Common Council - Regular Meeting

That's okay. That's what we're here for, right? We went out there. You know what? Maybe they'll come in for the wastewater treatment plant. [laughter]

We're for uh Prospect Street. Yep. Oh, I'm being I'm being silly. Hi there. Hi. How are you?

So speak your attention for just sir. If you're interested in speaking during public comment tonight, you need to sign up on the comment sheet. I see that we have a number of people already signed up to speak on the golf course and I just wanted to make sure that you know that is not on the agenda tonight and the council cannot discuss it, respond to any questions or interact with you in any way because it's not on our agenda tonight. So, um that's my speak.

So, thanks for being here. extra cuz it's not Hey, good evening. Greg is coming. I'm assuming so, but I guess he just got up back from Taiwan. Oh, is that right? Yeah. Getting settled. May I ask you a quick question? I don't know. Did the public works board provide a recommendation on the wastewater treatment plant that fed into the documents that we were reading for today? Um, I have to I'd have to look.

Okay. Uh, I that one that was added today. I haven't had time to review it yet. I just Well, all it was really was the public comment from Mark McCart or is his email. Yes. That was asking suggesting perhaps that maybe some of the items were not necessary. And that's that's not fair. That's not how he said it, but like we're maybe not as critical as others. And so I was just curious if you consider a recommendation. Expert doesn't have a recommendation on here. So I just didn't we didn't work. I have I have to look. Okay. You haven't worked on one that you recall since you well I think

I think we recommended it at the last meeting, but I'm not sure. I never thought. Yeah. I thought it came up at the last meeting and I thought I thought we recommended it for the last meeting but thank you for Oh yeah, was it? Yeah, that's for the my stress aspect. It was funny.

I'm gonna go based on my phone. Oh.

Oh, okay. Yeah.

Very nice.

What to expect?

[sighs] You might want to be careful about the mics tonight. They might be a little bit more sensitive. Oh, okay. Good to know. New people in the back. We're going green. Okay. Okay. Good evening everyone. I'm going to call this meeting to order. If I could have quiet, please so I don't have to gabble. I'm going call this meeting to order of the Lake Mill City Council for January 20th, 2026. Uh Lisa, would you please call the role? Miss Carler here. Miss Schmeagger

here. Miss Quinn now here. Mr. Coots here. Mr. Waters here. Thank you. Thank you. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [clears throat] Thank you. Uh before we get started, uh Drake, I'll just have you explain what we have for our technology this evening. We have a bit of a transition.

Yep. We'd like to thank uh Watertown Community Media for uh stepping in and assisting us. Um they are broadcasting right now um to uh our YouTube channel. It will be recorded and available. Uh we are still working on uh remote participation abilities uh through the integrated system. But uh our meetings can be viewed um remotely right now and will be available on our on our YouTube channel uh for those who want to watch uh after the meeting. But uh thank you very much for them for very quickly getting up to speed and uh helping us out.

Thank you. Thank you Watertown Media. So again we are broadcasting tonight but there's no um ability for remote participation during the meeting tonight. So, okay. Um, our next agenda item is correction and acceptance of the city council meeting minutes. So, we have two work sessions and regular council minutes. Um, does anyone have any corrections um on any of those minutes? Okay. I I do want to give a brief summary of our two work sessions. Uh, we had a few uh citizens at the the December one. We didn't have any uh residents or um members of the public at the last one, but we've had two work sessions on Sandy Beach Park and I think um want to make sure that people are aware since the minute minutes are usually fairly brief. Um we've been discussing the goal, the overall goals for redevelopment of Sandy Beach Park and we went through all the parks board recommendations for recreational amenities and sort of ranked those and and um determined which ones we wanted to move forward. Um, at our last meeting, we refined the goals and we also discussed food and beverage. So, we kind of talked about the pros and cons of different var different levels of service that we could have for food service at Sandy Beach Park in the future. And we reached a general consensus that we wanted to include a seasonal concession stand type of structure in the updated master plan. So, some of the next steps that we have, we've asked the staff to uh work on a number of items to keep it moving forward. um first and foremost is to start working with uh landscape architect consultants to work on an updated park plan and that would incorporate our updated goals as well as the direction that we've given on the recreational amenities. Uh staff will be continuing to implement uh the decision that we made last fall on decommissioning level B of the mobile home community after next season. uh parking. We've asked the staff to develop some options for the council to consider uh could be related to charging

fees for parking. Also addressing the sandy beach road congestion. Uh we had an offer for a donation from the Rock Lake Improvement Association for some environmental consulting work. So staff will be working with them to bring that proposal forward. And then we've asked staff to estimate costs of some of the proposed amend Okay. So, I didn't hear any uh corrections or comments on the minutes. So, we'll accept the city council meeting minutes and work session minutes into our record. Our next agenda item is board and committee reports um and acceptance of board and committee meeting minutes. We have quite a few uh for our review tonight. Are there any um comments or corrections that anyone wants to make on any of the listed minutes? Okay, I'm not seeing any any comments, so we'll accept all of those into our public record. Okay, correspondence and constituent contacts. So, I'm going to kick it off. This was a long uh break between our last session since we didn't have a meeting on January 6. So, I got lots of correspondence and had lots of contact. So, I'll try to go through and then if there's anything that any of you had that that I didn't, uh, which always happens, uh, feel free to then add that as we go around. So, number one, uh, we all were notified about our remote access and broadcast um, being temporarily unavailable because, um, our primary city employee who worked on that is on medical leave. So, uh, we're appreciating um, being able to try to restore some of those services. Um, I received a our stores are not selling um, cigarettes to minor and so we got that annual report. Um, I received the audit, the annual audit from the Lake Mills Housing Authority. Um, and last but not least, uh, lots of correspondence about a proposed redevelopment of the golf course. I

heard from 34 different individuals. I think I counted this up about 5:00, so if somebody sent me something after that, it's probably not in the count. Uh most of the correspondence that I received was from residents around the course. Some uh are from the around the community. I also received correspondence from the golf course owner and a call from the developer. So I think that's my list. Did anybody else have um something that I didn't list or maybe a different count? Michelle, did you mention the email regarding Operation Namesake? I wasn't sure if I heard you. Okay. Yes. So that's from the American Legion. Yes. Thanks for

um and since I have the mic, I might as well just continue. I um the only other conversation or correspondence that I had was with um a current golf course superintendent and then also uh a former owner of a golf course who had a similar situation that we are in right now. Great. Thanks, Greg. Wish anything else? Just a ton of uh golf course correspondents. That's it. Okay. Mary, I had many of the same that you had, Lisa, as well as a Sandy Beach food and beverage idea um correspondence. Great. And great.

Um yeah, I had uh the all the golf course correspondents. I'd been actually sending replies to most of them. I want to say all, but I'm not I can't guarantee I might have missed one. Um I know I missed at least one because we got one this afternoon. and I haven't responded to yet. Um, but just trying to dig deeper into what uh what what was being proposed or what what the citizens were asking. One of those conversations of note um came from the actual physical letter uh that I believe we all received December dated December 9th from Lakeside's athletic director uh responding to him. I had a a conversation with uh him and the executive director of Lakeside and they indicated that at this time Lakeside is not interested in becoming an owner of a golf course. [laughter]

Okay. Thank you very much. Okay. Uh so our next agenda item is public comment. So individuals who have registered to speak are invited to address the council at this time. Uh when you come to the podium, please state your name and address when you're called upon. Um we are not taking any action for items that are not listed on the agenda and each speaker is limited to three minutes. Uh we do have a timer over here so you can uh see the amount of time. Um so I have a list of 12 individuals who are registered to speak. You are all um listed that you're interested in speaking about the golf course. And I uh did talk to people ahead of the meeting and I want to say again on the record that the golf course or any development um proposal for the golf course is not on the council's agenda tonight. So we will not be discussing it. We will not be able to discuss or answer any questions or have any [clears throat] dialogue about the golf course tonight. Okay. So the first person and I'll read names ahead so you can be prepared to come up. Um Ken France is first and then Julie Taylor and then Julie Nelson.

[snorts]

Uh, good evening. My name is Ken France and I reside at 331 Pinnacle Drive. Recently, I heard a song that just seems to fit how I feel about our community's golf course crisis. Joanie Mitchell's lyrics fit so well. Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got till it's gone? They pave paradise and put in a parking lot. Well, I know I'm showing my age, but as it's a favorite song of mine. In many ways, the golf course symbolizes paradise to me. Nine years ago, when my wife Julie and I built our retirement home, we made the biggest financial investment of our lives. The possibility of our property value decreasing due to the proposed housing development greatly concerns us. The golf course with its mature trees and breathtaking landscapes offers priceless beauty to us and our community. On a on a any day I'll see deer, sandill cranes, feeasant, cardinals, orioles, robins, geese, owls, woodpeckers, turkeys, rabbits, chipmunks, and squirrels all live in our community's paradise with us. As a retired school guidance counselor, psychotherapist, and swimming coach, I fully understand the importance of living in an environment that promotes both physical and emotional wellness, which the city of Lake Mills certainly does for us. The Lake Mills Golf Course is a priceless and vivid example of this healthy environment and has been for 98

years. Our last nine years living in Lake Mills in our home next to the seventh hole of the golf course has been a heaven on earth for us. Please don't pave paradise. Thank you.

