MINUTES

ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Tuesday, January 6, 2009

City Hall, Room 604
7:00 p.m.

Members Present: Council President Chris Wery, Council Vice-President Tom DeWane, Ald. John VanderLeest, Ald. Tom Weber, Ald. Celestine Jeffreys

Members Excused: Ald. Jerry Wiezbiskie, Ald. Andy Nicholson

Others Present: Mayor Jim Schmitt, Ald. Amy Kocha, Ald. Dan Piton, Rob Strong, Scott Matejov, Noel Halvorsen, NeighborWorks Green Bay, Members of the Media

1. Call to order.

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Committee Chair, Ald. Chris Wery. All members were present with the exception of Ald. Wiezbiskie and Ald. Nicholson, who were excused.

2. Approval of the agenda.

Motion made by Ald. DeWane, second by Ald. VanderLeest to approve the agenda. Motion carried.

3. Approval of the minutes of the October 22, 2008 Advisory Committee meeting.

Motion made by Ald. DeWane, second by Ald. Jeffreys to approve the minutes of the October 22, 2008 Advisory Committee meeting, as submitted. Motion carried.

4. Request by Ald. Kocha to address possible solutions to concerns about alderpersons not being able to attend their assigned committee meetings due to meetings being scheduled simultaneously.

Ald. Kocha said she believed all members are aware that there are concerns regarding so many meetings being scheduled simultaneously which makes it difficult for alderpersons as well as the public to attend. She added that the Protection & Welfare Committee, because of its size, has a difficult time finding a regular night to hold their meetings even though the website indicates that they meet on Wednesday nights. She thought it would be good to brainstorm and come up an idea and said they can appreciate having regular nights for I&S and Parks and Personnel & Finance, but said we may need to think past what is always convenient for the council members and look at what’s best for productivity and participation of the council members. She stated that obviously the only way to avoid having Personnel & Finance and Parks and I&S meeting on the same night is to have one of the groups choose a different night which is not ideal for Council members, but worth talking about. She believes the committees should hash it out.

Ald. VanderLeest agrees that we need to have more predictability on how we handle committee meetings, possibly staggering the starting times or choosing different days, like Ald. Kocha suggested. He indicated that we would need to have some flexibility and should seek input from all alderpersons and come up with a game plan for 2009. Ald. Weber suggested holding meetings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to avoid a conflict. Ald. Piton said he sits on three committees and has been called out of one meeting to make a quorum for another. He said staggered start times may or may not work, adding that the last committee may need to start at 9 pm. He indicated that he would be open to Mon., Tuesday and Wed.

Ald. DeWane said that holding meetings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays would conflict with some County meetings, which Ald.VanderLeest agreed with. He stated that Ald. Zima would also have a conflict with County Committee meetings. Ald. Kocha stated that she would not be in favor of starting a meeting at 9 pm, adding that the members would not be as productive as well as the public not being in favor of coming to meetings at such a late time. Ald. VanderLeest said most of the Council members have neighborhood association meetings in addition to their standing committees and said sometimes staggering the start times would work, like tonight. He stated again that he would like feedback from all aldermen and see what the consensus is, adding that he tries to finish the meetings that he chairs in an hour.

Ald. Jeffreys made a motion to take this item back to their respective committees and talk about staggering the day of the meetings and receiving a visual from the Mayor’s office of when both the Commissions and Committees meet, second by Ald. VanderLeest.

Ald. Piton inquired if the County has regular days for their committee meetings, with Ald. VanderLeest responding when their meetings are scheduled, depending on the committee. Ald. Piton suggested having a communication referred to a committee on a specific meeting date, if they forsee a conflict with the next meeting of that committee. Ald. Kocha suggested placing on the website a caveat of some kind, i.e. subject to change or check schedule so that citizens are not showing up and expecting to arrive at a meeting that night. Ald. Wery agreed with Ald. Jeffreys’ idea of taking this back to the committees for discussion and said when he chaired P&W he moved the meetings from Monday to Wednesday so it wouldn’t conflict with Plan Commission and would have its own night. The Committees will report their decision to the Mayor’s Office.

A vote was taken on the motion by Ald. Jeffreys. Motion carried.

5. Request by Ald. VanderLeest for the Mayor’s Office to create a standing committee (Government Efficiency Committee) to help with preparation of the yearly budget.

Ald. VanderLeest said he brought this forward because for the preparation of the 2004 budget, they formed an Organizational Efficiency Committee which he felt worked well and looked at efficiencies and saved the city money. He would like to form another such standing committee that would continue to meet year-to-year and come up with additional ways and best practices to save the city money. He suggested the committee be comprised of people with government experience, business leaders, taxpayers, labor leaders and a representative from the Mayor’s Office. He feels this would be an effective way to make an impact over the next 10 years. Ald. Piton stated that the standing committees are defined in Chapter 2 of the Municipal Ordinance and establishing another standing committee would require an ordinance change.

