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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Green Bay City Council Meeting - January 20, 2026

Common Council — Wednesday, January 21, 2026

BodyGreen Bay, Wisconsin

SessionCommon Council

DateWednesday, January 21, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 19:20

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

0:00

I call to order the meeting council for Tuesday, January 20th.

0:04

Clerk.

0:04

Yes, thank you, Ron.

0:05

We have 12 members in the room and 12 members in sitting cloud.

0:09

All right.

0:09

Thank you, Clerk.

0:10

Now please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for an invocation offered by Alder Galvin.

0:16

Pledge of allegiance.

0:28

Alder Galvin.

0:30

Thank you.

0:30

Everyone can sit up.

0:34

Awesome.

0:35

Sorry.

0:38

Um so what when I realized it was my turn to speak.

0:43

Um and this is gonna be my last time to do this uh to all of you.

0:48

But um usually what I do is I try and look at what's going on in our society right now and try and find something from someone way smarter than me uh that said something that I think applies.

0:59

And so today I have two um quotes from John Kennedy.

1:05

Um the first is today the challenge of political courage looms larger than ever before.

1:19

For our everyday life is becoming so saturated with the tremendous power of mass communications that any unpopular or unorthodox force arouses a storm of protests, such as John Quincy Adams under the attack in 1807, could never have envisioned.

1:37

Our political life is becoming so expensive, so mechanicized, and so dominated by professional politicians and public relations men that the idealist who dreams of independent statesmanship is rudely awakened by the necessities of election and accomplishment, and thus in the days ahead, only the very courageous will be able to take the hard and unpopular decisions necessary for our survival.

2:03

So I think of all of you that are running for election.

2:06

Um what we face today, and this is from 1956, and I think it it's even more profound today when you think about it.

2:14

And I have one more here, if you would just bear with me.

2:22

But I think the American people expect more from us than cries of indignation and attack.

2:29

The times are too grave, the challenge too urgent, and the stakes too high to permit the customary passions of political debate.

2:36

We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through the darkness to a safe and sane future.

2:43

As Winston Churchill said on taking office some 20 years ago, if we open a quarrel between the present and the past, we shall be in danger of losing the future.

2:53

This was from a speech in 1960.

2:56

So uh I applaud all of you that are running for re-election and those that are running against you and what you're hoping to accomplish in the future.

3:05

So thank you.

3:06

Thank you, Alder Galvin, and thanks.

3:08

Uh thanks for offering that for your final invocation.

3:11

Wise words.

3:13

Um, with that, we will move along to approval of the minutes.

3:17

Motion to approve made by Alder Stevens.

3:19

Is there second?

3:20

Seconded by Alder Hinkfus.

3:22

Alder Prophet.

3:24

Yes, go ahead.

3:25

Um, in S5, the last two votes.

3:28

I'd like both myself and Alder Presley to be recorded as a no.

3:32

All right, Alder Prophet makes that motion seconded by Alder Presley.

3:36

All in favor will say aye.

3:37

Aye.

3:38

Oppose nay.

3:39

The ayes have it.

3:40

Uh the minutes have been amended.

3:42

Motion to approve is amended.

3:43

Motion to approve is amended, made by Alder Prophet.

3:45

Okay.

3:46

Second by Alder Ritterbush.

3:47

All in favor will say aye.

3:49

Oppose nay.

3:50

The ayes have it.

3:51

The minutes are approved as amended.

3:53

Approval of the agenda.

3:56

Motion to approve made by Alder Prophet and seconded by Alder Stevens.

3:59

Any discussion.

4:01

Seeing none, all in favor say aye.

4:03

Oppose nay.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████54%

Cannabis Regulation███████████████18%

Public Safety█████████████15%

Public Engagement███████████13%

Summary of Proceedings

Green Bay City Council Meeting - January 20, 2026

The Green Bay City Council convened on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, with 12 members present (physically and virtually). The meeting opened with an invocation by Alder Galvin, who offered a final invocation before departing, quoting John F. Kennedy and Winston Churchill regarding political courage and the future. The Council proceeded to approve the minutes (as amended), the agenda, and a series of reports and resolutions, including the approval of a motion to withdraw a lawsuit against the city.

Consent Calendar

Approval of the January 2026 minutes, amended to record Alder Prophet and Alder Presley voting "no" on the final two votes of the previous meeting; the amended motion passed 12-0.
Approval of the meeting agenda, passed unanimously.
Approval of appointments, passed unanimously.
Approval of miscellaneous reports from the Redevelopment Authority, Improvement in Services, Green Bay Police Department, Plank Commission, Finance Committee, Personnel Committee, Public Arts Commission, Traffic/Bicycle/Pedestrian Commission, and Sustainability Commission, all passed unanimously.
Approval of the December Municipal Court and Building reports as informational items.
Adoption of resolutions, passed 12-0 after suspension of rules.

