By Tracy Ouellette
Editor
The East Troy Village Board approved a mission statement for the village at Monday night’s meeting.
The statement, reads: “To insure the prosperity and safety of all residents and businesses in our community. We will accomplish our mission utilizing sound fiscal management and fair and compassionate decision making.”
Board President Randy Timms had proposed the mission statement in a memo to the board for discussion and action at the meeting.
Trustee Forty Renucci requested the words “fair and” be put in before compassionate, which the board approved.
There was some discussion as to whether the statement was necessary between the board members with Trustee Ann Zess saying it “didn’t really mean anything” because it was too “subjective.”
She said something like “sound fiscal management” meant different things to different people.
Trustee Fred Douglass pointed out that the village’s fiscal management was a matter of record and it’s responsible use of taxpayer money had been verified by outside auditors over the years and the village could make that statement.
“I can see both sides,” Trustee Linda Kaplan said. “I think it sounds good and will look good on the webpage. I have no problem with the words, but I worry it might be used against us.”
Kaplan went on to explain that someone who maybe wasn’t happy with an outcome in the village might pull out the mission statement and say the village wasn’t following it.
Zess said she didn’t think a mission statement was necessary. “I don’t think it will mean a lot, or really help anything.”
Timms said it wasn’t designed to “help anything” it was there to give the public a “glimpse into the village’s decision-making process.”
“It’s just a general statement, and all-encompassing statement, it’s something the board is aspiring to do,” Douglass said.
Renucci agreed saying it was what the board should “endeavor to do.”
Sex offender ordinance changed
In what Police Chief Alan Boyes described as a “tightening up” of the village sex offender ordinance, the Village Board approved changes to the ordinance to include all sex offenders, not just offenders who committed crimes against children.
Boyes explained to the board that the intent of ordinance was to include all sex offenders, but the wording was limiting it to just offenders who committed crimes against children and he wanted it changed because there had been some issues recently with the county wanting to place sex offenders in East Troy to live with family members.
In other business, the Village Board:
- Approved the conditional use for an indoor mini-storage facility at WyzGyz, 2481 Executive Drive;
- Approved the combining of three lots into one parcel at Stone Bank Investments, 2004 Beulah Ave.;
- Approved an agreement with Dixon Engineering for the painting of the water tower in 2016;
- Extended the time limit on a private well in the village to give the homeowner time to either abandon the well or get it up and running and have and pass a DNR water test. The homeowner has until Feb. 15 to complete the work;
- Agreed to provide Village Hall as a rest stop for the Aug. 21 Viper Ride;
- Approved the contract for the airport tree removal around the AWOS area.
