Germantown trustees unanimously ratify emergency proclamation after historic rainfall

The Village of Germantown General Government Finance Committee on Monday recommended ratifying a proclamation by Village President Soderbergh that declared a state of emergency in response to historic rainfall that caused flooding and other damage.

The committee heard from the village attorney that under Wisconsin statutes 19.83 and 19.84 the village president may declare a state of emergency, and that the village board must ratify such a proclamation. The committee moved and voted to recommend ratification so the full Village Board may act.

Why it matters: Ratifying the emergency proclamation allows the village to activate expense-tracking and recovery steps that can support applications for state and federal assistance, including FEMA reimbursement, village staff said.

Finance Director Matthew Usidin told the committee staff and multiple departments have been gathering costs related to last week’s rainfall and will present those totals to the board as part of next steps with FEMA and any state assistance. “My staff, the clerk staff, much of the DPW staff have been working to make sure we track all the information, gather any expenses we incurred for that, and there’ll be presentation on that tonight, as well as kind of next steps forward with FEMA and any state assistance,” Usidin said.

Committee members voted without recorded opposition to send the ratification resolution forward. The committee’s recommendation does not itself change the proclamation; the full Village Board must ratify to formalize the step described in the statute cited by the village attorney.

The committee also briefly reviewed routine finance items during the meeting, including accounts payable and year-to-date budget reports, and was told third-quarter utility bills will be mailed at the end of next month.

The committee adjourned at 6 p.m.; the ratification resolution will appear on the Village Board agenda for final action.