Rachelle Blitch

The special meeting served as a workshop focused on defining the organization's scope and future planning objectives. Key discussion points involved reviewing and discussing supporting documents that guide the CDA, including its scope, general economic development activities, and relevant sections of the Wisconsin urban renewal act concerning blight definitions. A significant portion of the discussion centered on developing strategies for outreach and engagement with property owners, particularly regarding residential development parcels. Topics included how to contact property owners when ownership information is complex (e.g., held by LLCs or trusts), ensuring current owners of property in White Water are informed about new housing policies, and enhancing retention by informing local businesses about available resources and local supply chain opportunities. The body also discussed planning future activities such as legislative roundtables and outreach to elected officials.

The meeting commenced with a closed session to discuss bargaining and negotiation strategy related to the contract agreement with the police union (WPPA). Discussions during the open session covered proposed changes to the WPPA contract, including adjustments to seniority language, an increase in uniform allowance, a revised shift schedule option for better school zone coverage, changes to comp time use limits and carryover, adjustments to paid holidays (including the addition of a floating holiday), four percent wage lift for 2023, and a Spanish fluency stipend. The Council also approved library board and finance committee meeting minutes. City Manager reports included updates on recent salting operations, maintenance on Well 9, hydrant replacement scheduling, preparation of a basement for a new pump, IT ticket resolution, and Neighborhood Services enforcement efforts. Department updates noted police training, applicant numbers for an open position, fire department standby for a football game, and technical rescue training. Reports also covered library activities, including student organization involvement and programming, the City Market's temporary location, and the installation of Letters to Santa mailboxes. Development news involved plans for two residential developments, Walton Way and Mound Meadows, requiring review by the Plan and Architectural Review Committee. The City Manager also reported on drone photography of the lake, appreciation for participation in the Downtown Whitewater Parade of Lights, and production of safety videos. New staff members were welcomed. A session was held to introduce new economic development staff and discuss pathways for public participation in city government.

The meeting included the adjournment to closed session to discuss employee evaluation and compensation, as well as other confidential matters. In open session, the board approved a retroactive market adjustment to the regional mean for the central office curriculum data administration professional, effective July 1, 2022. Student reports highlighted various achievements across Lake View, Lincoln, and Washington schools, including participation in PPA Palooza, the Project Lead the Way curriculum, winter sing concerts, performances for The Nutcracker, and a spelling bee championship. The board also approved requests for multiple FBLA robotics team overnight trips to regional and potential national competitions in Duluth and Milwaukee. Additionally, the board reviewed and discussed space limitations for the 2023-2024 regular and special education open enrollment, focusing on staffing needs for specialized services like speech, occupational, and physical therapy.

The board meeting commenced with roll call and citizen comments, noting that any comments brought up could be added to a future agenda. The agenda approval was discussed, specifically noting that the CDA Housing study presentation would be postponed. Key financial discussions included accepting the January through March 2017 financial statements, fund balances, and the loan portfolio. Specific attention was given to the economic development contribution to Jefferson County and the associated fee structure changes. Regarding loans, the board addressed delinquent payments for several entities, including JCIB, Solo Meeper, and Mobile Mesh, indicating intent to pursue loan acceleration. The discussion then focused extensively on a funding request from the Whitewater grocery store initiative, which had recently incorporated and was branded as the Whitewater Grocery Cooperative. The group discussed the progress made, including website development, creation of policy documents, and filing for incorporation, noting that personal funds were exhausted. A request for $10,000 in funding was presented to help reach the initial 100-owner threshold required to proceed, with funds earmarked for legal counsel to ratify bylaws, establishing a working board, securing insurance, contract negotiations, and launching the ownership campaign. The projected funding structure, involving member equity ($150 lifetime fee), preferred shares, and member loans, was detailed, alongside financing strategies involving USDA loan programs for rural development.

The meeting featured special reports on the Middle School SC scorecard from staff, detailing results from building objectives under the teaching and learning pillar. Key discussions included academic progress, where initial numbers of students below grade level (69%) were nearly reduced to the goal of 54%, ending at 56%. Attendance objectives were achieved, successfully reducing the absentee rate for habitually truant students by an average of 35%, dropping the rate from 15.98% to 9.73%. The presentation also covered communication and outreach objectives, specifically concerning the implementation of the Rooms app. Staff and parent feedback indicated significant challenges with the Rooms app due to low parent sign-up (70%) and reduced direct feedback compared to previous communication methods like email. Additionally, the success of intensive reading interventions, including Language Live (where students achieved an average growth of 1.4 years in one semester) and Third Quest, was highlighted, along with the continuation of district newsletters shared bi-weekly.