Thank you, Kim. Next is Julie Taylor and then Julie Nelson and then Clark Collins. Good evening. My name is Julie Taylor and I live at 331 Pinnacle Drive. I'd like to thank you all for your time, effort, and commitment to the city of Lake Mills as city council members and public servants. I'm here to express my opposition to the zoning change and housing development proposed for the Lake Mills Golf Course. This is my second time speaking before you, and I appreciate the opportunity. The last time I was here about a month ago, I talked about Lake Mill city leaders of the past who had the foresight to choose preserving land and natural areas over development. These decisions ultimately benefited the entire community of Lake Mills. Tonight, I would just like to say that when my husband and I decided to retire to Lake Mills, we were so thrilled to find the beautiful lot where we built our home on Pinnacle Drive. Never did we think we'd be fortunate enough to live on a golf course, but the location in Lake Mills made it even more perfect. Being able to safely walk from our house to Rock Lake or to the bike trail or downtown are all factors that contribute to our love of Lake Mills. The golf course being situated in the midst of all these amenities is such a unique and irreplaceable aspect of our community. It's been mentioned that the golf course will just become abandoned land if the zoning change to allow a housing development isn't approved. In the Lake Mill strategic plan, the golf course is identified as a golf course, not a potential location for future development. It's my understanding that the strategic plan was developed with community input

and its purpose is to guide the city council with making decisions and setting priorities for the future good of Lake Mills. I cannot believe that including the golf course in the strategic plan was just done as an afterthought or placeholder meant to be easily changed or dismissed. Instead, it was viewed as a valuable and critical piece of keeping Lake Mills legendary. The golf course has been an important part of this community's identity for nearly 100 years. When someone or something turns 100, it's worth celebrating. Please maintain the current golf course zoning and allow the opportunity for other options to be explored to preserve our community treasure. It would be great to celebrate the golf courses centennial and beyond. Thank you.

Thank you. So, Julie Nelson and then Clark Collins. Hello, my name is Julie Nelson. My husband Jeff and I recently moved to Lake Mills in August and live at 105 Pinnacle Drive. We fell in love with Lake Mills for its small town atmosphere, the history and character of our downtown, and most importantly, the outdoor lifestyle that the city provides with the lake, the Drumland Trail, and the golf course. These are assets that draw people here and support Lake Mill's legendary status. It's why we moved here. I am here tonight in support of saving the golf course from development. My husband and I are avid golfers and as new residents, we were looking forward to being members of the golf course. We bought our house on Pinnacle for the proximity to the golf course and for the beautiful views we enjoy. We paid a premium to live on the golf course and to live in the ridge, which as our neighborhood sign promotes, is a golf course community. I understand the current owners no longer want to operate the golf course. Their supporters will say they have the right to sell to whomever they want. I disagree with this. They bought a golf course that is part of a golf course community. Just because they want to sell doesn't give them the right to sell to developers. They claim they've received no credible offers to continue golf operations. However, any offer to invest and maintain the golf course and its clubhouse will no doubt be less less attractive financially than the development proposal provided by LSE Homes. It should not be the city's responsibility to help them profit with a zoning change at the cost of a 100 residents who will lose 20 to 30% of their property values should the development be granted. We need the city to recognize the

potential for that this property holds to be a successful golf course and clubhouse or supper club which will bring people to our amazing city. The golf course is an integral part of this community just like the lake, the trail, its parks and downtown. The community has literally been built around it. Both our high school's golf and cross country teams depend on it and its mature trees and green space are irreplaceable. While growth is inevitable, the city's own 2040 comprehensive plan indicates that that there are other viable properties available to support this growth without sacrificing this valuable asset. As a new full-time resident, I'm asking the city to reject the proposed zoning changes. The city must continue to promote growth, not just through smart and strategic residential planning, but also by preserving the essential character of Lake Mill, Lake Mills, and the property values of its residents. This preservation is what will ensure Lake Mills remains both a desirable place to live and a premier destination for visitors and businesses. Thank you.

Thank you. And Julie, I don't think we got your address. 105. Thank you. Okay, good. Okay, Clark Collins is next and then it'll be Vincent Stutter after [clears throat] that.

Hi, I'm Clark Collins. Uh I'm a resident living at 900 Pinnacle Drive. Um and I too am here to talk about uh the reasonzoning of the golf course and why I think it's a bad idea. But I'll talk mostly about you why I think this golf course in particular is important. It's important to me and my family. Uh yeah, I live there. We've lived there for the last nine years with our kids and um but my wife grew up here in Lake Mills um with a big family. Uh I have in-laws who live one direction in live on the golf course. I have in-laws live the other direction live on the golf course. So I mean we're certainly all a part of this community. But again, I have a a large family. My brothers-in-law, they were on the golf team uh with Lakeside. Um I mean just as a family they would go out golfing. Uh and these were important memories, important things for them. Uh so much so that when one of my brothers-in-law passed away that um the way that we decided to honor his memory uh and to fundra for his kids uh to ultimately attend Lakeside was to have a golf outing. And that golf outing happened every year for many many years. And it started here in Lake Mills. And it started also because of his love for the game, because of their family's love for the game and how important it was to them. One of my other brothers-in-law actually went to school um for golf course management and and has worked in the golf course industry. Uh so it's it's not just about are we going to lose some value uh on our homes. It's about the things that go along with a course like this. Uh different things. And I'm sure many other people have similar stories. I'm sure many people have stories about the lake and how that means so much to them in the in the

community. It's it's one of those things I think this this community values. I think that's part of the reason is already was brought up that it's in the long range plan and and so it should be. It's one of the jewels of our community. It's one of those, you know, legendary Lake Mills places because it's almost 100 years old. So, uh, I think that it has so much value to the community, uh, and to others. I think it can be run well as a golf course. I think maybe it's just not the current current owners who want to do that. That's fine. And as was previously said too, I don't think the city is necessarily uh here to bail them out or to, you know, allow them to to change what it is, but because they've decided they can't make a go of it. Uh I think that maybe somebody else could, but I think the most important thing is again, you know, what it means to people, what it means to families, and uh it would be a shame to have that go away. Thank you. Perfect timing. Thank you. Okay, Vincent Stutter is next and then Anita Martin will be after that.

My name is Vincent Stutter and my wife and Joanne and I live at 230 Pinnacle Drive which is adjacent to the golf course. So, thank you for allowing me to speak this evening concerning the proposal to convert Lake Mills course golf course property into a housing development. Also, I want to thank you all for uh serving on the council and trying to do the best what is best for the overall welfare of the legendary Lake Mills community and its residents. I think you all deserve uh praise for that. Um, we moved to Lake Mills in the fall of 2021 and purchased our home at 230 Pinnacle Drive. We wanted to live in this region of the state because of our daughter and family in Madison area. We looked at houses in all the surrounding communities and could have selected another community, but we chose Lake Mills for numerous reasons. One of which is that the community provides many recreational activities and opportunities for families, including the golf course. I've had a membership all four years at the golf course. We love our backyard view and the course and the various wildlife. Everybody that lives around there loves that. My wife and I oppose the converting of the golf course to a housing development because it will take away this valuable community asset and recreational attraction to this community. We understand there are financial implications either way on this proposal, but we ask you to thoughtfully consider the long-term impact of zoning change that will allow the elimination of this recreational attraction to Four Lake Mills. We also have various concerns about the high school program which was already mentioned. Um we also personally concerned about the potential

increase in traffic congestion in that area of hair of highway 89. I I've witnessed several near accidents there when we I've driven my grandkids to Lakeside School. Um, also we believe it can have a negative impact on the adjacent homeowners financial and emotional well-being. So, we really would like for the you to consider seriously to keep the golf course as it is. Again, thank you for your thoughtful consideration in this matter.

Thank you. Next is Anita Martin and then Kirk Grundall. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Anita Martin. We live at 261 Pinnacle Drive in Lake Mills. Again, I'm here like many others to talk about the Lake Mills Golf Course. The Lake Mills Golf Course has served as an important community asset for 98 years, setting us apart from many other communities in our area. It's a place where one to two dozen high school students gather each year for golf teams. It brings our young people together in real time off their phones at least most of the time they're on the course out in fresh air and sunshine talking to each other and enhancing their communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution skills. The golf course is good for the mental health not only for teenagers but for people of all ages. The Lake Mills Golf Course is a place where dads teach their young kids and many times it's young sons to play golf. It's a beautiful thing to see. It's a place where families, friends, old and new, gather for fun and fellowship. It's also a place where business is discussed and sometimes transacted. And believe you me, there are some interesting conversations that one hears in their backyard about business um aspects of Lake Mills. Um we've seen this all firsthand for the last 13 years. The golf course is a place where tournaments are regularly held for nonprofit organizations which several people mentioned, including the uh local veterans associations. It's a place where high school reunions are held. It's a place as mentioned before by others, abundant and rich in

wildlife, cranes, eagles, turkeys, possums, etc. Do we really want to lose this community asset? Once it's gone, it is gone. The proposal to reszone first goes to the planning commission and then their recommendations go to you all, the city council members, for consideration and possible action. It appears there's been some recent information brought forward about legal issues. It's my understanding there are legal questions surrounding actions which were taken back in 2013 or 2014 and earlier regarding the covenants which govern the golf course. Before going any further, and unfortunately, Attorney Dresser isn't here tonight, but I ask our city um attorney, Mr. Dan Dresser, to please thoroughly and in and um completely investigate and evaluate the legality of reszoning the 100 acres. Thank you.

