October 2021
Village Green Pop Up Beer Garden
Saturday, October 9
Littleport Brewing of Racine will be hosting a pop-up beer garden on Saturday, October 9 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Village Green Park, 215 E. Four Mile Road (rain date will be Saturday, October 16 from 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)  The event will include craft beer and a limited selection of food including, pizzas, soft pretzels, and gourmet snacks. Picnic tables are available for use, however we also recommend bringing chairs as a backup. 

Littleport Brewing Company, located in downtown Racine, a block from Lake Michigan, opened this year and provides a variety of local craft IPA’s, stouts, lagers and more. Littleport’s owners, Mark and Chris Flynn are long time homebrewers who have worked to support Wisconsin’s brewing heritage.  

If you have any questions about the event please contact the Village at 262-639-3524 or info@windpoint.org.
Prairie School Speed Zone
The Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness and Public Works, Utilities and Environment Committees have recommended to the Village Board approval of an ordinance to strengthen the school zone speed limits around the Prairie School.

The proposed amendment, along with the addition of more signage, will reinforce Wis. Stats. §346.57(4)(a). This statue states that a school zone (roads that abut a school) shall have a 15-mph speed limit on school days when children are present. A school speed zone is present along roads that front schools, even without signage.   
 
The Village’s Code, along with posted signage, currently identifies Lake Meadow Drive, as a school zone, from Lighthouse Drive to Campus Drive. The amended code will strength enforcement of the school zone by explicitly identifying Lighthouse Drive, from the Prairie School’s southern property line to Lake Meadow Drive and along Campus Drive from the Prairie School’s west property to Lake Meadow Drive, as part of the school zone. Additionally, to further strengthen notification and enforcement of the school speed zone, new school speed zone signs will be added to the roads surrounding the Prairie School.

You can view a copy of the proposed ordinance and map of the school speed zone by clicking here.

The Village Board will be considering the revised ordinance at their next regular meeting on Thursday, October 14 at 6:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments please contact Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer Casey Griffiths at 262-639-3524 or email c.griffiths@windpoint.org.
2022 Proposed Village Budget
The Village Board will be reviewing the proposed 2022 budget at their regular meeting on Thursday, October 14 at 6:00 p.m. For the past two months, Village staff and the Village Board's standing committees have been reviewing year to date budget figures along with requests and proposal for the 2022 budget. You can view the draft budget by clicking here. Below is a summary of the draft 2022 budget:

Village Revenues
Overall Village revenues are expected to be lower than 2021 by 0.1%. The Village will see increases in state transportation aid, the police contract with North Bay, Lighthouse tours admission and rentals. The Village will see decreases in grant funding in 2022, as no grants were applied for. The Village's tax levy (the total amount paid by residents in taxes) will increase by $2,008, which is the maximum allowed by the State of Wisconsin.

Village Expenditures
Overall expenditures are expected to decrease by about 6.2%. The Village is seeing reeducations in expenditures due to fewer capital projects as well as reductions in the expenditures for professional planning services and community development. There are also anticipated reductions in insurance premiums. Public safety expenditures will increase 5.4% as Wind Point begins a new five year contract with Caledonia for Fire & EMS services.

Additional Budget Considerations
There are several outstanding items that have been the topic of discussion for the past several months. After two Village-wide public safety meetings, the Public Safety Committee discussed adding several items to the Village budget for 2022. These items still need to be considered, and will be discussed at the meeting on October 14. Below are the items:

  • Security Cameras- The cameras that are being considered are automated licenses plate readers (ALPR) cameras. If approved for purchase, they would be installed (likely two) at the entrances to the Village, including Main Street/Three Mile Road and Main Street/ Four Mile Road. The cameras would work to serve as a deterrent and be use as an investigatory tool for the police department. The information from vehicles would be captured by the cameras and stored on secure servers and could be accessed by the police department when needed. The cameras being considered are from Flock Safety. Each camera will cost $2,500 for operation each year ($5,000 for two). Additional information on the cameras can be viewed here.

