Minutes; Committee of the Whole: March 13, 2010

Common Council

Special Meeting as Committee of the Whole
Saturday, March 13, 2010, 8:30 a.m.
City Hall, 31 S. Madison Street, Evansville, WI

MINUTES
1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 8:30 a.m. by Mayor Sandy Decker.

2. Roll call. Members present: Mayor Sandy Decker, Alderpersons Mason Braunschweig, Tom Cothard, Todd Culbertson, Barb Jacobson, Janis Ringhand, Diane Roberts, and Dennis Wessels (arrived late). Absent: Alderperson Tony Wyse. Others present: City Administrator Dan Wietecha, Finance Director Lisa Novinska, EMS Coordinator Mary Beaver (left at 10:30), Water & Light Superintendent Scott George, City Engineer Dave Sauer, Public Works Superintendent Dave Wartenweiler, Police Chief Scott McElroy, Police Lieutenant Jay Koehler, Fire Chief Mike Halvensleben, and Library Director Kathi Kemp (arrived late).

3. Approval of Agenda. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Ringhand, to approve the agenda. Motion approved unanimously.

4. Approval of Minutes. Ringhand made a motion, seconded by Roberts, to defer the reading of the minutes of the March 9, 2010, regular meeting and to approve them as presented. Motion approved unanimously.

5. Citizen appearances. None.

6. Discussion on near-term and long-term issues.
A. Financial.
(1). Overview. Wietecha noted that the meeting was not intended to be a budget meeting but that the city’s finances should still be kept in mind. In general, expenses for 2009 were less than had been budgeted, but we set a very tight budget for 2010. He noted that the state has a structural deficit expected to be around $2 billion when its next biennium starts July 1, 2011. Couple that with the fact that intergovernmental revenues comprise some 29% of the city’s general fund and the city’s future budgets will be tighter.

B. Public Safety.
(1). Police Accreditation. McElroy explained that the department is about halfway through its accreditation process with the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group. They will continue reviewing, updating, and documenting department policies over the coming year. Next year a site visit will be conducted; the accreditation is expected to be completed by early 2012. It is beneficial to have an objective outside professional review. The primary advantage is that it ensures the department has policies as good as any in the law enforcement profession; it helps make sure we are doing things they way they should be on a daily basis.

(2). Countywide Radio System. McElroy and Beaver explained that under federal law, all radio systems must be replaced with narrowband systems by January 1, 2013. Rock County’s preference is an interoperable VHF/UHF digital system. They are pursuing grants and other funding to cover the majority of the capital expense; the balance of the capital cost plus the ongoing maintenance would be allocated proportionately to each municipality. Wietecha pointed out that the Council had voted to support Rock County’s efforts to seek federal grants. If they are unable to obtain the grants, they plan a less expensive digital system which would lack the interoperability.

(3). Law Records Management System (LRMS). McElroy said that the county is also planning to update the LRMS program which we use. This may occur in 2012-2013 and have a countywide cost of about $1 million. The Council expressed its frustration at the timing of these expenses on the heels of the proposed radio system. These items need to be included in the five-year capital budget.

(4). Fire Department. Halvensleben said he expects the department’s next major expense to be a new engine truck in a couple years. He indicated that some set daytime hours may help with light maintenance, phone calls, and paperwork at the station; he expects this could be handled within the existing budget by having regular hours for the fire inspector. He also mentioned the possibility of implementing a paid on-call weekend duty schedule, but the main goal is to stay as a volunteer department.

(5). Emergency Medical Service. Beaver said the new twelve-lead defibrillators are in service. There is a new state procedure for license renewals starting in June. Either a back-up crew is already called to use Ambulance 811 or else dispatch is notified of the need for mutual aid. Recruiting is tough but going well right now.

C. Infrastructure.
(1). Completed Projects. A number of construction projects have been completed over the last seven years including: Main Street, Madison Street, Lincoln Street, Union/Exchange Street, Lake Leota dredging, three-phase South Loop, new substation, well #3, County Road M, and Highway 14. Some construction projects are still coming up, but the emphasis will be on maintaining infrastructure.

(2). Stimulus Projects. Sauer said the wastewater treatment would be flipped over to the new mechanical plant around July; the old system would then be removed with the new plant fully operational by December. The Fourth and Main Streets resurfacing project will occur this spring and early summer. Utility work would not close the road, but any detour for the state’s work on the surface was not yet known.

