City Council - Regular Meeting

All right, being 6.30, we will call the Common Council meeting to order. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge 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.

Clerk, roll call has been taken. Thank you. Motion to adopt the agenda. So move, Your Honor. Motion's been made by Mr. Barrington. Second. Second by Mr. Bisso. Any corrections or additions? Hearing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? That motion's carried by all. Approval of 6-16-2026 Common Council Minutes and 6-25 2026 Special Common Council Minutes.

Make that motion.

Motion made by Mr. Barrington. Second. Second by Mr. Dorsey. Any additions or corrections to those? Hearing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? That motion is carried by all. Next on the list, Mr. Dorsey, authorization to pay the bills, please.

Mr. Your Honor, I make a motion to pay the bills in the amount of $1,111,658.24.

That motion's been made by Mr. Dorsey, second by Ms. Magowski. Any additions or corrections to those? Hearing none, please cast your ballots. That motion's carried 8-0. All right, moving right along, public comment. Public comment. Last call for public comment. Thank you, and hearing none, we will move on to standing special committees, starting off with Board of Public Works, Mr. Hess.

Thank you, Your Honor, we had no July meeting to report. Perfect.

Next, Finance and Personnel, Mr. Dorsey.

Mr. Your Honor, Finance and Personnel Committee met Wednesday, July 8th at 5.15, He's called order approve the minutes from the June 3rd meeting. There's no public comment Discuss the finance report and the directors report 528 when you do closed session There's no action following the closed session I'll make a motion to consider denial of a beverage operator's license based on police department's recommendation.

Motion made by Mr. Dorsey. Second. Second by Mr. Hess. Any further discussion? Hearing none, hold on. Please cast your ballots as soon as the second. There you go. Ms. Magowski?

Cast your ballot.

Thank you. That motion is carried 8-0.

I make a motion to approve the combination class B license for Jagan's Den. Billy Joe Thompson, LLC.

Motion made by Mr. Dorsey. Second. Second by Mr. Barrington. Any further discussion? Hearing none, please cast your ballots. That motion's carried eight to zero.

I make a motion to consider approval of the license list recommended for approval by the police department.

Motion made by Mr. Dorsey. Second. Second by Mr. Barrington. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? That motion carries.

That is all I have, Your Honor.

Thank you. Park and Recreation, Mr. Bissau.

Thank you, Your Honor. The Park and Rec Committee met on Tuesday, July 7th. The meeting was called to order at 5.15. Motion was made. Seconded to approve the adopt the agenda. That motion carried 12-0. Motion was made and approved to approve the meeting minutes of June 2nd, 2026. That motion also carried 13-0. Public input, there was none. Sled hill discussion, Director Soule advised the committee that she received a response from the Wisconsin State Historical Society stating that construction of a sled hill in Hatton Park is permissible. The location would be where the Kunkel ball diamond was once located. This was met with many positive responses from the committee members. An agreement for professional service for McMahon Associates Incorporated was available for review with your rendering

proposal location for the new sled hill.

Motion made and second to consider amendment to recommend to council the sled hill being located to Hatton Park by the council center. That motion was carried 12-0. Motion was made and recommended to council to approve the agreement to use McMahon Associates Incorporated for the sled hill design. That motion also was carried 12-0. Director Sol was included in The report was included in the agenda packet and reviewed by the committee. Additional comments and notes as follows. Staff recognition, Connor LeBair, four years. Luke Hammonds, 11 years. July 6th was a lunch to provide for Park and Rec Committee Recreation Month. Take steps in working towards a land swap at the Nature Area Park. Hat and Trill funding received a grant from the theater care to improve trail signage in Hatton Park. Chairman's report, there was none. Future agenda items, there was none. Next park and rec meeting will be on Monday, 3rd, August 26th, immediately following the public works meeting due to a national night out being held on the municipal parking building grounds. Being nothing else, the meeting was adjourned at 5.42. That's all. And then I would look for... Approval of the Sled Hill location, the Hatton Park by the Konkle Shelter.