Thank you. Next is Kirk Grundball and then Jeff Allen will be after that. Uh my name is Kirk Grundle. [clears throat] Uh I live at 11:30 Fairway Court. Thank you very much. Uh obviously we've communicated indirectly. I wish I could know each of you uh personally. Be great. Uh the issue here for me is obviously the golf course is important and I think there's a lot of opportunity and a lot of things that can be done there and it has to be a collaborative uh issue but most importantly uh in 1994 there was a declaration. Every time you sign a declaration it's a in it's a legal instrument as Anita said. In 2004, the declaration was amended. That's also legal instrument. And then 2013, there was a notary on that particular amendment. That's the first amendment. There's now a second amendment that I signed uh that followed the law as to the best of my ability. That's a declaration that's a legal instrument. Every time I sign a legal declaration, which I've done many, [snorts] many times throughout my career, that has to be taken seriously. This all starts and stops with an understanding of what the legal ramifications are here. That needs to be vetted. It's very serious. State law is very serious on this particular issue because a declaration needs to be written by state law so that every individual can understand it. Every individual in this room, every individual sitting here and myself, the ignorance of the law is no excuse. Everyone can read the law. This again we

have to decide if this is a legal instrument it needs to be acted upon. So that's the first question. Those are three questions. Is 1994 legal? Is 2004 legal? And is 2026 legal? So, thank you very much. I can't imagine sitting in your shoes. Tough. Happy to help, but there's some serious issues here. So, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Grundle. Mr. Grundall, did you state your address? Oh, yes, you did. 11:30 11:30 Fairway Court. Thank you.

Yeah. Thanks. Uh Jeff Allen is next and then Bob Gum Gums I think it is will be after that. Hello. My name is Jeff Allen. I live at uh 146 Pinnacle. Um here are just some of my feelings about the uh sudden plan to build over 100 homes on our almost 100-year-old golf course. My wife and I moved to Lake Mills four years ago because this town oozes recreation, history, and charm. We were lucky enough to find a house on the golf course under the expectation that we were making a good investment and that the beautiful green space would always be there. As a lifelong golfer, the first thing I did was buy a family membership at the golf course. I quickly noticed the course had good bones but had seen better days. And I feel for the owners. I see them work hard. They are but they are sadly understaffed. Uh the marketing uh of the course really doesn't take place again because of the understaffing that goes on. And I believe uh golf I know golf is growing among young people and a social media footprint is going to be important to the future of the golf course. Uh the location of the golf course is perfect for community gatherings, family occasions, private parties, even small wedding receptions. I heard the Friday night fish fries in the past were legendary. a junior golf program, golf lessons, a

welltoed pro shop, advertised leagues, charity events, golf simulators, etc., etc. would bring more people in. [clears throat] And then partnerships with our uh fine area merchants and restaurants would show our community spirit. How about a cross-country ski event during the Nickerbacher Festival? There are there are just there's so many opportunities with this treasure that we have in the middle of our town. [gasps] Um I'm pretty sure that people that have looked at the golf course in the past have seen it as a diamond in the rough, no pun intended on that, but as a good business opportunity and an asset uh for the city. and having a golf course so close to downtown is rare and exciting. I'd like to end by thank thanking you for your diligent work on the development of the old century site. I feel that's a win for the city, but ending something that's been a part of the uniqueness of legendary Lake Mills for almost a hundred years would be a mistake that couldn't be undone. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay, next is Bob. Is it Gums? Do I have that right? Okay, thanks. And then it'll be Jenna Spielman.

I am Bob Gums, 311 Pinnacle Drive. My goal for the golf course is to remain a destination for future generations. In 2015, my wife and I were inspired by a loose homes advertisement that read, "Golf Course Living, build your dream home on the scenic golf course. We purchased our lot and built our home with the intention of living here throughout retirement. We have truly enjoyed our location on the 10th green. Our two sons participated in the high school golf team and we continue to value the community atmosphere as golfers of all ages pass by. While I am a casual golfer, we support the golf course with the same dedication we show to every other business in Lake Mills. Saving the golf course is more than a slogan. It is a responsibility to our community. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Jenna Spielman is next and then Rob Nice. Hello, I'm Jenna Spielman and I live at 251 Pinnacle Drive. When I was in high school, my dad thought it would be a great idea for my brother and myself to take golf lessons so that we could be prepared for any future golf outing that may come our way once we finished college and got our adult jobs. I can tell you I have yet to golf related to my work environment. However, it was a great shared just hobby and fun thing to do in the summer with my dad and my brother for all those summers until I went off to college. We've lived in our uh house on Pinnacle Drive for the last 5 and 1/2 years. Um, over time, my 9-year-old son now also has an interest in golf, you know, and I would love more than anything for him to be able to have lessons and play at the golf course here and have similar memories like I had. It's already been mentioned that this city and community has great community spirit. We have it in our organized events throughout the year that people plan on, that people count on. But I also see these green spaces and and recreational areas like Sandy Beach, like the golf course, Tyrannina on a weekend night in the summer where you can listen to music and have a beer and eat food truck food and really just get together with people whether you meant to run into them or not. You know they're going to be there and you know it's going to be a fun time. People aren't the only aspect of this. I know others have mentioned the animals as well. I'm greatly attached to the cranes and the turkeys and the owl that I can hear, but I've never actually

seen. So, I just there's no undo button here. And I know everybody understands the severity of this decision and the impact it is to the community. And I would just I guess hope that great consideration is given and that we can find a way to still have this golf course as a great uh piece of this community that not only the residents love but also visitors who come and we know we get a lot of visitors especially in the summer when they can boat on the lake. Thank you. Thank you Jenna. So, we have Rob Neath and then Tom Bach. And those are our last two speakers.

Rob Neath, 139 East Oak Street. I have to apologize. I'm an electrical guy and my font's too small. Um, I just want to highlight the points that uh I oppose reszoning into residential um and away from recreational. Um some of the loss of social community impacts would be a community gathering space. Home course for Lake Mills golf team Lakeside Lutheran boys and girls golf teams charity golf events like the Lake Mills Optimist that that provides them the biggest source of funding for the whole year. The chamber outing which I believe funds the town and country days. Um, it's a shared point of pride and history in this town and it also brings tourism, people from outside of the town. Uh, the change in social dynamics. I mean, this one touches me mostly. Fewer informal social connections. Once created at the golf course, I can tell you in 2007 when I went to town, I knew nobody. Nobody in Lake Mills. And I would say 90 if not [clears throat] 100% of the relationships I built in this town is through either the golf course or golf itself. Um other change in social dynamics would be longtime residents may feel displaced culturally by this new of development. Um potential tension between existing residents and the newcomers um i.e. the home values other houses going down now after being recessed. Um environmental impacts, loss of the green space and wildlife habitat. Look at my time. Increased storm water runoff which I believe al already affects like the 11th fairway. uh more traffic, noise and light

pollution, infrastructure and public services, road con road congestion at that point on Main Street with all the traffic in the morning and the afternoon during the peak. Uh commuting hours for the schools, that's going to be uh more crowded now. School crowding, how's that going to affect our schools without immediate school expansion? Uh emergency service strain is it going to put a strain on our fire, police and medical response times? Will those be affected? Uh utility upgrades or infrastructure often required and costly often passed to taxpayers and then wastewater treatment or water supply. Um I believe that's almost it. [sighs] I just hope it's uh more important to preserve the existing established environments and quality of life in Lake Mills than it is to develop uh more homes in the space that it is. Thank you.

Thank you. Right on the money. And last uh registered speaker is Tom Bach.

