Village Board

, August 17, 2021 ***VILLAGE BOARD MINUTES*** August 17, 2021 SAUKVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT and VIA ZOOM 649 E. GREEN BAY AVE., SAUKVILLE, WI 53080 Village President Barb Dickmann called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Village Clerk Mary Kay Baumann gave the Statement of Public Notice. Members: Barb Dickmann-present, Richard Belling-present, Scott Fischer-present, Trevor Seitz-present, Jim Nowlen-present, Andy Hebein-present, and Peter Janus-present. Others Present: Dawn Wagner, Mary Kay Baumann, Chief Meyer, Dan Helm, Sara Debruijn, Holly Skelton (zoom), Patrick Braun (zoom), Rich (zoom), Andy Asplanalp (zoom), and Connor Carynski – Ozaukee Press. (See Attached List) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE CITIZEN COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS None. APPROVE MINUTES OF AUGUST 3, 2021 MEETING Fischer/Nowlen made a motion to approve the August 3, 2021 minutes. Motion carried. COMMUNICATIONS REPORT FROM THE VILLAGE PRESIDENT Dickmann thanked everyone for attending. REPORT FROM THE VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR Wagner welcomed everyone. PUBLIC HEARING – TO HEAR COMMENTS REGARDING A ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT REQUEST SUBMITTED BY BARBARA SCHWISTER AD TIMOTHY SCHWISTER TO AMEND §205-1.G(5) TO ALLOW THE KEEPING OF CERTAIN POULTRY IN RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICTS Chris Lear-410 Claremont, expressed concerns regarding the keeping of chickens in the Village. There are 2 reasons, sight and sound. He stated, “I live on a ¼ acre lot and the potential number of coops that could be in my neighborhood is concerning”. Lear felt that the current Zoning Code was set to maintain certain standards in the Village. Tim Schwister (petitioner) replied that it was an important concern. He stated that his brother in Oshkosh has chickens and they have had no complaints. Dan Cook asked about Guinee Hens, stating that “they are louder than any dog barking”. He added, “why chickens”? Ralph Drzwicki stated that he lives in the Village. He lives across from Peninsula Park and there are 20-30 geese on a daily basis. He lived in Washington Heights and had neighbors with chickens that he didn’t notice for 2 years. Tom Murphy-400 S. Claremont, asked “why do the coops have to be at the back of the yard. If you want chickens why can’t you place to coop by your house”? Murphy added that there are raccoons coming out of the sewers and this will attract more, in addition there are owls and hawks in the area that will attack the chickens. Schwister stated that rodents will not be attracted by chickens. Predators are not going to be an issue. Schwister added that no other community has seen an increase in predators.  , August 17, 2021 Murphy asked what happens to chicken droppings? Schwister said they can be composted immediately, adding that chicken droppings can be used to maintain gardens. Drzwicki commented that this is how people end up with free range chickens. Mark Hebein stated that he is worried about pets with the increase of predators. He added that he is concerned about the smell and the feathers. Schwister stated that having chickens teaches kids responsibility and is an excellent hobby. Diane Abbey read an incident report from the City of Cedarburg: “The City of Cedarburg has allowed chickens for a few years. We have not had any complaints regarding noise, but we do not allow roosters. We only have had maybe a dozen families raise chickens and most only kept them for a year or so and then stopped.” (City of Cedarburg – Michael Baier) Mark Hebein stated, “if kids want to learn about farm animals why not enroll them in 4-H”? Wendy Wagner, Saukville resident, stated that she grew up in Kenosha and her great-grandmother had chickens. Her grandmother and mother had them after that. They were all raised in the same house. She said those were the best years of her life. Mickey Schreiner stated that she lives in Port Washington and is a teacher in Grafton and wanted to share the benefits of learning about chickens and eggs. 3-4 chickens will not smell unless the owner is not taking care of them. Holly Skelton-117 Weiss Way (zoom), said that she did not appreciate the insinuation that people are raising their children in a bad way. She stated that she grew up in Saukville, moved away and chose to come back. She added there are other options besides actually having chickens on your property. Skelton added that her child has health issues and she is concerned about the dust that is kicked up from the chickens scratching as well as bird mites. She doesn’t want a chicken coop on her property line and is concerned about the chickens escaping. Joshua Abbey-Deer Pass Road, stated he is pro-chicken. “You can go around and around about the noise and the poop”. He feels the Board