(3). East Main Street Bridge. Wietecha explained that the bridge construction had been scheduled for this year. A couple adjacent property owners have not signed off on the project’s necessary right-of-way acquisitions so the project cannot proceed this year and is now delayed until 2011. If they remain reluctant to cooperate voluntarily, the city would likely need to condemn the small parcels to keep the project on track for 2011. Sauer explained that the regular bridge inspection two years ago had noted concern about visible corrosion. The bridge needs additional evaluation of its structure; the city may need to impose special weight limits on the bridge until it is rebuilt next year.

(4). Liberty Street. Wartenweiler said that this had been a greater concern prior to the purchase of the Vactor Truck. The project is still in the five-year capital plan for 2012-13 but could be delayed.

(5). Maple Street. Wartenweiler noted that resurfacing Maple Street has been delayed in anticipation that Creekside Place would be building its community center this year.

(6). Lindemann and Highway 14. In late 2006, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation had said a roundabout would be required at the intersection of John Lindemann Drive and Highway 14. The traffic in the area is greatly reduced now with Stoughton Trailer closed, the North Prairie project cancelled, and the crushing facility delayed. So last year WisDOT approved construction of a passing lane instead. The city would need to acquire a long narrow strip of land off the edge of the D&D Property to accommodate the grading next to the widened highway. The Council said it would like to discuss the topic further at its regular April meeting.

D. Facilities.
(1). City Hall Tuckpointing. Decker said the tuckpointing project needs to be done. It is in the capital budget for this year. The project does not require architectural approval.

(2). Park Landscape Plan. Ringhand reported that the Park Board hired Formecology to prepare a landscaping plan for around Lake Leota. The emphasis is on low maintenance plantings. Some money is available in the Lake Leota Fund and through the Antes Foundation. The landscaping plan could be implemented in phases over several years.

(3). Energy Independence Plan. Decker said that the City had $330,000 in energy expenses for heating, electricity, and fuel in 2008. The Energy Independence Team recommended a number of areas the City could reduce its energy use; the top five recommendations were: the Wastewater Treatment Facility, installing variable speed pumps, the Public Works Garage, streetlights, and vehicles.

(4). Library Expansion. Wietecha noted that the lease with the Post Office runs through 2014, so the Library expansion will be coming onto the five-year capital plan.

E. Planning.
(1). Highway 14 Corridor. Wietecha said that earlier in the week several City staff members met with WisDOT about a Highway Corridor Study it is initiating. The state’s long-range plans for the highway have significant implications for zoning and land use, business development and marketing, and investments in local street and utility infrastructure. It is important for the City to participate in the planning. As a separate issue, there is a strong push for the legislature to accelerate the schedule for expanding the Interstate between the stateline and Madison. Whether sooner or later, an Interstate construction project will disrupt the traffic patterns throughout the region. This is an additional reason for the City to participate in WisDOT’s transportation planning.

(2). Smart Growth Plan. Decker noted that the Smart growth Plan will be five years old in June. Several committees have been reviewing and updating the portions of the Implementation Chapter relevant to them. It is expected that review of all the Implementation Chapter will be completed by June. The Plan Commission will be reviewing the future land use maps over the next six months.

F. Staffing.
(1). Union Contracts. Wietecha indicated that the Office/Public Works/Water & Light, Police Officers, Police Supervisors, and Library collective bargaining agreements expire at the end of the year. Negotiation of successor agreements will likely start by early summer.

(2). Professional and Service Contracts. Wietecha said that the city may want to consider restructuring its various contracts. The residential rubbish and recycling collection is a three-year contract coming due for renewal at the end of the year. Custodial service for City Hall and the Police Station is a month-to-month contract. The City Attorney and City Engineer are both two-year contracts coming due for renewal at the end of the year. The City Planner is a one-year contract coming due for renewal at the end of the year.

7. Commending Tom Cothard. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Roberts and Ringhand, to approve Resolution 2010-05, Commending Tom Cothard for his Service to the City of Evansville. Motion passes unanimously.

8. Adjournment. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Ringhand, to adjourn the meeting. Motion approved unanimously at 11:30 a.m.