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Residents urge council to support water utility pay adjustments; concern raised about Flock surveillance cameras
Summary
A member of the water utility board urged approval of a budget amendment to improve utility staff retention; a separate resident requested the council open a discussion about terminating Middleton’s Flock camera contract because of reported misuse elsewhere.
Two substantive public comments drew council attention during the Middleton Common Council meeting.
Mary Bechtel, who identified herself as a member of the public works committee and a director for the water utility board, spoke in support of agenda item 11, which would amend the 2026 budget for water and sewer utility compensation. Bechtel told the council the utility has struggled with staff retention and recruitment, noted increasing retirements among experienced operators and expanded DNR and EPA compliance requirements, and asked councilmembers to follow up with utility leadership (Mike Meyer, utility manager, and Ben John, director of public works) as the utility implements competitive compensation strategies.
Separately, Emma Snape asked the council to open a discussion about Middleton’s contract with Flock surveillance cameras, saying other Wisconsin municipalities and national cases report misuse (including stalking by private individuals and operational uses tied to law enforcement activities in other cities). Snape asked the council to consider opening a conversation about terminating the contract early because of potential misuse risks.
The council approved the consent agenda, which included the budget amendment items (items 2–5 and 7–12 were approved by voice vote), thereby authorizing the utility compensation change referenced by Bechtel.
Next step: councilmembers indicated support for following up with utility leadership on staffing and retention; the request to discuss the Flock contract was noted for potential future consideration but no formal motion or staff direction was recorded in the open meeting.
