MINUTES

FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

City Hall, Room 604

Immediately following Personnel which begins at 5:30 p.m.

or 5:45 p.m., whichever is later

MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman John VanderLeest, Tony Theisen, Tom Weber, and Steven Deneys

MEMBERS EXCUSED: None

OTHERS PRESENT: Mayor Schmitt, Doug Daul, Jerry Hanson, Chad Weininger, Chief VanSchyndle, Bill Bongle, Linda Dupuis, Roger Messick, Peter Nugent, Becky Buffo, Media, Recording Secretary Ginny Mamrosh, and others

1. Roll Call.

Chairman John VanderLeest called the meeting to order at 5:45 p.m. Roll call was taken, and all were present.

2. Approval of the Agenda.

A motion was made by Ald. Weber and seconded by Ald. Theisen to approve the agenda, but to take Item #7 before Item #4. Motion carried.

3. Approval of the minutes of the Finance Committee meeting of November 28, 2006.

A motion was made by Ald. Deneys and seconded by Ald. Theisen to approve the minutes of the Finance Committee meeting of November 28, 2006. Motion carried.

Item #7 was considered next, followed by:

4. Request by the City Clerk to transfer funds from the Election Seasonal Account to the Clerk/Treasurer’s Overtime account to cover overtime related to the November 7, 2006, election.

Finance Director Doug Daul stated he has authority to hire Seasonal help after every November election to assist with the clean-up work, but said he brought this to Committee to inform them about the new State database, which is proving to be exceedingly cumbersome. He said there are 5,000 new or changed registrations to be entered into both the old and new systems and the whole state is competing for time on this database. It is currently unable to handle absentee ballots, and the City has more than 4,000 absentee voters. Returned absentee ballots accounted for about 10% of the whole election – 3,600 returned of the 35,000 votes cast. He asked to be allowed to transfer funds from the Election Seasonal account to cover the work being done by the Clerk’s office in the evenings and on Saturdays. Mr. Daul said the State is pushing to have this work completed. We were unable to meets its deadline of 30 days after the election, but do anticipate having it done by January 1. He said many other municipalities are experiencing the same problems.

A motion was made by Ald. Weber, seconded by Ald. Deneys and carried to approve the request by the City Clerk to transfer funds from the Election Seasonal Account to the Clerk/Treasurer’s Overtime Account to cover overtime related to the November 7, 2006, election.

Ald. Weber made a motion to take Item #6 out of order to be considered before Item #5 to allow Ald. Fradette to attend. It was seconded by Ald. Theisen and carried.

Item #6 was considered next, followed by:

5. Request by Ald. Fradette to authorize the expenditure of funds for the installation of borings and analysis of soil samples in the wildlife sanctuary and adjacent available areas to assess potential clay supplies for a permanent low-permeability cap for Renard Island.

Ald. Fradette said this is an effort to resolve the Renard Island issue to the satisfaction of various groups. His low cost alternative on behalf of the City would be a compromise offering several benefits. He explained that a clay supply was discovered while excavating lagoons around the Bay Beach area, and said thousands of yards of that material was transported to Farlin Park, resulting in huge savings. He applied that same concept toward Renard Island, where the DNR would be satisfied with a clay cap for the island, but an environmental group is looking to have it capped using landfill specifications. 200,000 yards of clay are needed for the Renard Island project, but the County can’t afford to truck clay from the Town of Rockland. They know a large supply exists in certain areas around Bay Beach, but do not know its extent or depth. Ald. Fradette proposed putting in borings in specified areas near the Bay Beach sports fields and possibly near some lagoons that are to be dredged. The cost for the project would be $8,000 for the borings, $4,000 of which would come from Park Development funds. The Parks Department sees potential for development of more lagoons in the park and for obtaining 44 acres of possible park property in the future. In addition, DPW Director Carl Weber approved the use of $4,000 from the Stormwater Utility. Potential exists for two stormwater ponds at Bay Beach, one of which would address flooding problems. Other projects could help meet water quality goals for 2020 for one area, stormwater surgecharge capacity for another, and possibly a wetland mitigation site.