Good evening. My name is Tom Bach. My wife Karen and I live at 341 Pinnacle Drive next to the tea for the golf course's seventh hole. Let me first say thank you for listening to me speak tonight. My wife and I are opposed to the development of the golf course. We retired to our current home after living in a suburb of Baltimore for 34 years. After living so long in a large metropolitan area, we wanted to retire to a small town with small town charms not too far from Madison where our two sons work. We found that place in Lake Mills. When we found a house for sale on the golf course with its beautiful views and open space, we jumped at the chance to buy it. Neither I or my wife golf, but we appreciate the aesthetic value of the golf course. The golf course was a major motivation for our buying our house. But now that motivation is in danger of being eliminated. The golf course presents recreational opportunities that will be lost if the housing development is built. The golf course will be lost forever. It is not a reversible process. For nearly 100 years, the golf course has existed in Lake Mills. But now, in its 98th year of existence, it is deemed by some as no longer worthy of existence. It seems a shame that our current generation might fail to maintain the golf course after 98 years of operation. The golf course is not only used by its members. The golf course is also used by the two local high schools golf teams as well as their cross country teams. If Lake Mill's course is lost, these teams will have to travel to other courses further away merely to practice, adding considerable inconvenience to their extracurricular activity. I understand that Lake Mills has a master plan. The proposed development does not conform to that plan. Other development land is available on the outskirts of town which may suit the cities and the developers needs and conforms [clears throat] to the master

plan. These lands seem to be more a more natural choice for development than the golf course. If the proposed development goes through, property values for homeowners on the course will decrease. Supposedly, the town will gain tax revenue and the lose company will profit from the development of the golf course. But those increases in value will come at the expense of those living on the golf course. Google AI states that a golf course on a I'm sorry, that a house on a golf course will sell at a 7% premium compared to a house not on the golf course. This means a house that cease that ceases to be on a golf course will stand to lose about 6.5% of its value. [clears throat] At the 6.5% rate, a $500,000 home would stand to lose $33,000 in equity. Repeat that a 100 times and you see a loss of $3.3 million in home values. In conclusion, let me say the golf course has existed for [clears throat] 98 years. I believe that the golf course and restaurant can remain successful in the right hands. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Okay, that is everyone who's registered for public comment this evening. So, thank you for your participation and we will move on to the next agenda item. Let me just get my agenda item right here. Uh, next agenda item is a city manager report.

Uh, there are a number of documents included in your packet. One thing I'll add to my written report is uh we have begun the process of um forming the ice rink at Commons Park and it is scheduled to be done by um Sunday. Um so uh you'll see crews out there essentially uh 24 hours a day uh preparing it uh to have it ready. So if you see them, feel free to give them a thank you. Do they like donuts? probably [laughter] probably not chocolate.

Okay, so we have a number of uh we have a monthly report from you Drake as well as our uh monthly financials, fire department, police department, Ryan Brothers. Um does anyone have any questions or comments on any of those? Just have one question. Mary,

I have uh one comment. First of all, I know I don't think we have anyone here from our police or fire department, but um just a thanks to all of them for their service and obviously in the report some of the um services that they've had to provide over the course of the last reporting period were quite extensive. So their um work is really appreciated. And there was a question I on regard in regards to the fire um report fire department report. If I read the report correctly, it noted in 2024 to 2025, we were up almost 20% in requests for service. And I just just didn't know if that was what we expected given the new communities that we were serving or the growth that was happening. And I just was curious to know if we were feeling like we had any concerns given that was a large increase. It appeared between 24 and 25. if I read it correctly because it was worded kind of different in the report. So I didn't think it was doing a monthto-month. I think it was doing a year to year. So just making checking in on making sure that I'm through any concerns that were coming up on that.

Uh I can pass along the question to the fire chief. Uh he has not brought any capacity concerns um to my attention. Um it is likely due to um additional contracts for service um as we've as we've added people to our EMS territory in which our fire department is a second out uh ambulance um is as backup. Okay. Thanks. Any other comments, questions?

Uh I'll just maybe one followup. Um, and again, thanks to Watertown Media for their assistance tonight. Um, but I really want to thank um, staff for their um, delicate handling of the situation and respect for our employee who's um, unfortunately on medical leave. So, we wish him well and uh, we really miss his service. Obviously, it's something that the community has really valued um having these additional services and I hope uh people are aware that we are meeting all of our uh statutory obligations for open meetings. So, having broadcasting and having remote participation, those are extra benefits that our city has chosen to provide for a number of years and people obviously value them. But, um I think what's most important is that we wish our employee well and and uh return to good health. Okay. I'm having a little bit of uh trouble with my computer, so hopefully I can uh muddle through here, but um if there's no further questions on the city manager's report, we'll move on to council business. So, our first item is a consent agenda. There are six um items under this uh four licenses. uh one resolution allowing alcohol consumption in Wallace Park for the Nickerbacher and another resolution for the annual um humane society contract. So the way the consent agenda works as a reminder is um there's no discussion on any of the items. We would just look for a motion and a second and take a vote. If any one council member wants to discuss any of the items, you can request that um at this time. So, if there's someone that would like to discuss any one of them, please say so. Otherwise, I'll entertain a motion to adopt the consent agenda.

I'll move to approve approve consent agenda items 1 through 4. Second. So, you would like to remove items five and six from the consent agenda. Is that what you're I'm asking just the approval of one through four and then we'll look at five and six separately. Okay. So Drake, I just want to make sure we're doing this correctly because they have resolutions because they're they're they're listed as a consent agenda for six items. So I just want to make sure the motion is clear. You can approve one through four and then you'll take the others up individually.

Okay, sounds good. So we had a motion from Mr. Wat, second from Missager to adopt consent agenda items one through four. So we can't have any discussion on that. So Lisa, would you please call the role? Miss Curler I Miss Schmeagger I Miss Quidnau I Mr. Coots I Mr. Waters I motion pass 50.

Okay. So then the next item listed is resolution 26-01. Uh so um since we're not doing that as a consent agenda item, then Lisa, I'll ask you to read the title of that resolution for us. City Council Resolution 26-01 permitting possession and consumption of alcohol in Wallace Park for the 2026 Nickerbacher Festival. Okay. Is there a motion? I'll move to approve uh city council resolution 26-01 permitting possession and consumption of alcohol in Wallace Park for the 2026 Nickerbacher Festival. Second.

Okay. Okay. So, we have a motion by Michelle Quednell, second by Mary Schmeaker. Is there any discussion? Okay. Seeing none, Lisa, would you please call the role on resolution 26-01? Miss Schmegger, I. Miss Quinn now, I. Mr. Coots, I. Mr. Waters, I. Miss Curler, I. Motion pass 50. Thank you. Uh, next item is resolution 26-02 uh, regarding the Humane Society. Lisa, would you read that title for us, please?

City Council resolution 26-02, authorizing the city manager to execute an agreement between the city of Lake Mills and Humane Society of Jefferson County. I'll move to approve city council resolution 2602 authorizing the city manager to execute an agreement between the city of Lake Mills and Humane Society of Jefferson County. I'll second motion by Michelle Quidnell, second by Mary Schmaker. Any discussion? Yeah, I did go Oops. Okay, you're recognized. Thank you.

Great. Uh I did go back and uh research the last four years and it's consistent uh in charges. Actually the rates have come down over the years. Um so it does seem in line with past years. Any other comments or discussion? Okay. Seeing none, Lisa, please call the role on resolution 26-2. Miss Quinn now. I Mr. Coots I Mr. Waters I Miss Gurler I Miss Miger I motion pass 50.

Thank you. Okay. Next item is resolution 26-03. Um amendment to a development agreement. Lisa, would you read the title for us, please? City Council Resolution 26-03 authorizing the city manager to execute the second amendment to development agreement number 18-003 buyin between the city of Lake Mills and Riverwood Holdings LLC for Brookstone Meadows phases 6 through 10. Thank you. Why don't we turn to H to staff and have you just go through this for us?

Sure. Uh it's a rather simple amendment. It simply adds the extension of Brookstone Drive to the development agreement which allows it to uh undergo the same treatment that the um the phases that you're all familiar with undergo for um in this case uh 50% of the of uh the Brookstone Drive extension will be paid through from by the special assessment arrangement um through um the uh development agreement. the rest will be covered either by um capital dollars or uh the tiff district that overlays that area. Um so essentially the the side of it that will be developed by the developer is what's being paid for by from the special assessment um as stipulated in the process in the development agreement. [snorts]

Any questions or discussion on resolution 26-03 or the um second amendment to the developers agreement? Greg, I'll move to approve resolution. I didn't bring my glasses, so bear with me. Resolution [laughter] 26-03. 26-3. Second. [laughter] We have a motion by Greg Water, seconded by Mary Schmaker. Any further discussion? Seeing none, lease, would you please call the role in resident resolution 26-03? Mr. Coots, I. Mr. Waters, I.

Miss Curler, I. Miss Schmeagger, I. Miss Quednau, I. Motion pass 50. Thank you. Our next agenda item is resolution 26-04. Lisa, would you read that for us? City Council Resolution 26-04 approving 2026 East Prospect Street, Moss Street, and Malbury Street reconstructions project plans and authorizing bid. Thank you. And we have uh Matt Hoslet from Strand Associates who's a lead for this project. So, um I think you have a presentation for us, Ma.

I do have a presentation. I with the technology here I have my laptop but I think [clears throat] all of you have it in your packet and I also have it printed off. If you want print off copies I can hand them out. Um if you have a printed copy because my computer is crashed on me so if you have happen to have a printed one I can follow along. I'd be happy to share. Okay. Got one. Thanks. Thanks M. And this is the same one that's on our posted with the agenda. Correct.

