 first meeting of the 2020-21 Common Council to order. Would the clerk please read the quote for the day. Thank you Mr. Mayor. A new day. Be open enough to see opportunities. Be wise enough to be grateful. Be courageous enough to be happy. Thank you for those words of wisdom. Will the clerk then please call the roll. There are four present here and six remote. Thank you very much. Please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The next item is our invocation by Pastor Charles Apple from City Church. Pastor. Thank you so much. Good evening Mayor and City Councilmen. Members my name is Pastor Chuck Apple and City Church and been here about 11 years and it's a great privilege to address you in this moment. I represent not only City Church but there's about 30 pastors that gather and pray for you as a leadership and for the mayor, for the council members, for the school, for the businesses of our community and the different issues that come up in our community. I want you to know that we cover you in prayer and pray for strength and wisdom and encouragement as you lead our city. So can we bow right now and as I lead and um join me in prayer. Father we come to you and we pause before the work of this day to pray for our city and the city council members. Remind us what is really important that each elected official is entrusted with a holy calling. The power and authority of this public, the great calling you have put on each one of them. We pray for strength for the numerous burdens they carry for the welfare of Sheboyga. May you reorient their hearts with clarity and wisdom as they seek the welfare of the city. As we've gone through an unprecedented time in our world, I pray for healing of our land. We humbly and confidently pray to the people of this community that you keep them safe and that you would completely deliver us from COVID-19. We pray for the elderly and the most vulnerable that you would protect them at this time. We recognize that you work through medical and first responders and doctors and nurses and we pray for them that your supernatural strength will be during this trying season. Father we acknowledge that ultimately you are the healing God and you can deliver and you can stay. As we move in this transition we understand that there's probably a new normal and so I pray for unity and the things that need to change. That you will give this leadership this sermon with clarity to know what's best for all for the people of Sheboyga. I pray for prosperity of our city. I pray for wisdom of the council and the mayor that they will proceed with your favor to restore economically what has been lost and to create greater solidarity and the fiduciary aspects of rebuilding this community. I pray that you give them keen insight to know their next step. May the city be blessed with the financial prosperity. I ask Heavenly Father that your blessing financially will be far beyond what we could ever imagine. May this city of Sheboyga prosper being held. We pray for those who agree and some kind of lost in the season that you would comfort them. We pray for those who are seeking full meaningful employment the jobs will be plentiful. We pray for those who are anxious right now that you will help them to find peace. And now all that is going to be done in this meeting and all that is going to be said and all that is going to be decided may we seek the welfare of Sheboyga but also from the wisdom that you give us. May your gracious hand be upon this mayor and this council a very important moment. We know that there are many names to describe you but I pray all of this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for that inspiring invocation pastor. Thank you. The next item is a swearing in of all the persons elect all the persons you can just stand up at the chair that you're at and Meredith will our city clerk will sit will swear you in. Raise your right hand and repeat after me. I state your name swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of Wisconsin and will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of the office of Alderperson to the best of my ability to help me God. Congratulations. Congratulations. Next item on the agenda is adopting the rules of the common council. Alderperson Wolfe. There you go. Thank you mayor. I make a motion to adopt. Thank you for that motion and support. Is there any discussion on the rules? Seeing no discussion. Would the clerk please please call the roll for passage. Ten ayes. Motion passes. Next we'll move on to the election of president vice president of the common council. Alderperson Wolfe. Thank you mayor. I make a motion. I move that nominations be received from the floor voting to be done by closed ballot and if two or more candidates are nominated the candidate with the lowest number of votes to be dropped from the list the balloting to continue until one candidate receives the majority. Thank you for that motion and support. The floor is open for nominations. Any of our remote participants may go ahead and speak. I move to nominate Ryan Sorensen for president. Is there a second? Thank you. Ryan do you accept? Are there any other nominations? Is there a second? Thank you. Alderperson Wolfe do you accept? Yes I do. Okay are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? I accept the motion to close nominations. Mayor I make a motion to close the nominations. Is there a second? Very good. All those in favor closing nominations please say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Very good nominations are closed. We'll now pass out the ballots in council chambers and the people online can send their votes to our city clerk Meredith de Bruyne. The new president is Alderperson Wolfe congratulations. Thank you. Next we'll move on with the election of the vice president of the council Alderperson Wolfe. Thank you mayor I make a motion. I move the nominations be received from the floor voting to be done by closed ballot and if two or more candidates are nominated the candidate with the lowest number of votes be dropped from the list and the balloting to continue until the candidate receives a majority. Is there a second? Nominations are open. I nominate Alderperson Marilyn Donahue. Is there a second? Very good. Mary Lynn do you accept? Yes I do. Thank you. Is there any other nominations? Is there any other nominations? Is there any other nominations? Alderperson Wolfe. Thank you mayor I make a I move that the city clerk be instructed to cast the unanimous ballot for Alderperson Marilyn Donahue as vice president. Is there a second? Second. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Aye. Opposed? Aye. Opposed? Motion passes unanimously. Congratulations Marilyn. Next move on to election of the representative on the city planning commission Alderperson Wolfe. Thank you mayor. I move that the nominations be received from the floor voting to be done by open ballot and if two or more candidates are nominated the candidate with the lowest number of votes be dropped from the list and balloting to continue until the candidate receives a majority. Is there a second? Second. Nominations are open for city planning commission representative. I'd like to move to nominate Alder Jim Barron as representative on the city planning commission. Second. Thank you for that nomination in support. Jim do you accept that nomination? Yes. Thank you. Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? Alderperson Wolfe? Thank you mayor. I move that the city clerk be instructed to cast an unanimous ballot for Alderperson Jim Barron as the representative on the city plan commission. Is there a second? Second. Thank you. All those in favor please signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion passes unanimously. Congratulations Jim. Next we'll elect two representatives to serve on the capital improvements commission. Alderperson Wolfe. Thank you mayor. I move that nominations be received from the floor voting to be done by open ballot and if more than two candidates are nominated the candidate with the lowest number of votes be dropped from the list and balloting to continue until one candidate receives a majority. Is there a second? Second. The floor is open for nominations for capital improvements commission. Mayor I would nominate Ryan Sorenson for the capital improvements commission. This is Boran. Thank you. We have a motion and a second on Ryan Sorenson. Ryan do you accept? Yep thank you. Thank you. Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? We need one more. I'll nominate myself this is Betty actually. Donna from here I nominate Tray Mitchell. Second. Okay Tray do you accept? I do. Thank you. Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? Alderperson Wolfe. Thank you mayor. I move that the city clerk be instructed to cast to cast unanimous ballots for Alderperson Ryan Sorenson and Alderperson Tray Mitchell as representative on the capitals improvements commission. Second. Thank you for that motion and support. All those in favor that motion please signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion passes unanimously. Congratulations. Now we'll take a recess to elect the committee of the whole chairman. I'm looking for a motion for committee at a whole. I'm asking Ryan Sorenson to chair the committee of the whole. We got to open up nominations first. Okay I move that nominations be received. I move that nominations be received from the floor voting to be done by open ballot and if more than two candidates are nominated the candidate with the lowest number of votes be dropped from the list and balloting to continue until one candidate receives a majority. Second. Thank you for that motion and second. Nominations. I nominate Ryan Sorenson. Second. Thank you for that motion and support. Any additional nominations? Any additional nominations? Any additional nominations? Hearing none. I move that the city clerk be instructed to cast a unanimous ballot for Alderperson Ryan Sorenson as committee of the whole chair. Second. Looking for a second? Second. Thank you for that motion. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Ayes have it. Congratulations. We'll reconvene the city council meeting. Next item is a report by council president on the election of the committee of the whole chairperson Alderperson Wolff. Thank you mayor. I would like to inform you that Ryan Sorenson is the committee of the whole chairperson for the city of Sheboygan council. Thank you and congratulations to Ryan. Next item is the address by the president of the council. Thank you mayor. So mayor, city administrator, fellow elders, our city managers and staff. I want to thank you all for continuing to believe in me and voting and voting me and again as the council president. We are presently working within a new era in history, within our city, state and country. With these unprecedented times of COVID-19 and the seriousness that this has done to every citizen and business owner, hard to believe that just a few months ago we had first heard the outbreak of Wuhan China had started in December and was on U.S. soil starting in January. We never, I never would have dreamed this would have happened, would happen and affect our daily lives to this degree. With regards to Safer at Home Act number 12 by our governor, this has affected all of us in a personal way through social distancing, personal freedoms, small business closures, considered non-essential and millions of layoffs. Not to mention those on the front lines in our open essential businesses like grocery stores that have been picked through with