Finance Committee: August 2007

City of Evansville
Finance & Labor Relations Committee

Regular Meeting
Thursday, August 9, 2007, 5:30 pm
City Hall, 31 S. Madison Street, Evansville, Wisconsin

MINUTES

Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 5:30 pm by Chair Tom Cothard.

Roll Call. Present: Chair Cothard and Alderpersons Mason Braunschweig and Diane Roberts. Also present: Mayor Sandy Decker, Finance Director Eric Jepperson, Administrator Dan Wietecha, Kevin Krysinski, Jim Turner, and Gib Wiedenhoeft.

2006 Audit. Cothard brought the review of draft of the 2006 audit by Johnson, Block & Co. ahead to the start of the agenda. Krysinski noted several financial policies and procedures need to be better established, especially better work order and physical inventories for Water & Light. Some past issues, such as the reconciliation of accounts, have been taken care of.

Approve Agenda. The agenda was approved as presented without objection.

Minutes of July 9, 2007, Meeting. Braunschweig moved, seconded by Roberts, to waive the reading of and to approve the minutes as presented. Motion approved unanimously.

Citizen Appearances. Turner and Wiedenhoeft indicated that the SOLE Committee supports the budget amendment for the design engineering for Lake Leota during 2007.

Water and Light Bills. Cothard made a motion, seconded by Braunschweig, to approve the Water and Light bills in the amount of $748,588.02 and authorize their payment. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote.

City Bills. Cothard made a motion, seconded by Braunschweig, to approve the City bills in the amount of $1,337,840.21 and authorize their payment. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote.

Unfinished Business:

a. Employee Handbook. Wietecha indicated that a number of the comments received on the draft have been included in the proposed final version. Braunschweig noted that the draft had been discussed in previous meetings. Cothard made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to recommend to Common Council approval of the revised employee handbook. Motion approved unanimously.

b. Jepperson Contract. Wietecha noted that with the change in duties of Jepperson’s position, an increase in salary is in order. Although the office re-organization appears to be going well; it is still a bit early to call it a permanent change. Wietecha also noted that mid-year raises can cause problems during annual reviews. He recommended a 1% salary increase now, with an additional increase to be considered at the end of the year. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to recommend to Common Council approval of an amendment to Finance Director-Treasurer Eric Jepperson’s contract, including a 1% salary increase. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote.

New Business:

c. Budget Amendments: 2006 year-end capital project carry forwards. Jepperson indicated these amendments were for projects that had been delayed or not completed in 2006 and that they had been reviewed with department heads. Cothard made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to recommend to Common Council approval of Resolution 2007-30, Amending the Adopted 2006 and the Adopted 2007 Budgets to Include Appropriations for Capital Project Carry Forwards. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote.

d. Budget Amendments: 2007 mid-year. Wietecha noted that these amendments were requested by committees to adjust their operating budget for previously unplanned expenditures. Cothard indicated his reservations about using general fund reserves to pay for the engineering for Lake Leota. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to recommend to Common Council approval of Resolution 2007-31, Approving Mid-Year Amendments to the 2007 Budget. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote.

e. Dental Insurance. Wietecha indicated that the change in management by the City’s current dental insurance provider has resulted in untimely payments and poor customer service. Changing providers to the Delta Dental Premier Plan would mean going with a company without the payment and service problems and at a cost savings. Cothard made a motion, seconded by Braunschweig, to recommend to Common Council approval of changing the City’s dental insurance to the Delta Dental Premier Plan. Motion approved unanimously. Cothard made a motion to recommend to Common Council approval of naming Dave Mosher & Associates as agent of record for the City’s dental insurance. Motion approved unanimously.

f. Hotel Project. Wietecha indicated that the hotel appeared unable to proceed with a site close to downtown and was now looking at a location on the east end. With hope of having a development agreement that could be approved at the September meeting, he gave an overview of the hotel’s request and asked about concerns that may need to be addressed in the project. The developer is requesting $270,000 in tax increment and $50,000 as a low-interest loan. The figures appear reasonable based on the construction estimate; however, neither Ehlers nor the assessor has yet commented on the construction and financial information. Wietecha said that the $50,000 loan is above one of the policy limits being considered by the Economic Development Committee. Cothard asked about the previous assessments for the lift station. Decker pointed out that this might accelerate the need for the roundabout on J. Lindemann. It was noted that this proposal is for a unique commercial project, very different from the infrastructure proposal on the D&D property.

Adjournment. On a motion by Cothard, seconded by Roberts, the meeting adjourned at 7:06 pm.