Motion made by Mr. Beesaw. Second. Second by Mr. Dorsey. And we're going to hold on one second before we take that vote. All right. Ready for the vote? All right. Please cast your ballots. All right, that motion's carried, 9-0.

I look for approval of amendment to ordinance 9.03, Archery Range. This will be a second reading.

Motion made by Mr. Besaw. Second. Second by Mr. Hess. Any further discussion? If there are none, please cast your ballots. Mr. Barrington, that motion is carried 9-0.

That's all I have, Your Honor.

Thank you, Mr. Bissau. Planning Commission, Mr. Ritchie.

Planning Commission meeting for Thursday, July 9th. It was called to order at 5-15. Motion was made to adopt the agenda that passed 12-0. Minutes from May 28, 2026 Planning Commission meeting Motion was made to accept those at past 12-0. Minutes from the June 4th, 2026 Special Planning Commission meeting. Motion was made on that at past 12-0. There's no public comment. Reviewed approved proposed CSM for 409 Avon Street and 418 Lima Street. Director of Community Development Austin Dibbs provided an overview of the item, the proposed CSM combining a proportion of land inherited by the applicant with his own property. The proportion of the land to be combined contains an existing legal non-conforming structure, a garage. City staff reviewed the proposal against it. CITY MUNICIPAL CODE AND FOUND A COMBINATION. CFM SUSTAINABLY MEETS THE APPLICAL REQUIREMENTS AND RECOMMENDED APPROVAL WITH NO CONDITIONS. MOTION WAS MADE ON THAT, AND IT WAS PASSED CALL ZERO. NEXT ITEM WAS CONCEPTUAL REVIEW DISCUSSION TOMAQ CONSTRUCTION LLC PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. DCD did present the staff report on a proposed development. The current proposal is for a 30-lot subdivision north of Partridge Drive and directly west of Shawnell Street, County D. The intent is for the developer to have single-family housing and small-scale commercial opportunities along County D corridor. The proposed developer or development would require a rezone and preliminary final plot approval. Following the staff report, the floor was open for discussion. Andy Bohm with the development team was present to discuss their process and answer questions following discussions. Planning Commission members encourage city staff and applicant to move forward with this proposal. Next item, a conceptual review discussion for three developer Northridge residents. D.C. D. Dibbs presented a staff report on a proposed development. The proposal included four 12-unit apartment complexes along Harnske Drive, east of Chateau Street. The property was previously REZONED TO HIGH-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL AND ACCOMMODATED DEVELOPMENT OF THIS TYPE. AS CURRENT PROPOSAL, THE LOCATION OF THE APARTMENTS ENCROACH THE CURRENT PLOT LINES. AS SUCH, A COMBINATION CSM WILL BE REQUIRED TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. CURRENTLY, THE CITY HAS MAPPED PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY RUNNING NORTH TO SOUTH ON THE PROPERTY. THE DEVELOPER IS PROPOSING verification of said right of waste as part of the project. In addition, this proposal includes the extension of Partridge Drive to the east and North Ridge Drive from the west to provide access to the development. The proposed developer is consensual. and will require multiple approvals at the city level in order to move forward, including the CSM review, site plan review, and stormwater engineering review. The city is currently negotiating a developer's agreement with the applicant for the project. Jared Schmidt was present for the development team to discuss their process and answer questions following discussion. Planning Commission members, ENCOURAGE CITY STAFF TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE APPLICANT AND MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROPOSAL. UPCOMING AGENDA ITEMS. DISCUSS MULTIPLE REZONING HEARINGS CURRENTLY SCHEDULED FOR THE NEXT MEETING AS WELL AS FORMAL SITE PLAN REVIEW. NEXT MEETING DATE IS JULY 23, 2026 AT 515. Meeting was adjourned at 6.17. I'm looking for a motion to consider approve an ordinance amendment to future land use map in the city's 2040 comprehensive plan as indicated in amendment 2026-03, second reading.

Motion made by Mr. Ritchie.

Second.

Second by Mr. Dorsey. Any further discussion? Hearing none, please cast your ballots. That motion is carried 9-0. And that's all I have, Your Honor. Thank you, Mr. Ritchie. Economic Development Committee, Ms. Croy.

