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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Fitchburg Common Council Meeting Summary: November 25, 2025

Common Council & City Boards — Tuesday, November 25, 2025

BodyFitchburg, Wisconsin

SessionCommon Council & City Boards

DateTuesday, November 25, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:23:19

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:00

Hi, I'm Jeremy Crosby.

0:01

And I'm Nick Bouche.

0:02

We're your hosts for the program that's all about your city, Talking Fitchburg.

Speaker 2

0:06

Every weekday, we pull together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of

Speaker 1

0:11

Fitchburg.

0:12

Find Talking Fitchburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web.

0:18

Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service.

0:23

This is your city.

0:24

Keep up with Talking Fitchburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors.

Speaker 3

0:35

Visit Fitchburg WI.gov on your computer or mobile device and select the big notify me button on the left.

0:41

Enter your email andor phone number, whichever is best for you to get notifications.

0:46

Scroll down the list and select all the topics you're interested in to receive email or text messages about.

0:54

Sign up for Notify Me.

0:56

One more way to keep up with your Fitchburg government.

Unassigned speaker

1:19

So

Speaker 4

1:19

we are ready to start the meeting.

1:23

So good n good evening, everyone to the Fitchburg Common Council meeting for November 25th, uh 2025.

1:29

The first thing is to call to the order to the meeting at 6 34 p.m.

1:33

And please stand up for the please place of allegiance.

1:54

Thank you.

1:54

Uh next is roll call, please.

1:57

Thank you, Mayor.

1:57

Mayor Radafrata.

Speaker 5

1:58

Here, Alder Dancer Jr.

2:00

Here.

2:00

Alder Gerhardt.

2:02

Here, Alder Herbs.

2:03

Here.

2:03

Alder Jetzer.

2:04

Here.

2:05

Alder Latis.

Speaker 6

2:06

Here.

Speaker 5

2:08

Alder Alder Maldonado.

2:10

Here.

2:11

Alder Ragstead.

2:12

Here.

2:12

Motion carry.

2:13

Alright, I'm sorry, you have a choir mayor.

Speaker 4

2:14

Thank you.

2:15

So next we move to item four.

2:17

It's public appearances for non-agenda items on new appointment.

2:27

Is Council vote to appoint District 4 seat 8th candidate?

Speaker 7

2:33

Good evening, everyone.

2:35

I'll go just recap briefly what has happened so far and talk about the process this evening to uh fulfill the District 4 uh seat that was vacated uh due to Alder Vafidari's resignation.

2:48

At the uh November Committee of the Whole last week, uh November 17th, uh two candidates who uh had applied to fill the vacant seat, Adam Guyle and Jake Leper, uh were interviewed by the Common Council.

3:02

Uh this evening, uh they will have uh three-minute opportunity to provide a verbal statement to the common council in advance of the common council's vote.

3:11

Uh the common council will vote via written ballot and then the clerk will read off each alder's uh vote uh after uh the voting has concluded.

3:22

A majority of votes, which is four, uh is needed for one of the candidates to be selected to fill the vacancy.

3:30

If uh a candidate does not get four votes or more on the first round, uh we will likely go to a second round and uh go from there.

3:39

The mayor will only vote in the event of a tie.

3:42

And then once the vote is concluded and uh one of the candidates has been selected by majority, our clerk Tracy Oldenburg will swear them in, and they will uh immediately be able to assume the roles and responsibilities of the district four Alder.

4:00

Uh the mayor and council president will make any appropriate committee appointments yet this evening uh for that alder.

4:08

And then uh I, as a city administrator and our city attorney will work with the newly appointed Alder for uh orientation and onboarding at a later time.

Speaker 8

4:20

Any questions from the common council at all.

Speaker 7

4:25

No.

4:26

All right, we will have uh Adam Gile uh speak first.

4:31

Uh the order for this evening was in reverse order from our November 17th Committee of the Whole, where uh Adam uh was interviewed second.