Great. All right. So, this will be number two of probably five council meetings I'll be at here in the next couple months um regarding our different projects. This one, East Prospect Street, um construct reconstruction. Um just as a kind of a reminder of the project limits, uh they are on your second sheet with that map there. full reconstruction of East Prospect Street from Bert Street to Prairie, I'm sorry, Bert Street to Moss Street. Uh Moss from Prospect to Malbury. And then Malbury Street from East Grant to Moss. um the remaining about 300 ft of Malbury Street that um still needs to get reconstructed from 2019 project and then um the scratch coat that the city did a couple years ago from from Moss to to Prairie. Along with that, we are adding um a Millan overlay, couple Millan overlay sections on Moss and Short Street from Prospect to Prairie and then East Prospect Street from Moss to Prairie Avenue. Um probably touch on those a little bit more next week like specifics with uh Dwayne's or next meeting with Dwayne's mil overlay presentation on that. But um that was requested from the city to add it into this project just because of the proximity of the project and not to have multiple um reconstruction or construction going on um at two different times uh for those residents. So that's why it's all lumped in here. And I believe that funding for that is from the maintenance program. They'll just kind of pull out um some dollars for that to to cover the cost. Next slide is anticipated project schedule. Um council approval to bid tonight. Um bid

opening on February 12th. The advertisement um if the project does um get approved to bid will be advertised next Thursday on the 29th. um a two-eek bid bid opening period or a bid period. Um follow state statutes um state regulations. We've done that historically over the years. Um so following everything correctly there. Anticipated construction this spring um either April or May depending on how contracts line up and contractor schedule. Um with a completion in we have it written in the contract of midepptember right now. There are some stipulations in the contract that construction cannot happen on the Birch Street Prospect Street intersection during school um regular school hours and time. So between and I reached out to the the elementary school principal and um assistant principal and then the trans the Lake Mills transportation um individual as well. They're all kind of on a correspondence email with with myself kind of informing them what was going on, our time frame with this with the schedule. There was really no additional questions at that time. Just um with their construction going on right now and then now this road construction, they just wanted to make sure that Bird Street wouldn't be affected during um during the school time. So basically there's a milestone where Bird Street will have to get done between June 5th and um middle of August before school starts. We also have a stipulation in the contract for Malbury Street as well. And Malbury Street has a because it's, you know, connected to the county highway A 6E duration from the time of basically groundbreaking activity to final completion. So, including curb and gutter and asphalt and some sidewalk repair for a six week duration. There are, if you look at your

drawings, and I don't know if I have the exact sheet, but there is a detour plan. um that'll be posted for um residents or or you know traffic that are either entering from the north on a or trying to come up Malbury from the south on Lake Street. There's a detour um basically just around that um notifying them. So in order for that not to be up all summer, we're writing it that they have six weeks to from start to finish on Malbury Street. So that gives the contractor a little bit of a flexibility on when they want to start Malbury Street. We're not dictating when they want to start, but just kind of letting them know, hey, you have you have six week from start to finish. It's not really too much different from what we've done in the past on on Milton Street and on Oak Street as well, where we've g given them 10 weeks or 11 weeks from start to finish instead of a a three or four month duration to have it um open for that whole time. We had a PIM a couple weeks back. Um, good attendance at that. We had about 20 or so individuals and residents

is public information meeting. Thank you. I did that again [laughter] last week at uh

public works board public information meeting. Uh there will be a second public information meeting I would say probably in April um before construction starts. That one's going to be more kind of construction specific um to kind of let the residents know what to expect during construction um regarding access and um kind of emergency vehicles and what day-to-day might look like and appropriate notices and and all that sort of thing. So um the next few slides are the plan profile drawings. um full replacement of water and sanitary sewer on Prospect um and Malbury Street. M Street doesn't have water and sanitary sewer because there are no water surfaces from the the homes that are on M Street. We are adding storm sewer as part of this project. There is currently no storm sewer kind of in that whole area right now. So the addition of storm sewer sewer will really help the kind of ponding and um lack of um pavement structure quality and and that sort of thing um in the future. So we're adding basically storm sewer all the way from where we ended on Malbury Street up Moss and then uh to the west on Prospect Street almost all the way to Bur Street. Now getting into a little bit of um the tree protection stuff and policy. So as you all are well aware last year Milton Street was our first year of the tree protection um pilot program. I think overall it went um pretty well with the constraints that the contractor followed. Um we had Strand hired the the on-site arborist who were they were there during any activity within the tree protection zones. um that communication came through me that I believe that it went pretty well overall. Um some learning curves, right,

which would to be expected with the contractor and the arborist and just kind of how specific day-to-day operations would be with, you know, root cutting and and different things, but um overall very um very good I thought it went and um the fencing went well. few times we had to remind the contractors over and over to kind of make sure the fence isn't falling down if you're accidentally knocking it. Um, so that maybe was a little bit of a a headache on my end. Um, but year two of tree protection policy will be incorporated in here. This slide is from um last year's presentation as well. So, we're basically going to be doing the same exact procedure um this year with tree protection policy. I did want to add in and I'll kind of touch on this in the next kind of next topic here, but um opening of cost for the alternative dedux this year is about 36,000 anticipated. Um it is a hard number to kind of quantify um on what the contractor is going to put on those deduxs. Those deduxs are are kind of listed here. You know, tree protection fencing, root cutting, handfor curb within the tree protection zones. um handformed sidewalk um compaction and then obviously if the city deems the contractor irresponsible there's liquidated damages written into the contract as well. So last year and I and I believe it was asked um a request from the the council for this presentation was kind of getting a cost of what true protection may look like on Prospect Street. So the table on slide number 10 um this was basically from last year's U Milton Street project just kind of revamped a little bit. So I kept the same number of um or the same items in here. These are items that when we after we bid Milton

Street were kind of it kind of caught our eye of these costs are kind of higher than what we'd anticipate. So we wanted to kind of break down and see the cost difference and and the percentage of what um what the cost implication is on the tree protection. So this year, basically the the difference that I did here is we we adjusted the bid quantity to correspond with Prospect Street's um quantity. And then in the fourth column over, Milton Street plus 3% inflation. That is kind of what we're estimating what the unit price would be this year in our OPCC. So that's Milton Street plus 3%. And then the low bidder unit, high bidder unit prices. Um those are just inflation from 2023 from College Street inflated up 3%. The percent difference um between percent higher than the low unit price and then the percent higher than the high unit price kind of gives you an idea of potential what um differences we may see and then a dollar amount associated with that. So, kind of in general, 128,000 is roughly kind of what we're what we're our opinion of our estimate of what the additional cost would be of the tree protection. But if you subtract out um the alternative costs, that would give you about that $92,000 number. So, I know that's a lot of numbers and and a lot going on. I wish I could bring something up, but I'll stop there and um just kind of want to ask questions if you have questions on that. The next slide kind of condenses it into a summary um a little bit better, but

I'll pause for a minute

table. Well, I do have I do have a question on the tree protection policy. I know we're talking about these as I would say like a pilot and I was a bit surprised that and when you say that it went well um that I'm just curious if there were any components that didn't go well. So as an example I walked Milton Street often. So I lived out lived far from there. So I I was on Milton Street and I was and I mentioned this when we had a debrief on it um a while back. All of the fences were down and all of the metal posts minus four were completely damaged. And I can't imagine a contractor didn't have some equipment damage or something running into all of these poles. And so and that and they were always down and I I was like hm it so it didn't look like it was successful although a lot of the material was laying there and maybe the fact that the the fence material laying there was just enough of an observation for someone to go oh oh yeah I have to remember that that trees there I I don't I just I felt like that one piece of it at least by the eye I would have said was a complete failure from just observing it as a w as a as somebody who's looking to see what you know from make I was passing judgment based on what I observed and and I'm not familiar with all of the other things like the hand root cutting or hand gutter forming and so I'm just curious of if we were to look at all of the layers of the things that we're trying in the tree protection policy are all of them working well or some of them maybe we need to pause and ask ourselves are they worth it or do we need a different approach while we're going into the second pilot. So instead of using the orange plastic fence and the metal post, should we be using something else that might be a bet better suited for better protection and maybe less equipment damage? So I I would like to learn more about I I really I really

would like I know trees are important and I know

the fencing that was that's what you see, right? That's what residents see. Um, so I I agree that that probably wasn't didn't go as as well as it should have gone. Um, the other aspects with the root cutting and staging areas and everything on that aspect went pretty well. Um, the arborist was there to help me out as well to kind of point out, hey, let's we're going to hand cut this route. We're going to do that. and the contractor had bought special equipment, special tools and solutions. So, um yeah, I I think that was definitely the the hardest part of the project was keeping the contractor aware and knowledgeable that the fence has to stay up during the duration of the project. Um,

was sorry, was there any push back from the contractor when the arborist directed them to use the specialized tools that they had to go out and get? In in the beginning there was um they didn't want to. Um, but we specifically had that in our contract that they had to or else that there would be liquidated damages associated with that. Thank you. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt the flow.

