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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Finance Committee Meeting – November 2, 2026

Common Council & Committees — Monday, November 2, 2026

BodyManitowoc, Wisconsin

SessionCommon Council & Committees

DateMonday, November 2, 2026

StatusNEW · FILED

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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:29

All right, it is 5 30, and I will call the finance committee to order.

0:34

Uh the entire committee is present.

Unassigned speaker

0:36

Alder Dunbar should be on Zoom or will be joining us shortly.

Speaker 1

0:40

Um I see there's one number that's a call up there, so um maybe that's all or Dunbar.

0:46

Uh we'll move on to public comment.

0:48

Is there anybody that wishes to address the finance committee this evening?

0:52

Uh you would have five minutes to address anything that you care about the germane to the finance of the city of Mantauk.

0:59

Second call for public comment.

Unassigned speaker

1:02

Yes,

Speaker 1

1:03

please come forward and state your name and address for the record.

1:06

Uh you come up right to the table by the mayor there.

1:08

He's got the microphone.

Speaker 2

1:09

Come on down.

1:11

Well, hi.

1:12

Unassigned speaker

1:13

good

Speaker 2

1:14

evening to the gallery and common council, Mr.

1:17

Mayor.

1:18

Um you have seen me before, been involved in the Red Arrow project, and uh it's turned out to be something really special for the community.

1:29

And my feeling is that uh there's still one piece of that puzzle to be completed.

1:34

And that's some sort of renovation for the uh bathroom area, extending the roof line out.

1:43

The cement pad is already in place, and I realize there's gonna have to be plans put in pay place.

1:50

But it's surprising.

Unassigned speaker

1:52

Speaker 2

1:52

spent a lot of time down there this summer.

1:53

It's surprising how many people use that area.

1:57

Uh big picnics down there this summer, as many as 100-150 people using that slab for their picnics, and it gets quite warm on that slab without having that extended roof line going out over the top, and the bathroom area is I'm gonna call it marginal at best.

2:14

So I'm hoping in next in the 27th capital budget, there might be some money available to consider um doing some renovation on that building.

2:28

So thank you for uh this moment.

2:32

Oh, I have one other idea, it's a wild idea.

2:37

I'd like to see, and I know it's gonna be impossible to do JC Lane, JC Drive change to Red Arrow Park Lane, starting at 10th Street and going all the way through to Green Street.

2:52

We have a lot of renovation going on down there, a lot of activity.

2:56

I think it makes sense that JC's is no longer an operating group.

3:00

And I think moving forward along with all the work being done at Rare, it would

Unassigned speaker

3:05

Speaker 3

3:05

pretty neat

Speaker 2

3:06

to have a a new road down there.

3:09

And I realize there's two addresses down there.

3:11

I understand that that and mapping and all of

Unassigned speaker

3:14

that.

Speaker 2

3:15

So it's just something I think to discuss.

3:19

Thank you for your time.

Speaker 1

3:20

Okay, thank you.

3:22

Anybody else wish to address the finance committee this evening?

3:28

Third and final call per yes, sir.

3:30

Please come forward.

Speaker 4

3:41

Oh Frank Wesley, uh 733 North 7th.

3:44

Really, um, I just want to say how nice it was to have this event today and be able to talk to everybody personally.

3:49

And it was nice to see uh the the mayor in person and talk about some of the things that that were concerned with me, but I I like this.

3:57

Whoever's idea it was, God, I hope you get a raise.

4:03

Unless it was your idea.

4:07

So anyway, it was just great.

4:08

Uh I love seeing the equipment.

4:10

Um and I express my can my happiness that that we do have decent equipment that the the employees are operating, that they're not sitting in the shop broke down all the time, and uh we have a nice library.

4:21

I got to talk to those people, and um whenever I come down here for anything, I mean the front desk people are just incredible.

4:28

They come to the desk, they're smiling, they're they're helpful.

4:30

So anyway, it's just nice to come down here and and and and see people in person.

4:35

Just one day a year is just plenty, you know, and it's a it's a nice building, and everybody knows how I feel about that.

Unassigned speaker

4:41

And um, and and like I say, I got to talk to most of the departments uh one on one and they have my concerns and um otherwise it's still a nice city to live in, but you know it's it's hard work to keep it that way, and you know, I think some of the people that have moved here uh to take advantage of our welfare system just are dragging some of us down, but um otherwise uh I was glad that I moved back here.

