PESHTIGO – A standing room only crowd filled the meeting room and spilled out into the hallway at Peshtigo City Hall on Tuesday, April 16 for the Sine Die meeting of the old City Council, conducted by Mayor Cathi Malke, followed by the annual reorganization meeting of the new Council, conducted by newly-elected Mayor Katie Berman. All elected city officials were present.
After the pair of formal meetings were over those attending enjoyed a reception to thank Malke for her 12 years as Mayor and wish Berman well as she takes over that position. In becoming mayor, Berman is following a family tradition of involvement in Peshtigo city government. Her husband’s great-uncle, Dale Berman, was Peshtigo Mayor for many years, and the first Mayor Berman’s niece, Mary (Berman) Lock, served many years as a city alderman and has been involved in numerous city activities.
The reorganization meeting included seating of newly elected Alderman Robert Warren to fill the aldermanic position vacated by Berman, approval of Berman’s committee appointments after approval of a change requested by Alderman Allen England, and a unanimous vote returning England to his position as Council President. England and Alderman Brigitte Schmidt started new 3-year terms after being returned to office by voters on Tuesday, April 2, when Mayor Berman and Warren were elected.
At the Sine Die meeting Malke announced that she had been notified on Friday, April 12 that the city and Wisconsin DNR have received preliminary approval for a $20,000 Brownfields Technical Assistance grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will allow the city and the DNR to hire a consultant and conduct studies aimed at finding the best future use or uses for the old Landmark site at 310 Oconto Ave. The building there, which originally was a nursing home, has been condemned and must be torn down. There are major concerns about the cost of demolition, in view of contaminants the building may contain, including asbestos.
In comments at the meeting, Malke voiced objections to some social media comments making what she described as untrue allegations that she had refused to work with Berman on the transition of Mayor. She said Berman had come to see her on April 9, and they had conferred on a number of issues, including work Malke and others have been doing to regain city ownership of properties in the Industrial Park where owners have not fulfilled agreements to create businesses and creation of a refurbished web site for the city.
Action items for the outgoing Council included unanimous approval of motions to accept the Brownfields grant, and of resolutions to exercise city options to repurchase several lots in the Industrial Park for the price the current owners originally paid. The properties were purchased by Darryl Joy Trucking Company, and Eric Anderson, owner of a Culligan empty lot.
Malke said once the city gets the properties back they should proceed quickly to get them developed for the economic benefit of the city. She suggested getting Peshtigo Economic Development Corporation involved in this effort, and in a side comment noted that Dale Berman had been instrumental in creating the original Industrial Park.
Malke said she also told Mayor-elect Berman she was in the process of getting a proposal to help redo the city’s web site and offered to help her with it; mentioned a report by Tony O’Neil on vacant buildings in Peshtigo; talked about a THRIVE program on which England is serving; noted that the city’s second-ever Tax Incremental District (TID) will be used to pay for road improvements in the Industrial Park to save taxpayers money moving forward; had updated her on the addition to city hall which has been an ongoing project for three years, and reminded her that the city had applied to two funding sources for money to help improve West Park Drive. Malke said she expects the city will hear by the end of April if the $1,250,000 grant for that project has been approved.
Malke also reported that Berth & Rosenthal Funeral Home has offered to redo the plaques on the Fish Viewing Platform which are becoming worn. She said the name of former Mayor Al Krizenesky had been spelled wrong on the original plaque and was re-done by Keith Anderson of Iconic Etching.
Council approved recommendations from Clerk/Treasurer Tammy Kasal and the Finance and Claims Committee to update non-lapsing funds as listed, and from Fire Chief Chuck Gardon to hire Kirsten McClain as an EMS to work with the Fire Department once its Emergency Medical Service is up and running. Gardon noted McClain is a registered nurse who already holds EMS credentials and will now be training with the fire department for call responses.
In a brief report on the THRIVE program, England said they have identified a need to provide more places for people to live if the area is to grow and thrive. He stressed they do not mean low income housing, the need is for housing suitable for working families who will become part of the work force at Marinette Marine, area foundries, health care facilities and more.
England said they have identified several possible locations for new housing developments, including the River Crossing area owned by the city, which would just need to be re-zoned; 13 acres by VanderVest where the city would need to annex, and 3.5 acres along Oconto Ave. to Dolan Ave. He said the local THRIVE program has in $25,000 grants that are only to do the paper work and will not buy any land or put up any houses.
Before adjourning the 20-minute Sine Die meeting Malke thanked city department heads for all their work and cooperation through her years as mayor, and wished incoming Mayor Berman well.
Mayor Berman promptly called the meeting to order and welcomed Warren as he was seated. She thanked Malke for her many years of service, and declared, “Your impact on this city will be felt for many generations.”
England was promptly returned to office as Council President by unanimous vote. Committee appointment sheets prepared by Berman had been distributed and the Council President traditionally makes the motion for approval. However, England said he hesitated to do this, since he had some objections to Berman’s recommendations. He asked why he had been taken off so many committees, and was named to be chair of only one, while Alderman Keith Klimek was being tapped as chair of two of the five committees he would serve on.
