In his report to the Fennimore City Council, Fennimore Police Chief Chris French announced that he will retiring from law enforcement at the end of this year. 

French has been with the department for 28 years, starting in August 1997, before being promoted to chief in November 2013.

The city has begun advertising for the position, and French stated in his report that “the department is ready to work through an orderly transition.”

He also stated in his report that several officers have attended or are scheduled to attend active shooter/tactical response training updates. 

All Fennimore Police Department officers have been trained, he stated and “all squads are equipped to intervene immediately in an active threat situation.”

In other city positions, the council approved the job description of the vacant city community development manager position. 

The position has been vacant since former manager, Lydia McLimans, stepped down from the position in November 2024. 

Alderperson Pete Adam stated that once the position is posted, the plan is to patient with the process in order to find the “person who checks all the boxes” associated with the position. 

In her report, Fennimore City Clerk Ashley Edge stated that she has begun meeting with department heads to get a jump start on the 2026 budget and “get the numbers running.”

She also reported that the former Family Dollar Building has sold. It was her understanding that is that building is scheduled to close in middle of September.

The Fennimore Community Pool had its final day of operation for the season on Tuesday. “We’ve had a really great staff, and things went very smoothly this year all around,” Edge wrote in her report. 

Evan Chambers with Town and Country Engineering then presented to the council the results from his company’s recent sewer rates study for the city. 

The study was done with a possible goal to repay the city’s treatment plant loan quicker than the planned 40 years, possibly in 20 years, with the loan eight years in at this point. 

Rates, which have not increased since 2016-2017, currently stand at an average monthly user rate of $52.93. Changing the plant loan to a 20 year, with 12 remaining from the existing eight, and based on usage, etc, Chambers at first presented a “rip the band aid off” average monthly increase to around $89.77, to which no one on the council was in favor of. 

Alderpersons Adam and Adam Day both during the discussion suggested rather small rate increase increments over three years starting in 2026. Chambers stated that he would work on scenarios with phased rate increases over three to fours years, as well as loan repayment option from 20-25 years and give those options at the next council meeting. 

Gabe Fry with the Oakwood Nature Park Disc Golf Course, who last addressed in the council in August 2023, about the course gave an update on the course over the last two years. 

Since that time, 17 out of the 18 holes now have sponsors, five new holes were added bringing teh course up to 23 playable holes, new signage with arrows for directions to the next hole, something Fry said golfers had stated was needed. 

Overall, 1,000 feet has been added to course and the course is now “a little more challenging,” according to Fry. 

Going forward, Fry stated they hope to start having tournaments at the course again starting next year, as well as removing hole two near the ball diamonds, which can be “in the way” during games there, and after a heavy rain can get “swampy,” in his words. 

He also added the course needed seven new tee pads, which he explained to the council that he could have by purchasing larger treated wood pallets for around $500. 

With the course being a tourist stop in the “disc golf community” (Fry had numbers from a disc golf app stating that this year 163  golfers drove at least 50 miles to golf there) the council approved Fry to use $500 from what would be allotted towards the vacant community development manager salary to purchase them. 

In other council business, the council approved the lease with the Fennimore Wrestling Association for the “wrestling den” at Oakwood Park through the end of 2026. 

The council also approved no parking signs and paint on 7th Street near the newly built quonset hut. Director of Public Works Anthony Downing stated he felt there would a visibility issue with it near the school, and he also was considered with snow and ice sliding off the hut onto parked cars there during the winter months. 

Lastly the council approved the purchase of 20 new street lights, which were budgeted for according to Downing. 

The next meeting of the Fennimore City Council is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 15, in the council chambers of City Hall.