West Bend council and boards approve licenses, two easement agreements and city borrowing parameters for fire station notes

Several routine licensing and property items were approved at the City of West Bend meetings on Aug. 4, alongside two finance measures that advance the city’s borrowing plans.

Licensing board and special events: The licensing board approved the minutes from July 21 and granted a new Class B beer license to La Mexicana (2526), a cigarette/tobacco/electronic vaping license for Ned Moranian (2526), a secondhand article and jewelry dealer license (2526) and a special event permit for the VFW car show. Police and licensing staff noted the VFW event will include a ceremonial cannon fired hourly from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and said the police department expects and will respond to any nuisance complaints; the event was approved with the condition that the device produce no projectiles.

Board of Public Works easement agreements: The Board of Public Works approved two agreements permitting fences to remain within existing municipal easements at 2702 and 2642 Great Forest Drive. City staff said the fences were already installed and that a stormwater pipe under the easement is deep enough that the current fence locations do not interfere with the pipe. The agreements clarify property‑owner responsibilities for removal and replacement should city utility work require access.

Weights and measures: During a public hearing, staff explained the city’s contract with the state inspector for weights and measures (scales, scanners and liquid measuring devices) and the practice of assessing the state fee back to businesses. The council adopted Resolution No. 22 approving the weights and measures assessment.

Fire station financing parameters: The finance committee and later the Common Council authorized Resolution No. 25, establishing parameters for the competitive sale of general obligation promissory notes not to exceed $20,200,000, Series 2025B, to finance a substantial portion of the planned new fire station.

Phil Costin, municipal advisor with Ehlers, told the finance committee the sale will be structured as a 20‑year financing (the state maximum for general obligation debt of this type), with an eight‑year call provision. Costin said the city expects a competitive sale with multiple bidders and that the issue will be a parameter sale: council approves maximum issue size and bidding parameters now, and staff will accept bids on sale date if they fall within those parameters. He noted the current plan calls for borrowing $20 million this year and a second borrowing in 2026 to complete the project; the project’s latest construction estimate in the packet was $24.7 million.

Costing and market assumptions: Costin described a maximum true interest cost parameter of 5.25 percent in the resolution and said if market bids approached that threshold the city would postpone the sale. Tentative sale and closing dates were presented: Sept. 10 (sale) and Sept. 25 (closing), subject to market conditions and final documents. The finance committee recommended the resolution and the council adopted Resolution No. 25 by voice vote.

Votes at a glance: - Resolution No. 26 (create TID No. 18) — Approved by council, 7–1 (see separate article). - Resolution No. 25 (authorize sale parameters: GO promissory notes, Series 2025B, not to exceed $20,200,000) — Approved by finance committee and Common Council; outcome: approved. - Resolution No. 22 (weights and measures assessment) — Approved by Common Council; outcome: approved. - Licensing board motions (minutes approval, various new licenses, VFW car show special event) — All motions carried during licensing board session; outcomes: approved. - Board of Public Works: Agreement for improvement within existing municipal easement at 2702 Great Forest Drive — Approved; outcome: approved. - Board of Public Works: Agreement for improvement within existing municipal easement at 2642 Great Forest Drive — Approved; outcome: approved.

What this means: The resolutions on borrowing parameters clear the way for staff to prepare official statements, obtain a Standard & Poor’s rating call and pursue a competitive sale if market conditions are favorable. The licensing and easement approvals are ministerial items that formalize existing uses or permit planned events.

Ending: Staff said they will return with final sale results, final bid details, the winning bidder and the tax‑impact analysis after the sale. Development and utility permits tied to the easement agreements will be implemented according to the agreements’ terms, and the VFW special event will proceed under the conditions described to the board.