Minutes: Committee of the Whole: Sept 2012

Common Council Special Meeting as Committee of the Whole Saturday, September 15, 2012, 8:00 a.m. Masonic Lodge, 104 West Main Street, Evansville, WI MINUTES 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 8:05 a.m. by Mayor Sandy Decker. 2. Roll call. Members present: Mayor Sandy Decker, Alderpersons Mason Braunschweig, Jim Brooks, Barb Jacobson, Jon Senn, Ben Ladick, and Josh Manring. Others present: City Administrator Dan Wietecha, City Clerk Judy Walton, Police Chief Scott McElroy, EMS Director Mary Beaver, Water & Light Superintendent Mark Sendelbach, and City Attorney Mark Kopp. Absent: Alderpersons Cheryl Fuchs and Floyd Hayes and Public Works Director Dave Wartenweiler. 3. Approval of Agenda. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Brooks, to approve the agenda. Motion approved unanimously. 4. Deferral of Minutes. Brooks made a motion, seconded by Braunschweig, to defer the reading of the minutes of the September 11, 2012, regular meeting to the next regular meeting. Motion approved unanimously. 5. Citizen Appearances. Brooks made a motion, seconded by Senn, to approve Agreement with Oak Grove Church for Use and Occupancy of 209 South First Street. Council commented that it is a good use of the facility when it is empty. Council asked about looking into the utility cost for the city. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote. 6. Basics. Meeting preliminaries (timekeeper, break, a-ha sheets, and civility reminder) were noted. 7. Parking Lot. Committee briefly reviewed the status of parking lot items from April 21 and May 17. 8. Goals of Today’s Meeting. An opening round of goals for the meeting included: ways to attract businesses and people, employee recognition, capability of handling change, use technology to expedite service, clearer definition of top-notch service with metrics, sustainable growth, capacity to work, and vision for the future. 9. The Foreseeable Future. Discussion on the relatively near future (1-10 years) and the impact on city services. A. Change. We should recognize that change is going to happen. We need to understand the environment in order to try to shape it. Generally it is better to be proactive than reactive, but we still need to be able to react to unforeseen events. B. Top-Notch Service. A primary aspect of top-notch service is that it is customer oriented: it involves the services that our residents actually see, it requires courtesy and customer relations, and people tend to expect an immediate response. Another aspect of top-notch service is that we serve in the interest of the community as a whole, not some individual complaint; it is better to not act on a complaint basis; and we should be proactive and address issues before they can become complaints. A third major aspect of top-notch service is that it seeks continual improvement: examples include third-party recognition such as RP3 and police accreditation, efficiency and lean operations, and adopting best practices. It was noted that best practices can help to set standards, measures, or benchmarks to identify where and how we achieve top-notch service. C. Population Growth. Evansville (24%) and Union Township (13%) are the two fastest growing jurisdictions in the county. Anecdotally, Evansville has about a third of the housing starts in the county this year. The growth has been and will continue to be a factor in long-term planning and development decisions. D. Resident Expectations. With the population growth, there have been shifts in the politics and demographics of the residents. There has been a trend toward younger families with children; however, we also have a significant senior population. E. Acts 10 and 32. Last year, there were significant changes in the law regarding unions in the public sector; the law is subject to ongoing litigation. Much of the law does not yet pertain to the city, as our union contracts all run through December 2013. But management will be different as we go forward. The city has had some initial discussions about updating personnel policies in preparation of different legal parameters when the contracts expire. F. Tight Budgets. The city has maintained fiscal policies to limit spending to within our means and to provide stability over time. However we will continue to have tight budgets. Intergovernmental funds comprise close to a third of our general fund; additional cuts will be difficult to absorb. Similarly, payments in lieu of taxes from the electric utility provide reasonable revenue which would be difficult to absorb if cut. Spending restraints and levy limits do impact service levels. Development to add to the tax base, diversified or new sources of revenue (including grants), and continued efficiency improvements are