Speaker 4

5:04

I grew up here, and um I I live in QANE part time also, and I just you know it's kind of remote.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Budget Equity Analysis█████████████████████████████████████████41%

Public Engagement██████████████████18%

Procedural████████████12%

Personnel Matters███████████11%

Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%

Fiscal Sustainability██████6%

Parks and Recreation██2%

Public Works██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Finance Committee Meeting – November 2, 2026

The Finance Committee of the City of Manitowoc met on November 2, 2026, to review consent items, act on several ordinances and applications, and begin deliberations on the 2027 executive budget. The meeting included public comments, unanimous approval of routine items, and extensive discussion of new positions, capital projects, and the proposed tax levy increase.

Consent Calendar

Minutes of October 5 and October 26, 2026, approved and placed on file.
3rd Quarter 2026 Investment Report approved and placed on file.
All consent items were approved by one motion without discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

First speaker (involved with Red Arrow Park) requested that the 2027 capital budget include funding for a roof extension over the existing concrete pad and renovation of the bathroom area, noting heavy summer usage (100–150 people at picnics). He also suggested renaming JC Lane to “Red Arrow Park Lane” from 10th Street to Green Street.
Frank Wesley (733 N. 7th St.) praised the city’s open house event, the condition of city equipment, library staff, and front desk service. He expressed concerns about welfare recipients moving to the city but overall stated that Manitowoc is “still a nice city to live in.”

Discussion Items

26‑0991 – 3rd Quarter 2026 Claims Report – Presented by the City Attorney’s office. Committee approved and placed on file without questions.
26‑0992 – Request to rescind late application fee for Manitowalk vs. ALS Event – Parks Department supported the request. Committee approved.
26‑0993 – Ordinance to add a 3‑day waiting period for certain temporary Class B licenses – Staff cited a state notification and consistency with other municipalities. Committee approved.
26‑0994 – Ordinance to amend Rahr-West Museum Board section – Removed references to a defunct association and aligned hiring/firing authority with current practice. Committee approved.
26‑0995 – 3 Sheeps Brewing application for a Producer Full‑Service Retail Sales license (AB‑105) for the Ladies of Bluegrass event at the Expo – First such application; staff recommended approval with sales limited to authorized hours (5‑11 p.m.). Alder Dunbar asked about time restrictions and confirmed the application already specifies 5‑11 p.m. Committee approved.
26‑0978 – Discussion on the 2027 Executive Budget –
- New positions: The budget proposes six new positions (three firefighters, one police detective, two IT staff). Additional paratransit positions (two full‑time, ten part‑time) and the IT positions are expected to be budget‑neutral. Alder Dunbar requested a summary sheet of multi‑year projects and carry‑forward funds; staff agreed to provide it.
- Tax rate increase: 2.78%, using $3.5 million fund balance and proposed borrowing of $7.84 million.
- Employee compensation: 3.5% total adjustment (3.1% compensation structure increase + 0.4% payroll expense). Health insurance assumed 13% increase.
- Organizational improvements: $20,000 for an engineering re‑organization consultant and $50,000 for management training.
- Technology: $120,000 to replace virtual desktop infrastructure with PCs; two IT positions budget‑neutral by reducing payments to MPU.
- Public safety: Discussion deferred to Wednesday evening with fire and police chiefs.
- Infrastructure: Five‑year road plan discussion scheduled for Thursday after the Public Works Committee meeting.
- Downtown funding: $50,000 for seasonal decorations and flowers; Mayor noted large downtown projects (River Point, Franklin Street) will use prior budget dollars.

Key Outcomes

Consent agenda passed unanimously.
All action items (26‑0991 through 26‑0995) were approved without opposition.
Budget deliberations will continue on Wednesday, November 4, focusing on public safety (firefighters, detective, EMS data), and on Thursday, November 5, for infrastructure and road projects. No final budget vote was taken at this meeting.
Staff will provide a supplementary spreadsheet showing multi‑year project statuses and carry‑forward funds as requested by Alder Dunbar.