shortages. Hard to believe that toilet paper would one day have such a value and on and on. That was a joke. All right. We need to remember that we talk about neighbors helping neighbors but this is deeper. We as Sheboyganites, Wisconsinites and Americans need to remember from our past that we are our best when put to the test of our best challenges. We have accomplished another positive and momentous year in 2019. We continue to see development opportunities although they were slowing in before COVID-19 hit. This will return but will take time as we start the new normal. We continue to review and monitor our financials to maintain our AA2 and we know that we will have to ultimately slow as these times have abruptly changed. Our city continues to track on a positive performance. Quality of life is 80% with an 18% increase since 2016. We continue to address our number one issue of streets as this is an ongoing and critically costly endeavor. We completed our City Hall renovation as we can see and as this is a bridge of our history and our culture to the future with technology. Note the abundance of glass to represent the transparency that we all want and embrace to continue into the future. Just think of this situation that we are in forced into with COVID-19 working from home what the technology was not available prior. A true test of technology for our team to implement and teach us under fire quickly. We continue with the implementation of a multi-year project with the entire city, our garbage cart program, which is truly something that's a huge endeavor. First true project that literally no littering but touches almost every citizen in a huge change for our community. As we know how well change is accepted this project was reviewed years ago but we did not want to be the first so now we are the second last in our state. We will get to get get through through this on the path. We will also be a better collaboration while working through the frustration of our great constituents ultimately a safer cleaner sheboygan which we all agree we want. There are so many positives that together we can continue to affect and help be the voice of our constituents. We know that there will be always be topics that will be reviewed and questioned today and into the future. Sometimes these decisions are even difficult from a personal for personal reasons or issues that blur the lines of logic and good stewardship. Our jobs are not always appreciated or understood but together we will continue to learn together lean on each other and support the changes that will continue to drive positive change for today tomorrow in the future. Thanks again for your continued respect and faith that I will continue to work with you and assist you in our continued growth in the city. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next is the address by the president of the committee of the whole. Good evening everybody. First off I want to say thank you again from the bottom of my heart and trusting me to lead the committee the whole once again this year. Every member of our city council has different backgrounds and experiences but we all have the shared common love for our hometown Sheboygan. I was born and raised in Sheboygan and I've always loved my hometown and this is another awesome opportunity to give back to the community that I love so much. Over this past year we've accomplished so much however we still have a long way to go to ensure that Sheboygan is a thriving 21st century city. Challenges every single day come in our way and we find creative and new ways to overcome those barriers. We still need to build a stronger community. We still need to repair many miles of roads. We still need to increase our housing stock and ensure that affordable housing is a top priority for all Sheboyganites. We also must embrace the diversity that our city brings to us because this is a true strength that we all share. We must also focus on creating an environment that is sustainable for future generations and we must also ensure that we foster an environment and culture of entrepreneurship to attract new and thriving businesses in our hometown. Currently we all are enduring this national pandemic that is testing the resilience of our community and our nation. We've all been impacted by this one way or another with the coronavirus pandemic but it's up to all of us to be the leaders that our communities need to help support families that are struggling to help small businesses that are trying to make ends meet. We don't know how long this will be but it is up to us and one thing that is certain our strength and resilience will endure through this as long as we remember that we're all in this together. Our community was founded by hardworking people that cared about bettering their lives and that sentiment rings true even today. All of us have been elected by our constituents to represent them to ensure that Sheboygan is the best place to work, thrive and live. From time to time we might disagree on specific topics and get into heated debate but this is the healthy part of democracy and it can be fun at times as well especially when I debate older person Mary Lyndonahue and at the end of the day we all get along because we care about Sheboygan and we want to move our community forward. Our politics today needs more civility and less divisiveness and we can be that shining example which I know we are. Thank you again for entrusting me to be the committee of the whole chairman. I know that this coming session will be exciting for all of us even though we endure these trying times. Thank you so much now let's get to work. Thank you very much. Next is public forum. There's no one this evening. Okay thank you. Next is the mayor's message. City council members, Sheboygan staff and residents. The