De Pere Common Council Regular Meeting - May 19, 2026

The De Pere Common Council held its regular meeting at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Council Chambers at City Hall, 335 S Broadway, with virtual and telephonic participation available. Mayor James Boyd presided; all nine council members were present. The Council approved the agenda as amended, administered the oath of office to Municipal Court Judge Kristen Johnson, approved all consent and new business items, adopted the city resolutions, and heard an informational presentation on the 2026 aquatic report and Legion Pool replacement funding.

Presentations & Recognition

• Mayor Boyd administered the oath of office to Kristen Johnson as Municipal Court Judge for the City of De Pere and the Town of Ledgeview. Johnson thanked the Council and her family and said she was honored to return.

Consent Calendar

• During agenda approval, the Council voted unanimously to move both consent agenda items to New Business for separate discussion; they were then considered individually.
• Minutes: The Council amended the agenda item so it read Approval of the minutes of the May 5, 2026 Common Council meeting, then approved the minutes unanimously. The original agenda item had referenced May 19, 2026.
• Sustainability Commission appointments: Kevin Gerwing and Olive Pantzlaff were appointed by Mayor Boyd to terms expiring June 30, 2027, by unanimous vote. Mayor Boyd noted Gerwing attended and had met with staff.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were made during the public comment period.

Discussion Items

• License renewals: The Council approved the License Committee recommendations for the July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 licensing period in four unanimous votes: Class A fermented malt beverage/Class A intoxicating liquor licenses; Class B fermented malt beverage licenses; Class B fermented malt beverage/Class B intoxicating liquor licenses; and Reserve Class B fermented malt beverage/Class B intoxicating liquor licenses.
• 2026 Non-Benefit Eligible Employees Wage Scale: Human Resources Generalist Tracy Hood explained that the net projected additional cost is only $46 for the season because certain positions that typically began an hour before program start will have reduced pre-program shifts. The Council approved the wage scale unanimously.
• Community Service Grant Program revisions: The Council unanimously approved revised criteria and structure. Alderperson Jonathon Hansen asked whether the Council should move to allocating five full $600 grants rather than splitting funds among all applicants; City Manager Kim Flom replied that one application period per year is proposed and that allocation decisions remain with the Council, with new criteria and preferences intended to guide those decisions.
• Stafford Rosenbaum LLP outside counsel: The Council unanimously approved retaining Stafford Rosenbaum LLP for representation before the Public Service Commission on extension of utilities to the southeast area of De Pere. The Council did not convene in closed session.

Resolutions

• The Council voted unanimously to suspend the rules and take up Resolution 26-37 and Resolutions 26-39 through 26-45 together, plus the Stafford Rosenbaum retainer resolution listed as #22-46 in the agenda/minutes. These were adopted by unanimous roll call: official city newspaper contract (26-37); utility easement for Wisconsin Public Service at 925 South Sixth Street (26-39); easement for 711-815 South Sixth Street (26-40); 2027 gap sidewalk orders and special charges (26-41); intergovernmental agreement with the Town of Ledgeview for Old Plank Road resurfacing (26-42); Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker professional services agreement for Enterprise Resource Planning with a $56,000 transfer from Unassigned Reserves (26-43); donation of abandoned bicycles to Counting Stars, Inc. (26-44); interim fire chief support services terms with the Town of Ledgeview (26-45); and the letter of retainer for Stafford Rosenbaum LLP on public service utility infrastructure expansion (packet #22-46).
• Resolution 26-38 (Govstack website services): The Council unanimously authorized the Digital Solutions Agreement with Govstack for website provider services and transferred $15,204 from Unassigned Reserves. Alderperson Hansen asked whether the current website design would carry over; City Manager Kim Flom said staff chose a provider that would build on and improve the current streamlined design. The new site may not be identical, but the overall feel and access to information will remain similar; Flom noted the current provider had decided not to host web pages.

Informational Presentation: 2026 Aquatic Report and Legion Pool Funding

• Parks Director Marty Kosobucki presented the 2025 aquatic season. Attendance has declined slightly since 2021, but the pools remain very popular. Staffing shortages have leveled off, rental revenue has increased since 2022, swim lessons have grown, and among annual pass holders approximately 75% are De Pere residents and 25% are non-residents.
• Legion Pool condition: Kosobucki reviewed recent repairs, including boiler replacement, sewer line repair, and underground piping repairs. Current concerns include a leak in the gutter system, a tired pool-house boiler, 50-plus-year-old electric panels and wiring, roof repairs, cracking and hollow basin plaster, and unknown underground piping conditions. Normal pool water loss is roughly 3,000-5,000 gallons per day; Legion Pool was losing about 10,000-11,000 gallons per day last year, and staff believes the pool well remains intact.
• Replacement funding: Kosobucki reviewed the November 2018 referendum, which authorized building and operating aquatic facilities at VFW and Legion Parks, and the 2022 repair/replacement policy: repairs of $50,000 or more trigger a timeline review, and catastrophic failures of $200,000 or more trigger technical design. VFW Pool debt will be paid off around 2029, and the pool fund is projected to become positive starting in 2030. The Capital Improvement Plan proposes Legion Pool design in 2029 and construction in 2030, but the CIP is a plan, not an approved budget. The replacement cost projection has grown from about $5-6 million to about $10.5 million and is tied to the previously approved conceptual plan.
• With current annual referendum revenue of $900,000, projected operating costs for both pools of about $494,000 would leave about $406,000 per year for debt service. That would support roughly $3.2 million of borrowing over 10 years or $5.3 million over 20 years, leaving an estimated financing gap of about $5.2-7.3 million. Staff recommended forming an ad hoc committee and a community engagement strategy to update community needs and refine options.
• Council discussion: Alderperson Hansen said voters approved the referendum expecting two new pools and it is incumbent on the Council to find additional funding without putting the burden back on residents; he supported general bonding outside the referendum and suggested design changes such as reducing lap lanes. Mayor Boyd corrected the referendum date to November 2018, noted operating costs have risen 140 percent since the referendum, and said the City needs to generate ideas; he supported exploring sponsorships, naming rights, and contributions from neighboring communities and emphasized staff is not opposed to replacing Legion Pool. Alderperson Ledvina said the referendum did not preclude other funding sources, expressed support for general fund and bonding options, described VFW Pool as a destination pool rather than a community pool, and urged prompt action; she asked for additional review of the $10.5 million estimate and said an ad hoc committee may slow progress, preferring a community conversation or survey. Alderperson Thill asked whether sponsorships/naming rights could be pursued; staff confirmed they could. Alderperson Kundinger agreed delay would worsen the financial challenge and stressed framing the issue as a challenge toward achieving two operating pools. Alderperson Gantz supported a committee or resident survey to gather community priorities and said moving forward is important given Legion Pool's condition. City Manager Kim Flom said the referendum now covers a pool deficit around $360,000 while the general fund previously covered a smaller deficit, noted bond counsel has cautioned about the City's increasing debt load, and said staff will follow Council direction and could return with options.

Key Outcomes

• Agenda approved as amended unanimously; minutes of May 5, 2026 approved unanimously; Sustainability Commission appointments approved unanimously.
• All four license renewal categories, the wage scale, Community Service Grant revisions, and the Stafford Rosenbaum retainer were approved unanimously.
• Resolution 26-38 and the remaining resolutions were adopted by unanimous roll call.
• The aquatic report was informational only; no decision was made on Legion Pool funding. Staff will conduct additional research and bring further information and options back to the Council.
• There were no future agenda items, and the meeting adjourned at 8:34 PM.