essential. G. Intergovernmental. Intergovernmental efforts cannot be one-sided. We also need cooperation from other units of government, and they would need to pay their fair share. We need to talk with the rest of the Fire District about proportional representation. Other ideas that have come up in the past for collaborative efforts have included rail, tourism, lobbying, public safety office, and a bike trail. We should look at the county, school district, other cities, and neighboring townships all as potential partners. H. Technology. Technology can improve the service we provide (such as advanced or time-of-day metering) and in how we communicate with our residents and businesses (such as text messages or online forms). Technology also provides back-office support with email, webinar training, uploading reports, and mapping. It is important that we have adequate and reliable internet speeds to conduct our work. I. Succession Planning. We need to maintain capacity in our staff to maintain services; this means training. We have several employees approaching retirement age. When we have looked at department head positions in the recent past, we have taken a “clean sheet of paper” approach to review the position for current and future needs; this has worked well for updating position descriptions. This type of format will be easier to use for other staff positions when the legal status of collective bargaining contracts is sorted out. When hiring, we should look to the best candidate whether that is an internal or outside applicant. We can look to learn from outside the city even when we don’t hire from outside. 10. Beyond the Horizon. The Committee discussed providing city services in the future (20-50 years) and steps to take now to position us for the long-run. This recognizes a continued and heightened emphasis on lean government: not purchasing duplicate equipment or staff; streamlining and eliminating unnecessary paperwork, time and delay, costs, etc; and being effective from the customer point of view. Two innovative streamlining examples were to combine all public safety tasks (ambulance, police, and fire) in a single department and to combine all utilities (electric, water, sewer, and stormwater) in a single department. Another idea was to review our committee structure: some committees may be combined, other committees may be eliminated, or there could be new committees such as technology or lobbying. Technology was named as another long-term theme. It is important that the community have bandwidth to support economic development. Our services need to stay on top of technological advances. In the future, we may need to have an IT/communications person on staff; we could look at this being a shared position with the school district. 11. Next Steps. A. Top-Notch Service. Several elements were noted for a definition of Top-Notch Service: use of standards or benchmarks for measurement, communication, meeting customer expectations, a proactive approach, flexibility or openness to change and improvement, and accountability. B. Action Items. The Committee identified a number of action items going forward: (1). Fire District agreement with the townships needs to be updated for proportional representation. (2). Minutes from Beloit City/Town intergovernmental meetings should be reviewed for ideas about cost-sharing. (3). Minutes from Evansville/Union meetings should be reviewed for recent ideas about intergovernmental efforts. (4). We should meet with Union again about potential shared services. (5). A number of ideas will be discussed in staff meetings: customer service expectations, cascading messaging, resident request forms, and employee recognition. (6). We should review the existing committee structure over the winter, prior to the next reorganization meeting. (7). We should research better internet service. (8). We should talk with the school district about possibly sharing technology/IT service. (9). We need to monitor and ensure staff being able to absorb other work when we make changes such as the combined City Administrator/Finance Director. (10). We need to continue interdepartmental sharing. (11). We should consider an all city employee get together. 12. Check Out. A closing round was unanimous in a positive outlook for the city, noting: we are on the right track, discussions like this one produce great ideas to work towards, it is important for everyone to be informed, we can find ways to be more efficient, the departments do a great job with a tight budget, we keep taxes down without losing services, we should look to more intergovernmental work and ways to share services, and Evansville is a can-do community. 13. Adjournment. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Senn, to adjourn at 11:55 a.m. Motion approved unanimously.

