A 40-minute Sturgeon Bay Common Council meeting saw five agenda items get approved unanimously on Tuesday evening.
One person spoke during public comments as Bill Murrock of the Old Bolts Car Club requested to have the City of Sturgeon Bay provide police control at three intersections in Sturgeon Bay during the Harvest Fest Car Parade on Friday, September 15 from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. The Council did unanimously approve the street closure with the parade route starting at John Miles Park and ending at Martin Park after going around the city and both downtown bridges with an estimated 150 vehicles participating.
Two second readings of ordinances regarding lot line frontage and various references were approved and finalized.
A resolution declaring official intent to reimburse expenditures from proceeds of borrowing for Sturgeon Bay Utilities was approved.
The amended Development Agreement for Cobblestone Hotels Development which was requested by developers was approved. The overall amount of the financial assistance remains the same, but the City will give $210,000 more upfront money while cutting back the annual payments from $50,000 to $26,000 over a longer timeframe. The developers agreed to raise the guaranteed appraised tax value $1.2 million higher which will mean an extra $5,000 in tax revenue for the City.
During the mayoral appointments, Mayor David Ward nominated members to the newly formed Local Transportation Board, which was approved at the last council meeting. The council then approved Kirsten Reeths as chair, Gary Nault as vice chair, and council member Spencer Gustafson with Brian Weiss as a citizen member to a three-year term and Mark Smullen as citizen member to a two-year term.
In the Administrator report, Josh Van Lieshout reported that Walmart is challenging its property tax assessment again this year and the City will have to decide if they want to negotiate again. He also shared that the City received a $50,000 Community Investment Fund for improvements to Sunset Park Pavilion.
