Okay, we will call the Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026 regular village board meeting of the
south of the forest to order. Unfortunately, Jay, President Jay and Kia Wolfgram cannot be
with us tonight. We also have an absence. Let's see Brad coming in. Hi Brad. We also have an
absence from a trusty Kia Wolfgram. Trustee, Jay and Stephanie Hagenhaan concentrated on too
many things that was here. We also have some announcements here in regards to the status of
President Jay and Kia Wolfgram to. I'll take that after the first order of business here, which is
to appoint a presiding officer for tonight's meeting. I would nominate Trustee Simpson. A second.
We have a motion by Trustee Little and a second by Trustee Yellen. All in favor? Aye.
Any opposed? Motion passes. Trustee Simpson.
Oh, yep. Thank you, Jay, and thank you, Trustees. So, first order of business is called a meeting to
order. This is the regular village board meeting. Tuesday, March 3rd, 6 o'clock PM. It is 6.01. Roll call is
noted. I'm and recital the Pledge of Allegiance. Please forgive you. Thank you.
Announcements? Is there anything more, Bill? Yeah, so wanted to provide this announcement to the
village board and to the public. President Jane Keohofgram did file or submit her letter of
resignation from office of a village president to be effective March 5th, which is Thursday. We
received a letter yesterday, June, I mean, March 2nd. And so, at a future meeting, likely March 17th,
we will consider what process needs to be taken for filling that vacancy. Also, did address potential
in-term village, filling the in-term village president position so that we can keep business
within the village ongoing. That's all I have now. We'll provide more information as we get
prepared to that March 17th meeting. Thank you, Bill. And if I could ask for some clarification or
think what I heard is there is a potential to have an interim president before and say in a
point or whatever actual president? Yeah, so at a future meeting, this board will need to decide
what process to take to fill that vacancy. I assume that in a case where that's not immediate,
we would then need to point an interim because the statutory requirements of the village president
is ongoing, which include setting the agenda, running the meetings, presenting over the meetings,
and also execution of contracts potentially that may or may not be approved at this point.
Okay. Thank you. So more to come. Any other announcements?
Seeing none, the consent agenda. There is one order of item of order, the village board meetings
of February 19th. Is there any comments or a motion?
Second. I read seconded by any comments.
Thank you again. So are those in favor of the motion? Please signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye.
Any opposed? Any abstention? Abstention.
We pass 401. Thank you. Public appearances. Anybody registered?
Looks like there's no presentation or old visit. Tyrell, I saw your hand up. Was that anything? Okay.
So item number 9.1, resolution 2026, 019, a resolution adopting revised user rates for
deforest water utility. Carol. Yeah. So I'll just kind of, the memo in your packet kind of laid
out the timeline. We started back in fall of 2023. We attempted to do a simplified rate increase,
and that was denied because we were now classified as a AB utility instead of a C utility.
And in order to get a rate increase as approved, now as an AB utility, we have to have a full rate
study done within the last five years. And at that point in time, it had been more than five
years since our full rate study. So we started through that process. We hired CLA. They did the
study that was submitted to the PSC last July. The PSC has gone through and asked some questions.
Did their review? We've done our public hearing that happened in January, and then on February 4th,
we got the final order that basically said, here's what you're allowed to increase. It comes out
roughly about, it's going to produce about 6.29% of an increase to our revenues overall.
But the memo shows you some of the key things that we changed, like what the residential rates
are going to go up to. And it shows a few fees that we increase just to kind of stay current with
current rates. And then in the actual order from the PSC, if you go away to the end of that order,
it shows like an example of what an average person's bill would go up under these new rates.
So depending on how you want to look at it, there's a couple different items there for
USC just to kind of understand how this will impact your average user. But at this point in
time, the process is complete. This is the recommendation or the order from the PSC, and we're just looking
for approval to move forward with the increase. We have it set to take effect as of March 24th,
because that's the day we're going to read meters. So everything through March 24th will
be under the old rate. Everything from that point forward will be charged at the new rates.
If approved tonight.
Thank you, Carol. Any comments, questions?
Yes, Colleen?
Carol, for the sake of the public, can you go through, touch a little bit on residential rates and
what we'll look at after an increase?
Yes. I don't know exactly what it shows in the order itself, but I know Penny had done kind of
her own analysis of a handful of different customers who use a varying amount of water.
And in every case that we looked at, the water bill itself wasn't going to go up less than a dollar
a month. Now, that doesn't include the sewer and the storm water, but just looking at the water
portion itself, the increase in the water rates would be in the range of like 70 cents a month
increase. And to your average homeowner, obviously businesses are going to see different increases,
but yeah. Anybody else? I think we are looking for a motion.