Minutes: Common Council: September 2012

Common Council Regular Meeting Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 6:30 p.m. City Hall, 31 S. Madison Street, Evansville, WI MINUTES Mayor Sandy Decker asked for a moment of silence to remember the national tragedy 11 years ago. 1. Call to order. The meeting was called to order at 6:31 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 and Jon Senn. Alderperson Joshua Manring was absent. Others present: City Clerk Judy Walton, City Administrator Dan Wietecha, City Attorney Mark Kopp, Kelly Gildner of The Review, Library Board Wally Shannon, and members of the public. 3. Approval of Agenda. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Hayes to delete Item 6A and approve the agenda. Motion approved 7-0. 4. Approval of Minutes. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Senn to waive the reading of the minutes of the August 14, 2012, regular meeting and to approve them as presented. Motion approved 7-0. 5. Civility reminder. Decker stated that this item is a regular reminder that Council has committed to civility during meetings. 6. Citizen appearances A. Edgerton Outreach. Deleted from agenda. B. John Bairl, Oak Grove Church. John Bairl requested that the agreement between the church and the city be revised to allow Wednesday evening and Sunday use of the Youth Center beginning September 26, 2012. As this was not an action item on the agenda it will be placed on the agenda for the upcoming Committee of Whole meeting on Saturday, September 15th. C. Pam Ascensio, 441 Almeron Street, stated there is a commercial animal boarding business operating at 435 Almeron Street. She read a prepared statement asking for action to be taken to stop the business. 7. Reports of Committees A. Library Board Report. Wally Shannon reported that Rebecca Smith has been selected as the new Library Director. B. Youth Center Advisory Board Report. Ladick reported that the Youth Center is now open and they had over 50 kids attend the open house. 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 $1,089,838.22. Motion approved 7-0 on a roll call vote. (2). Financial Policies. Braunschweig noted that City Administrator, Dan Wietecha, did a very good job of all 4 of the following policies. a. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Brooks to approve Fund Balance Policy. Motion approved 7-0. b. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Brooks to approve Post-Issuance Compliance Policy for Tax-Exempt and Tax-Advantaged Obligations. Motion approved 7-0. c. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Brooks to approve Investment Policy. Motion approved 7-0. d. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Brooks to approve Debt Management Policy. Motion approved 7-0. (3). Discussion: Administration Office. Wietecha presented his analysis of the following: a. City Administrator/Finance Director draft position description b. Community Development Director draft position description D. Plan Commission Report. No report. E. Public Safety Committee Report. Jacobson reported that the EMS budget came in with a zero percent increase. The Police Department is looking to add the accreditation expense to its budget. F. Public Works Committee Report. Braunschweig reported that the railroad crossing on E Main Street will be repaired this fall. G. Water & Light Committee Report. Brooks reported that the RP3 process continues; WPPI is holding a power luncheon on September 26th; he will be attending the WPPI annual meeting this week; and there is a WPPI meeting on October 4th. H. Economic Development Committee Report. Brooks reported that they are working on standards for TIF and the Department of Tourism is hosting 2 customer service sessions on October 3rd. I. Redevelopment Authority Report. No report. J. Parks and Recreation Board Report. Fuchs reported that they continue to discuss the disc golf course; Peace Park will be making a formal presentation in November; there is a leak in the pool; and they will be allowing Nick Covert to trap muskrats. K. Historic Preservation Commission Report. Ladick reported that M&I Bank will be installing a new sign with their new name, BMO. L. Fire District Report. Jacobson reported that the district is considering purchasing a new pumper. 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. Decker reported on the League of Wisconsin Municipalities Chief Executives Workshop she attended in Green Bay. B. Decker reminded Council of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities Annual Conference October 17th – 19th. Early Bird registration is due by September 18th. C. Decker asked Council to send her any comments in regard to the League of Wisconsin Municipalities draft Legislative Agenda. D. Decker directed Council to the application for the League of Wisconsin Municipalities Lobbying Corps team and asked anyone interested in joining to fill it out and return it to the League. 10. Communications from the City Administrator. Wietecha stated that the anticipated resolution for Item 10A has not been received from the bank. A. Approval of Resolution 2012-15, Designating Authorized Parties to Sign for Transactions Involving City Bank Accounts and Investments. No action taken. 11. New Business. None 12. Introduction of New Ordinances A. Braunschweig presented the first reading of Ordinance 2012-10, Amending Chapter 2 of the Municipal Code, Relative to Appointed Officials. [Sponsors Brooks and Braunschweig]. B. Braunschweig presented the first reading of Ordinance 2012-11, Amending Chapter 6 of the Municipal Code, Relative to Class A Liquor License Quota. [Sponsors Braunschweig and Manring]. C. Braunschweig presented the first reading of Ordinance 2012-12, Amending Chapter 122 of the Municipal Code, Relative to Parking Vehicles, Boats, and Trailers on Public Streets. [Sponsors Jacobson and Fuchs]. 13. Meeting Reminders A. Committee of the Whole, Saturday, September 15, 8:00 a.m. at the Masonic Lodge. B. Budget Presentations, Wednesday, September 26, 6:00 p.m. at Creekside Place. C. Next Regular Meeting, Tuesday, October 9, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. 14. Adjournment. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Hayes to adjourn at 8:05 p.m. Motion approved 7-0. Prepared by Judy Walton, City Clerk The minutes are not official until approved by the Common Council at their next regular meeting.

