The Village of Hortonville Board approved a Small Business Development Grant agreement with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) as presented, with the village attorney and administrator authorized to seek minor clarifying edits that WEDC must accept.

Village Attorney Ashley told the board she has seen the standard WEDC agreement in other municipalities and that, from a legal drafting standpoint, the agreement is written primarily for a direct grant recipient rather than a municipality acting as pass-through. “The risk on on this these projects, is minimal compared to the risk on some other projects that we've seen with the same agreement,” she said, while noting that for larger or more complex projects she would be more concerned about the village stepping into the role of a developer. Ashley said she proposed a few red‑line changes to better define the term “project” in the agreement and to clarify the village’s responsibilities.

Administrator and staff described how the program would operate: the economic development committee will review applications for downtown façade and related projects (the program is limited to the downtown zoning district), the village would verify invoices and forward reimbursement requests to WEDC, and the village expects to contract a consultant (MSA) to help submit and manage reimbursement paperwork. Staff recommended a practical cap guidance of up to $50,000 per project, with an intent to spread funds across multiple businesses and a preferred grant size of roughly $15,000–$20,000 when possible.

Trustees approved the agreement by roll call and directed the attorney and administration to pursue minor clarifying edits with WEDC if possible. Staff noted an expedited timeline to meet WEDC’s submittal deadline.

Ending: With the agreement approved, staff said it will proceed with application materials and administrative setup, expected to include consultant support for reimbursement submittals and a plan for the economic development committee to evaluate and recommend awards.