Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Council Actions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Portage council meeting roundup: claims approved, contracts awarded, annexation cleared
Summary
At its April meeting the Portage Common Council approved claims, awarded engineering and emergency repair contracts, adopted a fee schedule and advanced an annexation; several measures passed unanimously.
The Portage Common Council on April 7, 2025 approved a slate of routine and project-specific measures including payment of claims, engineering contracts and an annexation petition.
Key council actions at a glance
- Approval of minutes (March 20, 2025): Motion approved (mover: Alderperson Wetzel; seconder: Bauer Frey). Roll call recorded as aye; motion passed. - Claims: Council approved claims totaling $3,517,581.08 (mover: Bernander; seconder: Wetzel). Passed by roll call. - Consent agenda: Approved as presented. - Contract award — water supply service area plan (DNR NR 854 compliance): Council awarded the contract to MSA (Baraboo) for $15,500 to prepare the water supply service area plan required for utilities serving 10,000+ population (mover: Green; seconder: Wetzel). Passed. - Emergency pump rehabilitation (Underpass/Subway Lift Station): Council awarded an emergency rehabilitation contract to Xylem Water Solutions for $47,707.35 after pump failures prompted immediate work to restore station reliability (mover: Green; seconder: Vernander). Passed. - Fee schedule: Council approved the updated fee schedule linked to the sewer-rate changes (mover: Bernander; seconder: Green). Passed. - Resolution 25-009 (signatures on accounts): Adopted to update authorized signatories for city depositories (mover: Green; seconder: Bernander). Passed. - Resolution 25-008 (discontinuance of portions of Dorr Street and Whitney Street): Adopted to abandon unimproved right-of-way portions to facilitate a private easement for the Ice Age Trail project (mover: Feeney; seconder: Green). Passed. - Ordinance 25-002 (annexation of territory from Town of Fort Winnebago): Council approved annexation ordinance following petition and owner consent; resolution passed (mover: Green; seconder: Wetzel). Passed. - Appointment: Mitchell Craig confirmed to the Police and Fire Commission (term ending 04/30/2027).
What council members said: Several alderpersons emphasized concern about rising costs but supported awards and administrative updates intended to keep city operations functioning. Council members noted that some actions (for example the MSA water-plan contract and the emergency pump rehab) are required by state or operational timelines.
Non-decision items: The council received a departmental presentation from Police Chief Keith Klavke (annual report and staffing updates) and a legislative update from Senator Sarah Kieske and Representative Karen DeSanto. The chief’s report covered calls for service, staffing changes and community programs; the legislators discussed budget priorities including infrastructure funding and shared revenue.
Formal vote counts: The meeting record shows the listed measures were adopted by voice or roll call; roll-call tallies in the record show unanimous or majority approval on each item as called.