A motion to approve resolution 2026.
Stuck it.
Motion by Brad, seconded by Shidra. Any further discussion?
Seeing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye.
Aye.
Aye. Any opposed?
Motion passes 5-0.
Ordinance 2026-003. Narnance amendment mending section 2.10, the deforest municipal code
to increase fees for dishonored payment due to insufficient funds. Carol?
Yeah. So basically we just wanted to keep, again, keep our fees current as part of the
PSC request to our utility bills. We did increase our NSF fee to $35 whenever we have a payment
that is not honored due to insufficient funds in the account. We didn't want to have other
payments to the village having a different NSF fee than what the utility was charging.
So basically we're just getting our ordinance in line with what we are now changing our NSF
fees on our utility bills. So now any NSF fee across the board will be at $35.
So it's just keeping things matching up.
Thank you, Carol. Any discussion or emotion?
Motion to approve as written from Shidra.
Is there a second? Second.
From Alicia. Any further discussion?
Seeing none, all those in favor please signify by saying aye.
Aye.
Any opposed?
5-0.
Resolution 2026-020, a resolution supporting the cornerstone community center application for grant funding.
So as some of you know, cornerstone community center is reconstructing their front yard.
A portion of that is moving their parking eastward and then really creating a place making an
opportunity on the west side of that lawn area. Our understanding is that it's going to be
outdoor activity area for the community center.
And so as part of that revenue solution, they are looking to apply for a grant from the AARP
as part of the AARP community challenge livable communities program.
They've asked for the village to provide a letter of support to that grant application and so we've
proposed a draft letter for you to review and to approve.
We recommend approval of that so that they can submit that application that deadline is tomorrow.
Thank you. Disgussions or emotion?
Motion to approve. I like grants.
Second.
It's a motion by Tashidra, seconded by Grant.
I'd say I like seeing the improvements made to that corner. So any other discussion?
Quick question. Since the community services, multiple municipalities, will they be getting
a letter from everyone to strengthen the grant proposal?
I have said that they made the same request as you know more support letters provided by
our application.
Thank you. Anything else?
All those in favor of the motion, please signify by saying aye.
Aye.
Any opposed?
Aye.
Zero.
10.1.
That was scary.
This letter was closed.
Check the check register is in your packet.
If there's any comments, questions, we have time.
Seeing none, item 11, committee commission board minutes.
Any questions with those? I'll group all of them together.
Five of them together.
The president's show report.
The president's snap here right now.
Do you have anything to report forging? Was there a village?
So I think generally we have a DC CVA update under president's report.
In the situation that we have here with with Jane.
Resigning ultimately, we want to think about representation to DC CVA.
I assume that that's going to be whoever the interim village board president is and then
whoever the eventual one will be.
But from there, there is an opportunity, a DC CVA meeting in person next Wednesday,
the 11th at the Madison Municipal Building at 5 p.m.
If anyone's interested in attending, please let me know.
They are also seeking nominations to a number of commissions that DC CVA represents.
What is the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission?
One is the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission.
And the third one is the Greater Madison MPO Policy Board, which
subject of the MPO is transportation.
So let me know if you are interested in serving on any of one of those.
I can reach out and speak to the chair of DC CVA,
Winter president, I will refer to her about some of these nominations and how we go about
that as part of the situation that we have here.
Thank you.
Thank you, Bill.
I think I read somewhere I must have been in an email given to us that the
carpsey and the MPO person that is currently, sorry, I don't know that.
I mean, the Dane County is there wanting to continue.
We're available to continue.
Yeah, there's, so the representatives have historically done a pretty good job and a lot
of them continue.
We can still put in nominations if we would like to.
And the DC CVA board will then consider that.
Again, opportunities for our board to be more active in DC CVA.
Thank you very much.
I guess with that, I'll consider the presidential report complete.
So item number 13 is any other business and lawfully comes before the board.
Anybody in Brad?
I just wanted to publicly thank Jane for her services board and to the community.
She's done a lot of work and wish her the best.
Thank you, Brad.
Yes, I will do the same.
I know we often have a certificate, so I suspect that we'll be coming in the future
and we'll all get that opportunity to think or hopefully personally.
Anything else?
Hearing nothing, we are on item number 14 and I think I heard Tishidra say something.
Motion to adjourn.
Second.
Motion by Tishidra.
Second by Alicia.
All those in favor of adjourning?
Please signify by saying aye.
Aye.
Any opposed?
We are adjourned at 619.