next year will be a challenging year for Sheboygan and the rest of the United States as we recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Tonight we welcome back all the incumbent older persons who are successful in their spring election, older person Todd Wolfe, district 2 Betty Ackley, district 4, older person Dean Decker, district 6, older person Ryan Sorenson, district 8 and older man Jim Bourne, district 10. And by the way Jim Bourne is the longest serving older person on the current city council. He said he's starting his 15th year this year and I want to wish him a happy birthday today as well. Happy birthday Jim. I like to take this opportunity to thank all the candidates that ran spirited campaigns for office. I'm looking forward to working with all of you to continue to make Sheboygan someplace better. Tonight we're going to look forward a little bit to the future of our city. High priority on that list is the continued resurfacing of our city streets. Last year we had some expensive projects on North Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge so that while our miles of streets resurface did drop we are still committing all of the city budgets that's available to fund these projects. Where possible these projects are scheduled to obtain matching funds from the state of Wisconsin. The North Avenue project for example came in $1.3 million over budget and this overrun caused other projects to be delayed until future years. For the last few years the streets crew has paved about two to three miles of streets and the department is hoping to increase this mileage so they can make up some of that difference. Sheboygan is a member of the Green Tier Legacy communities of Wisconsin. The 2019 City of Sheboygan's annual sustainability report which was presented at a recent meeting detailed a number of impressive accomplishments that have been achieved. To sustain this progress we have started a green team comprised of city staff from most departments and this green team will spearhead our city efforts for sustainable efforts and practices in Sheboygan. Sheboygan will continue to address the shortfall in our housing stock. This year we look forward to ribbon cuttings at several projects that are under construction. The Badger State Loss which is located off of Indiana Avenue with 118 units of workforce housing and they recently announced their apartment pricing. One bedroom units will start at $640 per month and two bedroom units will start at $675. So we're starting to make a dent in some of the affordable housing with these new projects. The Kingsbury Village will feature 33 market rate apartments. The South Pier condos will bring 33 more condo-minium units on the market and the Waters Edge Phase 1 includes 15 condos. We anticipate groundbreaking this summer for the Oscar Project which will be located on the former Vandervaart site on South Business Drive which will build over 240 subsidized apartments. There have already been approximately 800 units built in Sheboygan in the past few years and Sheboygan still has a very low occupancy rate. When you live in Sheboygan you are living in a great city in a great neighborhood. We now have 10 neighborhood associations managed by the mayor's neighborhood leadership cabinet. I want to thank the members of the Sheboygan neighborhood pride for their work to develop the new neighborhood associations. We further leveraged our work to develop the new neighborhood associations by adding code enforcement officer and a second beat cop. They follow up on properties to keep our neighborhoods clean, maintained, clutter-free and safe. We have four target neighborhoods which will concentrate our efforts on in 2020 and we look forward to another rock to block with the Habitat for Humanity Lakeside to rejuvenate these neighborhoods. This year the finishing touches of lighting on walkways and signage in a new water tower are complete at the South Point Enterprise Campus Development, Sheboygan's new Bidsons Park expansion. This is the first faith in which we developed 140 acres of streets, water and sewers to accommodate future business growth. We have also contracted with a commercial realtor to promote and market these business sites. Shopping malls are standing vacant in many cities and across the nation. Sheboygan was fortunate to be able to negotiate with Meyer and see their new super store open up on the former Memorial Mall site. And now we also added the Panera bread and that opened this year and the space is now fully utilized. Our police department continues to bring a strong focus on community policing and this strategy has again produced a significant de-scuse in part one crimes in 2019. The department also added a second beat cop to strengthen our northside neighborhoods. The new authentic Dur Sheboygan beer garden which opened last year along the Sheboygan River on the south side of the Qantas Park serves German craft beers and half liter and liter glass mugs. And that was a great addition to that park and increased the utilization as well as our skate park that was installed the year before. The new bike trail along the Alliant Energy Transmission Corridor was finished last summer and the city is discussing the purchase of additional land from the United Pacific Railroad to extend the Shoreland 400 bike trail from Union out from Pennsylvania all the way down to Union Avenue. In 2018 we were recognized as the bronze level bike friendly community and we hope that these non-motorized improvements will allow us to be recognized as a silver level bike friendly community in the future. The city remains committed to increasing communication with our residents. Last year we launched a communications committee to make recommendations to improve our internal and external communications. We currently