Berman said with the reorganization she had to move people around.
England noted he had previously been chair of the Fire, Lighting and Building Committee, and asked to again be named as chair, which would be little problem since he and Klimek were both assigned as members. At first Berman declined to make the change, and England said in that case he would not make the motion to approve committee appointments. To a questioning glance from Berman Klimek agreed to the change, after which England made the motion to approve committee assignments as amended and everyone voted in favor.
The committees are, with committee chairs listed first:
Finance and Claims: Debbie Sievert, Schmidt, Warren;
Fire, Lighting and Building: England, Klimek, Angel Wink;
License and Police: Wink, England, Warren;
Personnel (including police): Schmidt, Sievert, Warren;
Parks and Recreation: England, Sievert, Klimek;
Streets and Drainage: Klimek, England, Wink; and
Judiciary: Schmidt, Sievert, England.
City official appointments approved include City Attorney David Spangenberg, Fire Chief Charles (Chuck) Gardon and Deputy Weed Commissioner Decur;
Other committee and commission assignments include:
Water and Sewer Committee: Thomas Gryzwa, Fred Meintz and Dan Seymour, with Public works Director Matt Decur as a non-voting member and Kathy Kennedy as secretary;
RLF/UDAG Loan Committee: Tom Maxwell, Gryzwa, Seymour, Tim Finger, Alderman Sievert, Mayor Berman (non-voting member) and Clerk/Treasurer Tammy Kasal as secretary;
Board of Appeals: Karen Pluff, Jeffrey Hansen, Stan Nogalski, Mary Seidl and James Murphy, with Debra Felker and Arkadius Bochra as alternates.
Board of Review: Aldermen Sievert, Schmidt and Warren, plus Berman and Kasal, with Assessor Jerry Pillath as a non-voting member.
Ethics Committee: Mary Seidl, Gryzwa, Barbara Bauman, Gerald Valley, Gardon, Meintz and Sievert;
Plan Commission: Mayor Berman as presiding officer, plus Decur, John Berendt, Marquita Limberg, Karen Pluff and Doug VanWinkle;
Industrial Park Oversight Committee: Berman, Sievert and England; and
Police Disciplinary Review Committee: Mary Seidl, Gerald Valley, Doug VanWinkle, Ronald Strojny and Stan Nogalski.
By unanimous vote Council again designated the Peshtigo Times as the city’s official newspaper.
Open Book for property tax questions was scheduled from 9-11 a.m. on Thursday, May 30. Kasal explained that Assessor Jerry Pillath will be present for those sessions, but property owners do not need to wait until then to get their questions answered.
A major expansion and remodeling project at city hall is in progress, with help from a $3 million state grant, and outgoing Mayor Cathi Malke has been closely involved since the beginning. At a meeting on Friday, April 12 the Fire, Lighting and Building Committee had recommended hiring Malke as a consultant for the project, to serve until its completion at a rate of $1,500 per month. Incoming Mayor Berman was present for that meeting, and stated she would be happy to have Malke’s help with the project and take advantage of her vast knowledge along with that of Decur and Immel Construction personnel.
After somewhat long discussion the committee had unanimously approved England’s motion to bring the recommendation to City Council at its April 16 meeting.
The recommendation as presented on the Council agenda was to hire Malke as a consultant for the city hall expansion project at a rate of $1,500 per month, with a maximum amount of $15,000, to be funded from the Revolving Loan Fund. However, when the time came for the motion at the April 16 Council meeting England said he had changed his mind and instead referred the matter back to committee for more discussion.
At the start of the reorganization meeting Tony O’Neil distributed a handout listing a number of issues he suggested should be settled before hiring a consultant. O’Neil, who serves on Peshtigo School Board and the Chamber of Commerce, had sought unsuccessfully in the April 2 election to replace Schmidt as Alderman.
O’Neil’s handout said to protect the city and its citizens; the consulting contractor should work as an independent contractor, with a contract drafted by the City Attorney, and report directly to the mayor, and work at the mayor’s discretion, without direct decision-making authority. He proposed the consultant should have no office at City Hall, no access to advice from the City Attorney without permission from the mayor, receive no city employee benefits, and be required to provide proof of general liability insurance. It suggested the mayor should have authority to terminate the contract at any time with 30 days’ notice, and should approve all social media postings and press releases related to city business before they are submitted for posting or publication.
As the meeting moved toward adjournment, Rick Berth, a former Peshtigo Alderman, called out a welcome to the new mayor from the back of the room, telling her, “You are a blessing to this city,” and urged the Council and the public not to set her up for failure. Berth also called out a “thank you” to Klimek for how he has been handling his duties as alderman.
As the meeting was adjourned England invited everyone to join the reception in the hallway outside the Council Chambers to thank outgoing Mayor Malke for her work and accomplishments while in office and wish incoming Mayor Berman well in her new position.
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