Ald. Fradette said there is a huge mutual benefit for the County to take the 200,000 yards of clay they need from specified areas where City projects are planned. The County is considering putting some of the previously planned testing on hold to see if this proposal would save the County money and satisfy environmental groups.

Ald. Fradette asked for approval of a transfer of $4,000 from the Park Development fund. Ald. VanderLeest said he is on the County’s Planning, & Development & Transportation Committees, and that they would be interested in this information, as well as the Harbor Commission. He recommended referring this project, as an informational item, to those committees.

A motion was made by Ald. Theisen to authorize the use of $4,000 from the Park Development 410 fund for the installation of borings and analysis of soil samples in the wildlife sanctuary and adjacent available areas to assess potential clay supplies for a permanent low-permeability cap for Renard Island and to refer it as an informational item to the County’s Planning, & Development & Transportation Committees as well to the Harbor Commission. It was seconded by Ald. Deneys and carried.

6. Report of the Purchasing Agent:

a. Video enhancement system for Police Department, est. cost $18,000.

Ms. Dupuis distributed handouts of the items addressed in her Report. She said the Police Department had requested that quotes for this video enhancement system be available for tonight’s meeting, but her department was unable to provide them because of its large workload. She asked for authority to publicly and competitively quote this request and to award to the lowest responsive vendor. If there are any questions as to who should get the award, she would bring it back to Committee in January.

Cmdr. Molitor said many videos that are captured at robberies, etc., are of very poor quality. The department needs software to be able to clean up the old tapes in order to use them to the best advantage. The current equipment is analog only. New software would capture an analog tape, convert it to digital, and then allow them to work with it.

A motion was made by Ald. Weber, seconded by Ald. Theisen and carried to approve

a. Video enhancement system purchase for Police Dept., to be publicly and competitively quoted, awarded to the lowest responsive vendor within the $18,000 budget.

b. Award Police Department ammunition purchases to various vendors through the VALUE cooperative bid for 2007 and 2008. First year cost budgeted at $35,000.

Ms. Dupuis said she had previously shopped this item as needed but found better pricing by buying with other communities in the Milwaukee area VALUE group.

A motion was made by Ald. Theisen, seconded by Ald. Deneys and carried to approve

b. Police Department ammunition purchases to four vendors: Gil Hebard, Ray O’Herron, Shore Galleries & Streicher’s. This bid is for a one-year term with an estimated first year value of $35,000 and has two additional one-year extension options.

c. Purchase of two compact 4-door automobiles for the Inspection Division through the VALUE cooperative for an estimated $15,000 each.

Ms. Dupuis said Capital Reserve funds had been approved by Council and the purchase of these replacement vehicles comes in under the $15,000 budgeted.

Ald. VanderLeest asked if a log is kept of City vehicles, so that any unused vehicles could be used by other departments. Assistant to the Mayor Chad Weininger said many of the car replacements had been pushed back because of the budget, and the vehicles are now in bad shape. He said they are looking at purchasing used as well as new vehicles. Ms. Dupuis said her understanding is that the department must request a used vehicle; if not, she only shops for new. She said the Department of Public Works should be involved in any issue of new versus used vehicles.

Ald. Deneys asked if hybrid vehicles had been considered. Ms. Dupuis said she looked at other municipalities about a year ago and found that those that had used propane or other such fuels had lost their Federal funding. In addition, private industries are moving back to gas vehicles because research has shown the return on vehicle investment is not there at present.

Ald. Theisen suggested checking out newer used vehicles or new vehicles that are last year’s models. Ms. Dupuis said they occasionally buy last year’s models for some equipment, such as tractors, where the model year doesn’t matter. She said if she quotes new and used, the used will come in lower, and if she must go with the low bidder, a policy will be set that only used vehicles would be purchased in the future. The Police Department annually buys used vehicles for undercover Police work. Council authorized a revised procedure this year for buying used vehicles. Competitive quotes are obtained, and department staff/mechanic inspect the vehicle. The lowest acceptable vehicle is purchased and she reports back to Committee. The Council allows this procedure, as long as they go with the low acceptable vendor.

Ms. Dupuis explained that in order to get these new vehicle prices, she had to commit to the VALUE group that the City would purchase these new vehicles if they are budgeted. That commitment applies to all funded pickups, vans and automobiles for 2007; any change in policy would have to come for 2008.

