Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Menasha Common Council Meeting – April 6, 2026

Common Council — Monday, April 6, 2026

BodyMenasha, Wisconsin

SessionCommon Council

DateMonday, April 6, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Unassigned speaker

0:35

Good

Speaker 1

0:36

evening.

0:36

I'd like to call the City of Manasha Common Council meeting to order.

0:39

If you'd please rise and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:58

Clerk Snyder, if we could have the roll call, please.

Speaker 2

1:03

Alderman Marshall.

1:04

Alderman Grotty.

1:06

Alderman Rapella.

1:07

Alderman Rand.

1:08

Alderman Eisenach?

1:10

Alderman Hale.

1:11

Alderman Perkins.

Unassigned speaker

1:13

Hello.

Speaker 2

1:14

Alderman Lewis?

1:15

All are present.

Speaker 1

1:17

Thank you very much.

1:18

Next item on the agenda is E, and this is public comment on any matter of concern to the city.

1:23

If anybody wishes to speak this evening in the gallery, you have five minutes.

1:26

I just ask that you state your first and last name and address.

1:29

Would anybody wish to speak during public comment?

Unassigned speaker

1:33

Yes.

Unassigned speaker

1:34

Speaker 1

1:34

you could just step up to the podium.

Speaker 3

1:41

Hello.

1:43

Uh Lynn Ansabi.

1:45

I live at 339 Broad Street.

1:48

And I'm here because I need your help in verifying if I'm losing my mind or

Unassigned speaker

1:58

not.

Speaker 3

2:01

Because

Speaker 1

2:02

I've been

Speaker 3

2:03

coming to many of the meetings concerning the pool of Manasha, many of the surveys I've read.

2:11

Very good job by everybody, and I'm happy to be here to share that was a wonderful experience.

2:19

Much to my amazement, this paper that is in paper form that we get on, we had this got this on Friday.

2:30

So it says pool slides in a lazy river, and I'm sure you're all aware of this article.

2:36

I would hope so.

2:51

When we were at had the meetings and the surveys, and many people uh address things at the meetings and the input and all that stuff.

3:02

This is almost the opposite of what I thought and other people thought was going to happen with the pool.

3:14

From what the survey results were, people of Manasha said simple.

3:27

Maybe things that we can afford should be added.

3:31

And if I'm wrong on this, and I don't understand how government works, and where's the transparency?

3:38

I read 17 million here.

3:49

That's not what I thought happened when we were going through our discussions.

3:58

But I think those are the things I want to ask your help.

4:03

Did am I wrong or being misled, or did I not keep my ears open?

Unassigned speaker

4:10

I would just add uh public comment isn't for a QA, but I would just uh right now address a couple of things, and then I would be happy to talk to you after the council meeting, and perhaps Director Sackett from Parks and Recreation as well.

Unassigned speaker

4:23

But

Speaker 1

4:25

the concept was approved based off of the majority of input from the survey, and it was the recommended uh the recommended proposal from the park and rec board to the common council.

4:37

So I'd be happy to chat with you more about that after council if that works.

Speaker 3

4:42

Um I would be happy to chat with you about that too, and maybe we can meet in your office another time.

4:50

Not tonight.

Unassigned speaker

4:51

Just

Speaker 3

4:52

basketball to be watched.

Speaker 1

4:54

Understood.

4:55

I understand

Speaker 3

4:56

the

Speaker 1

4:56

priority.

Speaker 3

4:57

And I appreciate your willingness to help and clarify for me.

5:01

Yeah.

5:02

That would be great.

5:03

Thank you all for listening.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████56%

Miscellaneous███████████████████████████33%

Community Engagement█████6%

Public Engagement████5%

Summary of Proceedings

Menasha Common Council Meeting – April 6, 2026

The Menasha Common Council met on Monday, April 6, 2026 at 6:01 PM in the First Floor Conference Rooms at 100 Main Street. The meeting included a presentation on effective council practices, public comment on the Jefferson Park Aquatic Center design, approval of a sewer and water main reconstruction contract, adoption of a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy, and approval of accounts payable. The meeting adjourned at 7:16 PM.

Consent Calendar

Approved the Special Common Council minutes from March 30, 2026 (vote 8-0).
Approved awarding Contract Unit No. M0002-09-26-00105 for sewer and water main reconstruction on Eighth Street, Third Street, and DePere Street to Donald Hietpas & Sons, Inc. for $1,158,966.58, as recommended by the Board of Public Works (vote 8-0).
Approved an update to the Employee Handbook adding Appendix R: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy, effective June 1, 2026, as recommended by the Personnel Committee (vote 7-1; Alderman Rand voted no).

Public Comments & Testimony

Lynn Ann Sauby (339 Broad Street) expressed concern that the conceptual design for the Jefferson Park Aquatic Center, which includes slides and a lazy river, does not align with community input gathered through surveys and meetings. She indicated that the feedback favored simpler, affordable additions. Mayor Hammond and Parks and Recreation Director Sackett responded that the concept was approved based on majority survey input and offered to discuss further after the meeting.

