MINUTES

FINANCE COMMITTEE

Tuesday, February 13, 2007
City Hall, Room 604

5:30 p.m.

 

 

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Chairman John VanderLeest and Steven Deneys

 

MEMBERS EXCUSED:  Ald. Theisen

 

OTHERS PRESENT:  Doug Daul, Rob Strong, Ald. Chad Fradette, Bill Landvatter, Recording Secretary Ginny Mamrosh, and Others

 

1.  Roll Call.  

 

Chairman John VanderLeest called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.  He explained that Ald. Theisen had been excused and Ald. Weber was en route.  Ald. Fradette was seated at the meeting to provide for a quorum until Ald. Weber arrived.

 

2.  Approval of the Agenda.

 

A motion was made by Ald. Fradette and seconded by Ald. Deneys to approve the Agenda.  Motion carried.

 

3.  Approval of the minutes of the Finance Committee meeting of January 23, 2007.

 

A motion was made by Ald. Fradette, seconded by Ald. Deneys and carried to approve the minutes of the Finance Committee meeting of January 23, 2007.

 

4.  Report of the Purchasing Agent:

a.  Demolition work to Verheyen Construction for $27,143.

 

 

Finance Director Doug Daul said this item had been publicly and competitively offered to ten vendors.  Seven submitted bids, and the low bid was selected.  This demolition work is charged to Accounts Receivable and then billed out by the Inspection Department. Money collected from those invoices goes back into accounts receivable, and those that remain outstanding at the end of the year are placed on the tax roll. 

 

Planning Director Rob Strong said bids were given for each of the properties submitted, but the winning quote for all properties came from one vendor and exceeded the $10,000 purchasing limit, thereby requiring Committee approval.  The cost of going with one contractor was only $50 more than awarding each job separately. 

 

A motion was made by Ald. Deneys, seconded by Ald. Fradette, and carried to approve a:  Demolition work to Verheyen Construction for $27,143.

 

5.  Request to clarify policy for bidding of demolition contracts on condemned properties.

 

Mr. Strong said this request is a follow-through on the previous item.  He explained that, for RDA purposes, he can give Purchasing permission to accept quotes on demolition contracts for condemned properties if they fall below $10,000 individually.  Any contracts exceeding that amount must come back for Committee and Council approval.  In this case, bids for several properties from the same contractor came in on one purchase order, and that total exceeded the $10,000 limit.  He asked for approval to go ahead with demolition of condemned properties if they are quoted individually and come in at less than $10,000 per parcel.  He said these are all properties the City wants removed anyway, and the quicker they are removed, the better. 

 

A motion was made by Ald. Deneys, seconded by Ald. Fradette, and carried that only those demolition awards in excess of $10,000 per parcel require Finance Committee approval.

 

7.  Finance Director’s Report:

a.  Department staffing update.

 

Mr. Daul informed the Committee that his department is currently understaffed and in need of help. The Payroll Administrator and one clerical position are out on extended FLMA leaves.  He will be bringing forward a proposal for help, most likely from Schenck and Associates, for preparing the Annual Financial Report.

 

A motion was made by Ald. Fradette and seconded by Ald. Deneys to receive and place on file the Finance Director’s update on Department staffing.  The motion carried.

 

A motion to adjourn was made by Ald. Deneys, seconded by Ald. Fradette, and carried.  Meeting was adjourned at 5:50 p.m.

 

2007 CONTINGENCY FUND

$300,000

 

Any person wishing to attend who, because of a disability, requires special accommodation should contact the Mayor’s office at 448-3005 at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting time so that arrangements can be made.

Please take notice that it is possible that additional members of the Council may attend this committee meeting, resulting in a majority or quorum of the Common Council. This may constitute a meeting of the Common Council for purposes of discussion and information gathering relative to this agenda.