Minutes: Public Safety: September 2012

Public Safety Committee Wednesday, September 5, 2012 6:30 P.M. Regular Meeting Evansville City Hall Council Room 31 S Madison Street MINUTES 1. Chairperson Jacobson called meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. 2. Roll call of committee and staff members present was: Chairperson Jacobson Alderperson Hayes (Absent), and Alderperson Fuchs, Chief Scott McElroy, Mayor Sandy Decker and EMS Coordinator Mary Beaver. Others present: Gene Cratsenberg 3. Motion by Jacobson, second by Fuchs, to approve the agenda as printed. Motion passed. 4. Motion by Fuchs, second by Jacobson, to approve the August 1, 2012 regular meeting minutes as printed. Motion passed. 5. Citizen appearances other than agenda items listed – None 6. Old Business-None 7. New Business a. Motion by Jacobson, seconded by Fuchs, to approve the Operator’s License applications for Braden T Harper, Sheri L Biddick, Chelsea J Arndt and Barbara J Lange. Motion passed. b. Gene Cratsenberg, 124 Highland, spoke about RV’s being parked on streets. Chief McElroy stated the police department marked 40 campers during the month of July. Owners of these units were moving them off the streets. He had spoken with the Judge and the Judge recommended not ticketing these as the ordinance does not apply to campers. Chair Jacobson stated that the city is trying to change/redesign our ordinance. Committee would like this referred to Dan Wietecha, City Administrator for an ordinance change as to the definition and time. Motion by Jacobson, second by Fuchs, to approve an ordinance change related to RV camper parking on city streets, sponsored by Jacobson and Fuchs. Motion passed. c. Discussion of the capital and operating budgets. EMS submitted handout of Operating Budget with a 0% increase, with nothing for capital. Police department will be adding back in accreditation and final numbers will be put in Friday. Chief will email out the final to the committee. 8. Evansville Police Report – There were 1006 calls for service for the month of August, 2012 compared to 1243 in July of 2011. We had 76 license plate transactions for the month of September. Officers Reese and Jones attended a Legal Update August 6 at McFarland Police Department. Fall in-service is scheduled for all EPD officers September through November, 2012. Officers Laufenberg and Reilly attended on September 4, 2012. We have on officer evaluation remaining. On-site accreditation evaluation is set for November 2013. The process, cost, time frame, etc. will be discussed with the Mayor Friday, September 7. Rachel Marx’ last day was August 31. Coop student, Evan Benedict, started August 20. Officers Anacker and Reilly are now working alone, with Officer Reilly taking over as court officer. Margo Wirth is working alone with another officer on duty. The department is short of part-time officers and plan to hire later this year or early in 2013. The city-wide burn ban was lifted Monday, August 6 by the Fire Chief. “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown on drunken drivers runs August 17 through September 3, 2012. National Night was August 7 from 5pm to 9pm at Schilberg Park in Milton Wisconsin. EPD participated, Chief requested that we host this event in 2014. Police department staff reported various signage that needs attention throughout the city. This list was forwarded to Public Works Director Dave Wartenweiler in July. One sign has been repaired as of this date. Radar trailer continues to be out weather permitting. A second Taser was added in August from donated funds, making two for the department and both are now in service. Files have been scanned up through August 31 thanks to Rachel Marx. Air cards are being utilized now rather than modems. Air cards appear faster and less expensive. Rock County Computer Services and General Communications continue to be called upon to get systems working properly. We are scheduled to have approval of the server purchase for the CAD/LRMS system at the County Board meeting September 13. Spillman will be coming in October/November to setup the server. Between then and the end of the year, we will be working with each agency to establish network connectivity. The kickoff for the RMS project will be October 10th at 9am in the IT Training Room at the Health Care Center. Two staff members will be sent to this three hour meeting. $10,000 has been budgeted for this project. 9. Evansville Medical Service Report – There were a total of 37 ambulance runs for the month of August 2012. Refresher/transition training for the next year cycle has been started. Half of the training is computer based. This month, Zachory and I were certified to teach Emergency Vehicle Operation class. Every two years, all EMS personnel will be certified in EVOC. EMS had a fundraiser brat sale last Saturday at Kopecky’s Piggly Wiggly. There was a great turnout and citizens were able to view the new ambulance. Friday Night Football games began at the end of August. We will have an ambulance at all home games. The 911 center is still working on getting all the bugs worked out of the new radio system for the mandated switch over in 2013. There have been many conference calls that I have been a part of to keep up to date on the progress. Budget was handed into Lisa Novinska, Finance Director/Treasurer. Our bottom line stayed the same. The townships were notified that the per capita fee is tentatively the same as last year of $21.00. Coordinator Beaver submitted the month’s schedule with a handout from Life Quest. 10. Motion by Jacobson, second by Hayes, to adjourn the meeting at 7:24 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara Jacobson, Chairperson These minutes are not official until approved by Public Safety at their next regular meeting

