Board Meeting

1 2 VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING MINUTES 3 Tuesday, March 24, 2026 4 (Approval as Amended) 5 6 1. Call to Order & Roll Call 7 President Bell called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. 8 9 Present: President Nate Bell, Kurt Harff, Patrice Champeau, Denise Bhirdo, Louise Howson, Skip 10 Heidler, Brigid White (via zoom). 11 12 Staff: Finance Specialist/Treasurer Vlad Gannik, Village Clerk Julie Thyssen. Zoom: Marina Manager 13 Dave Lienau, Utilities Director Megan Barnes, Parks & Streets Director Erik Linczmaier, Village 14 Administrator Benjamin Andrews 15 16 Others: Ken Church, Laurel Harff, Myles Dannhausen, Nick Deviley. Zoom: Sally Pfeifer, Thor Johnson 17 18 2. Approve Agenda 19 1. Call to Order & Roll Call 20 President Bell called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. 21 22 Before proceeding with the agenda, President Bell acknowledged that this would be the final 23 meeting for Trustees Harff and Bhirdo. He particularly recognized Bhirdo's extensive contributions to 24 the village over many years of service and thanked both trustees for their dedication. 25 26 2. Approve Agenda 27 Motion by Howson, seconded by Harff to approve the agenda. Motion carried - all ayes. 28 29 3. Approve Meeting Minutes 30 3a. February 17th, 2026 31 Bhirdo noted several corrections needed: on page 2, line 41, the motion should read "Motion by 32 White, seconded by Howson" and on page 3, line 24, "geotechnical" was missing a letter. 33 Motion by Bhirdo, seconded by Champeau to approve the minutes as amended. Motion carried - all 34 ayes. 35 36 4. Comments, Correspondence, and Concerns from the Public 37 Myles Dannhausen offered extensive remarks recognizing Bhirdo's decades of service to the village. 38 He highlighted her contributions to major village improvements including Waterfront Park's 1800 39 feet of public shoreline, the village's economic recovery from empty storefronts to becoming the 40 county's top tourism revenue generator, preservation of Pebble Beach, affordable housing 41 initiatives, and preventing chain restaurants and dollar stores at the village entrance. Dannhausen 42 emphasized how these efforts transformed Sister Bay into a thriving community where families can 43 live and work. 44 45 Howson also praised Bhirdo as "the definition of fearless" and a board leader who demonstrates 46 courage and never gives up on what she believes is right for the village. She noted Bhirdo's 47 mentorship, enormous heart, and institutional knowledge, as well as her strong support for projects 48 like the ice rink despite personal business impacts from code changes she supported. 49 Bhirdo thanked everyone for the kind words and reminded the board that Senate Bill 480, a 50 residential TID bill, has passed the legislature and is awaiting Governor Evers' signature. She  Minutes of the March 24, 2026 Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees – Approved as Amended 1 recommended the village research this opportunity for potential use on village property, with 2 implementation expected October 1st. 3 4 5. Ordinances & Resolutions 5 No items presented. 6 7 6. Discussion/Action Items 8 6a. Approve Open Book & Board of Review Dates 9 Village Clerk Thyssen requested approval of dates recommended by the village assessor. The open 10 book session for public meetings with the assessor would be held Tuesday, May 12th. The Board of 11 Review, requiring a quorum of trustees to hear any appeals, would be held Wednesday, May 27th 12 from 6-8 PM. Thyssen noted that at least one board member must complete yearly training, which 13 she has done. 14 Motion by Howson to approve the 2026 open book and board review dates for May 12th and May 15 27th as recommended by the village assessor. Seconded by Champeau. Motion carried - all ayes. 16 17 6b. Marina Commercial Contract – Change of Ownership 18 Marina Manager Lienau explained this involves changing the contract from Eric Lundquist's business 19 to Thor Johnson's business for the remainder of the current term, with no changes to contract 20 conditions. 21 Motion by Howson to approve the transfer of ownership and assignment of the current contract as 22 presented. Seconded by Champeau. Motion carried - all ayes. 23 24 6c. Village Appointment 25 President Bell recommended Skip Heidler to fill the vacant trustee position for a one-year term, 26 citing his excellent work on the Planning Commission. Bhirdo strongly endorsed the appointment, 27 praising Skip's diligence, thorough preparation, and deep understanding of village codes. 28 Motion by Bhirdo, seconded by Howson to approve the appointment. Motion carried - all ayes. 29 30 Skip will begin serving at the next meeting, with President Bell noting his attendance at recent 31 meetings will help him hit the ground running. 32 33 6d. Current Administration Building; Impact on Road Reconstruction Project 34 Andrews reported that the Parks Committee evaluated the building appraisal at $248,000 and voted 35 to recommend demolition to allow maximum parking provision for the triangle reconstruction 36 project. 37 38 Significant debate ensued with strong positions on both sides. Champeau opposed demolition, 39 arguing the building is part of the historic triangle and proceeds from its sale could fund village hall 40 repairs that residents want preserved. She emphasized the importance of maintaining the historical 41 character of the area. 42 43 Howson supported demolition for three reasons: uncertainty about what a buyer might do with the 44 building, the need for additional parking when curb and gutter installation eliminate current parking 45 for area residents (particularly the Razor House with 4-5 apartments and the Lindenberg property), 46 and the practical challenges residents would face without designated parking areas. 47 Bhirdo also supported demolition, prioritizing the needs of residents who will lose parking access 48 due to the road improvements. She argued that adding a business to the site would only increase 49 congestion and that residents should take priority over preserving the building. 