4:40

So as I mentioned, each candidate will have three minutes to provide uh a verbal statement.

Adam Gyle · Speaker 9Inferred

4:48

Good evening, everyone.

4:49

Thanks for having me.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety█████████████████████21%

Procedural████████████12%

Personnel Matters█████████9%

Community Engagement████████8%

Technology and Innovation███████7%

Racial Equity██████6%

Public Works██████6%

Public Transportation██████6%

Historic Preservation███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Common Council Meeting Summary: November 25, 2025

The Fitchburg Common Council met on November 25, 2025, at 6:34 PM. Key actions included appointing Jake Lepper as the new District 4 Alder, presenting the 2025 Mayoral Awards, and debating the Flock Safety subscription renewal. The Flock renewal motion failed. The council also approved a Land Acknowledgement policy and the 2025-2030 Transit Plan, and received a briefing on significant property tax increases for 2025.

Consent Calendar

The consent agenda was approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

Flock Safety Subscription (R21025): Patrick Cheney (District 3) opposed renewal, citing four years of financial losses and privacy concerns with automated license plate readers (ALPRs). Danielle St. Louis (12-year resident of Jamestown) opposed renewal, detailing security vulnerabilities in Flock cameras, including a congressional investigation and the potential for hacking.
Land Acknowledgement Resolution (R-207-25): Christopher Petero, chair of the Community Equity Advisory Committee, spoke in support, urging the council to ensure the acknowledgement leads to meaningful action and relationship-building with the Ho-Chunk Nation.
Preliminary Plat (R23425) & Transit Plan (R20825): David Hayde spoke on the plat, suggesting the city consider using the lowland area for wetland restoration to address pollution in Nine Springs Creek. On the Transit Plan, he urged the council to integrate transit goals deeply into the comprehensive plan.
City Administrator Employment Agreement (R-172-25): David Hayde spoke in opposition, arguing the proposed amendment reinforces a governance structure where the council lacks influence over the administrator's performance evaluation.

Discussion Items

Appointment of District 4 Alder: The council filled the vacant District 4, Seat 8 seat. Candidates Adam Guyle and Jake Lepper each gave a three-minute statement. Guyle highlighted his background in land surveying, development, and farming. Lepper emphasized stewardship, a human-centered ethic, and good-faith disagreement. The council voted via written ballot. Jake Lepper was appointed with a 6-1 vote, sworn in by the city clerk, and appointed to the Community and Economic Development Authority (CEDA) and Personnel Committee.
2025 Mayoral Awards: The mayor and council president Gabriela presented awards across five categories: Janice Hughes (Resident Award) for service on the Commission on Aging Well and creating the Lancher Learn Program; Quivey's Grove (Business Award) for 45 years as a community gathering place; Kelly Moss Inc. (Business Award) for leadership in Porsche racing and promoting women in motorsports; Interim Fire Chief Grossen (Staff Award) for over 30 years of dedicated service; and Rooted (Nonprofit Award) for building a just local food system through garden programs and youth employment.
Flock Safety Subscription (R21025): Public Works staff Tim explained the camera is used solely at the 24/7 drop-off site to capture license plates of illegal dumpers when standard video fails. A Flock representative (Trevor Chandler) denied security breach claims, stated data is owned 100% by the city, and argued the system is constitutional. Council members raised significant concerns: Alder Latis discussed data sharing clauses in the contract and requested audit data; Alder Gabriela questioned the cost-benefit ratio ($15k camera, $3k/yr subscription for few citations); and Alder Logan questioned multi-factor authentication requirements. The resolution failed on a roll call vote.
Land Acknowledgement Resolution (R-207-25): The council approved a resolution directing city staff to include a land acknowledgement at ribbon cutting ceremonies, recognizing the Ho-Chunk Nation as the original stewards of the land. The resolution passed.
City Administrator Employment Agreement (R-172-25): The council approved an amendment to the city administrator's contract to mirror the city attorney's contract, allowing the mayor to grant higher merit increases to remain competitive with other Dane County municipalities. The resolution passed.
Tax Impact Briefing: City Administrator Chad presented preliminary 2025 property tax increase estimates. The city portion increases $83 (3.1%) for the average single-family home ( $500,000). Increases vary significantly by school district: Madison Metropolitan (approx. $988 / 20%+), Verona Area ($465 / 6.2%), and Oregon ($267 / 3.1%). Tax bills are expected to be mailed around December 10th.
Other Resolutions: The council approved several other items, including a budget amendment for office furniture for the Recreation & Community Services department (R21425), a library budget amendment for utility cost overages (R22525), a certified survey map for the DOC juvenile detention facility (R23325), the 2025-2030 Transit Plan (R20825), and the designation of new polling locations (R19725, R19825). The council postponed a preliminary plat (R23425) to December 9th.

