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Residents urge board to slow development, question outreach and project transparency
Summary
During public comment at the June 15 Germantown Village Board meeting, residents urged the board to 'slow down' on development and criticized the scope of outreach for major projects; other commenters praised Public Works employee Scott Anderson for on‑site assistance with property boundaries.
Several residents at the June 15 Germantown Village Board meeting used the public‑comment period to press elected officials to slow development and seek clearer public engagement.
An attendee who did not provide a name told trustees she felt discouraged about speaking and said many residents had not received surveys. She raised concerns about recent zoning changes, apartment developments and an ongoing plan that she said would increase taxes. She questioned what she described as the board's forward momentum on a police department project — citing a $30,000,000 figure in her remarks — and said the public had not been given meaningful opportunities for hearings and Q&A.
"Surveys are not a substitute for public hearings where people come in this room and ask questions and get answers," the speaker said.
The board did not take action on the speaker's charges during the meeting; the president closed the comment after it concluded. Trustees later discussed procurement and transparency questions during related agenda items.
Other residents used the comment period to praise village staff. Bernadette Bridal and James Bridal, property owners on Fond Du Lac and Pilgrim Road, thanked Scott Anderson of the Public Works Department for visiting their property, measuring boundaries, identifying which trees were village versus private, and offering recommendations. Both speakers described the staff response as thorough and helpful.
The meeting packet and trustee discussion showed formal agenda items were voted on during the meeting (consent agenda approvals, a Division Road inspection contract, hiring an owner's representative for the police project, and the appointment of a finance director). Public commenters' requests for additional public hearings or wider notice were not acted on at the meeting and would require future board action to change outreach processes.
