You get three agendas instead of two today. Board and Committee of the Whole start at their normal time of 6pm in the large board room. Finance Committee is also meeting on Tuesday, at 3pm in the west conference room. There are a few nifty items on the agenda, so I’m adding it to this preview in case anyone wants to attend and listen.
Finance Committee #
If you come, and you are welcome to do so, the door will be open (a requirement) and you can just come right in. The whole thing will look less formal and cozier than a normal board meeting because of the small conference room setting, but the meeting runs the same way: roll call, minutes, public comment, agenda items….
New business #
2025 external financial audit report is being presented by the audit firm. You now know what I’m geeking out on this weekend!
A 2026 Jan-Jun budget to actual report will be discussed. This is a 1-pager (on p4) in the meeting packet on the website that we will review and discuss.
The 1st draft of our TID Policy document will be discussed. Whether you come to the meeting or not, I’d personally like your feedback. We’re only discussing the first two pages, goals and limitations, but those are fundamental to the policy. This is absolutely a first draft intended to spark discussion, not just get rubber stamped. It needs Finance Committee input, then we’ll need to do the rest of the document, then we’ll need to kick it to the board. There’s plenty of time and opportunity for feedback, but if you care about the topic, please look at the agenda packet (pp 5-6) and send me your comments. Use the email address [email protected] so I can easily keep a formal record.
Board Meeting #
This agenda looks really uneventful, downright boring even. Under new business, there is one item that looks exciting – 7B, Distribution of the 2027 Proposed Budget – but I think it’s literally just a distribution of the printed budget books to board members.
Discussing it comes later, after we’ve had a chance to read it.
Committee of the Whole #
New Business #
6A. Presentation and discussion on Village employee survey results. It’s always good to hear what employees are thinking and saying, though there is something in there that the board might find “interesting.” It’s on p 8 of the meeting packet. The word “board” shows up in the comment cloud as the most mentioned negative feedback word. I’m adding to my ToDo list getting to the bottom of that. The strategy is simple: talk to people.
6B. Waters Edge. Remember me saying a few times that we need to have a board-directed vision for the property? Well, this is the beginning of that. We are not going to discuss or debate the vision. We’re going to try to agree on the mechanics for getting to that vision.
We’ll try to be more serious than suggesting a Ouija Board. I’m thinking a group of trustees, staff, and community members working on something for board review and approval. Dare I suggest we do one of those formal committee things? Yes, I realize I just ranted about one of them, but the magnitude of impact from this proposed vision likely warrants formality.
Continuing Business #
7A. Comp plan visioning exercise. This has been punted several times and finally makes the agenda. It solicits the board for feedback on what they think Caledonia is and ought to be about. Output of the exercise is more input into the updated Comprehensive Land Use Plan that we are working on.
If you’ve made it this far… #
There is also a Planning Commission meeting on Monday night at 6pm. (Ok, that’s four agendas, not three.) If you live near 7 Mile Rd and I-94, you’ll want to go since we have a proposal for a self-storage facility nearby. Because of the rezoning request, there has to be a public hearing, which means the public gets to provide its commentary.
And at the end of the meeting, there is a staff report on the impact of the legislature’s 2025 Act 173 on our land use planning. I always worry when the state tries to “fix” our problems.
I’m eager to learn what the risks and unintended consequences might be so we can protect this place we call home. The item is at the end of a long meeting, so if you are intereted but not that interested, I’ll update you in the recap email. And of course you can listen to the audio on YouTube afterwards. I’ll include a link directly to where the discussion starts.
Lastly #
That’s a lot of local government for the week. I’m trying to use my judgement on what you’ll find important. Keep reading and I’ll keep writing. I can see how many people click through to the full article, so humor me and at least click the link! So far, there’s been no drop off in interest.