peter Kampfer Community Development Director; Pete Wegner Village Clerk; Bobbi Birk-LaBarge Finance Director; Lisa Kerstner Chief of Police; Terry McHugh Fire Chief; Theresa O'Brien 2. ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLOSED SESSION President Voll announced a closed session later in the agenda. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT Please be advised per State Statute Section 19.84(2), information will be received from the public. It is the policy of this Village that Public Comment will take no longer than 15 minutes with a three-minute time period, per person, with time extension per the Chief Presiding Officer’s discretion. Be further advised that there may be limited discussion on the information received, however, no action will be taken under public comments. President Voll announced this would be the last meeting minutes could be relinquished to others giving public comment. Guy Fredel - 2240 Ruby Drive Kronenwetter - Emailed the Clerk requesting her to read out loud his concerns over a resolution on the agenda for the appointment of the Village Clerk and Treasurer together, citing a "severe" conflict of interest on the clerk's part for drafting a resolution for her re-appointment. Fredel believes Clerk Birk-LaBarge's actions constitute misconduct in office benefiting her "substantial financial benefit" and has requested management place a formal letter of reprimand be placed in Clerk Birk-LaBarge's personnel file.  Bernie Kramer - 2150 E. State Highway 153 Peplin - Expressed concerns over budget deficits and the decision to replace Riverside's ambulance service with a startup service directly through the Village of Kronenwetter. Joel Straub - 860 W. Nelson Road - Raised issues concerning a roadway access permit and challenged the legality of the permit issuance process, insinuating possible complicity of village officials. Straub announced he handed out a copy of the Roadway Access Permit he was referring to. David Baker - 690 Happy Hollow Road Kronenwetter - Criticized the poor administration and actions of Village Clerk Bobbi Birk-LaBarge and the way she ran and handled recent village elections and highlighted issues he believes need rectification. Baker stated he would be filing complaints with the Wisconsin Elections Commission against Clerk Birk-LaBarge. Faye Buchberger - 824 W. Nelson Road Kronenwetter - Highlighted inappropriate behavior and disrespect within the board meetings, asking the board to consider violations of the employee handbook in decisions concerning Village Clerk Bobbi Birk-LaBarge. Tim Shaw - 1225 Autumn Road - Criticized baseless accusations directed at Trustee Charneski and questioned the handling of complaints by previous administrators. Shaw criticized Account Clerk Sarah Fisher and Village Clerk Bobbi Birk-LaBarge citing numerous lies in their May 13, 2024, staff comments. Minutes were relinquished to Tim Shaw by Faye Buchberger and Patricia Kramer. 4. REPORTS FROM STAFF AND VENDORS C. Administrator's Report New administrator, Peter Kampfer, introduced himself, outlining his background in Marathon County and previous work in various states. Kampfer presented a PowerPoint on stakeholder value and emphasized the need for strategic planning including the initiation of public surveys to gather stakeholder feedback. Administrator Kampfer also handed out a survey reflecting similarity to one he would like to send out to residents of the community for feedback. D. Police Chief Report Police Chief McHugh mentioned the department would soon receive one of their two new squad cars back from being "fitted and detailed." McHugh commented on their internal workload management with one officer on light-duty. Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann requests an explanation of service miscellaneous calls in his report for a better understanding. Chief McHugh explains those are various calls for various reasons including ordinance violations, noise complaints, nuisance property calls, etc. E. Fire Chief Report Fire Chief Theresa O'Brien explains the reported service statistics for the year and the influx of new applicants. O'Brien also discussed the profitable sale of an old fire truck at auction. O'Brien explains the department had 13 applicants apply for employment with the Fire Department. F. Community Development Director Report Community Development Director Pete Wegner has seen an increase in property maintenance complaints and indicated delays in the floodplain ordinance completion he has been working on due to a lack of communication from the DNR. Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffman asks if personnel from the village are "keeping an eye on" property damage that Michaels has been doing while installing fiber optic cables. G. Treasurer’s Report Finance Director Lisa Kerstner provided updates on several projects, including the deadlines for the well number 2 treatment and ADA doors. She also highlighted aspects of the check register, credits, and payroll and addressed inquiries regarding interest rates from financial institutions. H. Check Register 5/8 - 6/7 Finance Director Lisa Kerstner answers questions from board members in regard to the check register expenses. 5. NEW BUSINESS I. Discussion and Possible Action: Fire Department DNR Grant Fire Chief Theresa O'Brien talked about DNR grant period being open for applications until July 01, 2024.O'Brien also explained the grant is a 50/50 match. Motion made by Trustee Coyle, Seconded by Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann to approve the application process for the fire department DNR grant. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carried 7:0 by voice vote. J. Discussion and Possible Action: Application for Kennel Permit - Peanuts Dog Lodge located at 1420 Kronenwetter Drive, Kronenwetter Community Development Director Pete Wegner explains the kennel permit for Peanut's Dog Lodge and the type of business it would be. After meeting all plan commission requirements, the planning commission recommended immediate approval. The board supported the application for the kennel permit. Motion made by Trustee Charneski, Seconded by Trustee Vedvik to approve the kennel permit for Peanuts Dog Lodge. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carried 7:0 by voice vote. K. Discussion and Possible Action: Letter of Apology to RFP Firm Concerns surfaced regarding an RFP for the Railroad Study and comments made during a CLIPP meeting about one of the firm's past involvements, raising the question of whether an apology was warranted. After considering views expressed by board members and residents, the administrator was tasked with reviewing and addressing any required actions. Alex Vedvik moves to amend to delay action until the next meeting to gather additional information until next meeting. Seconded by Coyle. Motion defeated 5:2 by voice vote. A second motion was made by Trustee Charneski, Seconded by Trustee Myszka to direct the administrator to review the issue and respond accordingly. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski- Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Voting Nay: Trustee Vedvik Motion carried 6:1 by voice vote L. Discussion and Possible Action: Village Legal Fees Discussions continued over rising legal fees, focusing on the need to control costs and questioning if an attorney's involvement was consistently necessary. Trustee Charneski expressed numerous concerns and stated hiring Attorney firm Von Brieson had not been approved by the board and expressed additional concerns as no information has been shared with the board about the subject of what they were hired for. Charneski reiterates the board never approved the hiring of Von Briesen's. Charneski states current village attorney invoices from Dempsey Law Firm are high. Charneski believes the legal fees have imploded because village staff have an attorney checking on everything. Motion made by Village President Voll, Seconded by Trustee Vedvik to redact attorney bills before release to maintain client-attorney privilege. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Charneski Voting Nay: Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann Motion carried 6:1 by voice vote. M. Discussion & Possible Action: 2024 - 1st Quarter Budget to Actual Review The Village Board appreciated the comprehensive budget review and suggested improvements for future reports, such as including the original budget. No action was taken.  N. Discussion and Possible Action: Budget Amendment #4 Finance Director Lisa Kerstner explains action was taken to cover anticipated unemployment expenses. Motion made by Trustee Vedvik, Seconded by Trustee Coyle to approve Budget Amendment #4 totaling $14,875.00. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carried 7:0 by roll call vote. O. Discussion & Possible Action: FIN-001 Business Credit Cardholder Policy and Agreement Finance Director Lisa Kerstner's proposal to update the policy to reflect current practices with US Bank and changes in software was explained. Motion made by Village President Voll, Seconded by Trustee Coyle to approve the revised FIN-001 policy. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carries 7:0 by voice vote. P. Discussion & Possible Action: FIN-002 Employee Cellular Telephone Policy Finance Director Lisa Kerstner discussed updates to this policy, taking into account different levels of usage and the involvement of village-owned phones Motion made by Village President Voll, Seconded by Trustee Coyle to approve the revised FIN-002 policy. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carries 7:0 by voice vote. Q. Discussion and Possible Action: FIN-003 Accounts Payable Policy Lisa Kerstner explains language is updated to align with the new system replacing traditional invoice vouchers. Motion made by Village President Voll, Seconded by Trustee Myszka to approve the revised FIN-003 policy. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carried 7:0 by voice vote. R. Discussion & Possible Action: FIN-008 Disposition of Credit Card Reward Points and Other Vendor Incentives Finance Director Lisa Kerstner would like the board to abolish this outdated policy due to the credit card company's automatic handling of rewards program points. Motion made by Trustee Coyle, Seconded by Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann to remove FIN-008. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carried 7:0 by voice vote. 6. OLD BUSINESS S. Discussion and Possible Action: Resolution 2024-004: Resolution of Elected Officials to the Village Board Trustee Charneski requested this item be placed on the agenda due to Trustee Vedvik delaying action on it at a previous Village Board meeting. Trustee Charneski expressed his concern with the development of the resolution and the language used in the resolution developed by the clerk. Charneski believes it has subjective words. Trustee Charneski does not see the need for it. Motion made by Trustee Eiden, Seconded by Trustee Coyle to take no action. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carried 7:0 by voice vote. 7. CONSENT AGENDA T. Anthony Heis Farmers Market Musician Contract Motion made by Trustee Vedvik, Seconded by Village President Voll to approve as presented. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carried 7:0 by roll call vote. U. Resolution No. 2024-09; Appointment of Village Treasurer & Village Clerk Trustee Charneski suggests a resolution for re-appointment should not be a consent agenda item. Trustee Charneski states due to public input, the resolution for re-appointment of the Village Clerk should be in closed session. He explained the village board received an email from resident David Baker who made it known to the board members if action for re-appointment is delayed, it does not mean the clerk and finance director are out of work. Charneski states they are allowed to still perform their job functions until there are enough facts to re-appoint or do 'whatever." President Voll explains the re-appointments for the village clerk and the finance director were supposed to be done in April but were missed. Trustee Charneski states as long as it is delayed, he would like to delay action again to place it on the next agenda as a closed session item so discussions of "issues" can take place and make a decision. Trustee Kelly Coyle does not see the need to delay action on this resolution for re- appointment. Motion made by Trustee Vedvik, Seconded by Trustee Coyle to re-appointment Village Clerk Bobbi Birk-LaBarge and Village Treasurer Lisa Kerstner. Trustee Cindy Lee Buchkowski Hoffmann stops the motion in action and expresses comments from village residents are being missed. Buchkowski- Hoffmann wants this agenda item placed on hold and put into closed session. Trustee Charneski agrees with Buchkowski-Hoffman and states there are issues and to many balls up in the air to make the decision to re-appoint. Trustee Charneski suggests holding off until an informed decision is made. President Chris Voll states he has an issue with language under the second "Where As" as it seems biased. The clerk explains that is how the resolutions have been written up in the past. Trustee Charneski questions if the resolution should have been written up by someone advocating to appoint themselves. President Voll explains the clerk creates the resolutions. The clerk explains she crested her own resolution when she was appointed the first time upon hire. Trustee Chris Eiden says direction should be established as to whom should be drafting the resolution in case it is wrong and would like it done correctly. Administrator Kampfer states the Administrator or Clerk could put it together and there is no law or statute that states the clerk cannot create her own resolution. Trustee Eiden reiterates Guy Fredel's public comment and states the board should figure it out prior to voting. Trustee Vedvik would like to amend his motion to have the deputy clerk attest the resolution, Seconded by Trustee Coyle. Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann pushed to not make a motion and to take public comments into consideration and the board needs to meet and address the concerns that were brought up in reference to the Village Clerk. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka Voting Nay: Trustee Eiden, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion failed due to not having a 2/3rd majority vote per ordinance by roll call vote. Trustee Charneski states there is a lot of information to be discussed on this resolution. This is not a "slam-dunk". Trustee Vedvik states this resolution is not closed session material and asks Trustee Charneski if the closed session he is requesting is more of a performance type. Trustee Charneski states if you are saying something negative or positive about a person, it falls under the same heading as if you were talking about an evaluation and it should be covered under the same exemption. Administrator Kampfer requests to do an independent review. There is nothing wrong with having the clerks name on her own attestment. Motion by Charneski, Seconded by Myska to bring this resolution back at the July 8th Village Board meeting. Motion by Trustee Vedvik, Seconded by Trustee Coyle amends to bring back at the June 24 Village Board meeting. Alex amended to bring back at the next regular meeting on June 24th.  Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Coyle, Voting Nay: Trustee Eiden, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski, Trustee Myszka. Motion failed Motion by Charneski, Seconded by Coyle to delay action until the July 8 village board meeting. Motion carried 7:0 by voice vote. V. Mobile Home Park License Renewal - Kountry Squire WI MHC, LLC. Motion made by Trustee Vedvik, Seconded by Village President Voll to approve as presented. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carried 7:0 by roll call vote. W. Approval of the May 13, 2024, Village Board Meeting Minutes Motion made by Trustee Charneski, Seconded by Village President Voll to approve the minutes as amended. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carried 7:0 by voice vote. 8. PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES FROM COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES President Voll thanked the committees for submitting their minutes. X. May 22, 2024, APC Minutes No questions or comments. Y. May 07, 2024, Utility Committee Meeting Minutes No questions or comments. Z. Special APC Meeting Minutes April 30,2024 No questions or comments. AA. April 29, 2024, Planning Commission Meeting Minutes No questions or comments. BB. Joint APC/UC Minutes April 16, 2024 It was requested to fix the year in the minutes. CC. March 21, 2024, APC Minutes No questions or comments. 9. CLOSED SESSION Consideration of a motion to convene into closed session pursuant to Wis. Stat. 19.85 (1) ( c) for consideration of employment, promotion, compensation, or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility – to wit Police Lieutenant's Annual Evaluation and Pay Increase; to wit Review and Discuss the Performance Evaluation of the Community Development Director. Motion made by Trustee Eiden, Seconded by Trustee Coyle to move into closed session. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carried 7:0 by roll call vote. The closed session began at 8:39 PM 10. RECONVENE OPEN SESSION Consideration of motion to reconvene into open session. Motion made by Trustee Coyle, Seconded by Trustee Eiden to go into open session. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carried 7:0 by roll call vote. Open session began at 9:13 PM 11. ACTION AFTER CLOSED SESSION Discussion and Action: Police Lieutenant's Annual Evaluation and Pay Increase Discussion and Action: Community Development Director's Performance Evaluation Motion made by Village President Voll, Seconded by Trustee Charneski to approve a 5% pay increase for Lieutenant Chris Smart. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski. Pay increase will begin with the next pay period. Motion carried 7:0 by roll call vote. Motion made by Village President Voll, Seconded by Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann to approve a 1.5% pay increase for Community Development Director Peter Wegner. Pay increase will begin with the next pay period. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carried 7:0 by roll call vote. 12. CONSIDERATION OF ITEMS FOR FUTURE AGENDA Trustee Vedvik - Review of Department Head Compensation Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann - Training on Municode for board members to review items prior to publishing. Trustee Chris Eiden - Railroad Accessibility Study 13. ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Village President Voll, Seconded by Trustee Eiden to adjourn. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle, Trustee Myszka, Trustee Buchkowski-Hoffmann, Trustee Charneski Motion carried 7:0 by voice vote. Meeting Adjourned at 9:20 PM. Minutes by: Clerk Bobbi Birk-LaBarge Minutes Approved on: 06/24/2024 by Village Board