10/24/2018- It was a historic night for Marinette and Menominee as members of each of the twin cities’ councils met at as a joint committee of the whole. The meeting was designed to create a dialogue about how the cities can share services, collaborate on community events, promote regional tourism, and further economic development. Menominee Mayor Jean Stegeman says the discussion was long overdue.
Council members from both sides were asked to weigh in on how the two councils could coordinate joint decisions about opportunities for various services and events. Much of the feedback involved increasing communication and transparency by including council members from the opposite city in committee-level meetings to better identify shared issues and concerns.
Marinette Alderman Jeff Skorik adds there may be value in gathering input from residents about the issues they want to see addressed.
Ultimately, both parties agreed to send a representative from each of their committees to sit in during discussion at the other city’s committee-level and council meetings. The cities committees or councils may also choose to meet on a quarterly or biannual basis to further discuss issues and opportunities throughout the M&M area.