Park & Rec board approves 2026 charter amid questions about budget access
Loading...
Summary
The Port Washington Park & Recreation Board voted to approve its 2026 charter, announced to be "3 to 1" in favor by the chair, after members pressed the director for clearer access to departmental budget details; Mary Lou Miller voted no and urged more transparency.
The Port Washington Park & Recreation Board approved its 2026 departmental charter after a short debate over whether the advisory board has adequate access to budget information. Director John Crane moved to approve the charter "as stated," the motion was seconded and the chair announced the result as "3 to 1." Mary Lou Miller was recorded in the transcript as a no vote.
Why it matters: The charter sets the departmentgoals and milestones for 2026 and frames how the advisory board will interact with staff. Board members said having earlier access to budget figures would make the board's advisory role more effective, especially since the charter lists budgeting and project completion among its responsibilities.
During discussion, Mary Lou Miller said the advisory committee has never seen a departmental budget and argued that the current process handled through general financeleaves the board unable to provide informed guidance. "This committee has never seen a budget, and it's not to the fault of the director. It's not the fault of this committee. It's currently the way our budgeting process iswhich all goes through general finance, which I think is a disservice to this committee and to the director," Miller said.
Director John Crane responded that he would look into how budgeting information is routed and suggested follow-up conversations with finance staff; the board agreed to revisit the topic at a future meeting. The chair said the charter, once approved at the board level, will be presented to the common council in April.
Vote and next steps: The transcript records John Crane moving to approve the charter and a second; the chair called the vote "3 to 1" in favor and explicitly recorded Miller as a no vote. The transcript does not contain a complete roll-call of every member's vote. The chair said the charter will go to the common council in April for presentation by the department.
The meeting adjourned with the next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 15, at 6 p.m.