needs to consider having the chickens as specified, as they allow other animals. It would be like having any other animal, adding that not taking care of them is another issue. Murphy asked who would be inspecting the chickens/coops? Dawn Wagner stated, should the Board choose to approve this ordinance, there would be a permitting process and there would be a 4-chicken limit. Schwister acknowledged that is something he overlooked when submitting the text amendment but was in favor of a required permit and licensing fee. Murphy stated, “you say it’s for the kids but we all know who ends up taking care of them”. There was concern about chicks being mislabeled and residents ending up with roosters what happens to the roosters? Schwister stated that there are Chicken Swap Meets throughout the state and roosters can be traded. Schwister stated that it would be a great opportunity for the Village to hold a Chicken Swap Meet. It would bring upwards of 3,000-20,000 visitors to the Village. They would fill the hotels and patronize the local  , August 17, 2021 businesses. It would “put Saukville on the map”! Vanessa Schwengel stated that, although she doesn’t live in the Village, she visits frequently. She stressed that with the times we live in, people are more stressed and have more mental health issues and this could be a benefit to those contemplating suicide. Cook stated that he is concerned about predators, adding that they may not go for the chickens but would go for the eggs. He was also concerned about property values if his neighbors have chickens. Stephan Zehnder said he can’t afford a big farm. He wants his kids to learn about chickens. He is a stay-at- home dad and also home schools his children. He would love to have chickens for the eggs. Diane Hamm lives in the Town of Saukville and has chickens. She stated that most animals that go after chickens do so at night, noting that the chickens would be in their coops before dark. She didn’t feel that could be used as a reason not to have chickens. Schwister stated, yes, raccoons like eggs but if the residents are responsible about having chickens, this shouldn’t be an issue. Mark Hebein stated that he had a neighbor’s dog get grabbed by an owl during the day. Schwister stated that he grew up with chickens when he lived in the town. Belling noted that the same things are being repeated and felt that the Public Hearing should be closed. CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING Belling/Seitz made a motion to close the Public Hearing. Seitz asked how many families are wanting to raise chickens? Joshua Abbey stated that it would be purely a guess. Motion carried at 7:45 p.m. Wagner explained the two ordinances listed on the agenda for consideration. Option #1 was the language submitted by Barbara and Tim Schwister. Option #2 was the language submitted by the Village after staff and legal review. The motion from Plan Commission to approve Option #2 failed. Wagner stated that per State Statute, the text amendment request still had to be reviewed at a Public Hearing at the Village Board. ORD. #812A – AMENDING §205-21.G(5) AND CREATING §205-21.H OF THE CODE – USE RESTRICTIONS (POULTRY) Belling/Nowlen made a motion to waive the 1st reading of Ord. #812A – Amending §205-21.G(5) and Creating §205-21.H of the Code – Use Restrictions (Poultry). Motion carried. Belling/Nowlen made a motion to waive the reading of Ord. #812A – Amending §205-21.G(5) and Creating §205- 21.H of the Code – Use Restrictions (Poultry). Motion carried. ORD. #812B - AMENDING §205-21.G(5) AND CREATING §205-21.H OF THE CODE – USE RESTRICTIONS (POULTRY) Nowlen/Hebein made a motion to waive the 1st reading of Ord. #812B – Amending §205-21.G(5) and Creating §205-21.H of the Code – Use Restrictions (Poultry). Motion carried. Dickmann asked for a motion to waive the reading. At that time, Tim Schwister requested a reading of the Ordinance so they all knew what was being voted on. Being that it was a 4-page ordinance, Dawn Wagner offered to put it up on the screen for everyone to read.  , August 17, 2021 Belling/Nowlen made a motion to approve Ord. #812B - Amending §205-21.G(5) and Creating §205-21.H of the Code – Use Restrictions (Poultry). Roll call vote was taken – Fischer/Janus/Hebein/Dickmann voting nay – Seitz/Nowlen/Belling voting aye – Motion failed. PUBLIC HEARING – TO HEAR COMMENTS REGARDING A REQUEST SUBMITTED BY LUKE CHECK (OWNER) TO RE- ZONE A 9.5938-ACRE PARCEL ON CTH “W” FROM B-2 RETAIL SHOPPING CENTER BUSINESS DISTRICT TO R-1 SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT UPON THE CONDITION THAT OZAUKEE COUNT WILL RECONSTRUCT CTH “W” (RIVERSIDE DRIVE) TO RAISE IT OUT OF THE FLOODPLAIN. TAX KEY NO. 11-050-05-02-000. Wagner stated that the Plan Commission reviewed the request to re-zone the property on CTH “W” and recommended it to Village Board for approval. Wagner stated