Public Comments & Testimony

Brian Sanchez (1181 Hanson Road, Green Bay, WI): Appeared to appeal the denial of his operator/bartending license. Sanchez stated support for his ability to continue employment and training at Packer Stadium and Home Field Pub & Social. He indicated that the denial of his license was based on his need to move up in his career and that he could not do so without the license. He explained that a pending deferred prosecution agreement (hearing scheduled for March 2027) and a 2022 misdemeanor for marijuana and prescription drug possession were the reasons for the initial denial. He expressed that the denial occurred because he did not list the traffic violations or the pending/deferred case on his application due to a "misunderstanding" of the forms.

Discussion Items

Denial of Operator License (Brian Sanchez): The Chief of Police clarified the denial was based on the applicant failing to list prior convictions and a pending case with a deferred prosecution agreement, despite the criminal history itself (including a 2022 misdemeanor and traffic violations) not necessarily being disqualifying. The Chief stated that the standard recommendation is denial for false statements on applications. Alder Galvin asked for clarification on whether the denial was solely due to the omission of records; the Chief confirmed that had the records been disclosed, approval would have likely followed as the offenses were not directly related to alcohol service. Alder Stevens inquired about the timeline for the deferred prosecution, noting an 18-month period from the September 19th agreement.
Martin Luther King Day Celebrations: The Mayor thanked community groups (NWTC, Divine Temple, Conservation Corps, We All Rise) for their events and expressed strong support for MLK's legacy.
Myron Lawsuit: The Mayor announced that the city had withdrawn a "meritless" suit from Myron, stating that a special meeting could be held as early as the following Thursday to award a bid for a significant downtown Green Bay project.

Key Outcomes

Minutes Approval: Approved as amended with a vote of 12-0 (with an amendment to reflect Alders Prophet and Presley's "no" votes).
Miscellaneous Ordinance (07-25): Adopted to amend the "Go Big Green Bay 2050" comprehensive plan for 1109 South Taylor Street (Low Density Residential to Commercial CPA); no public comment was received.
Operator License Appeal (Brian Sanchez): The Council overturned the staff recommendation for denial. A motion to approve the license was made by Alder Galvin and seconded by Alder Prophet. The motion passed, granting the operator license to Brian Sanchez.
Second Reading Ordinances: Three ordinances were adopted with a roll call vote of 12-0.
First Reading Ordinances: Three ordinances were advanced to second reading/final reading.
Budget/Reporting: All board and commission reports (Redevelopment, Police, Plank, Finance, Personnel, Arts, Traffic, Sustainability) were approved unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

I call to order the meeting council for Tuesday, January 20th. Clerk. Yes, thank you, Ron. We have 12 members in the room and 12 members in sitting cloud. All right. Thank you, Clerk. Now please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for an invocation offered by Alder Galvin. Pledge of allegiance. Alder Galvin. Thank you. Everyone can sit up. Awesome. Sorry. Um so what when I realized it was my turn to speak. Um and this is gonna be my last time to do this uh to all of you. But um usually what I do is I try and look at what's going on in our society right now and try and find something from someone way smarter than me uh that said something that I think applies. And so today I have two um quotes from John Kennedy. Um the first is today the challenge of political courage looms larger than ever before. For our everyday life is becoming so saturated with the tremendous power of mass communications that any unpopular or unorthodox force arouses a storm of protests, such as John Quincy Adams under the attack in 1807, could never have envisioned. Our political life is becoming so expensive, so mechanicized, and so dominated by professional politicians and public relations men that the idealist who dreams of independent statesmanship is rudely awakened by the necessities of election and accomplishment, and thus in the days ahead, only the very courageous will be able to take the hard and unpopular decisions necessary for our survival. So I think of all of you that are running for election. Um what we face today, and this is from 1956, and I think it it's even more profound today when you think about it. And I have one more here, if you would just bear with me. But I think the American people expect more from us than cries of indignation and attack. The times are too grave, the challenge too urgent, and the stakes too high to permit the customary passions of political debate. We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through the darkness to a safe and sane future. As Winston Churchill said on taking office some 20 years ago, if we open a quarrel between the present and the past, we shall be in danger of losing the future. This was from a speech in 1960. So uh I applaud all of you that are running for re-election and those that are running against you and what you're hoping to accomplish in the future. So thank you. Thank you, Alder Galvin, and thanks. Uh thanks for offering that for your final invocation. Wise words. Um, with that, we will move along to approval of the minutes. Motion to approve made by Alder Stevens. Is there second? Seconded by Alder Hinkfus. Alder Prophet. Yes, go ahead. Um, in S5, the last two votes. I'd like both myself and Alder Presley to be recorded as a no. All right, Alder Prophet makes that motion seconded by Alder Presley. All in favor will say aye. Aye. Oppose nay. The ayes have it. Uh the minutes have been amended. Motion to approve is amended. Motion to approve is amended, made by Alder Prophet. Okay.

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