Key Outcomes

Jake Lepper Appointed: New District 4 Alder sworn in (6-1 vote).
Flock Subscription Rejected: Resolution R21025 to renew the Flock Safety subscription failed.
Land Acknowledgement Adopted: Resolution R-207-25 was adopted.
Transit Plan Approved: Resolution R20825 adopting the 2025-2030 Transit Plan passed.
Litigation Authorized: Resolution R22125 authorizing legal services for the Reginald Mims lawsuit was approved following a closed session.
City Administrator Contract Amended: Resolution R-172-25 passed.
Polling Locations Changed: Ward 20 (District 4) moved to Black Hawk Church. Wards 9, 10, 22 (District 2) moved to The Hub at 2220 Traceway Drive.
Drop-off Site Discussion Planned: The council acknowledged a future Committee of the Whole discussion is needed on the operation and management of the city recycling drop-off site.
Meeting Adjourned: The meeting was adjourned after all business was concluded, with a note about the upcoming holiday lights tour and city events.

Meeting Transcript

Hi, I'm Jeremy Crosby. And I'm Nick Bouche. We're your hosts for the program that's all about your city, Talking Fitchburg. Every weekday, we pull together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of Fitchburg. Find Talking Fitchburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web. Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service. This is your city. Keep up with Talking Fitchburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors. Visit Fitchburg WI.gov on your computer or mobile device and select the big notify me button on the left. Enter your email andor phone number, whichever is best for you to get notifications. Scroll down the list and select all the topics you're interested in to receive email or text messages about. Sign up for Notify Me. One more way to keep up with your Fitchburg government. So we are ready to start the meeting. So good n good evening, everyone to the Fitchburg Common Council meeting for November 25th, uh 2025. The first thing is to call to the order to the meeting at 6 34 p.m. And please stand up for the please place of allegiance. Thank you. Uh next is roll call, please. Thank you, Mayor. Mayor Radafrata. Here, Alder Dancer Jr. Here. Alder Gerhardt. Here, Alder Herbs. Here. Alder Jetzer. Here. Alder Latis. Here. Alder Alder Maldonado. Here. Alder Ragstead. Here. Motion carry. Alright, I'm sorry, you have a choir mayor. Thank you. So next we move to item four. It's public appearances for non-agenda items on new appointment. Is Council vote to appoint District 4 seat 8th candidate? Good evening, everyone. I'll go just recap briefly what has happened so far and talk about the process this evening to uh fulfill the District 4 uh seat that was vacated uh due to Alder Vafidari's resignation. At the uh November Committee of the Whole last week, uh November 17th, uh two candidates who uh had applied to fill the vacant seat, Adam Guyle and Jake Leper, uh were interviewed by the Common Council. Uh this evening, uh they will have uh three-minute opportunity to provide a verbal statement to the common council in advance of the common council's vote. Uh the common council will vote via written ballot and then the clerk will read off each alder's uh vote uh after uh the voting has concluded. A majority of votes, which is four, uh is needed for one of the candidates to be selected to fill the vacancy. If uh a candidate does not get four votes or more on the first round, uh we will likely go to a second round and uh go from there. The mayor will only vote in the event of a tie.

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