Minutes: Finance; September 6, 2012

City of Evansville Finance & Labor Relations Committee Regular Meeting Thursday, September 6, 2012, 5:30 pm City Hall, 31 S. Madison St., Evansville, Wisconsin MINUTES I. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 5:45 pm by Chair Mason Braunschweig. Present: Alderpersons Mason Braunschweig, Jim Brooks, and Josh Manring. Also present: Mayor Sandy Decker, Finance Director Lisa Novinska, and City Administrator Dan Wietecha. II. Approve Agenda. Brooks made a motion, seconded by Manring, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion approved unanimously. III. Minutes of August 9, and August 13, 2012. Manring made a motion, seconded by Brooks, to waive the reading of and to approve the minutes as presented. Motion approved unanimously. IV. Citizen Appearances. Decker reported the Fire District wants to purchase a new pumper truck for about $600,000. FLR noted the Fire District should have someone attend the preliminary budget meeting on September 26. V. Bills. Brooks made a motion, seconded by Manring, to accept the City and Water & Light bills in the amount of $1,089,838.22. FLR had questions about police maintenance, youth center appliances, and library unemployment. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote. VI. Unfinished Business. a. Personnel Policy. No report. b. Fiscal Policies. FLR noted that the policies were to formalize and update existing practices in anticipation of a future bond rating. i. Fund Balance. Brooks made a motion, seconded by Manring, to recommend to Common Council adoption of Fund Balance Policy. FLR noted this is an update, particularly to reflect cash flow requirements of the enterprise funds. Motion approved unanimously. ii. Tax-Exempt Obligations. Brooks made a motion, seconded by Manring, to recommend to Common Council adoption of Post-Issuance Compliance Policy for Tax-Exempt and Tax-Advantaged Obligations. Wietecha explained that the city has always been responsible for monitoring and complying with these federal tax requirements; however, a written policy emphasizes the city’s diligence to the matter. Motion approved unanimously. iii. Investments. Brooks made a motion, seconded by Manring, to recommend to Common Council adoption of Investment Policy. FLR noted this formalizes the city’s existing investment practices and requested investment reports be made quarterly. Motion approved unanimously. iv. Debt Management. Manring made a motion, seconded by Brooks, to recommend to Common Council adoption of Debt Management Policy. Wietecha explained this would formalize the city’s practice of limiting general obligation debt to 50% of the legal debt capacity as well as additional measures based on comparisons with peer communities. Motion approved unanimously. c. Administration Office. FLR discussed the present duties of the Administrator and Finance Director positions, their combination into a single position, duties which would be delegated to staff, and staff’s ability and capacity to handle delegated duties. FLR discussed the duties of a Community Development Director. FLR recommended that the proposals be presented to the Common Council for additional consideration. VII. New Business: a. Authorized Signatures. Wietecha noted that a resolution to update authorized signatures is being reviewed with Union Bank & Trust. b. Finance Director. FLR thanked Novinska for the help she has provided for this and other committees, in particular her patient explanations of complicated and detailed information. VIII. Adjournment. Brooks made a motion, seconded by Manring, to adjourn the meeting. Motion approved unanimously at 7:45 pm.

