Marinette Common Council discusses tennis courts, budget

MARINETTE – The Marinette Common Council met on Nov. 21 and held a hearing to accept public comment on proposed CY 2025 City of Marinette tax levy and CY 2025 City Marinette operational budget.

The majority of public comments were in regard to a request for the city to resurface the tennis courts at the Activity Hall, located at 2501 Pierce Ave.

Many of the commenters in favor of resurfacing the tennis courts were students or staff of Marinette School District, although some were community members who enjoyed the tennis courts for recreation.

Marinette High School Girls’ Tennis Coach JJ Zeifert said the courts are neglected, which makes playing dangerous.

“Currently, many of our courts are in disrepair, cracks in the surface, post tripping hazards, faded lines confusing players and a pooling of water in several of the low spots cause great danger. These issues not only discourage use, but also compromise safety and limit access to quality facilities,” Zeifert said.

She emphasized that tennis is a sport for all ages, and maintenance of them is an investment in the community.

“Tennis courts are more than just concrete and paint. They’re gathering spaces for people of all ages, whether you’re a seasoned player, a child learning the game for the very first time or a neighbor simply enjoying that community atmosphere that our courts bring us together. They represent recreation, connection and the values of a healthy lifestyle. However, like any shared resource, they require care and upkeep to remain safe and functional,” Zeifert said.

Zeifert’s comments were followed by applause from the gathered community members.

One citizen said that while she personally enjoys the courts, they are also a city asset that should be maintained so as not to lose their value.

“I’ve been playing on the community courts here on both sides of the river for the past 20 plus years. So I am a face of one of those seniors that have been playing a lifelong sport. It’s a great facility that you have, and you need to maintain it, I think, to get the value from it that’s been put in over the past years,” Betsy Bradley said.

The council did not make any decision regarding the courts, expressing concerns of apparent favoritism as the recently installed pickleball courts were funded entirely by player efforts, not the city.

The council also discussed placing signs on Menekaunee Harbor and Sixth Street Slip.

“[The signs are] in recognition of the wood duck nesting boxes that line the salt channel of the Menekaunee River and Harbor. These nesting boxes were constructed and installed by the Marinette Middle School technical education students last spring,” Alderperson Tom Karban said.

Alderperson Mike Wolfe made a motion to forward the request to the Harbor Commission with council approval. Dorothy Kowalski seconded the motion and all council members except for Alderperson Oitzinger voted aye.

Item seven on the agenda was discussion and approval of the 2025 contract with Shared Ride Taxi. Oitzinger expressed that he was not in favor of approving the contract, as the price has increased by 50 cents an hour.

Mikutowski asked if Shared Ride Taxi can walk away during the fifth year of their contract if the increase is required. City of Marinette Attorney Robert Gagan said they have the right to request that increase, but he isn’t sure if they can walk away.

“Listening to this discussion, shame on us for issuing a contract whose terms we don’t like,” Alderperson Jeffrey Skorik said. “If someone exercises the terms that we’ve offered them, that’s not shame on them. This is the final year, as Jackie said, so we will be renegotiating a new contract in the next six months.

Alderperson Mikutowski made a motion to approve the contract as presented, and Wolfe seconded the motion. All council members except Oitzinger voted aye.

The council moved on to the proposed tax levy, which was approved unanimously.

“I don’t know if anybody did the math, and I’m not going to be against the levy, but I think we all ought to understand what we were doing here,” Oitzinger said. “We increased the levy by 8.3% and that’s a pretty significant chunk of change. In addition to that, we got a pretty significant chunk of change from the state of Wisconsin… When you add it all up, between the tax levy and the increased state aid, we have over $800,000 in new money for our budget.”

The last item of discussion was the approval of the City of Marinette’s operational budget.

Oitzinger proposed ten amendments to the budget, including a $100,000 deduction from the city’s legal budget. He later said $125,000 could be taken from both the legal budget and the mayor’s office. Both Mayor Genisot and Rick Polzin argued that he had a conflict of interest.

“I would ask that you would recuse yourself, just ethically being that you potentially could be a benefit to any judgment on any lawsuit, and currently under legal action the city, which would include any potential payment you would recuse yourself from any motion as part of that amendment,” Genisot said. “Our insurance company premium has increased by 25% and our deductible has gone from $3,000 to $25,000 as a direct result of the lawsuits we are involved in.”

Oitzinger insisted any legal fees would be paid to his lawyer, not himself, but Genisot reiterated the money still comes from the city’s legal budget.

Oitzinger made a motion to amend the budget, which Tom Karban seconded. The motion failed, with only Karban and Oitzinger voting in its favor. The original budget was ultimately approved.