No, you're good. Um, so I don't know if it was, and I don't want to say the contractor hasn't done this before. I don't know if the contractor has done tree protection before or not. I I don't know if it was a new thing for them. I don't know if it wasn't. I'm not backing one side, you know. I just I think that was a challenge. And um I think keeping the fence intact helps the contractor know where the tree protection zones are. And that's that's the main idea behind this all is to to notify where the tree protection zone is. And if we're getting close to a tree protection zone, that's when we need the arburist on site um to give further direction, you know, if a rooe is encountered. Um,

I maybe I'll just I think this is more of a comment than anything, but I I think you made a good point that, you know, last year was our first year. We were gaining experience and we can apply some of that to this. The um fencing is such a visual thing. It's sort of obvious when it's not being complied with. The other ones are maybe not going to be so obvious to somebody walking by and some of the other ones we won't know. Mhm. I think Drake has commented on this previously with the committee and with the council that, you know, we won't know for 5 years whether it did increase the viability or or longevity of the mature trees or not. So, some of it is a little hard to measure.

I think that's the fencing seems like a an obvious one that's pretty easy for most, you know, the lay person even to see whether that's being followed or not. So, I just I appreciate hearing your, you know, what you observed last year and that that's maybe something that, you know, we'll have to continue to reinforce if we move forward with these these parts of the contract, right? Or if the approach didn't go well, I'm trying to get the port approach didn't go well in the first round, is there an alternative for that same to address the treat fencing? Is there an alternative to try for pilot number two

that maybe would give different outcomes like that? I don't know. I don't know what what alternatives there are, but I I just thought I'd ask the question since I again that's all you can see. And you are right. It's hard to measure, but I it did appear as if that one would have I would have thought the contractor I it just didn't resonate as to me looking successful from Sure. I'm just visually looking at it. Okay. [clears throat] Uh I I've been traveling the last couple of weeks, but I I did get a report during that time period from the uh tree committee chairperson that actually did an informal review of Milton Street tree policy, how it went, talk to residents, and it was largely positive. Well, that's great.

I asked her if I could forward that to council members and she did give me the green light to do that. I just haven't had the time because I just got back from my trip. So, I will forward that to everybody. um we'll actually forward it to Misty and have her forward it to everybody. So you can see her informal review of Milton Street, but it was overwhelmingly positive. Okay. So I think the res I think the residents really appreciated the effort to um to protect the trees. Great.

So I guess I do have a follow-up question to on this um slide 10. the potential indirect costs. And I I recall you uh providing this information to us last year as well for Milton Street. So I guess if I were to summarize it, it it seems like your um what you're describing for us is that a contractor may be charging greater costs for other elements of the project that maybe aren't strictly those tree protection. Correct. Yeah. techniques, but that we may be getting a larger overall correct cost. Correct. Yeah. And

that next slide I I kind of totaled everything up there and potential anticipated would be like a 7% increase, 7.3% increase. um just based off of what we saw on Milton Street and then that price compared to our previous College Street kind of full reconstruction without any uh tree protection policy pilot program on that. um roughly where we're going to be seeing increased prices I I believe are the what kind of have I laid out here. The curb and gutter um especially with like hand forming curb sidewalk hand form curb hand you know hand placement um laterals is a big one because if l you know there's at least on Milton Street there's a lot of laterals water services and saners who are laterals that went kind of in the tree protection area. So if if during design if we're trying to move them out, you know, that that's just it's adding a little bit of length, but it's also just adding a little bit of time for the contractor to kind of loop around and connect back in versus going kind of straight through and connecting. Um, those are the kind of big ones. But interesting from what the arborist told me was they noticed that any any roots or or potential roots within the roadway behind, you know, from the back of the curb to the back of the curb wasn't really any roots at all in the roadway. A little bit surprising to me, but as I think about it, it actually makes sense because the water isn't able to get into the ground. Um, [snorts] so that was kind of one big thing that I was like, "Okay, that makes it makes sense that we wouldn't see roots while we're putting in a water man or putting in a sanitary sewer." Um, one thing that's also different about Prospect Street versus Milton is that last year we had temporary water on Milton Street because of the tree protection zones that were within the roadway. We had no storm sewer. So, we were able to basically we moved the water man to avoid these street

protection zones. But because we did that, we had to put temporary water in because we were putting water man in on top of existing water man. Um that cost was pretty high. Um it was about 88,000 for that cost. So, we're not having that cost on this project. That number also is taken out on my next slide on my summary sheet. Um, but just some information that that I wanted to share with you guys.

So, Matt, I don't know if you're um I don't want we've been asking a lot of questions, so I don't want to interrupt your flow, but um so on page 11 then for your opinion of increased cost that 7.3% does that include the direct and the potential indirect costs? Correct. That's total. Yep. So that's the that's the the 53,000 plus about the 92,000. So it could be less because the indirect costs are are are potentials. Correct. So that's like half the percentage from Milton Street. So that's a significant I think a big part of that was the that water the temporary water that I was explaining. Yeah. Yep.

We also received one bid on Milton Street that may have played a role. So it's possible if we have a more competitive bidding environment, those costs get driven down.

They might might be the I just have a few pictures on the remaining slides of just existing conditions out there. Um, we are narrowing Prospect Street. I I don't know if all of you know that or not, but we are narrowing it from 38 ft to 34 ft. Um, the city standard is 34T back of curb to back of curb. So with that narrowing, we add terrace width, you know, two feet on each side for tree protection health or tree health plus, you know, snow storage. There was also a question that came out of the public information meeting about parking. Um, and it still allows both sides on street parking with travel lanes, um, say, you know, 11oot travel lanes, which is at the the minimum of what you'd want, but it still allows um, those travel lanes. And I don't I don't know if we've we've done a speed study, Drake, but I don't know the results of that yet. If if there is speeding going on on PR, I I don't know that, but um it may help slow down traffic, too.

Great. We ready for general questions? Sure. General questions. Did public works approve this bid package? Yes. Great. Thank you. Yep. Any [snorts] other questions, comments?

Can I ask a question specific to the resolution? It would it be in our best interest to note that this particular authorizing bid resolution includes covering tree protection policy pilot includes to to just note that we have it as an additional part of the bid because it is I mean it's a it's a carve out that's pilot number two is I mean if I'm just looking for I mean it's like a records retention thing would Would that be in our best interest to have that in the resolution or is it not important?

Um, if you'd like to memorialize that it's the second project of three projects identified for the pilot program, you certainly could. Um, as far as affecting implementation of it, it's not necessary because it's incorporated into the bid package and and uh contract. Okay. I don't I don't think it needs to be. I just didn't know if it was if if it was more of a I don't know. I guess it was a process question. Okay. And then the alternatives kind of like last year would be basically removing the true protection out of the project. So we'll have a number of alternatives that you'll see. Okay. Um and those will just be basically removing as Drake said the true protection pilot pilot program is in the base bid. Um

okay. Um Matt, I just want to make a couple comments. Um I had no idea that there was no storm sewer in M Street, but I have gotten um citizen concerns about water ponding in that area. So I, you know, I attended the public information meeting and people seem to be very pleased that that was going to be addressed because that's pretty flat that whole area, the entire street there. Malbury Street is flat too there. So we are adding probably about 20 inlets just kind of throughout the entire project corridor um to really help that out.

Yeah. So that that's great that that's you know those issues are going to be addressed because that's definitely an area effort from people in that neighborhood, you know, over the years and I keep saying it's on the it's on the plan, you know, to do your to do your neighborhood. So I'm glad that that's um going to be able to be addressed. And then also um the public information meeting I thought was well done. Um the citizens seemed to be very engaged. They had lots of good questions and you and your fellow Matt uh were were wellprepared to answer them or just to take people's in you know input talk to them later. So I think that's really positive. That's one of the things I know we've have talked about as a council and with staff you know just increasing that lines of communication you know with these street projects to avoid misunderstandings later. So, thank you for I thought that that meeting was very well done.

Okay. Are there any other questions? I don't think we have a motion on the table yet. I enlarged it so I can read it now. Okay. [laughter] I'll move to approve city council resolution 26-04. Second. Okay. So, we have a motion by Greg Waters and a second by Michelle Qued. Now, um any further questions or discussion? Seeing none, Lisa, would you call the role? Mr. Waters, I. Miss Curler, I. Miss Schmeaker, I. Miss Quedno, I. Mr. Coots, I. Motion pass 5-0.

Thank you. Thank you, Matt. Okay. Our next item is resolution 26-05 related to our wastewater treatment plant. Alis, would you read that title for us? City Council Resolution 26-05 approving the wastewater treatment plant facilities plan and authorized the city manager to execute a task order for phase one design with the city engineer. Thank you. So, let's go to our staff reports. We have our uh engineer Travis Anderson here. Uh Drake, is there anything you wanted to

uh the only thing I'll call out is um apologies for the delay. um an an addendum number two was added. All it simply added was that um someone who attempted who routed a public comment correctly to me that for some reason I could not find in my inbox let me know that they did make a comment. They had for they forwarded me the email that they had sent. I received that one. So we updated an addendum to show that we did receive one public comment during the public comment period. So, it is included in the facilities plan um and uh will be incorporated into what is uh what would be submitted to the DNR. Great. Thank you.

