Common Council Regular Meeting – June 16, 2026

The De Pere Common Council met on June 16, 2026, at 7:30 PM in the Council Chambers. Mayor James Boyd presided over the meeting, which included actions on community service grants, a business recruitment grant repayment waiver, the award of public works contracts, adoption of resolutions, and an informational presentation from the Health Department. The council also entered closed session to conduct the City Manager's annual performance review.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes from the June 2, 2026 Common Council meeting.
• Approved the reappointment of Brent Felchlin by Mayor Boyd to the Business Improvement District Board for a term expiring June 30, 2029.
• Approved a Plat Amendment and revised Temporary Limited Easement documents for Project 4190-17-00/21/54/71/72.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public offered comments on items not on the agenda.

Discussion Items

• Community Service Grants: The council considered four grant applications. Alderperson Perock moved to award $375 to each applicant (St. Norbert Campus Safety Team, Sleep in Heavenly Peace WI – De Pere, Lovin' the Skin I'm In, and Counting Stars Inc.), totaling $1,500. Alderperson Kundinger expressed support for the motion as a fair way to handle the final grant cycle before the implementation of new, stricter guidelines. The motion passed unanimously via roll call vote.
• The Porch Bar, LLC Grant Repayment: Alderperson Hansen moved, seconded by Alderperson Nelson, to approve the staff recommendation to waive The Porch Bar, LLC's obligation to repay a prorated portion of its awarded Experience De Pere Business Recruitment Grant. The motion passed unanimously.
• Public Works Contracts: The council awarded Contract 26-14 for the Main Alley Reconstruction and Contract 26-23 for Berm Construction. Both motions passed unanimously.
• Liquor Licenses: The council approved a new Class B Fermented Malt Beverage/Class C Wine license for De Pere Hotel Associates, LLC (DBA TownePlace Suites) and approved the bulk renewal of all Class A, Class B, and Class C licenses for the July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 period. All actions were unanimous.
• Resolutions Block: The council suspended the rules to take up 11 resolutions together. Resolutions 26-49 through 26-57, 26-59, and 26-60 were approved unanimously as a block. Resolution 26-58 (Development Agreement with TPAMMT, LLC at 303 Reid Street) was tabled unanimously at the request of the developer.
• Health Department Informational Presentation: Health Director Chrystal Woller presented an overview of the public health framework. She highlighted the department's recent achievements, including designation as a Level III health department, completion of a five-year strategic plan, and the launch of a program performance management system. She noted that the department's single sanitarian position is currently over capacity. Woller stated the department is exploring a shared service partnership for weights and measures inspections to allow the sanitarian to focus on required health inspections. In response to questions from Alderperson Hansen and Alderperson Nelson, Woller reported on efforts to address declining childhood vaccination rates (including public messaging and partnering with providers) and increases in tick-borne illnesses.

Key Outcomes

• Grants Awarded: $375 each to four local organizations (totaling $1,500) for community projects (Unanimous).
• Grant Repayment Waived: The Porch Bar, LLC's obligation to repay its Experience De Pere Business Recruitment Grant was waived per staff recommendation (Unanimous).
• Contracts Awarded: Main Alley Reconstruction (Contract 26-14) and Berm Construction (Contract 26-23) (Unanimous).
• Licenses Approved: New license for TownePlace Suites and bulk license renewals for 2026-2027 approved (Unanimous).
• Resolutions Adopted: 11 of 12 resolutions adopted unanimously; one (Res. 26-58 regarding the TPAMMT, LLC development agreement) was tabled (Unanimous).
• Closed Session: The council convened in closed session from 8:08 PM to 8:39 PM to conduct the City Manager's annual performance review.
• Future Agenda Item: Alderperson Hansen requested a future update on the legal status of the transportation utility previously discussed by the Board of Public Works.