2  Minutes of the March 24, 2026 Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees – Approved as Amended 1 President Bell opposed the recommendation, believing the building should be saved and questioning 2 whether the village truly has a parking problem. White ultimately supported demolition, citing the 3 building's poor condition and questioning its renovation potential. 4 5 The discussion included detailed review of parking concepts showing the demolition option would 6 gain 19 additional parking spaces while preserving the building would result in the loss of parking 7 spaces. 8 Motion by Howson to approve the demolition or otherwise removal of the current administration 9 building from the site. Seconded by Bhirdo. Roll call vote: Harff - aye, Champeau - no, Howson - aye, 10 Bell - no, Bhirdo - aye, White - aye. Motion carried. 11 12 Action Item: Engineering to proceed with triangle reconstruction project including maximum parking 13 provision. 14 15 6e. WWTF Facility Plan - Recommendation for Adoption 16 Utilities Director Barnes presented the completed facility study report for adoption. The Sewer and 17 Water Utilities Committee recommended directing staff to pursue discussions with Fish Creek, 18 Ephraim, and Baileys Harbor regarding a potential regional sludge drying facility partnership, with 19 the understanding that if no agreement is reached within six months, Sister Bay would pursue reed 20 bed installation independently. 21 22 Bell noted the challenge of coordinating multiple municipalities but emphasized the importance of 23 attempting collaboration. Andrews reported a regional meeting was rescheduled due to recent 24 snowstorms and would occur the following week to begin discussions. 25 Motion by Bhirdo to adopt the facility assessment feasibility study and long term planning for the 26 wastewater treatment plant facility as presented. Seconded by Harff. Motion carried - all ayes. 27 28 6f. Non-Potable Reuse System - Expansion Tanks WWTP 29 Barnes explained that during system upgrades, damaged bladders were discovered in the expansion 30 tanks, requiring full replacement rather than bladder replacement alone. The replacement cost will 31 be funded from the wastewater treatment plant replacement fund, which receives required annual 32 DNR contributions. 33 Motion by Bhirdo to approve the quote. Seconded by Howson. Motion carried - all ayes. 34 35 6g. By-Law Review; Trustee By-Laws 36 Extensive review of proposed bylaw amendments was conducted, with Bhirdo reading through items 37 from the November packet: 38 Key proposed changes included: 39 • Non-trustees attending executive sessions would require invitation by two or more trustees 40 and majority approval 41 • Any two trustees may request agenda items with five business days advance notice 42 • Agenda posting requirements updated to administration building and website only 43 (removing library requirement) 44 • Addition of meeting definition for per diem eligibility 45 • Enhanced trustee code of conduct provisions prohibiting individual trustees from directing 46 staff or incurring charges without administrator involvement 47 • Clarification that committee chairs may work with administrator for committee-related 48 requests 49 • Electronic participation guidelines excluding executive sessions via Zoom 50 • Comprehensive trustee compensation provisions including mileage reimbursement 3  Minutes of the March 24, 2026 Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees – Approved as Amended 1 Multiple technical corrections and formatting improvements were discussed. Several items require 2 additional legal research and administrator input before finalization. 3 4 Action Item: Administrator Andrews to research meeting definitions, refine language regarding 5 trustee authority limitations, and bring revised bylaws back to the April meeting. 6 7 6h. Monthly Financial Report & Appropriations 8 Motion by Bell to pay bills in the amount of $383,983.15. Seconded by Harff. Motion carried - all 9 ayes. 10 11 Bhirdo questioned several Amazon purchases including $127 jeans (confirmed as within clothing 12 allowance), $100 broomball shoes, and $83.50 in candy (confirmed as advance Fall Fest purchase for 13 cost savings). Howson inquired about snow removal costs currently at $12,000 versus $40-50,000 14 budget, with costs tracked hourly through county contract. Other billing questions were raised 15 regarding internet services and ice melt quantities, with clarifications provided. 16 Action Items: Administrator to research GA Computer Services internet billing and provide 17 explanation for internet connectivity costs. 18 19 7. Staff Reports 20 President Bell acknowledged the hard work of street and utility staff during the recent blizzard, with 21 Administrator Andrews noting Door County Emergency Management may provide reimbursement 22 for overtime and vehicle expenses related to the emergency declaration. 23 Bhirdo requested correction of references to "Mill Street" in multiple reports, noting the proper 24 street name. 25 26 8. Committee Reports 27 Howson noted a correction published in the Pulse regarding Door County Emergency Management 28 reflective signage, clarifying that no new signs would be installed. 29 Motion by Bell to accept committee reports. Seconded by Howson. Motion carried - all ayes. 30 31 9. Matters to be Placed on a Future Agenda or Referred to a Committee, Official or Employee 32 President Bell requested Administrator Andrews prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) for potential 33 relocation of the administration building, to be brought back to the village board in April rather than 34 referring to committee. 35 Action Item: Administrator to prepare RFP for administration building relocation and present to 36 village board in April. 37 38 10. Next Meeting 39 The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 21st, 2026. 40 41 11. Adjourn 42 Motion by Bhirdo to adjourn. Seconded by Harff. Motion carried - all ayes. 43 The meeting adjourned at 7:27 p.m. with additional expressions of gratitude to Bhirdo for her years 44 of service to the village. 45 4