A motion was made by Ald Deneys , seconded by Ald. Theisen, and carried to approve two Chevrolet vehicles from Holz Motors for a total cost of $25,266 and to refer to Purchasing and DPW to examine a policy allowing used or new vehicle purchases for all City departments as appropriate.

7. Authorization for a temporary animal impound facility and approval of a final impound contract.

City Attorney Jerry Hanson distributed a summary of the final Bay Area Humane Society & Animal Shelter proposal. It showed that actual costs of pick-up and impound for the City in 2005 were $130,000, and that costs for 2006 are projected to be about the same. Bay Area Humane Society has agreed to a flat fee of $79,000 for the year, and this amount will include all medical expenses and seven day impound services. The City would cover all animal pick-ups, estimated at $23,400. Costs for this proposal would be $102,400, about $28,000 less than the previous proposal, but slightly more than the $100,000 budgeted for 2007. The difference in cost can be handled through the Police Department budget.

Emergency pickup and medical care during the off hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. would also be included in the contract as a separate agreement. The Bay Area Humane Society (BAHS) may charge a fee of about $45 if the City asks them to pick up an animal between those hours, and once an animal is dropped off, the shelter is responsible for its care. If the City picks up an animal and determines it needs immediate medical attention during off hours, the City would be responsible for those charges.

An advantage of this new proposal is that lost pets will be kept in the area and the need for a temporary shelter is eliminated. BAHS will share information with police officers when dog fighting or other issues arise and will work with the enforcement of City ordinances pertaining to the number of pets allowed. The flat fee will result in better financial accountability by reducing paperwork and eliminating the need to determine charges for each animal. If BAHS is unable to provide a locked area for an impounded animal, another location will be found by Police. BAHS has agreed to match the rates charged for quarantine by the Fox Valley Humane Association, which are $15 for the first day and $5 for subsequent days.

Atty. Hanson said the Humane Officer handled about 3,000 calls last year. Interns have been hired by the Police Department to assist, and this extra help will result in more time spent in service to the animals. BAHS is implementing a new computer system and this, along with the flat fee arrangement with the City, will also allow them more time to care for the animals. Atty. Hanson said it would be an increased service for the City all around. Both sides had made compromises, and he was confident the arrangement would work well.

The length of the contract is one year. Ald. Deneys asked if it will be an issue again at the end of the contract, and was told that the Society will do its best to make this arrangement work. Both sides may want to re-examine the contract at that time, and it could be made renewable if that is the wish of the Committee.

Ald. Weber and Ald. Theisen commended the Mayor’s Office and the Humane Society for arriving at this agreement, as well as Lt. Bill Bongle, Purchasing Agent Linda Dupuis, Roger Messick of the Humane Society, Peter Nugent of the Board of Directors of that agency, and Attorney Hanson. Ald. Theisen was confident that the billing issue will be resolved with the flat fee charge. Chief VanSchyndle said the department is satisfied with the arrangements the Mayor worked out regarding access to animal and owner records.

Ald. VanderLeest also thanked the Mayor’s Office and the Society for resolving the issue. He asked that Lt. Bongle provide a quarterly report to the Committee so that if any issues arise, they can be discussed and resolved as soon as possible.

Mayor Schmitt agreed that this was a good process. He said it evolved from looking at options and getting everything out on the table. He thanked Mr. Nugent, Lt. Bongle, and Ms. Dupuis for looking out for the best interests of the City, along with Ald. Fradette and Ald. Dewane. He said without the efforts of Ms. Dupuis and Lt. Bongle, the City would have spent a lot more on animal control in the coming year. Mayor Schmitt remarked that the interns are excited to be working with the City and that the Society is a good entity to do business with. He stated he feels good about the contract, and strongly recommended approval.

A motion was made by Ald. Weber to approve the Bay Area Humane Society contract as presented with the addition of having quarterly reports provided to the Finance Committee by Lt. Bongle. It was seconded by Ald. Deneys and carried.

A motion to adjourn was made by Ald. Deneys, seconded by Ald. Weber, and carried. The meeting was adjourned at 6.50 p.m.

2006 CONTINGENCY FUND

$180,778.00