Mayor Schmitt stated that in 2003-2004 he put together a budget task force committee made up of different disciplines and they handed out ideas. He said a discussion was just held on the difficulty of scheduling committee meetings, adding that the city still practices that via neighborhood associations and through leadership circles in some of the departments and said we are constantly looking for ways to make the city more efficient and said we study best practices on a state and national level. He indicated that establishing another committee may not be necessary but is willing to talk about it. The Mayor said he is going to be establishing a legislative lobbying committee. He said President Obama is putting some money into infrastructure, and economic stimulus and said he, Scott and a couple people from the private sector would be good lobbyists. He indicated that a lobbying committee would meet with Sen. Herb Kohl and this committee would meet on a regular basis, adding that if the money is there, he wants the money to come to Green Bay. Mayor Schmitt said we have some double dipping going on, we pay for the Sheriff’s Dept. and we don’t use that department and said state statute doesn’t allow us to opt out of this and said lobbying would be a way for us to change some policy as well as get some direct funding from the federal government. He summed up by stating that if we do form an Efficiency Committee he wants to expand it into lobbying, adding that he would be hesitant to go with an efficiency committee because he said that’s the mindset and process that is going on right now.

Ald. Weber said we can’t put a committee or task force together for every issue, realizing that this takes time and effort on the part of staff as well as other people. He said when what the committee is being requested to do is being handled in an administrative staff function and cautioned forming another committee if the charge of that committee is being handled somewhere else. Ald. VanderLeest stated that Doug Daul told him that he supports such a committee and said he feels this would be an important tool that would help the city and would dig deeper into some of the areas and said he would be willing to serve on such a committee. Scott Matejov said Doug Daul did not indicate to him that he would be supportive of forming a new standing committee and said given the economic circumstances that we are in and tough challenges like healthcare and energy efficiency, we should always have that option open to go back to what we did in 2003-04 but said he agrees with the Mayor that a more relevant committee right now would be a lobbying committee rather than what we are talking about permanently. Ald. VanderLeest again said that Doug Daul told him that we are not getting away from the budget issue and would be supportive of forming a committee. He added that some of the savings that were realized in 2004 are still benefitting the city.

Ald. DeWane agrees that it is always better to have an extra pair of eyes and ears but said the Mayor’s Office has already established a committee and they are well aware of the budget issues and said he would not be supportive of having one alderman on such a committee. He indicated that maybe having more frequent reports from the group would be beneficial and said having too many people involved might ruin the process. He summed up by stating that we have Scott, Chad Weininger, Doug Daul and the Mayor and the process works. Mayor Schmitt said he is not opposed to having a committee formed but asked what the focus would be, energy efficiency, healthcare? He indicated that we are already studying these areas and said Doug Daul could come and discuss certain areas to the group if it is formed. Scott said he and Doug could give monthly updates during the budget process if they would like. Ald. Wery suggested having a monthly agenda item on the Finance Committee for an update on the budget and said he in not keen on forming another standing committee.

Ald. VanderLeest suggested having a cross-section of people to form a commission including business leaders, city leaders, union leaders and have them report back in August or September, or sooner if they have ideas. He indicated that he is not looking for a budget update, but trying to get a group with a cutting edge on budget items. Ald. Weber suggested a Budget Task Force and said he likes the idea of tapping into the resource of utilizing members of the community from various sectors to give ideas of what worked in their businesses, adding that we are overloaded on committees and would not support forming a new standing committee.

Motion made by Ald. VanderLeest, second by Ald. Jeffreys, to refer to the Mayor’s Office to develop a plan to create an Annual Budget Task Force. Motion carried.

6. Item from the Plan Commission Report referred to Advisory and I&S – To deny the request to amend Chapter 13 of the Zoning Code as it relates to front yard setback parking for the purpose of creating exceptions therein.

Motion made by Ald. Wery, second by Ald. Weber to receive and place on file.

Ald. VanderLeest requested an update from Rob Strong on the code relative to front yard setback which Mr. Strong responded that he recalled this item went to Council and the Plan Commission and they voted not to change the ordinance. He said a citizen had requested permission to park a car in the front yard because he had a one stall driveway and had to shuffle cars and park on the street and had asked that the ordinance be changed to approve this by permit or some exclusion. He said Council debated it and did not approve it but sent a communication to I&S and Advisory. Ald. Wery commented that he first thought there would be some merits to considering this but then realized the complications it would bring relative to enforcing it and how to allow it. Ald. DeWane agreed that this would not be something they wanted to allow.

A vote was taken on the motion to receive and place on file. Motion carried.

