Common Council Meeting of May 18, 2026

The Common Council met on Monday, May 18, 2026, at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers (and via Zoom), adjourning at 7:15 PM. All 10 alderpersons were present. The meeting featured police officer oath ceremonies, a commendation for the retiring Fire Chief Todd Blaser, unanimous approval of mayoral appointments and a consent agenda, and several committee reports. The most contentious item was a policy for regulating intersections, which passed 6-5 after the mayor cast the tie-breaking vote.

Consent Calendar

• Approved minutes of April 20 and April 21, 2026 Common Council meetings.
• Accepted resignation of Basil Buchko from the Library Board.
• Approved reports of the Special Events Committee: waiver of fees for Manitowoc County Drug Court Picnic (8/15/2026); approval of Maritime Marathon (6/7/2026), Lights in Lincoln Park (11/24–12/30/2026), and Aviary Grand Opening 2 Mile Walk date change to 7/18/2026.
• Approved Finance Committee items: 1st Quarter 2026 Budget Exception Report; Class B liquor and beer license for Harbor Petroleum LLC dba Spices Restaurant and Bar; Capital Asset Working Group membership appointments; Finance Committee meeting schedule change (5:30 PM or after Personnel Committee on first Monday of each month, starting June 1, 2026); General City Claims totaling $7,652,493.93; various licenses subject to conditions.
• Approved Personnel Committee item: Classification & Market Review and Job Description Updates for Surveyor/Engineering Technician.
• Approved Public Works Committee items: Adopt a Highway program for Rapids Road; agreement with Mulch Express for wood chips; grant of snow removal assessment appeal (3819 Waldo Blvd); third & final payment of $64,563.00 to Schaus Mechanical Inc. for Library HVAC work; revision of special assessments SW2026-0180 ($447.85 to $228.15) and SW2026-0087 ($1,863.72 to $1,662.11).
• Approved Public Safety Committee items: denial of sex offender residency board appeal (Domonique Singleton); denial of Manitowoc Fire Rescue billing dispute (incident #26-0812).
• All consent items passed unanimously (10-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public spoke.

Appointments and Business Presented by the Mayor

• Alder Appointments (26-0460): Approved unanimously (10-0).
• Citizen Appointments (26-0461): Approved unanimously (10-0) after remarks from Alder Schlei encouraging public participation in citizen committees.

Committee Reports

Committee of the Whole

• 26-0453: Approved Garden Faire Extraordinaire on 6/13/2026, including road closure of S 12th and S 11th Streets between Washington and Marshall from 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM. (Unanimous)
• 26-0458: Adopted resolution authorizing acquisition of Madison School property from the school district. (Unanimous)

Finance Committee

• 26-0404: Approved two-year operator's license for B. Ploederl under WI State Statute 111.335. (Unanimous)
• 26-0431: Approved permanent extension of premises for Dos Caminos Latin Food LLC to include parking lot and patio tables for liquor/beer sales at 2525 Menasha Ave. (Unanimous)
• 26-0454: Granted variance to Legacy Christian School of Manitowoc/Only C Good, LLC under Section IX of I-43 Industrial Park West Silver Creek Protective Covenants for operation of a school, exclusively for Legacy Christian School. (Unanimous)
• 26-0459: Adopted ordinance amending Section 1.030 to change District 7 polling place location. (Unanimous)
• Finance Committee also noted future meetings will shift to first Monday of the month at 5:30 PM (or after Personnel Committee).

Personnel Committee

• 26-0396: Adopted resolution to hire seasonal employees related to elected officials, department heads, or supervisory personnel. (Unanimous roll call)

Public Works Committee

• 26-0405: Approved request to add rock in ditch at Carrie Lane & Harvest Circle, with work coordinated by Public Works. (Unanimous)
• 26-0409: Approved request from Jeff Vogel to remove stop sign at N. 14th & New York Avenue. (Unanimous)

Public Safety Committee

• 26-0412: Approved Policy for Regulating Intersections after extensive debate. The policy establishes a framework and criteria (e.g., traffic volumes, accident history, pedestrian needs) for evaluating requests for intersection controls (stop signs, yield signs, crosswalks). It was developed over months by a committee formed in November 2025.

Discussion Items

• The primary discussion centered on the Policy for Regulating Intersections. Alder Reckelberg (committee chair) noted that less than 60% of Manitowoc intersections had any controls, compared to 80-90% in similar cities like Green Bay and Sheboygan, and argued the policy provides needed consistency. Alder Sitkewitz opposed, criticizing the criteria as subjective (e.g., how to determine if an accident would have been avoided by a stop sign) and pointing out that the initial map does not address uncontrolled intersections in many parts of the city (north and west). Alder Cummings supported the policy, citing inconsistent intersections in his ward and noting that the policy allows alders to bring concerns to committee for review. Alder Dunbar expressed concern that the criteria rely on reported accidents and miss near-misses, but supported the policy as a starting point. Alder Schlei noted that near his home (Jackson School area) there are nine uncontrolled intersections within two blocks, but the policy map did not address them. City Attorney noted the language on traffic volumes is pre-existing city policy and derived from the Wisconsin Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

Key Outcomes

• All consent calendar items and most committee reports approved unanimously.
• Policy for Regulating Intersections passed 6-5 (Ayes: Beeman, Cummings, Anderson, Reckelberg, Benzinger, and Mayor Nickels; Nays: Dunbar, Schlei, Sitkewitz, Norell, Brey). Mayor Nickels broke the tie, noting implementation of actual stop signs will come before council in a future meeting.
• The meeting adjourned at 7:15 PM.