Special Village Board Meeting
Special MeetingSister Bay, WI · April 27, 2026
Minutes
1
2 VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING MINUTES
3 Tuesday, April 27, 2026
4 (Approve as Amended)
5
6 1. Call to Order & Roll Call
7 President Bell called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, April 27, 2026.
8
9 Present: President Nate Bell, Patrice Champeau, Skip Heidler, Louise Howson, Terry Kelly, Brigid
10 White and Steve Bacsi.
11
12 Staff: Administrator Benjamin Andrews, Village Clerk Julie Thyssen, Attorney Randy Nesbitt
13
14 Others: Nick Deviley
15
16 2. Approve Agenda
17 Motion to approve the agenda was made by Bell and seconded by Bacsi. Motion carried — all ayes.
18
19 3. Discussion/Action Items
20 a. Discussion on Culture
21 Bell introduced the topic of board cohesion, communication, and strategic planning. The Board
22 reached consensus on the following:
23
24 Board Culture/Elected Official Training: An outside facilitator should lead a single session covering
25 trustee conduct, communication expectations, and board cohesion. The League of Wisconsin
26 Municipalities or a comparable provider should be explored. Cost-effectiveness was emphasized by
27 multiple members.
28
29 Strategic Plan: The Board reached consensus to pursue a formal strategic plan for the Village,
30 facilitated by an outside party for the initial development. Subsequent annual reviews may be
31 conducted in-house. The plan should establish a shared vision, mission, core values, goals, and
32 objectives, and serve as a framework for board decisions and committee agendas.
33
34 Action Items:
35 • Andrews to research and present multiple options and cost estimates for elected
36 official/culture training, including the League of Wisconsin Municipalities and other
37 providers.
38 • Andrews to research and present multiple outside facilitator options for strategic plan
39 development, including sample work products and cost estimates. Individual consultants as
40 well as firms to be considered.
41
42 b. Village Appointments
43 Bell reviewed the full slate of committee appointments as amended. Champeau requested removal
44 from the Housing Committee. The Parks and Sewer/Water Utilities Committees will each carry a
45 vacant seat to allow for the future addition of a citizen/stakeholder member. Bjorn Johnson was
46 noted as agreeing to serve as Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals.
47 A discussion arose regarding the use of "stakeholder" versus "citizen" designations in committee
48 bylaws. It was noted that stakeholder appointments are subject to Board approval and that bylaw
49 language would be revisited in a future discussion.
50
Minutes of the April 27, 2026 Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees - Unapproved
1 Howson raised a concern regarding stakeholder members currently appointed to committees who
2 have not been attending meetings. It was noted that the chair of the relevant committee should
3 bring this to the Board's attention and that non-attending members may be removed or invited to
4 submit a resignation.
5
6 Action Items:
7 • Andrews to follow up on non-attending stakeholder committee members and bring the
8 matter to the Board for action as appropriate.
9 • Stakeholder vs. citizen bylaw language to be placed on a future agenda for discussion.
10
11 Motion to approve the village committee appointments as amended was made by Bacsi and
12 seconded by Bell. Motion carried — all ayes.
13
14 4. Executive Session
15 a. Wisc. Stats. 19.85(1)(g) to Confer with Legal Counsel
16 Bell announced the items to be discussed in Executive Session: (i) Fiber Optic Discussion, (ii)
17 Telecommunications Contract, (iii) PSC Rate Case Hearing, (iv) 5 Bedroom Litigation, and (v) Legal
18 Counsel; Potential Litigation.
19
20 Motion to convene into Executive Session pursuant to Wis. Stats. 19.85(1)(g) was made by Bell and
21 seconded by Champeau. Roll call vote: Champeau — aye; Kelly — aye; White — aye; Howson — aye;
22 Bell — aye. Bacsi — aye; dMotion carried — all ayes.
23
24 b. Motion to Reconvene into Open Session
25 The Board reconvened into Open Session.
26
27 c. Motion for Action, if Appropriate
28 Following Executive Session, the Board took the following actions:
29 Motion to authorize Village Attorney Randy Nesbitt to make an offer consistent with discussions held
30 in Executive Session, including termination of the virtual agreement and installation of the conduit on
31 Sullivan Mill Road, was made by White and seconded by Kelly. Motion carried — all ayes.
32
33 Motion to approve the telecommunications contract with Spectrum retroactively from June 2025, in
34 the total amount of $75,003.95, was made by Bell and seconded by Howson. Motion carried — all
35 ayes.
36
37 5. Adjourn
38 Motion to adjourn was made by Bell and seconded by Champeau. Motion carried — all ayes.
39 The meeting was adjourned at 7:35 p.m..
40
41 Minutes submitted by Julie Thyssen, Village Clerk
2
Agenda
VILLAGE BOARD
SPECIAL MEETING
MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2026 – 2:30 PM
Sister Bay Liberty Grove Fire Station, 2258 Mill Rd., Large Meeting Rm.
Deviations from the agenda order shown may occur
For additional meeting information visit: www.sisterbaywi.gov, click ‘Agendas and Minutes’
AGENDA
1. Call to Order & Roll Call (Zoom Participants Mute Devices)
2. Approve Agenda
3. Discussion/Action Items
a) Discussion on Culture
b) Village Appointments
4. Executive Session
a) Wisc. Stats. 19.85(1)(g) to confer with legal counsel for the governmental body who is rendering oral or written
advice concerning a strategy to be adopted by the body with respect to litigation in which it is or is likely to
become involved.
i. Fiber Optic Discussion
ii. Telecommunications Contract
iii. PSC Rate Case Hearing
iv. 5 Bedroom Litigation
v. Legal Counsel; Potential Litigation
b) Motion to Reconvene into Open Session
c) Motion for Action, if Appropriate
5. Adjourn
Public Notice
Public participation at meetings and correspondence is welcome. Submit emails or letters to the Village Clerk at clerk@sisterbaywi.gov or at the
Village Administration Office at 2383 Maple Drive, Sister Bay. Letters may not be read at the meeting but referenced and/or summarized. You
may also email Board members directly. Questions regarding the nature of the agenda items or more detail on the items listed can be directed to
the Village Administrator at administrator@sisterbaywi.gov. Copies of reports and other supporting documentation are available for review online
and at the Village Administration Office during operating hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays – Thursdays, 8 a.m. to noon on Fridays).
Upon reasonable notice, a good faith effort will be made to accommodate the needs of disabled individuals through sign language interpreters or
other auxiliary aid or accommodation at no cost to the individual. Due to the difficulty in finding interpreters, requests should be made as far in
advance as possible, preferably a minimum of 48 hours. For additional information or to request this service, contact the Village Administration
Office at 920-854-4118; (FAX) 920-854-9637; emailing the Village Clerk at clerk@sisterbaywi.gov, or, by writing to the Village Administration Office,
2383 Maple Drive, PO Box 769, Sister Bay, WI 54234 (allow adequate mail time).
It is possible that members of and possibly a quorum of members of other governmental bodies may attend the meeting to gather information;
no action will be taken by any governmental body other than the body specifically referred to above.
The Village of Sister Bay is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer
Posted Date: 04/24/2026
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