provide a monthly newsletter the Sheboygan Insider. We use various social media on Twitter, Nextdoor, Nixle and Facebook and the Sheboygan County has also introduced a new emergency now notification program called Code Red. All of our council meetings and now all committee meetings during the pandemic are streamed live on our WSCS channel and also available on their Facebook channel on YouTube. The residents have asked the city to establish a north side dog park. Well we will be assisting the Humane Society to develop this dog park in conjunction with their facility expansion plans and a committee will also be set up to inventory our community and make recommendations for Sheboygan to be recognized as a pet friendly community. I'm looking for residents who would like to participate on this committee so if you'd like to apply please call the mayor's office. Other parks will see improvements this summer at Valrass Park. The tennis courts and three pickleball courts will be striped and open for use. The Roosevelt Park tennis courts will be rebuilt with two new courts and be striped for tennis and pickleball. A new playground will be installed at Moose Park as this was selected by the Indiana Avenue Neighborhood Association and by the way Dean Decker is the president of this association. Thank you Dean for taking on this added role in your district. Several city parks will have ADA accessible walkways installed and the forestry department is implementing a plan to deal with the Emerald Ashbor infestation. This year they'll be planting 400 new street trees and working with Sheboygan's Rotary Club in their roots program which is applied for grants that provide funding for the replacement of trees in six city parks. And on Arbor Day the city is looking forward to being recognized with the Tree City USA recognition for the 42nd continuous year. That means that Sheboygan was the first Wisconsin community to meet the guidelines set by the Arbor Day Foundation as continuously cared for our community's trees for 42 straight years. But all this progress in Sheboygan is being overshadowed by the current pandemic. When the infection curve is flattened and the stay safer home order is lifted there will be a lot of work to do to help the city recover. The city has received additional allocation from the community block grant program and at last night's council meeting council approved the job retention program using $400,000 of those funds to make grants of 3,000 to 15,000 to small businesses that were not able to qualify or receive other funding from the CARES Act. The applications will be available on the city website and the program hopes to award grants in early May. This funding is anticipated to benefit or assist 28 businesses. I would like to thank Governor Everson and his administration for their efforts to protect the health and well-being of Wisconsin residents. With a special thanks to the state for our county public and our county public health department for their help to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak at Sunny Ridge Nursing Home. At Sunny Ridge all the patients that tested positive have now recovered and been moved out of isolation. There are three Sunny Ridge employees that tested positive that will continue to be isolated until the residents did pass away. We will work with the governor to implement the Badger bounce back program with guidelines and criteria to bring business back online. This plan calls for sufficient testing capabilities, personal protection equipment supplies, and ventilators to deal with the coronavirus and possible second wave of reinfection. These resources should make residents feel confident that the plan is prudent and that they can return to work and be a shopper and resume their regular activities. And the Monday night food truck event at Valrath Park will not be available until the safer at home order is lifted. While individual food trucks are permitted to operate, they must abide by all social distancing requirements. And additionally the city will not be placing garbage cans and picnic tables in the park in order to discourage people from congregating. We appreciate the congregation, maybe the cooperation of the food truck vendors and look forward to giving them plenty of business after the safe at home is lifted. I would like to thank all our city employees for their hard work each and every day. I'm so appreciative of the work that you all do and for the service to this city. I also thank all the volunteers who serve on a city committee or participate in our community in many different ways. Your contributions really make this city great. It's my honor and privilege to serve you and as your mayor and I'm proud of our past accomplishments and looked forward to a very successful council year. May God bless each of you and may God bless the city of Sheboygan. Thank you. Next item on the agenda is the mayor's appointments and I'll pass these out as we go back. Those appointments will lie over till our meeting next Monday. Under resolutions item 3.1 is resolution number one of 2021 by Alderperson Wolfe requesting the mayor to reactivate various special committees for the 2021 council year. Alderperson Wolfe. Thank you mayor. I make a motion to adopt the resolution. Is there a second? Thank you for that motion in support. Is there any discussion? Seeing none will the clerk please call the roll. 10 ayes. Motion passes. Items 3.2 through 3.9 will be referred to various committees under general ordinances. Item 4.1 will be referred to the public works committee and with that Alderperson Wolfe. Thank you mayor. I make a motion to adjourn. Second. Thank you for that motion in support. All those in favor of adjournment please signify by saying aye. Aye. We stand adjourned. Thank you for your time tonight.