Meeting Transcript

All right, it is 5 30, and I will call the finance committee to order. Uh the entire committee is present. Alder Dunbar should be on Zoom or will be joining us shortly. Um I see there's one number that's a call up there, so um maybe that's all or Dunbar. Uh we'll move on to public comment. Is there anybody that wishes to address the finance committee this evening? Uh you would have five minutes to address anything that you care about the germane to the finance of the city of Mantauk. Second call for public comment. Yes, please come forward and state your name and address for the record. Uh you come up right to the table by the mayor there. He's got the microphone. Come on down. Well, hi. Uh good evening to the gallery and common council, Mr. Mayor. Um you have seen me before, been involved in the Red Arrow project, and uh it's turned out to be something really special for the community. And my feeling is that uh there's still one piece of that puzzle to be completed. And that's some sort of renovation for the uh bathroom area, extending the roof line out. The cement pad is already in place, and I realize there's gonna have to be plans put in pay place. But it's surprising. I spent a lot of time down there this summer. It's surprising how many people use that area. Uh big picnics down there this summer, as many as 100-150 people using that slab for their picnics, and it gets quite warm on that slab without having that extended roof line going out over the top, and the bathroom area is I'm gonna call it marginal at best. So I'm hoping in next in the 27th capital budget, there might be some money available to consider um doing some renovation on that building. So thank you for uh this moment. Oh, I have one other idea, it's a wild idea. I'd like to see, and I know it's gonna be impossible to do JC Lane, JC Drive change to Red Arrow Park Lane, starting at 10th Street and going all the way through to Green Street. We have a lot of renovation going on down there, a lot of activity. I think it makes sense that JC's is no longer an operating group. And I think moving forward along with all the work being done at Rare, it would be pretty neat to have a a new road down there. And I realize there's two addresses down there. I understand that that and mapping and all of that. So it's just something I think to discuss. Thank you for your time. Okay, thank you. Anybody else wish to address the finance committee this evening? Third and final call per yes, sir. Please come forward. Oh Frank Wesley, uh 733 North 7th. Really, um, I just want to say how nice it was to have this event today and be able to talk to everybody personally. And it was nice to see uh the the mayor in person and talk about some of the things that that were concerned with me, but I I like this. Whoever's idea it was, God, I hope you get a raise.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com

Finance Committee Meeting – November 2, 2026

Consent Calendar

Minutes of October 5 and October 26, 2026, approved and placed on file.

3rd Quarter 2026 Investment Report approved and placed on file.

All consent items were approved by one motion without discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

First speaker (involved with Red Arrow Park) requested that the 2027 capital budget include funding for a roof extension over the existing concrete pad and renovation of the bathroom area, noting heavy summer usage (100–150 people at picnics). He also suggested renaming JC Lane to “Red Arrow Park Lane” from 10th Street to Green Street.

Frank Wesley (733 N. 7th St.) praised the city’s open house event, the condition of city equipment, library staff, and front desk service. He expressed concerns about welfare recipients moving to the city but overall stated that Manitowoc is “still a nice city to live in.”

Discussion Items

26‑0991 – 3rd Quarter 2026 Claims Report – Presented by the City Attorney’s office. Committee approved and placed on file without questions.

26‑0992 – Request to rescind late application fee for Manitowalk vs. ALS Event – Parks Department supported the request. Committee approved.

26‑0993 – Ordinance to add a 3‑day waiting period for certain temporary Class B licenses – Staff cited a state notification and consistency with other municipalities. Committee approved.

26‑0994 – Ordinance to amend Rahr-West Museum Board section – Removed references to a defunct association and aligned hiring/firing authority with current practice. Committee approved.

26‑0995 – 3 Sheeps Brewing application for a Producer Full‑Service Retail Sales license (AB‑105) for the Ladies of Bluegrass event at the Expo – First such application; staff recommended approval with sales limited to authorized hours (5‑11 p.m.). Alder Dunbar asked about time restrictions and confirmed the application already specifies 5‑11 p.m. Committee approved.

26‑0978 – Discussion on the 2027 Executive Budget –

New positions: The budget proposes six new positions (three firefighters, one police detective, two IT staff). Additional paratransit positions (two full‑time, ten part‑time) and the IT positions are expected to be budget‑neutral. Alder Dunbar requested a summary sheet of multi‑year projects and carry‑forward funds; staff agreed to provide it.
Tax rate increase: 2.78%, using $3.5 million fund balance and proposed borrowing of $7.84 million.
Employee compensation: 3.5% total adjustment (3.1% compensation structure increase + 0.4% payroll expense). Health insurance assumed 13% increase.
Organizational improvements: $20,000 for an engineering re‑organization consultant and $50,000 for management training.
Technology: $120,000 to replace virtual desktop infrastructure with PCs; two IT positions budget‑neutral by reducing payments to MPU.
Public safety: Discussion deferred to Wednesday evening with fire and police chiefs.
Infrastructure: Five‑year road plan discussion scheduled for Thursday after the Public Works Committee meeting.
Downtown funding: $50,000 for seasonal decorations and flowers; Mayor noted large downtown projects (River Point, Franklin Street) will use prior budget dollars.

Key Outcomes

Consent agenda passed unanimously.

All action items (26‑0991 through 26‑0995) were approved without opposition.

Budget deliberations will continue on Wednesday, November 4, focusing on public safety (firefighters, detective, EMS data), and on Thursday, November 5, for infrastructure and road projects. No final budget vote was taken at this meeting.

Staff will provide a supplementary spreadsheet showing multi‑year project statuses and carry‑forward funds as requested by Alder Dunbar.

Meeting Transcript