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Trustees favor farmers-market tables and event outreach over regular office hours
Summary
Staff outlined options for an 'elected board event program' including event tables, a community conversation series, trustee office hours, and integrated engagement. Trustees preferred periodic presence at existing events (farmers market, ice cream social) and asked staff to structure any program to comply with open-meetings law and avoid creating additional staff overtime.
Whitefish Bay — The Village Board discussed how trustees could increase visibility and public access by participating in events and targeted outreach.
Staff presented several models: (1) community event engagement tables at existing gatherings such as the farmers market or Sounds of Summer; (2) a community conversation series (coffee-style forums); (3) trustee office hours by appointment; and (4) integrated engagement where trustees join staff-run open houses and other village-sponsored activities. The memo emphasized legal considerations, including open-meetings compliance and the need to avoid substantive deliberations outside noticed meetings.
Trustees generally favored staffing occasional tables at community events (farmers market, ice cream social) and integrated appearances at existing village events rather than formalized office hours. Trustees requested that staff plan schedules in advance, coordinate available staff presence (to answer technical questions), and use Friday updates to recruit trustees for specific event dates. Staff said they will develop a formal proposal and a plan that avoids violating open-meetings rules.
What’s next: Staff will develop a program plan, coordinate with event organizers and public-safety staff, and circulate opportunities in weekly updates so trustees can sign up for specific events.