7. Request of Ald. VanderLeest to maximize the CDBG funding to impact areas in 2010 to be drafted into resolution form.

Ald. VanderLeest said he was involved in discussions in CDBG funding and how the money was dispersed when he was first elected. He indicated that they were looking to use the funds to make an impact in distressed areas that would have a lasting effect. He said discussion at Council has been regarding the various programs to utilize the funds and said he feels we should allocate more funds for areas identified as impact areas and suggested drawing up a resolution as to how they would like to see CDBG funds used in 2010. Ald. Weber said we have done that the past few years and said we are under the guidelines of HUD and all of the funds are to have an impact in low/moderate income areas. He said two years ago they changed the strategy and did away with the charitable groups that had come and asked for funds and said what Ald. VanderLeest is asking for has been accomplished.

Rob Strong gave an overview stating that three years ago Council had a concern about the amount of dollars going to non-profit agencies and the dollars were thinned out and not making an impact. He said they then went down to very specific impact areas and concentrated their funds there. They talked with department heads; Parks and Public Works, did neighborhood Police sweeps and said hopefully in three years they would see some significant changes in a small area. Mr. Strong indicated that the CDBG Program requires that 70% of the money has to be used in low to moderate income areas (LMI Neighborhoods) where at least 51% of the residents in those areas are at or below 80% of median income. He said HUD gives those limitations and he distributed a map showing the impact areas for this year. He said Park projects are done within the CDBG areas, DPW’s funds included money for sidewalks and alleys in the impact areas. The Juvenile Crime Program and Fair Housing are the only non-profit programs and are still targeted in impact areas.

Ald. VanderLeest said he wants to see less dollars used for the Home Buyer Loan Program and said he wants to see more bricks and mortar; more tangible things. He would be in favor of devoting money to the Home Buyer Loan Program, but a lesser amount. Rob responded that the funds identified are Home funds and have to be used for housing, rehab houses and getting people into home ownership situations. He said the city is trying to get people moving in who have a stake in the neighborhoods and said the mortgage failure rate with NeighborWorks is far below the national average. He said they are taking some properties that are in rental or in jeopardy of becoming rental and using enhancement funds to get them back into ownership situations. Ald. VanderLeest believes the majority of the Council should decide how funds allocated to the city should be divided. He would like to see funds used for rehab.

Ald. Weber said the committee has to work within the guidelines of CDBG and the Home Program. He said he would defend the home ownership adding that there is nobody that is more prepared or has a better stake in improving their home than home ownership; people who have a vested interest. He asked if Council could receive a copy of the guidelines for both the CDBG and Home Program, it would help them to better understand how the funds are allocated. Rob said he would be happy to give a presentation on what accomplishments have been made and what these programs do, and said Council can decide if they want to fund those programs.

Motion made by Ald. Jeffreys, second by Ald. Weber to open the floor to allow interested parties to speak. Motion carried.

Noel Halvorsen, Executive Director of NeighborWorks Green Bay addressed the committee stating that there is a lot of investment and a lot of rehab work and cited Day Street as an example. He said they are leveraging private investment as well as public dollars, adding that they have done one privately financed rehab for every publicly funded project. He said on the home ownership side, an investment by the city in home and block grant funds of $300,000 leveraged over $30 million dollars of investment in these neighborhoods. He indicated that these people had to get training,had to budget and had to put some of their money in to rehab or purchase these homes and they had to bring these houses up to compliance. He said they are turning a rental neighborhood into an owner occupied neighborhood which is key factor to long term sustainability. He distributed a pie chart showing distribution of funds; government or foundation funds and the home funds being a small part. He said where else can you put one dollar and get $100 in return? Ald. Weber said as a realtor, it is very common for him to sell an entry level home that needs repairs and said lenders will not lend for future repairs and said the buyer doesn’t qualify for an equity loan and he outgrows his home that he hasn’t improved. He said this program allows these buyers to make these repairs and said there is an incentive tax credit program right now for first time buyers to receive a $7500 if you buy before June 30^th.

Ald. VanderLeest stated that Council should receive a summary of the programs and how they work to include all fund allocations so they can make determinations on where they think these funds should be used. Mr. Halvorsen shared a map that showed people that they have helped to buy homes in central city neighborhoods in 2007and said for every dollar that the city is investing in a rehab project we are increasing the tax base by about $65 and said the return to the community is worth evaluating when they are considering where they spend these funds. Ald. Kocha asked for clarification from Mr. Halvorsen on the information he shared and then said where does that take us in terms of the agenda item.

Motion made by Ald. VanderLeest to refer to staff to have a summary of the different programs funded by CDBG and Home Program and to bring this information back to Advisory Committee and then to the full Council.

Ald. Piton inquired about the foreclosure rate, with Mr. Halvorsen saying he doesn’t have that information with him but can let him know, adding that the rate is low. Ald. Piton asked what our return rate is on the money returned to RDA, with Rob Strong responding about 50% and said this money goes back into the Home Program as income. He said this year it was used to loan to single families.

A vote was taken on the motion by Ald. VanderLeest. Motion carried.

There being no further business, a motion was made by Ald. VanderLeest, second by Ald. Jeffreys to adjourn. Motion carried.