Evansville Common Council--June 25, 2007

City of Evansville
Common Council

Special Meeting
Monday, June 25, 2007, 7:00 pm
Fire Hall, 10 W. Church Street, Evansville, Wisconsin

MINUTES

The Evansville Fire District Board of Trustees held a special meeting on Monday, June 25, 2007, at 7:00 pm.

A majority of the Evansville Common Council, constituting a quorum, was present and actively participated in the meeting. The following were present: Mayor Sandy Decker and Alderpersons Diane Roberts, Tony Wyse, Tom Cothard, Fred Juergens, John Sornson, Barb Jacobson, and Dennis Wessels.

The Fire District meeting included the following items:
Discussion on construction of the new fire hall.
Approval of putting the existing fire hall up for sale, by direct negotiation or otherwise.
Discussion of land purchase for new fire hall; conducted in closed session pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes, Chapter 19.85 (1)(e).
Approval of land purchase for new fire hall.

The Fire District membership broke into caucus two times during discussion regarding putting the existing fire hall up for sale.

During caucus, the Common Council discussed the following:
A December 2006 appraisal put the fire hall at $215,000 and the adjacent lot at $36,000 for a total value of $251,000.
The Fire District had purchased the fire hall for $85,000 and the house next door for $110,000. They have subsequently put a new roof on the fire hall and demolished the house next door.
The police department would benefit by having additional office and garage space. The City Council would prefer to have the police located downtown.
If the City knew that it would acquire the fire hall in one to two years, it could wait on moving the police department.
There is a shortage of public parking in the downtown area, and the City would likely use the adjacent lot to provide additional parking.
It was the consensus of the Council that the appraisal of $251,000 was a fair price for the fire hall and adjacent lot.

The Fire District Board is responsible for the minutes of the overall meeting. The meeting adjourned at 8:45.