Waunakee trustees debate shifting trustee terms to three years; no ordinance change made

Trustees discussed an ordinance amendment that would alter village board member terms but took no final action.

The item was placed on the agenda for discussion about moving to three‑year trustee terms (with a possible different term length for the village president). Todd (staff) summarized statutory background and noted the current two‑year system is the common approach in Wisconsin. "I pulled some language that was included in your packet that references both our current ordinance... and then I also included the entirety of the state code relating to the establishment of villages and village government," Todd said.

Trustees and several board members described mixed public feedback. One trustee said he did not hear any residents in favor of changing terms and recommended doing nothing. Other trustees supported three‑year terms to reduce the frequency of large board turnover and to give trustees more time to focus on issues. Concerns raised by residents included the risk of being stuck with an unpopular trustee for a longer period and diminished opportunities for voter input.

Board members discussed alternatives including adding trustees to reduce committee burden, asking the public during the comprehensive plan engagement process, or conducting a future check‑in on governance. Staff noted some statutory mechanisms for changing warding or trustee counts and said that if the board wanted a formal change, staff and the village attorney could draft a charter ordinance for future consideration. Several trustees said now was not the time to pursue a major governance change; one trustee proposed bringing the topic back as a "board operations" item in roughly a year to gather more feedback.

No ordinance amendment or motion to change terms was advanced at the meeting.