Committee of the Whole
Regular MeetingOconomowoc, WI · December 7, 2021
Minutes
City of Oconomowoc
Committee-Of-The-Whole Meeting Minutes
December 07, 2021 - 6:50 PM
Aldermen Present: Kevin Ellis, Karen Spiegelberg, Matt Mulder, Charles Schellpeper (arrived 6:59 PM), Lou Kowieski,
Chris Douglas, Matt Rosek, John Zapfel
Also Present: Robert Magnus, Diane Coenen, Robert Duffy, Kevin Freber, Mark Frye, Jason Gallo, Scott Osborn,
James Pfister, Joe Pickart, Laurie Sullivan, Ivan Lam, Stan Riffle
Mayor Magnus called the Committee-Of-The-Whole Meeting to order at 6:50 PM.
Call to order and confirmation of appropriate meeting notification
Committee Business
a. Discuss the Length of Term for Elected Officials
Aldermen Ellis and Zapfel ask that Council consider making the term for Mayor three-years as the first two
years are spent getting their feet wet, thinking about reelection and not having enough time to get projects
off the ground or finished. The Committee discussed the necessity to change the term due to having a full-
time administrator, looking at a different structure such as a full-time Mayor and City Manager, having a
three-year term would alternate Aldermanic seats instead of the same Aldermen being up for reelection at
the time the Mayor is, three year terms would mean only two elections versus having three elections with
two-year terms during the same time period, being more of a democratic process with two-year terms, the
current Mayor and Council have accomplished a lot within the last two-years and the City’s Charter
Ordinance would need to be changed which would not take effect until the 2024 election. Magnus stated he
is fine with a two or three-year term and is not in favor of a full-time Mayor. The Committee consensus is to
keep the Mayoral term as is, have a future discussion and updates on this topic as well as information on
how many communities have a full-time Mayor versus part-time.
Adjourn
Motion to adjourn made by Kowieski and seconded by Douglas.
Motion carried 8-0-0.
The meeting adjourned at 7:19 PM.
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Minutes taken by Diane Coenen, City Clerk
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Committee-Of-The-Whole - December 07, 2021
Agenda
City of Oconomowoc
Committee-Of-The-Whole
Tuesday, December 07, 2021 - 6:50 PM
City Hall - Conference Room 3
174 E. Wisconsin Ave. Oconomowoc, WI 53066
Notice: If a person with a disability requires that the meeting be accessible or that materials at the
meeting be in accessible format, call the City Clerk at least 48 hours prior to the meeting to request
adequate accommodations. Tel: (262) 569-2186.
1. Call to order and confirmation of appropriate meeting notification
2. Committee Business
a. Discuss the Length of Term for Elected Officials
3. Adjourn
________________________________
Diane Coenen, City Clerk
City of Oconomowoc
Notice is hereby given that a majority of the Common Council will be present at the above scheduled meeting to gather information
about a subject over which they have decision-making responsibility. This constitutes a meeting of the Common Council pursuant to
State ex rel. Badke v. Greendale Village Board, 173Wis. 2d 553, 494 N.W. 2d 408 (1993) and must be noticed as such, although the
Common Council will not take any formal action at this meeting.
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MEMORANDUM
PUBLIC WORKS
Date: December 7, 2021
To: Committee of the Whole
From: Mark Frye, Interim City Administrator
Re: Discuss Elected Officials Term Length
RELATES TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN
V. Enhance the Effectiveness of our City Government
BACKGROUND
Aldermen Ellis and Zapfel requested a Committee of the Whole discussion regarding the term of office for both
Mayor and Aldermen.
Should any changes be recommended to, and approved by the Common Council at a later date, they will not take
effect until the April 2024 election.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
N/A
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
Provide direction if this should be an agenda item for action by the Common Council on a future agenda.
SUGGESTED COMMON COUNCIL MOTION
To be determined by the Common Council
ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS
City Ordinance 1.02 assigns the length of term for elected officials as follows:
1.02 - ELECTED OFFICIALS. (Am. #89-0230)
(1) ENUMERATED. The elected officials of the City shall be a Mayor, 2 aldermen from each aldermanic
district and a Municipal Judge.
(2) TERMS.
(a) Mayor. The Mayor shall be elected in the spring election of each even numbered year for a
term of 2 years.
(b) Aldermen. One alderman shall be elected from each aldermanic district each spring for a
term of 2 years.
(c) Municipal Judge . See §1.25 of this chapter.
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(3) TIME OF TAKING OFFICE. The regular terms of the Mayor and aldermen shall commence on the third
Tuesday in April succeeding their election. The regular terms of all other officials shall commence on May
1 following their election or appointment, unless otherwise provided.
Shown below are various communities throughout the state and the terms they currently have for Mayor and
Alderman.
Mayor Alderman
City Term Term
Berlin 2 2
Brookfield 4 4
Delafield 2 2
De Pere 2 2
Fitchburg 3 2
Franklin 3 3
Greenfield 3 2
Green Lake 3 3
Jefferson 2 2
Kenosha 4 2
Kewaunee 2 2
Manitowoc 4 2
Marshfield 2 2
Medford 2 2
Mequon 3 3
Monona 2 2
New Berlin 4 3
Oak Creek 3 2
Pewaukee 3 3
Reedsburg 2 3
Richland Center 2 2
Sparta 3 2
Stoughton 4 3
Sturgeon Bay 3 2
Sun Prairie 2 2
Superior 4 2
Tomah 2 2
Waterloo 4 4
Watertown 3 2
Waukesha 4 2
West Bend 3 2
Wisconsin Dells 3 3
Z:\City Administrator\Council Agenda\Elected Officials Term Length COW.docx
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