Thank you, Your Honor. The Economic Development Committee for Tuesday, June 23rd was called to order at 5.15. Motion was made and to accept the agenda was carried by all. The minutes from May 26th were reviewed. Motion carried and approved by all. There was no public comment. Administrator Hurth provided information on two lapse development agreements. The first was with Darewolf Garden LLC for a beer garden development near the corner of Wolf River Avenue and Smith Street. This agreement required construction of the beer garden facility to begin in December of 2025. Because construction did not begin by that date, the property was deeded back to the city. Hearth reported that the owner has agreed to deed the property back to the city and remains very interested in being involved in the future development in that area. Moving forward, Hearth recommended to include this property in the vision of the future placemaking planning project. The second last development agreement was with Breezewood Builders for a mixed-use development at the intersection of Wolf River Ave and Wyman Street. This project included developing two six-plex apartment buildings, one with first floor retail component. This TID incentive agreement also indicated a construction date start of December 31st, 2025, which did not occur. The developer was invited to the meeting to explain his development intentions. However, notified staff prior to the meeting indicating he would not be able to make it. It was recommended postponing this discussion until the developer could be present. Administrator Hurth reported that he has continued working on a proposal for a hotel feasibility study. A grant opportunity has become available through Wapaka County Economic Development Corporation that could fund up to 50% of the cost of the study. Additionally, a neighboring community has expressed interest in participating, which could reduce consultant travel expenses and potentially lower the overall cost of the study. HEARTH WILL SUBMIT A GRANT APPLICATION AND PREPARE A FORMAL RECOMMENDATION FOR THE COMMITTEE'S CONSIDERATION AT A FUTURE MEETING. CHAMBER DIRECTOR BUSINESS REPORT. A NEW BUSINESS CALLED BATTLE BROTHERS TACTICAL OPENED AT 213 WEST NORTH WATER STREET. A NEW BUSINESS CALLED RITUAL RELATIONAL THERAPY OPENED AT 504 WEST NORTH WATER STREET. A new business called Act Safe opened at 1620 North Shadow Street, Suite A. A new business called Oasis opened at 110 West North Water Street. A new photography studio called Cynda K Photography opened at 300 West North Water Street. A new pharmacy called Amaro Wellness Pharmacy is planning on opening at 309 West North Water Street. FML Discount Grocery moved and expanded into a larger location at 1817 North Shawano Street. Tri-County Chiropractic at 102 Northridge Drive now offers massage therapist services. Covenant Co. at 302 West Wapaka Street also added a massage therapist. AND NEW COMMERCIAL LISTINGS AND UPDATES TO EXISTING LISTINGS WERE PROVIDED. ADMINISTRATOR HIRTH PROVIDED AN UPDATE ON THE 2026 BUSINESS FACADE GRANT PROGRAM AT THIS TIME AFTER ACCOUNTING for all grant applications received. Approximately $1,663 will remain of the 55,000 program budget for 2026. Staff continues to work with developers proposing a four 12-unit apartment buildings east of all these. Future agenda items were reviewed. The next Economic Development Committee meeting will be held on July 28th. And the meeting was adjourned at 6.47 PM. And that's all I have, Your Honor.

TODD BANDUCCI- Thank you, Ms. Gray. Utility Commission, Mr. Bessette?

I have before you a recommendation from my commission to approve a reimbursement resolution. So to give you a little bit of background, that resolution is for the Mill Street project next year. The utility, if you remember Oshkosh Street, you did not see this resolution because we did not apply for the safe drinking water funding. We are for Mill Street because we have a considerably large amount of lead services on that project. So we feel like we'll be able to acquire funding So the homeowners would benefit from this project. We did not have enough lead services. The DNR would probably not have approved the Oshkosh project. That's why we didn't apply for that funding. This is an IRS requirement. So we're gonna do a tax exempt bond to pay for Mill Street. And then this resolution allows us when we acquire the safe drinking water funds, we can apply that to the bond. So that's the requirement We're hopeful, but we were already told that the DNR has more requests than funding, so I don't know that we'll get any principal forgiveness when we apply for this, but we're applying, so we're already in the process. Hopefully, we can get some benefit for our customers. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot away, and I'll do my best to answer what I can.

