The village Economic Development Committee on Oct. 1 voted to appoint two members to study opportunities to share services — including road paving — with neighboring municipalities and to explore applying for a state innovation grant to help cover costs.

The committee assigned Pete Poli and Brian Filiatro to review potential collaborations and report back to the board. The motion carried on a recorded voice vote with five ayes and no opposition.

Committee members said the state innovation grant could help finance shared equipment, engineering, or construction costs but cautioned that the program includes matching requirements and administrative details that the village must follow. Jay, a staff member who has worked with communities on innovation planning grants, offered technical assistance and said his firm has helped “several clients with innovation planning grants” and could assist the village with next steps.

Why it matters: Small municipalities often face rising road maintenance costs. Committee members framed shared services as a potential cost-saving measure that could allow neighboring villages to pool equipment, staff time or contracting to reduce duplication and lower per-unit expense for paving and other routine services.

What the committee discussed: Members noted the assistance the League of Municipalities is exploring statewide for municipal sharing and said similar arrangements exist for library services in which entities jointly operate a single service rather than each community maintaining separate capacity. The committee also discussed the administrative challenge of getting multiple municipalities to agree on cost-sharing ratios and governance for any shared entity.

Legal and procedural check: Ramsey (staff) reviewed the concept with the village legal department and reported that no immediate legal roadblocks were identified to preliminary investigation; committee members emphasized that any specific intergovernmental agreement or shared-service contract would have to be returned to the village board for formal approval.

Funding and timing: Committee members referenced the state innovation fund and discussed application timing but did not provide a firm schedule. One committee member said the grant portal had opened and closed recently and referenced a September 30 date for an earlier intake, but the record in the meeting was not definitive about current deadlines. Members also discussed matching requirements for grants and emphasized that grant awards are not guaranteed.

Next steps: The committee directed Poli and Filiatro to investigate partners, cost-share models and grant eligibility and to return with options. Sharon Palmeville was assigned to assist with grant-related research and coordination. Jay offered to meet with the assigned members to provide guidance on application requirements.

Closing note: The committee treated this as an exploratory assignment; no contract or intergovernmental agreement was approved at the meeting.