Committee of the Whole: Monday, July 25, 2012

Common Council Special Meeting as Committee of the Whole Monday, July 25, 2011, 6:30 p.m. Creekside Place, 102 Maple 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, Todd Culbertson, Cheryl Fuchs, Floyd Hayes, Barb Jacobson, and Dennis Wessels. Absent: Tony Wyse. Others present: City Administrator Dan Wietecha, Police Chief Scott McElroy, EMS Director Mary Beaver, Librarian Kathi Kemp, Water and Light Superintendent Scott George, City Attorney Mark Kopp, and Library Board President Eloise Eager. 3. Approval of Agenda. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Culbertson, to approve the agenda. Motion approved 7-0. 4. Deferral of Minutes. Brooks made a motion, seconded by Hayes, to defer the reading of the minutes of the July 12, 2011, regular meeting to the next regular meeting. 5. Citizen Appearances. None. 6. Purpose. Index cards were distributed with each asked to provide a brief answer to the question, “What is the purpose of The City of Evansville as an organization?” Common themes among the answers included: top-notch, quality service and quality of life to the citizens (residents and businesses) in a positive, courteous, and cost-effective manner. 7. Public Value. People have high expectations, and we need to meet them. From the resident’s viewpoint we provide a tremendous value, but often there is a disconnection about all the conscientious effort behind the scenes. It was noted that a several of the “purpose” answers referred to the importance of quality of life. With the referendum for the lake dredging and the fundraising for Creekside Place as examples, people are willing to support cost-effective projects despite being expensive. There are many little things, such as the tree planting, that make Evansville better; these would be missed if we were to start cutting back. People have come to expect the parks, library, and pool; we should figure better ways to fund these equitably when meeting with Town of Union. A lot of significant infrastructure has been upgraded over the last seven years. We need to look for opportunities to improve. This does not necessarily have to mean increased costs; for example, how we return phone calls. When there are complaints, we should look to build a stronger relationship than before. Continuing education for council and staff is hugely important when we talk about top-notch service. The city clerk received certification last year, she and the finance director are now looking into treasurer certification; the police are undergoing accreditation; and the electric utility is looking into the RP3 program for better reliability, safety, and training. The idea of a citizen survey was proposed, noting that we need to know about problems in order to fix them. The city council said that it mostly hears the negativity and not the praise. They noted that they need to be prepared to hear the negative; 90% of complaints can be taken care of with a phone call; even if it’s not the answer they want, they get an answer. If there is one complaint, it is taxes. 8. Civility and Conduct. It was agreed that you need to have thick skin and a short memory to work in this job. People come to us when they have a problem, and they expect us to fix it. We need to be cognizant of the situation from their point of view; for example, a burst pipe might be routine for us but it’s an emergency for them. It is not all negativity; compliments and appreciation happen also. The importance of passing on public compliments to staff or others was noted. Being visible and accessible in the community also benefits public interaction. 9. Lean Government. Our challenge for the budget is how to stretch the dollars. We need to be both effective and efficient. We need to be effective – from the citizen’s point of view – in providing quality service. We need to be efficient in the process – whether it means eliminating unnecessary paperwork, time and delay, costs, etc. We need to maximize the value of our performance. It was noted that Alan Probst would be speaking about performance measurement at the next City/Town joint meeting. Earlier joint meetings may have been baby steps and not appeared productive, but there is real value in building the relationship for the future. The Fire District was identified as an area of common interest for the city and town, which could be built upon. It was noted that the learning curve can be too slow for new officials. More or better attention to educating new officials can remove inefficiencies and missteps. An orientation program would make the committees and council more effective as governing bodies. There was discussion about balancing the importance of purchasing and budgeting policies without being overly detailed so departments can operate with flexibility. 10. Loose Ends. Due to time constraints, these items were not discussed. 11. Items on the Horizon. Due to time constraints, these items were not discussed. 12. Stakeholders View of Performance. It was noted that the question ”How are we doing from our stakeholders points of view?” was a companion to the opening question about the purpose of the city. Because the perceived quality of our performance is so situational, it is vital to make every transaction count. We need to strive to constantly achieve through all the means discussed earlier; for example training, professionalism, cooperation, etc. Consistent effort for thoughtful and nonbiased reasoning (being fair) is essential. 13. Adjournment. Culbertson made a motion, seconded by Braunschweig, to adjourn at 9:20 p.m. Motion approved 7-0.

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.

Minutes: Park Board: July 2012

City of Evansville, Wisconsin Park & Recreation Board Regular Monthly Meeting Evansville, City Hall Monday, July 9thh, 2012 – 6:00pm Minutes 1. Call to Order & Roll Call @ 6:02pm. 2. Motion by Courtier , Second by Merrit to approve Agenda as printed. 3. Motion by Courtier, second by Fuson to waive reading of June 11thh, 2012 minutes and approve as printed. 4. Refund to Becky Hurley from rental fees paid and not utilized was sent by city hall. Matter closed. 5. Chris Eager, citizen appearance, explained the Peace Park concept, brought pictures from other communities. There is a group of people gathering info and interest in the project to bring ideas forward in the future. They have a proposed site location, near entrance of park , northeast. 6. West Side Park moving forward, building trades class will begin work in September. 7. Aquatic report from Rick, daily numbers are up. Pool Party was successful. 8. Antes Cabin exterior work completed, first brick patio installed. Nice looking addition to the park. 9. Fourth of July Celebration and activities went well. Attendance down overall due to weather (high heat) 10. Clarity test done on the lake had a past 4’6” level, later test down to 2 Feet. Algae blooms still an issue. Fishing interest has increased, more people & families taking part. 11. Motion to Adjourn by Merrit, 2nd by Kreuger at 6:41pm Next Meeting Aug 13th , 6:00pm 2012 at City Hall