Finance Committee: July 2007

City of Evansville
Finance & Labor Relations Committee

Regular Meeting
Monday, July 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, Alderperson Fred Juergens, Finance Director Eric Jepperson, Administrator Dan Wietecha, Jim Turner, Dick Woulfe, and Gib Wiedenhoeft.

Approve Agenda. Braunschweig moved, seconded by Roberts, to approve the agenda. Motion passed unanimously.

Minutes of June 11, 2007, and June 27, 2007, Meetings. Cothard moved, seconded by Roberts, to approve the minutes. Motion approved unanimously.

Citizen Appearances. Jim Turner said on July 2 he had filed a complaint against an employee regarding the SOLE signs in the park and he had yet to receive a written response from the city administrator. The committee asked Wietecha to provide a written response to Turner.

Water and Light Bills. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to approve the Water and Light bills in the amount of $715,836.11 and authorize their payment. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote.

City Bills. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to approve the City bills in the amount of $681,386.77 and authorize their payment. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote.

Unfinished Business:

a. Fire Station and Adjacent Lot. Wietecha said the Fire District’s offer had been $275,000 or they would put the property up for bid. In answer to a question, he indicated the city would likely use the building to house the police department and sell the current police station. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to recommend to Common Council approval of the purchase of the current fire station and adjacent lot for $275,000. Motion approved unanimously.

b. Employee Handbook. The committee discussed the draft handbook that had been distributed at the June meeting. Specific comments included emphasizing that any other individual or union contract takes precedence over the handbook and the need to streamline the vacation and sick leave sections. Wietecha indicated that other comments he receives will be incorporated into the draft so it can be presented for approval at the August meeting.

New Business:

c. Contract with Associated Appraisal Consultants. Wietecha stated that the contract calls for a flat monthly payment for assessor services. This type of contract typically has a clause for reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses such as postage; Associated Appraisal has asked that the contract be amended for this. Cothard made a motion, seconded by Braunschweig, to recommend to Common Council approval of the addendum to the contract with Associated Appraisal Consultants, Inc., regarding postage expenses. The committee noted that there have been a number of public complaints about property information not being available through the assessor’s website. Wietecha said this is the result of an incompatibility between the former assessor’s data and the new assessor’s software; it is expected to be fixed later in the year.

d. Lake Leota Dredging. Fred Juergens, Park Board Chair, distributed a thirty-year history of efforts to restore Lake Leota and letters and survey information supporting dredging of the lake. Juergens stated that he believes it time for the city to begin preparing for a lake restoration project in 2009. Braunschweig noted that the Public Works Committee expects to allocate $65,000 for design engineering and DNR permits in the 2008 budget ahead of any construction effort.

e. TIF and Commercial Development. Wietecha noted that in May D&D had submitted a development proposal structured differently from past discussions. Although the new proposal would remove the risk from the city and give the developer additional incentive to proceed with construction; there is still the philosophical question of providing tax increment financing (TIF) for new commercial development. The committee discussed how pay-as-you-go financing works and asked if a representative from Ehlers would be available for the council meeting. The committee also discussed whether or not the but-for test was met under the new proposal.

f. Compensation for Special Committee Meetings. Wietecha noted that the Municipal Code provides for paying council members for attending monthly committee meetings but does not differentiate between regular and special meetings. Alderpersons have been receiving payment for both regular and special meetings at least the last couple years. Staff would like clarification on the city’s policy regarding payment for committee meetings. The committee agreed that the ordinance could not be amended until after the next election; in the meantime, payment should continue to be for all meetings.

g. Contracts with Police and Supervisory Associations. Wietecha noted that the police union contracts requires notice of intent to negotiate a new contract prior to July 1, but the other union contract prohibits notice until after September 1. The city expects to negotiate all union contracts later this summer.

h. City Administrator Evaluation. Wietecha noted that six months employment makes for a convenient time to evaluate his performance. Evaluation forms will be handed out to all council members at Tuesday’s meeting.

Adjournment. On a motion by Cothard, seconded by Roberts, the meeting adjourned at 6:45 pm.