Yes. So, just uh an update. Uh we we've have had the the public hearing for the facility plan, the public comment period, and uh DNR has completed their review. Um we we did get um a couple um requests for couple clarifications from DNR which um were incorporated into uh addendum number one which was in your packets. Uh really nothing that impacted the recommended project. they they wanted some clarifications related to the population projections and that was mainly that really the heart of their question was um related to the former Rock Lake Sanitary District. um they just wanted some clarifications on that and and uh so we just provided a little bit more breakdown which is in the table in that addendenum number one showing the the projections uh separated for the city itself and the former Rock Lake Sanitary District that discharges to the

uh the Rock Lake Sanitary District is the former um sanitary district that served the town of Lake Mills. uh in the 90s the city was required to take it over as that uh district failed and the city needed to um take on processing um that material from that district. [clears throat]

So we provided that clarification and then um they they did ask uh for the parallel cost ratio which is uh basically that is determining the uh the subsidized interest rate that is available through the DNR's clean water fund. Uh and the the analysis that we've done here uh we're we're recommending that the city receive the full subsidized interest rate. So it's a it's a reduced interest rate through the clean water fund. Uh and then since there is a minor um hauled waste septage receiving component of the project that is eligible for a 0% uh rate for that portion of the project. So that again that's nothing that impacts the the recommended project. It's really more something uh down the road when we do the clean water fund application. Um so really th those were the only things that they were looking for clarification on. Um, so I'm I'm happy to, you know, go over anything that I previously discussed or if there's any follow-up questions that anyone has thought of, we can we can certainly do that. But, um, next steps would be to, um, to start proceeding with, uh, design for the phase one upgrades.

Thank you. So, are there any questions for Travis or comments on the facility plan and the task order? Yeah, Greg,

I'm I'm glad you went through the uh Wisconsin DNR information, but several members of this council asked for additional review of the facility and um I don't see that here and um I guess I'm disappointed not to to have that information. Um, I know that there's concerns about the pricing continuing to to go up. Every time I see a number, it seems to be higher and higher and higher. And, uh, there is a need to move forward with the project. I get that, but um, I'm disappointed that city council's input is not being taken at this point. What can we do to fix that issue? I'm

I'm sorry. I uh I think I Which section are you referring to? The administration building. There is a letter included in your packet that went out that it's describing it in more detail. Um and and you're talking about Mr. Bard's message. No letter?

No, no, no. the letter in your packet dated October 13, 2025 with additional details on the administrative building. Um, which would is still under the purview of the city council to amend the design of it when you choose to go out to to bid or as as you go through that process. And maybe that's something um that would be helpful to clarify. So um with respect to the administration building and what's proposed for it, this facility plan gives a summary of the need and and the desire for the the city to have um have a new building and what what purpose it would serve and what the what the reasons are for it. And it gives a projected cost for that. But we're not at the design phase where we would be um weigh it sounds like you're saying in the future we this council would have the opportunity to weigh in on the specific design and what features and what cost we would be willing to spend on a new administration building. Is that is that correct?

You'll have to approve each the entire design package. So, you certainly can remove it from phase one if you'd like or eliminate storage bays or things of that nature. But, um, at the time of approval, you'll have, uh, an opinion of probable cost on each item that you're you're being asked to send out to bid. Um, so if if you're saying right now the administrative building should be eliminated, you certainly can make that direction now. Um, if you want to only have administrative building and not have outdoor uh bays for storage of equipment and things of that nature, you can certainly make that now and we'll adjust the plan. Um otherwise you can wait and debate what pieces of the administrative building are important during the design phase of it.

Mary um I first of all I appreciate all of the all of the work that's gone into the plan and I and I'm going to um tag on Greg I agree with you regarding we had discussed and a concern about the 4.6 6 million. And where I'm coming out is that I was super impressed with the level of detail on all of the components of the wastewater treatment plant itself. So like we know how many and how large. So you can visualize that the level of scrutiny on all of those components to me was done where I learned a lot and it was a little overwhelming honestly because it was just you you really all the parts have given some a lot of um deep thought but the administration building and I think this is where I am um I'm looking at the level of detail on the administration building it's 16% of the overall budget in phase one is the 4.6 6 million for the building and I don't know how many staff it's serving, the square footage requirements for storage, the how many like I'm I'm missing the same level of scrutiny and I and I support a new building. So, and I I brought that back up when we talked about this. I think it was in November, December. I I appreciate the the that there's a need. I understand I I don't like like you're describing the the exposure to the chemicals and the showering units and so I understand the business case but what I'm missing is the level of same level of scope and level of detail of amenity amenities of what we what the 4.6 six million would be put towards because if I look at this the picture and you look at the little square of the current building, it's like eight the new building is eight times that little square that's in that on the picture. And I I am having a hard

time um supporting that large 8x scale visual piece because I because there's a lack of information at that same level of detail on the administration building and so and what the risks are if we had the certain pieces of equipment not in bays like I and the alternatives. So we could go route X or route Y. And so I I actually am thinking that um an amendment to the resolution I I would like to to propose. Do you want to have more conversation first before I suggest what I was thinking for an amendment to the resolution?

Um we don't have a motion on the resolution yet. So you could either make a motion and amend it or we could continue discussion. I mean, I think we've got several options, but there's no motion on the table at this point. I didn't know if there was more discussion before I moved on the because we were talking about the building, but there might be a lot of other conversations. Can you describe it without making any without moving for anything? Can you just describe it as part of the discussion right now? What you're thinking? Tell us what you have in mind.

Yes. of of um removing the administration building from phase one pending further review and appro approval by the city council so that we get a chance to learn more about what that specific facility is and then it can still move in parallel and pull back in to the I mean it it's kind of still part of phase one but that it it takes so we don't hold up the rest of the plan which is really critical you know the DNR the the the true um I would say regulatory related our facility. We keep that going but we pull out phase the administration building from phase one pending further review so that we can as a city council get more insight into that piece of this plan. That would be the amendment I was going could I

unless otherwise authorized by city council, right? I'm sorry. I think you had said the wording unless otherwise authorized by city council so it could get back into phase one with more information.

Yes, absolutely correct. That would be the intent that it I just would like more information on the administration building. So I would like to pull it out, let the rest of the balance of the plan go forward, but then come back and learn more so that we put it back into phase one um as a part, but then we all I I am more clear on the level of spend and the detail regarding what the outcomes will be because 4.6 million to seems on the high end for what I would think for what is being described. If [clears throat] I could just add one point of clarification and and I apologize because I I misunderstood the direction from the from the last meeting. I had I had mentioned um last time I was here that as a as a very initial phase um when we start design before we before we put any effort into the admin building, we do have uh architects on on staff that can come up with a range of options of footprints, building materials, um you know, different uses, levels of storage, that type of thing. you know, just very conceptual to present to the council the range of of options and costs before any design is done. Um that that's what I was um planning on as a first step of design, which we haven't started yet. You're you know, you're not locked into anything at this point by approving the facility plan. DNR wouldn't hold you to to anything related to the to the admin building. So, that was my plan moving forward. I I apologize that I didn't understand that you were looking for that tonight. Um but but that definitely was on my radar. I did I did um understand that you were looking for that level of analysis and evaluation on the building. I just thought that we would be starting that

at at the beginning of design, you know, next month or in March, that type of thing. I I appreciate that followup, Travis, and I do recall you talking about that and that was was consistent with my understanding that we would have future opportunities to weigh in on exactly what, you know, what goes into that building, how big it is, you know, could could have some choices as far as um could have more information and could have some choices as far as how much we would spend. It is, you're right, Mary, it's a significant percentage um of the cost of phase one. I personally think it's essential for our staff safety uh that we provide a a different building space for them. So to me, I think it's important to have as a part of phase one and based on what you've said here, I don't see any reason to delay um approving the plan and the task order tonight and I think we can get these concerns addressed down the road. That that's my take on it.

So can can I ask a clarifying question? So if we approve the plan, are we are we stating that we are spending 4.6 6 million on the building. That's what I'm trying because okay that then that helps me under support the plan but I feel that that isn't um a gap in and I think if it's part of the process which it does note that you have this like the planning of the building as a part of the work that will be completed in the work plan the task order but I I was trying to connect the dots on its level of detail wasn't still has hadn't risen to the same level as the as a wastewater treatment plan. Yeah.

And I think it's fair to say, you know, that the information that you just shared with us about what you would be doing in the initial steps of the design, that's that is not in the plan itself. So, it wouldn't be obvious, you know, to the reader. I think that was one of the uh citizen comments was about, you know, having architectural design and having the ability to kind of evaluate what, you know, what all uh would be done in that administration building. So, I think that would be a good way to address that as well. Great.

I had a similar motion prepared uh as Mary, so we were thinking along the same lines. Um but as long as we're able to narrow down and and and look at that down the road, I'm good with moving forward at this point. Yeah, same here.

