Finance Committee: June 2007

City of Evansville
Finance & Labor Relations Committee

Regular Meeting
Thursday, June 11, 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: Janis Ringhand, Dave Olsen, Scott Brummond, Wally Shannon, Mayor Sandy Decker, Alderperson Barb Jacobson, Eric Jepperson, and Dan Wietecha.

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

Minutes of May 7, 2007, and May 17, 2007, Meetings. Cothard moved, seconded by Roberts, to approve the minutes. Motion approved unanimously.

Citizen Appearances. Janis Ringhand, Interim Executive Director for the Evansville Community/Senior Center, gave a brief update on their progress. They are working with the Primetimers, and the original donation was used to establish a foundation. They expect to apply for a low-interest loan from USDA Rural Development for construction of the community/senior center. A resolution or letter of support from the city will be helpful when they apply to USDA.

Water and Light Bills. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to approve the Water and Light bills in the amount of $696,058.43 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 $284,570.64 and authorize their payment. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote.

Unfinished Business: Use of TIF Funds for Economic Development Strategy. Dave Olsen spoke on behalf of the Economic Development Committee. He said that the committee had completed interviewing of candidates and felt that Whalen & Associates was the best choice. Olsen indicated they anticipate a strong emphasis on implementing the strategy. Cothard made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to hire authorize use of TIF funds to hire Whalen & Associates at a price not to exceed $25,000. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote.

New Business:

a. Police Commission Legal Expenses. Scott Brummond and Wally Shannon spoke on behalf of the Police Commission. At its meeting on May 30, they deemed a complaint filed against Officer Fields to be valid and have scheduled an initial hearing for June 13. The commission will need to hire legal counsel and would like to hire a hearing examiner for additional expertise in a complicated process. Cothard made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to recommend to the Common Council Resolution #2007-26, amending the 2007 Budget for Police Commission Legal Expenses. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote.

b. Change of Meeting Date. Braunschweig proposed changing the committee meeting date to the Thursday prior to Common Council in order to ensure the ability to advance items from Finance to Council in a timely manner. Cothard made a motion, seconded by Braunschweig, to change the meeting date to the Thursday prior to Common Council. Motion approved unanimously.

c. Fire District Land Purchase. The committee discussed the upcoming June 25 meeting between the full boards of the Fire District members. The committee noted that the city pays 51% of the bills. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to recommend to Common Council a limit of $170,000 for land purchase. Motion approved unanimously.

d. City Clerk Applications. Wietecha distributed a memo listing the qualifications of the 41 job applicants. He recommended 10 applicants to be invited for interviews. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to approve the interview list. Motion approved unanimously. The interview committee will consist of Mayor Decker, Alderperson Cothard, Administrator Wietecha, and Finance Director Jepperson.

e. Re-organization of City Offices. Wietecha noted that there were several items discussed but not approved at the May 17 meeting.

Cothard made a motion, seconded by Braunschweig, to recommend to Common Council adoption of the revised organization chart. Motion approved unanimously.

Braunschweig made a motion to recommend to Common Council Resolution #2007-25, Memorializing the Separation of the Offices of City Clerk and Treasurer. Motion approved unanimously.

Cothard made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to approve the Human Resources Administrator position description. Motion approved unanimously.

Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Cothard, to approve the Deputy Clerk position description. Motion approved unanimously.

Cothard made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to table consideration of a stipend for the Acting City Clerk. Motion approved unanimously.

f. Employee Handbook. The committee will review the discussion draft for the July meeting.

g. Property Insurance Renewal. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to recommend to Common Council Resolution #2007-24, Renewal of Property Insurance in the Local Government Property Insurance Fund. Motion approved unanimously.

h. State Trust Fund Loan TID #7. Cothard made a motion, seconded by Braunschweig, to recommend to Common Council Resolution #2007-27, Borrowing $1,918,000 from State Trust Fund for financing roads and infrastructure for business park in TID #7. Motion approved unanimously.

i. State Trust Fund Loan TID #5. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to recommend to Common Council Resolution #2007-28, Borrowing $500,000 from State Trust Fund for financing the renovation of Main Street area in TID #5.

Adjournment. On a motion by Braunschweig, seconded by Roberts, the meeting adjourned at 6:20 pm.