Discussion Items

Presentation: Daniel Foth, JD, from UW-Madison Extension's Local Government Education Program presented "How to be an Effective Common Council," covering roles and responsibilities, open meetings law, parliamentary procedure, and communication strategies. The presentation lasted approximately 60 minutes.
Report of Department Officers: Council members raised questions during the motion to receive minutes and communications. Alderman Rand inquired about the police chief search timeline and the incorporation of union input from the WPPA. Interim Chief Hanchek stated the process is handled by HR and the Police Commission, with the next step on April 21, 2026. Alderman Ropella asked about the budget status; Public Health Director Hutter confirmed the city is on track with 2026 budget targets. Alderman Rand also requested a correction to the Special Personnel Committee minutes, noting he made three amendments rather than the four attributed to him; the clerk was asked to note the correction.

Key Outcomes

The meeting was called to order at 6:01 PM and adjourned at 7:16 PM.
The consent agenda items were approved with the recorded votes.
Accounts payable and payroll for March 13 – April 2, 2026, totaling $2,083,191.22, were approved unanimously (8-0).
The new Artificial Intelligence Policy (Appendix R) will take effect June 1, 2026, following a 7-1 vote.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I'd like to call the City of Manasha Common Council meeting to order. If you'd please rise and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. Clerk Snyder, if we could have the roll call, please. Alderman Marshall. Alderman Grotty. Alderman Rapella. Alderman Rand. Alderman Eisenach? Alderman Hale. Alderman Perkins. Hello. Alderman Lewis? All are present. Thank you very much. Next item on the agenda is E, and this is public comment on any matter of concern to the city. If anybody wishes to speak this evening in the gallery, you have five minutes. I just ask that you state your first and last name and address. Would anybody wish to speak during public comment? Yes. If you could just step up to the podium. Hello. Uh Lynn Ansabi. I live at 339 Broad Street. And I'm here because I need your help in verifying if I'm losing my mind or not. Because I've been coming to many of the meetings concerning the pool of Manasha, many of the surveys I've read. Very good job by everybody, and I'm happy to be here to share that was a wonderful experience. Much to my amazement, this paper that is in paper form that we get on, we had this got this on Friday. So it says pool slides in a lazy river, and I'm sure you're all aware of this article. I would hope so. When we were at had the meetings and the surveys, and many people uh address things at the meetings and the input and all that stuff. This is almost the opposite of what I thought and other people thought was going to happen with the pool. From what the survey results were, people of Manasha said simple. Maybe things that we can afford should be added. And if I'm wrong on this, and I don't understand how government works, and where's the transparency? I read 17 million here. That's not what I thought happened when we were going through our discussions. But I think those are the things I want to ask your help. Did am I wrong or being misled, or did I not keep my ears open? I would just add uh public comment isn't for a QA, but I would just uh right now address a couple of things, and then I would be happy to talk to you after the council meeting, and perhaps Director Sackett from Parks and Recreation as well. But the concept was approved based off of the majority of input from the survey, and it was the recommended uh the recommended proposal from the park and rec board to the common council. So I'd be happy to chat with you more about that after council if that works. Um I would be happy to chat with you about that too, and maybe we can meet in your office another time. Not tonight.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com

Menasha Common Council Meeting – April 6, 2026

Consent Calendar

Approved the Special Common Council minutes from March 30, 2026 (vote 8-0).

Approved awarding Contract Unit No. M0002-09-26-00105 for sewer and water main reconstruction on Eighth Street, Third Street, and DePere Street to Donald Hietpas & Sons, Inc. for $1,158,966.58, as recommended by the Board of Public Works (vote 8-0).

Approved an update to the Employee Handbook adding Appendix R: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy, effective June 1, 2026, as recommended by the Personnel Committee (vote 7-1; Alderman Rand voted no).

Public Comments & Testimony

Lynn Ann Sauby (339 Broad Street) expressed concern that the conceptual design for the Jefferson Park Aquatic Center, which includes slides and a lazy river, does not align with community input gathered through surveys and meetings. She indicated that the feedback favored simpler, affordable additions. Mayor Hammond and Parks and Recreation Director Sackett responded that the concept was approved based on majority survey input and offered to discuss further after the meeting.

Discussion Items

Presentation: Daniel Foth, JD, from UW-Madison Extension's Local Government Education Program presented "How to be an Effective Common Council," covering roles and responsibilities, open meetings law, parliamentary procedure, and communication strategies. The presentation lasted approximately 60 minutes.

Report of Department Officers: Council members raised questions during the motion to receive minutes and communications. Alderman Rand inquired about the police chief search timeline and the incorporation of union input from the WPPA. Interim Chief Hanchek stated the process is handled by HR and the Police Commission, with the next step on April 21, 2026. Alderman Ropella asked about the budget status; Public Health Director Hutter confirmed the city is on track with 2026 budget targets. Alderman Rand also requested a correction to the Special Personnel Committee minutes, noting he made three amendments rather than the four attributed to him; the clerk was asked to note the correction.

Key Outcomes

The meeting was called to order at 6:01 PM and adjourned at 7:16 PM.

The consent agenda items were approved with the recorded votes.

Accounts payable and payroll for March 13 – April 2, 2026, totaling $2,083,191.22, were approved unanimously (8-0).

The new Artificial Intelligence Policy (Appendix R) will take effect June 1, 2026, following a 7-1 vote.

Meeting Transcript