Any other questions or comments? Um I did just want to highlight the other um citizen comment that we got that was um and because he called me and then uh and contacted Drake so we were able to get that information incorporated in your addendum too which I thank you for um getting that together so quickly. Um, I think his other comment was generally like, why are we saying we're going to approve stuff in phase one if maybe it's, you know, why are we saying just because it's at the end of its useful life, if it's still working, why are you, you know, spending the money on it? Um, but I I one of the things I thought in reaction to that is looking at the schedule. I mean, we're talking about 2029 construction. And so it still is, you know, another three years out and these pieces and parts are going to continue to age. Um, but I wondered if you could comment on that at all, Travis. Are there are there some benefits to replacing things sort of all at one time instead of when they fall apart? I I don't know if I don't know how to think about that. Yeah, I I would just add add to what you said that uh the the vast majority of uh phase one is is more driven by meeting code than replacing aging infrastructure. that the aging infrastructure is just, you know, it it's a further driver to move the project forward because, you know, not only are these processes undersized according to code, but they're also going to be almost 40 years old by the time they get replaced, which is which is at the point where you are putting more money into them than than they're worth. So, I I appreciate that that comment. um you know you want you obviously need to allocate your resources carefully. Um but I I would say the the primary driver is that the

processes are undersized according to code and DNR would uh would say they need to be upsized even if they weren't 40 years old. The the 40 years old is just pushing it forward making it more urgent.

Okay. Yeah. And I think phase two is somewhere around 10 or 11 years out. So that's they'll be that much older. Yeah. Then at that point. So okay, thanks for that. Um, one other thing I wanted to ask about I mean we we've heard some comment tonight. I occasionally will get uh people asking me about you know does our infrastructure have the capacity to handle new development. And my understanding is that you know we're designing you know 20 years out and so like our our system now can handle additional growth and then this plan would be for you know 20 you know through 2050 planning for the growth that we might experience. So am I am I understanding that right?

Yes. Yes. That's correct. You're you're kind of you're on the edge right now. Certainly you can continue what you have planned residentially. um you know that that is not going to be an issue through the the construction phase of this project. Then with construction here, you're going to have a lot more capacity in this time frame between now and when phase one is complete. you'd have to be really careful about any major water users because the the limitations, those capacity shortfalls that I've talked about are are flow driven. So, if you get a uh let's just say you get a commercial industrial entity that wants to come to the city and they're a large water user, that's where you'd have to be careful in the next 3 years until phase one comes online. then you're going to have the capacity to have a little bit more freedom there.

Okay. Thank you. Yeah, phase one improvements takes you to a population equivalent of some somewhere over 12,000. Uh phase two takes you to around 13,000 if I remember correctly. Uh yes. So um and that doesn't that doesn't include adding in uh or transitioning to the uh AGS aerobic granular sludge system and that you could add additional capacity with at a smaller footprint.

Yeah. The the benefit of phasing the project is is we can take a look at those projections again in when you start design for that in 10 years and if things have changed well then we we can adjust. Um if if you're growing faster than we thought you would then you know we can make that adjustment in phase two. And then the the rate projection the rate case projection did assume no growth. Correct.

Um so those rates are assuming that the rateayer population remains remains stagnant over the uh payment of the um principal and interest. Um so additional rate [clears throat] payers defay that cost across a larger base which uh would result in a reduction in the necessary rate increases. Okay, thank you. Okay, so we have a resolution 26-05. Um, is anybody ready to make a motion? I will move to approve city council resolution 26-05 approving the wastewater treatment plant facilities plan and authorize the city manager to execute a task order for phase one design with the city engineer.

Mr. Coots will second. We have a motion by Mary Schmaker, seconded by Greg Coots. Is there any further discussion or questions? Okay, seeing none, Alise, would you please call the role on resolution 26-05? Miss Curler, I. Miss Maker, I. Miss Quednau, I Mr. Cuts I. Mr. Waters, I.

Motion pass 5-0. Thank you. Okay, we're in the home stretch. Our last item under city council business is ordinance 1287. This is our second reading tonight. So Lisa, would you read that title for us? Ordinance 1287 amending city of Lake Mills code chapter 38 city council section 38-6 referendum requirements.

Thank you. So we will um include this on our uh next agenda for the third reading and uh a vote at that time. Uh Mr. goods. I had a question for you since you're the sponsor of this ordinance. I think you shared with us previously, but I just wanted to make sure I understood. So, the proposal is raising the dollar amount that would trigger um us doing an advisory referendum. And I think you said your goal in that is to really just address inflation since the time that that ordinance was adopted. Is that right? Yes. Okay.

Yeah. I uh I don't have the number right off the top of my head, but um a dollar from when that was originally passed is equivalent to somewhere around like a $185 or $1.90 today. Okay. So, it's just it's it's close to the close to matching inflation. Okay. Thank you. Any other questions or comments tonight? Just an FYI, that does not include the wastewater treatment plant because that's part of the utilities. So it's not covered under this uh amendment or this this uh resol not resolution I guess it's code ordinance ordinance right good good point any other discussion on ordinance 1287

okay so we'll have that uh for third reading on our next agenda and so that takes us to announcements and recommendations for future agendas um anything else uh Drake that you want to make us aware of uh nothing that wasn't either mentioned earlier or during the meeting. Okay, Lisa. Yes. Uh something that was mentioned during the meeting. Um the uh the invitation to operation namesake. Do we need to publish a uh notice of possible quorum for that?

Oh, that's probably a good idea. Yeah. Drake, did you receive that invitation? Okay, I'll forward it to you. And that would be a good idea for a notice of possible corance in February. So, we got time. Um, I would just like to give you a heads up. The um the library board is is contemplating um coming and addressing some of their needs to uh the board or the council here sometime in February. Um we have some good news to share. I'm not going to spoil it. M

um but I do want to know or I do want to just give you a warning that these are things that that um are coming and they're well thought out. That was purposefully vague. Great. So that will be coming from Gerard or from the the board or Yes, both. Okay. Yes. Great. Probably Gerard as the spokesperson and then I'll be back on. Super. Okay. We'll look forward to an update. Great. Uh we we seem to have a lot of uh questions lately on the golf course. I was just kind of wondering where we might be from a city standpoint on that issue.

Sure. I'll try to be as uh uh concise as I can. Uh the next step in in the golf course proposal is a concept review at the plan commission uh a week from tonight on the 27th. Um there are two components to the uh the the the single family home development proposal. One is the future land use map amendment. The other is the zoning change uh amendment. The future land use map amendment requires approval from both the plan commission and the city council. the future land use a amend map amendment must be made before a zoning amendment can be approved.

So after the concept review depending how that goes if a formal application is received and moved forward and acted upon we will need to start with and they can run in parallel but we will need to start with the future land use map amendment at the plan commission level. Um, if the future land use map amendment were to be approved by the plan commission, then it would move on to the city council for consideration and at which time the plan commission could offer a recommendation on the zoning change for final action by the city council. If the future land use map amendment is denied by the plan commission, it will not appear before the city council.

Thank you. Thank you. State law prohibits zoning changes that are in contradiction with the approved future land use map in the approved comprehensive plan. So just to follow up on that then um you said there's a concept review at the plan commission. So that's not a decision item that's feedback. Um

correct. Now, the plan commission could offer could say, "We have no intention of changing a future land use amendment on this property at the concept review and not take formal action." But a landowner would still be entitled to a process if they submitted. But the idea of the concept review is to offer feedback or reaction to a proposal to avoid the more expensive uh pieces of uh a development proposal both from the city's perspective and the developer's perspective. So, um, if concept reviews are met with skepticism, that can, uh, that can change the direction of a potential application, but that'll be for the plan commission to provide that feedback, um, to the, uh, uh, developer. Uh, there will be uh, staff reports on it. um and staff will be available to advise the plan commission as necessary but um no formal motions are made but feedback is provided. So from a scheduling perspective, um this is uh the concept review is is scheduled for next week's plan commission. If the developer goes forward with proposing a future land use map amendment, that would be at the February plan commission. And that would mean that this, you know, even if everything did move forward to city council, the council probably would not be seeing a proposal until March. Would that be

if Yes. Okay. just citizens to be aware. We This body will probably not be taking anything up until at least March. Is that moved at the fastest possible Okay. Uh speed. So, a public hearing is required for a future land use map amendment and a zoning map amendment. Those notices have to go out. They have to go out within a certain amount of time. And so it all depends on um when final applications are finalized and essentially the developer telling the city we'd like to move forward with this application. So yes, it could be in the on the February meeting for a public hearing on the February plan commission meeting.

Sorry. Y February plan commission meeting. That would be the the fastest timeline on which it could move. Okay. Thank you, Michelle. Um just to continue that thought, can you explain what usually is the effect or um outcome of a public hearing? What kind of actions can be taken can take place from the plan commission when a public hearing takes place?

Uh act the public hearing occurs at the plan commission. During the public hearing portion of the agenda, only public comment is received. The public hearing is then closed after public comment is received and then the plan commission takes up the amendment applications uh for consideration uh at which time they after the public hearing is taken place they are um permitted to take action on the application before them. Thank you.

Thank you. Anything else as far as agendas or announcements? Okay, then I will call this meeting adjourned. Thank you everyone. Thank you. [clears throat] Thanks Lisa. Thank you. Absolutely.