By Press Times Staff

DE PERE – With a new mayor presiding for the first time in 24 years and three new alderpersons, the common council met remotely Tuesday, April 21, when Mayor James Boyd received approval of his appointments to various city boards and commissions.

Boyd, an alderman for 12 years in District 1 before being elected mayor unopposed this spring, will also chair the city’s Plan Commission, Public Works Committee and Finance Committee.

Alderperson Dean Raasch, who was unanimously approved as the common council president, will join Boyd as a council member on the Plan Commission along with Alderperson Dan Carpenter.

All eight alderpersons will either be a member of the Public Works or Finance committee with Raasch, Carpenter, Jonathan Hansen and Shana Ledvina on Public Works and Amy Kundinger, Mike Eserkaln, Casey Nelson and Kelly Ruh on Finance.

Ruh, Ledvina and Eserkaln were each elected April 7 to their first two-year terms on the council.

Ledvina, Carpenter and Eserkaln were named to the License Committee with Raasch, Kundinger and Nelson on the Park Board.

Nelson and Ruh will be council representatives on the Board of Health, while Hansen was picked for Historic Preservation, Ledvina was appointed to the Sustainability Commission and Raasch will be on the Designated Offender Advisory Board.

Walsh, poll workers recognized

Boyd read a pair of proclamations, one recognizing Mike Walsh for his 24 years as De Pere’s mayor and another expressing appreciation and gratitude for the service of the city’s poll workers and staff during the April 7 spring election when having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Boyd said Walsh provided an “invaluable service to our community” as mayor, while poll workers, volunteers and staff “helped uphold our democratic process during unprecedented conditions.”

Teledoc services

Effective May 1, the city’s health insurance plan will add Teledoc, a telemedicine platform.

At the recommendation of Human Resources Director Shannon Metzler, the council agreed to add the service now instead of implementing it as part of the 2021 medical plan renewal, given the current situation.

Metzler said the monthly cost of adding Teledoc will be absorbed in the city’s medical plan and offered to plan members at no cost.

Lot purchase sought

After meeting in closed session, the council directed city staff to pursue the purchase of a vacant lot at 352 Main Ave.

The .11-acre commercial lot is owned by Keith Garot with the land valued at $35,900, according to Brown County property records.