The Oconomowoc City Administrator sends a letter to the residents of the City of Oconomowoc and the Village of Lac La Belle | Oconomowoc News

Lac La Belle Village President Tim Clark called Frye's letter “disappointing,” particularly what he described as “threats,” particularly related to sewer hookups.

He said that while the village has all the connections it currently needs, he believes that at the time it was built, the facility was intended to be a regional wastewater facility to serve the greater Oconomowoc area.

Clark also pointed out that Frye's letter stated that village residents would be cut off from Oconomowoc's electric utility, which Clark said was a good service.

Frye's letter states, “The Oconomowoc Electric Plant provides low-cost, reliable electricity to most of the village and a portion of the city.” Those who use our service benefit from rates that are, on average, over 25% lower at We Energies. We will consider whether we want to continue this service for non-city residents in the future, rather than negotiating with We Energies to become the electricity provider when the boundaries change.”

“I’m not sure how productive these things are,” Clark said.

He also added that the villagers received mail from the city with three pieces dated Nov. 6: the letter from Frye, a letter from Mayor Robert Magnus responding to the merger and a letter about collaboration. Members of the town, village and city met on Nov. 7 and he said no one at that meeting brought up these mailed documents.

Oconomowoc City Chairman Bob Hultquist responded via email Friday that he was working on a written response to the city.

Background to the merger

On October 22, the public, including Oconomowoc City leadership, was made aware of the proposed merger, which, if approved by both the Oconomowoc City Council and the Lac La Belle Village Council, would take effect on January 1. The new community would be known as the Village of Lac La Belle.

According to Hultquist, the merger is The talks have been ongoing for more than a year and were a natural progression after the village contracted with the city for several services, including police, clerical and public works. By merging the two communities, the village would have guaranteed long-term services and the city would protect its borders, otherwise the city could continue to annex city land. The city would also manage its own zoning and shorelines. The new tax rate for the shared village has yet to be determined, but would likely result in the town residents' tax rate increasing slightly and the village residents' tax rate decreasing slightly.

“Representatives from both local governments then met to exchange ideas and agree on the actions needed to protect the unique history of both communities while focusing on the needs of the future.” “These representatives have worked with the Wisconsin State Department of Administration , the Department of Treasury and other agencies whose contributions were deemed essential to the proposed merger,” said the letter signed by Clark and Hultquist. “They have also communicated with the county government offices whose roles would be recast to hear their recommendations to make the transition to a shared municipality as efficient as possible for the county and our two communities. A smooth and seamless transition for all of our property owners was an important goal to ensure that all current services continue and expand into the future.”

Different reaction

Oconomowoc Mayor Robert Magnus responded to the proposed merger, questioning the speed with which leaders of both municipalities moved after the plans were made public.

“Both the city and the village are in a solid financial position and have already set their budgets for 2025. There is no justification for rushing into this important decision that will affect so many for decades to come,” Magnus said in a letter to the editor.

He also asked why the city and others were not informed of the merger talks until October 22, when the general public also became aware of them. He said this timing “should raise several concerns for all residents.”

“Over the course of my life, I have observed that inviting politicians to the table often complicates things that should be simple. Personal agendas and historical grievances can interfere with the goal of serving our constituents. Unfortunately, when personal concerns take precedence, it appears that residents are notified as late as possible, limiting opportunities for thorough review and constructive dialogue,” Magnus wrote.

He believes further savings could be achieved through continued collaboration with the city. He said he was open to discussions with the city to explore other options, but Magnus said after speaking with Hultquist on Thursday, he was told the city was not open to further discussion on the matter.

City Manager Erik Mullett also took the floor to answer questions and directed residents to the online merger documents, including a copy of the certified letter to residents. In fact, several residents have said they have not yet received the certified letter about the merger and the joint public hearing scheduled for November 13th.

When it came to how this all came about, Mullett said it was nothing new, saying: “It has been discussed and tried many times over several decades. Unfortunately, there were obstacles that we were unable to overcome to complete the process. Over this time, the options and opportunities have changed. At the same time, the village and city entered into several intercommunal agreements to reduce costs and provide better service to residents of both communities. The leadership of both communities saw this as an opportunity to consolidate all the benefits of collaboration, and we began discussions with the state of Wisconsin, attorneys and between leadership to understand all the pros and cons of a merger.”

Next Steps

Clark said if all goes well at the joint public hearing on Nov. 13, the It is planned that the village board and the city board will discuss the resolution on the intergovernmental agreement at regular meetings. The village meeting will take place on November 20th.

“Once approval is granted, the real work begins. “We will then continue to communicate with county and state authorities to assist us with the next steps of the process as we restructure village government and standardize or amend the ordinances currently in effect in the village and town,” Clark said. “Our goal is to make the transition as easy as possible for the district and state authorities as well as for the residents of both communities.”

Asked what would happen if there was significant opposition to the merger at the public hearing, Clark said he would be surprised if there was opposition from villagers.

“But I also realize that getting everyone to agree on anything is almost impossible. We will continue to solicit questions and concerns from residents until our board votes on it. “I continue to fully support the proposed merger,” he said.

According to the FAQ sheet, if the communities do not merge, both communities will continue to operate as they currently do. However, city land may still be annexed to the City of Oconomowoc. The paper also said it has become more difficult for the village to fill state-mandated commissions and board vacancies as some villagers have become seasonal residents rather than permanent residents. “If this trend continues, the village could be forced to dissolve back into a town and lose all conservation and zoning benefits provided to the community and residents of a village,” said the statement posted on the townships’ websites Sheet.