that improvements on the parcel would only be possible after review and approval by the Plan Commission and Village Board if the County raised CTH “W” out of the floodplain and emergency service vehicles have safe access to the property during a flood event. If the reconstruction of CTH “W” is completed by November 1, 2024, then the rezoning of the Property to R-1 Single-Family District shall take effect immediately after completion of the reconstruction is confirmed in writing by the Village Department of Public Works Superintendent, but if the reconstruction is not completed by November 1, 2024, then the conditional rezoning shall be deemed null and void. This is a conditional re-zoning. Seitz asked for confirmation that no plans had been approved for construction on this parcel? Wagner stated, correct. Nowlen asked, “so, if we approve this, he still can’t start any construction until CTH “W” is done”? Wagner stated, correct. Fischer asked why he would want this not knowing whether or not he could even build? CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING Belling/Seitz made a motion to close the Public Hearing. Motion carried at 8:08 p.m. ORD. #813 – REZONING PROPERTY ON N RIVERSIDE DRIVE – B-2 – RETAIL SHOPPING CENTER BUSINESS DISTRICT TO R-1 SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT Belling/Nowlen made a motion to waive the 1st reading of Ord. #813 – Rezoning property on N Riverside Drive – B-2 - Retail Shopping Center Business District to R-1 – Single-Family Residential District. Motion carried. Fischer/Hebein made a motion to waive the reading of Ord. #813 – Rezoning property on N. Riverside Drive – B- 2 – Retail Shopping Center Business District to R-1 – Single-Family Residential District. Motion carried. Belling/Janus made a motion to approve Ord. #813 – Rezoning Property on N. Riverside Drive – B-2 – Retail Shopping Center Business District to R-1 Single-Family Residential District. Roll Call vote was taken. Fischer- abstained – Seitz/Nowlen/Hebein/Dickmann – nay – Janus/Belling – aye. Motion failed. REPORTS OF VILLAGE BOARD COMMITTEES Utility Committee Fischer reported on the meeting of August 17, 2021. Discussion was held regarding the Utility Internet/IT Upgrade Project and recommended to Finance. The contract would be signed early to begin trenching lines but the Village would not be billed until 2022. The design of the WWTP Improvement Project is at 60-70% completion. The clarifiers were rebuilt in June. Slip lining was completed on N. Mill in late July. There were 3 large leaks (2 at the plant) in the interceptor that have been repaired. The N. Mill lift station has been repainted inside and out.  , August 17, 2021 The new employee, Matt Strelow, is working out well and is scheduled to go for his CDL on Monday. There is an 18-week backorder on new meters. Public Works Committee No report. Public Safety Committee No report. Finance Committee Dickmann reported on the meeting of August 17, 2021. Ehlers provided an updated Financial Management Plan as well as the potential for Investment Advisory Services. Claims for July in the amount of 380,805.70 were reviewed and approved. The Budget Watch and Investment Report were reviewed. A recommendation was made to the Village Board to approve the Labor Association of Wisconsin, Inc. (LAW) – 2022-2023 Police Contract. Hebein/Nowlen made a motion to approve the Labor Association of Wisconsin, Inc. (LAW) – 2022-2023 Police Contract. Motion carried. A recommendation was made to approve the Utility Internet/IT Upgrade Project. Nowlen/Hebein made a motion to approve the Utility Internet/IT Upgrade Project. Motion carried. Other matters: The parking lot at the Fire Department will be completed this week. The WE Energies gas line project will be completed by the end of the month. The Village is ranked as the 18th Safest City in Wisconsin, up 15 from last year. REPORTS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES Plan Commission No report. Community Development Authority/Industrial Review Committee Dickmann reported on the meeting of August 17, 2021. The minutes of the May 4, 2021 meeting were reviewed and approved. A request by P2 Self Storage for 5 storage buildings at 633 Progress Drive was reviewed and approved. A request for signage by P2 Self Storage was reviewed and approved. Library Board Janus reported on the meeting of August 10, 2021. Circulation at the Library shows digital increasing and physical decreasing. Janus added that funds distributed to the Libraries are based on physical circulation so it will be interesting to see what happens. A wage comparison study was reviewed by the Board. Mid-Moraine Municipal Association No report.  , August 17, 2021 LIQUOR LICENSE APPROVALS None. CITIZEN MATTERS AS NOTICED None. ADJOURNMENT Hebein/Seitz made a motion to adjourn. Motion carried at 8:16 p.m. Mary Kay Baumann Village Clerk