  • Additional Police Hours- In light of recent incidents that have occurred in the Village, staff has put forward options on increasing the number of officer patrol hours for police department. The options can be viewed here.

  • Lighthouse Wayfinding Signs- New directional signage for the Lighthouse Grounds has been considered. The proposed signs can be viewed here.

  • Traffic Delineators- New delineators have been considered for Four Mile Road along the bike path at a onetime cost of $7000. The delineators would be installed at intersections and would help to prevent traffic from crossing into the bike lane. Information on the delineators can be viewed here.

If you would like to comment on the proposed budget, as well as the possible additional budget items that are up for consideration please email the Village Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer Casey Griffiths at c.griffiths@windpoint.org, or call
262-639-3524.

You may also present your comments during the Thursday, October 14 Village Board meeting which begins at 6:00 p.m.

The October 14 meeting is to review the draft budget for 2022. The final budget, that will be considered for full adoption, will occur at the Village Board meeting held on Thursday, November 11. The meeting will commence with a public hearing on the budget at 6:00 p.m. Anyone who is present at the meeting and wishes to speak on the budget will be heard.
Village Meeting Agenda Email Notices
Stay up to date with Village committee and board meetings by signing up for meeting agenda notices. Residents who sign up for agenda notices will receive an email which will include a link to any Village meeting agendas that are being held for that week.


You can unsubscribe to the agenda notification list at any time.

If you have questions please feel free to contact Casey Griffiths at 262-639-3524 or c.griffiths@windpoint.org.
Trick or Treat Information
Trick or Treat in Wind Point is scheduled for Sunday, October 31 between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Residents who wish to participate in Trick or Treat should have an outdoor light on.

If you have any questions please contact the Village Office at 262-639-3524 or info@windpoint.org.
Properly Dispose of Grass Clippings
When mowing grass, please remember to keep grass clippings on your property. Grass clippings should not be placed on the road. After you mow, remember to blow or sweep the clippings deposited on the road back into the grass.

When left on the road, grass clippings can make the roadway more slippery for pedestrians. Clippings that remain on the road can also be washed or blown into storm drains and culverts and when the accumulate can cause pipes and drains to not function at optimal capacity.

Grass clippings may be bagged and put out for collection on yard waste pickup days. You may either place the clippings in biodegradable bags or in waste containers that are labeled as yard waste. John's Disposal collects yard waste from the curb every other Monday, on the same day as recycling collection. You can view the collections calendar by clicking here.
Village Board Updates
The Village Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on Thursday, September 9, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. The following actions took place at the meeting:

  • Approved Ordinance 21-04, amending the Village's fence zoning code to allow the Village Board to approve fences that are less than 85% open in nature on properties that have a school or day care facility.
  • Approved a contract with Hawkins & Ash CPAs for auditor services for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024.
  • Approved a contract with Associated Appraisal for assessor services from 2022 to 2026.
  • Approved a contract with Racine County for information technology services.
  • Approved a fence permit application for the Prairie School. The proposed new fence will replace an old fence that is on the east side of the school's property, parallel to Lighthouse Drive.
  • Approved a contract with Littleport Brewing for a pop-up beer garden at Village Green Park on Saturday, October 9.
  • Approved a private well operator permit for the SC Johnson Insect Science for Family Health facility at 214 E. Four Mile Road.

Please note that this is a synopsis of the items discussed at the Village Board meeting. To view complete meeting minutes for all Village Board and Committee meetings please visit the Agenda and Minutes page on the Village's Website. Minutes are added to the website once they have been approved by the Village Board or the respective committee, which typically occurs at the next regular meeting.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 14 at 6:00 p.m. at the Village Hall (Lighthouse) 4725 Lighthouse Drive and virtually via Zoom. Details on how to access the meeting virtually are below:

Meeting Link:
Phone Number: 312-626-6799
Meeting ID: 994 7542 7216
Passcode: 120780
Village of Wind Point, Wisconsin
215 E. Four Mile Rd.
Racine, WI 53402
262.639.3524