West Bend City council elects Matt Sternig as council president and approves appointments, banks and newspaper

The West Bend City Common Council held a special organizational meeting at the end of April and elected Alderman Matt Sternig as council president, approved a slate of committee and commission appointments, confirmed Carrie Winklebower as city controller and designated the Washington County Daily News as the city’s official newspaper. The council also approved a resolution naming the city’s public depositories and added Forte Bank to the list.

The mayor opened the meeting and led the council in the oath and welcoming remarks, saying, “Welcome aboard, Johnny and Travis,” as newly sworn members were acknowledged. The council proceeded to take nominations for council president; a nomination for Matt Sternig was moved and seconded and, following a voice vote with no recorded opposition, Sternig was declared elected.

Why it matters: The organizational meeting set leadership and administrative oversight for the coming year, assigning committee chairs and mayoral appointments that determine who represents the council on planning, finance and other bodies, and approving the official channels the city will use for public notices and bank transactions.

Council actions and appointments approved

Votes at a glance

- Council president: Matt Sternig elected by voice vote (motion carried). (Selection of council president.) - Board of Public Works chair: Aaron Zingshime appointed; motion carried. - Finance committee chair: Matt Sternig appointed; motion carried. - City controller: Carrie Winklebower confirmed as city controller (director of finance); motion carried. - Official city newspaper: Washington County Daily News designated as the city’s official paper for public notices; motion carried. - Public depositories: Resolution approved naming the city’s public depositories (listed in council packet) and authorizing withdrawals; Forte Bank was added as a newly listed depository; motion carried. - Plan Commission: Mayoral appointments (including Alderman Sparts and Alderman Sternig) approved; motion carried. - Boards, committees and commissions: The slate of alderman and citizen appointments in the packet was approved by motion and voice vote.

Several items were presented by the mayor with brief discussion from council members about committee workloads and statutory assignment of seats. A councilmember sought clarification on the licensing board seat that by ordinance is filled by the council president; the president confirmed the ordinance-based assignment. The mayor emphasized that most citizen and alderman committee seats are one-year terms and reiterated expectations for attendance.

On administrative roles, the mayor described the chain of command and told council members to route constituent and departmental issues through the city administrator and department heads. “We have one employee in this organization and that’s Jesse,” the mayor said, urging colleagues to keep Jesse informed and to follow departmental chains of command. The city administrator added, “I appreciate the opportunity to weigh in as this is the council’s organizational meeting,” and described his role in overseeing day-to-day operations and coordinating with department heads.

Details and clarifications noted during the meeting

- The city packet listed existing banks used by the city (Westbury Bank, U.S. Bank, National Exchange, Beimo and others); Forte Bank was presented as an added depository. - The council designated the Washington County Daily News as the official newspaper for statutorily required notices. - Several citizen and alderman appointments were discussed; terms described as one-year and attendance was emphasized as a basis for future replacements. - Logistics: the council was told photos will be taken at the May 4 meeting and that those photos may be posted to the city’s Facebook page.

The meeting concluded after votes on the presented motions and the mayor adjourned the session. The council’s next regular meeting was announced for May 4.