All right, thank you, Mr. Bassett. So what we're doing is we're looking for a motion and a second.

I'll move, Your Honor.

Second. Motion made by Mr. Barrington, second by Mr. Dorsey. Any further discussion? Hearing none, please cast your ballots. That motion's carried, nine-zero. Thank you, Mr. Best. Thank you very much. All right, minutes and reports distributed will stand as read in your packets. Moving right along to mayoral appointments. I need a motion and a second as well for those, so we'll start off with the library and museum appointments.

I'll make that motion.

Motion made by Mr. Dorsey, second by Mr. Bissau. Any further discussion? Hearing none, please cast your ballots. Motion carried by all. All right, next is the appointments to the New London Tourism Commission.

I'll make that motion.

Motion made by Mr. Ritchie and then second by Mr. Barrington. Please cast your ballots. Motion carried 9-0. Thank you all. All right, that's all I had. We can move right along to the city administrator, Mr. Herr.

Thank you, Your Honor. As some of you may have noticed on our website and social media outlets, FEMA has set up a multi-county disaster recovery center here in New London. They are currently operating out of the New London Public Museum at 406 Pearl Street.

They are there to provide an opportunity to talk to somebody in person about programs and resources available for residents and businesses affected by the April flood.

There are disaster recovery grants available through FEMA and low-interest loans available through the Small Business Administration, or the SBA. That includes for home loans as well. Staff met with representatives from both FEMA and SBA Monday, and here's a few talking points I feel that were important to pass on. Number one, their hours at the museum right now are going to be Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and then Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., If you can't come to the Disaster Recovery Center, you can still apply online. They're encouraging that. That's disasterassistance.gov or by calling their 1-800 number. It's 1-800-621-FEMA or that is 1-800-621-3362. If anyone called 2-1-1 during the event and reported any assistance needs during or following the flood event, those phone calls and requests are not transferred to FEMA. So if you called 2-1-1 for assistance, that's a separate service. You need to call or touch base with FEMA or the SBA separately to find out if you were eligible for any of their recovery assistance programs. So with that, it sounds like there are several different programs available. They talk about opportunities for home repairs, displacement reimbursement if you had to leave your home and pay for a hotel. Some personal property opportunities may be available. Possibility for opportunities for vehicle repairs, replacement, loss of income, child care assistance, and more. With all their programs, there will be certain criteria that will need to be met to see if you qualify and are eligible for the assistance. And documentation is also required, so just be prepared for that if you start the process. There is a window for the applications. You need to apply by August 31st, and they were very particular on that. It sounds like after August 31st, that process will close. So if you're looking for assistance, don't push it off. Call the number or register at the website or come down to the museum to talk to a FEMA or Small Business Administration representative in person. And lastly, I'd like to recognize Katie Hopkins, our video and marketing producer, who is in back changing the cameras for the meeting, has completed two years of service on June 26th. That's all I have, Your Honor.

Thank you, Mr. Erich.

All right. Chief of Police, Chief Wilson.

Thank you, Your Honor. First and foremost, you guys probably saw the Tahoe's on the road, those long process coming. Thank you again for helping us through that capital project. I welcome you to stop by the police department, show off those vehicles. If you compare it to the ones we've had, it's probably the first major upgrade in vehicles in a long time from the Crown Vic to the Ford Explorer. So they turned out really sharp and the officers are really happy with them. I hope everybody had a chance to stop out and meet the fleet at the high school, which was tonight from 4 to 7. I was there for the first couple hours. Data Star was there. They had a donk take there, the emergency vehicles from surrounding counties, so a really neat event. I'd like to congratulate Todd Sarazin on 25 years of service. And finally, you'll notice to my left, I have Officer Krewalt sitting with me. She's here to receive an award. A life-saving award, there was a PNB call at Pfeiffer Park, which for law enforcement means a pulseless non-breather, so somebody with no pulse and not breathing. You understand Pfeiffer Park at 8.30, there's probably baseball games going on there and it's pretty busy. So Officer Crewell was the first officer to respond. Her prompt actions played a critical role in sustaining the individual until advanced medical care could be provided. Her calm demeanor, selfless service, and commitment to preserving human life reflect the highest standards of professionalism and compassion. The subject who suffered the medical event has made a full recovery and was told her survival is a result of the medical treatment received for advanced medical care arrived on scene. Officer Crewell's actions brought great credit upon herself. and serve an example of courage and dedication to the community. In recognition of these efforts, Officer Krewalt is hereby awarded the Lifesaving Award. Congratulations. That is all I have, Your Honor.

