Minutes: Evansville Common Council: August 2012

Common Council Regular Meeting Tuesday, August 14, 2012, 6:30 p.m. City Hall, 31 S. Madison Street, Evansville, WI MINUTES 1. Call to order. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor Sandy Decker. 2. Roll Call. Members present: Mayor Sandy Decker, Alderpersons Mason Braunschweig, Jim Brooks, Cheryl Fuchs, Floyd Hayes, Barb Jacobson, Ben Ladick, Joshua Manring, and Jon Senn. Others present: City Clerk Judy Walton, City Administrator Dan Wietecha, EMS Coordinator Mary Beaver, Library Board Wally Shannon, Consigny Law Office Attorney Mike Faust, and several members of the public. 3. Approval of Agenda. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Hayes to approve the agenda. Motion approved 8-0. 4. Approval of Minutes. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Manring to waive the reading of the minutes of the July 10, 2012, regular meeting and to approve them as presented. Motion approved 8-0. 5. Civility reminder. Decker directed Council to the copy of Resolution #2011-19, Promoting Civil Public Discourse, which was passed in November, 2011. She hoped that having this in the packet would be a visible reminder that the Council is committed to respectful dialogue and constructive decision making. 6. Citizen appearances A. Xandra Kashkashian, 435 Almeron, addressed the Council stating she wanted to clear up exaggerations and misstatements that have been made against her. She stated that she has 4 dogs and they are not vicious. She added that she has 6 cats and 3 ferrets, pets she inherited when her former business Big Sweeties closed. She told Council that her neighbor has called the Police Department a number of times and they have visited her home 4 times since she moved in. Her neighbor has been taking pictures of her, her family and of people that visit her home. She asked Council to not enact an ordinance restricting the number of pets a person can have because there are already laws that address barking and nuisance animals already. B. Norm Paulson, Blase Strobl, and Sue Berg discussed a series of facilitated Strategic Thinking Sessions. The group expects that success in working together will continue and develop an action plan for economic development. Manring commented that it was good to see everyone working together. C. Alan Pitus, 125 W Church Street, recommended the council separate the intensity of a complaint from its merit and spoke against additional consideration of a new ordinance limiting care and boarding of dogs or the number of dogs. D. Pam Ascencio, 441 Almeron, said that conducting animal boarding in a residential neighborhood was in violation of federal and state tax laws. She provided reference numbers for tax complaint forms. She said her next issue will be nuisance cats. E. Ann Sellnow, 460 Almeron, said she opened her dog grooming business downtown because it cannot be in a home. F. Loren Larson, 447 Almeron, stated that the cats do roam the neighborhood. G. Maryann Zelmanski, 129 Walker, thanked the council for listening to her at the Public Works meeting. She appreciated the street patching. 7. Reports of Committees A. Library Board Report. Shannon said they are accepting applications for the Library Director position. B. Youth Center Advisory Board Report. Ladick said they are working on the budget and will have an open house on August 30. C. Finance and Labor Relations Committee Report (1). Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Brooks to accept the City and Water & Light bills as presented in the amount of $863,211.07. Motion approved 8-0 on a roll call vote. (2). Wietecha gave an overview of the city’s budget policies, historic and current financial information, revenue and expenditure trends impacting the budget, and recommendations for 2013. It will be another tight budget year but quite doable; the city is in a solid financial condition and positioned for long-term stability. (3). Brooks made a motion, seconded by Hayes to approve Resolution 2012-13, Amendments to the 2012 Budget. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Jacobson, to amend the motion by striking expense #1 regarding Youth Center raises. Amendment approved 5-3. Motion, as amended, approved on a roll call vote 6-2 with Fuchs and Manring voting against. (4). Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Senn, to approve Resolution 2012-14, In Support of the Preservation of Tax-Exempt Financing. Motion approved unanimously. (5). Wietecha noted that Finance Director Lisa Novinska had accepted the Finance Director position with the Village of Oregon and provided her thirty day notice. Finance & Labor Relations Committee had a special meeting August 13 to discuss the position. FLR recommended considering combining the Finance Director and City Administrator positions. Council agreed this was a unique opportunity to review priorities and how we want to structure staff around lean principles. D. Plan Commission Report. No report. E. Public Safety Committee Report. Jacobson said police and EMS had worked on their 2013 budget requests, EMS has some new staff pending, and they had a presentation about a possible social host ordinance. (1). Jacobson made a motion, seconded by Hayes, to approve Contract with the Town of Madison (Advanced Life Support Agreement). Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote. (2). Jacobson made a motion, seconded by Braunschweig, to approve Mutual Aid Contract. Beaver explained this was separate from the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) and would bring the “working stills” procedure into compliance. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote. F. Public Works Committee Report. (1). Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Fuchs, to approve five-year agreement (fall 2012-fall 2017) with Bytec Resource Management for sludge hauling. Noting the material was not in the council’s information packet, Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Brooks, to table the matter. Motion to table approved unanimously. Wietecha retrieved and distributed the information. Brooks made a motion, seconded by Braunschweig, to remove the matter from the table. Council noted three contractors had made proposals, with a couple alternate options. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote. (2). Council noted the upcoming Office of the Commissioner of Railroads public hearing on September 6 regarding the rough crossing on East Main Street. G. Water & Light Committee Report. Brooks said no one commented at the electric rate case hearing. With the drought, utility bills are high with air conditioning and lawn watering; there may be questions or complaints about high bills. (1). Brooks made a motion, seconded by Ladick, to approve Mutual Aid Agreement with American Public Power Association. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote. H. Economic Development Committee Report. Brooks reported that they are working on a budget. On October 3rd the Tourism Subcommittee will host 2 customer service sessions given by the Department of Tourism. Outreach activities continue to come together. I. Redevelopment Authority Report. No report. J. Parks and Recreation Board Report. No report. K. Historic Preservation Commission Report. Ladick said they had an application to return a porch to its original appearance. L. Fire District Report. Jacobson said they are reviewing truck bids. M. Police Commission Report. No report. N. Energy Independence Team Report. No report. O. Board of Appeals Report. No report. 8. Unfinished Business. None. 9. Communications and Recommendations from the Mayor A. Mayoral Proclamation In Recognition of Evansville Veterans’ Participation in the Badger Honor Flight Program. B. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Brooks, to waive the seven-day notice on citizen appointments. Manring said he would prefer to either get the notice or have the requirement changed. Brooks and Braunschweig offered to sponsor an ordinance to make the change. Motion approved with all in favor. C. Brooks made a motion, seconded by Braunschweig, to approve mayoral appointment of Brandon Rutz for an unexpired term ending in April 2013 to the Economic Development Committee. Decker explained that Rutz is an economic development professional in Madison who is moving back to the Evansville area. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote. D. Decker commented on her upcoming participation on Panel Discussion on Mayor / Council Relations at League of Wisconsin Municipalities Chief Executives Workshop. E. Council noted the upcoming League of Wisconsin Municipalities Annual Conference October 17th – 19th. Early Bird registration is due by September 18th. 10. Communications from the City Administrator. A. Council discussed a proposal to amend the ordinance to address non-commercial animal boarding. There are already ordinances to address barking, public nuisance, and off-leash dogs. Neighbors can go to civil court if they have a private nuisance. 11. New Business. None. 12. Introduction of New Ordinances. None. 13. Meeting Reminders: A. Next Regular Meeting: Tuesday, September 11, 6:30 pm, City Hall. B. Committee of the Whole: Saturday, September 15, 8:00 am, Masonic Lodge. C. Budget Presentations: Wednesday, September 26, 6:00 pm, Creekside Place. 14. Adjournment. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Manring, to adjourn the meeting. Motion approved unanimously at 8:15 pm. Prepared by Judy Walton, City Clerk The minutes are not official until approved by the Common Council at their next regular meeting.