Thank you, Chief. And thank you for your sentence. All right. Director of Public Works is absent this afternoon, so Mr. Hurst.

Yes, I do have a report from Robert. Obviously, if you've gone to the north side of town, you've noticed that DOT has closed the north section of Shawano Street. at the Highway 54 intersection. This is stage one of a two-part closure that will last 28 calendar days. So the north side will be 28 days. Stage two of the intersection will close the southern half of that intersection after they complete the northern half. The closure of the southern half will also be another 28 days. So unfortunately, 28 days on the north side and 28 days on the south side. During the project, east and west traffic on Highway 54 will remain open for the duration of the project. The work in the intersection will replace storm sewer mains, the inlets and storm leads, new asphalt road surface, pedestrian wraps, and traffic signals will be installed. So they are pretty much doing a complete reconstruction of that intersection. And that's all we have.

Thank you, Mr. All right, Director of Park and Recreation, Ms. So.

Thank you, Your Honor. Join us, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Police Department, and the Fire Department on August 4th from 4.30 to 6.30 here at the Municipal Building in the green space. There will be, for National Night Out, there will be music, food, games, and safety activities for the whole family during that time. Kids can see the trucks and meet the officers in the Fire Department. It's always a good time for the kids. And then there is still time to register for Camp Hatton, get your Wisconsin Dells tickets, your Milwaukee Zoo ticket discounts, and the pool is of course always open. So summer isn't over yet. For more information on our programs or any questions or comments about the parks,

to one and we're always happy to help that's all i have thank you miss director of community development mr deebs thank you your honor uh building permits to the month of june we issued 54 that was down from 87 in may however the total of 216 for the year through june was higher than last year, which was a total of 155 through June 2025. So that's evidence in our growth that we're seeing. Also, as a result of the flooding, our permit numbers have been up as a result of those repairs that people needed to have done. So with that, staff is continuing to connect with property owners that were affected by the flood. We sent 175 letters in the past month to property owners that were in the floodplain. These are property owners we hadn't been able to connect with either in person or ones that we were trying to reconnect with and waiting on data from. So if you or anyone listening received one of those letters and haven't reached out yet, I encourage you to do so. We can talk about your property and the rules and regulations that apply to you. As mentioned by Chad, anyone that was affected by the floods, please visit the FEMA Resource Center at the museum. Use those resources to your advantage, and hopefully you can get to where you need to be with your repairs. Anyone that tuned into our planning commission meetings in the past month may have noticed that we are continuing to receive interest in residential development in the city. So exciting times, both from a single-family standpoint and multi-family standpoint. So just another example of the growth that we're receiving, and staff is excited to work with those developers moving forward. That's all I have, Your Honor.

Thank you, Mr. Dibbs.

All right, Utility Manager, Mr. Bessette. Thank you, Your Honor. I don't know if anybody noticed the construction out on Highway 54 and Shawano Street, but Monday they started directional boring the water main there. They have both of those mains that we have at that intersection pulled in, and they'll be tying that in this week. We also have well number one shut down for inspection. CTS is doing that work for us. That well looks like it's going to need minimal rehab. It looks in very, very good condition. Electric crews, you may notice, are working on Warren Street. They're reconducting and setting poles in a section of that line. And then last, I'd like to recognize Melissa Schultz for 23 years of service this month with New London Utilities. That's all I have, Your Honor.

Thank you, Mr. Bassett. And the last thing I see on our agenda is adjournment.

So moved.

Motion made by Mr. Barrington. Second. Second by Ms. Groy. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Aye. Motion carried by all. We are adjourned.