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COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - MINUTES - 7/25/2002 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE – CITY OF MUSKEGO (Approved) MINUTES OF MEETING HELD JULY 25, 2002 Mayor Slocomb called the meeting to order at 7:08 PM. Also present were Ald. Petfalski, Damaske, Le Doux, Madden, Patterson, Salentine, Deputy Clerk Blenski and those per the attached list. Ald. Sanders was absent. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance. The Mayor noted the meeting was noticed in accordance with the Open Meeting Law. Ald. Salentine moved to approve the minutes of the June 13, 2002 meeting. Ald. Patterson seconded; motion carried. OLD BUSINESS Further Discussion of Grassy Area Behind Library Building A memo was received from Marisa Pankowski of the Planning Department indicating that the 1.1-acre area will be reseeded this fall. In addition, fully-grown plants will be planted in an area approximately 400 square feet in spring of 2003 at a cost of $500. This proposal is an effort to re-establish the prairie area, which since the initial planting has become mostly weeds. At 7:14 PM, Ald. Salentine was excused to attend the Little Muskego Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District meeting. Further Discussion - Consolidated Dispatch Mayor Slocomb stated he attended two meetings today regarding this issue. He prepared a Cost Analysis (attached), which he distributed. The analysis shows how the cost savings on the municipal budget would be passed on to the County levy and actually result in an increase to taxpayers. The Mayor said it is not that the City is against the concept. However, this is being sold as saving millions of dollars. That speaks to credibility and is reason for him to have concerns about the entire proposal. He objects to a penalty being imposed if municipalities do not join by October of this year. Muskego would not receive any benefits for two to three years after that. The further out a municipality joins, the greater the penalty. Municipalities that do not join will still be taxed on the County level for the service. Mayor Slocomb stated that a records management system is a key issue and should be implemented first. The RFP for that is first being developed. Ald. Patterson stated the safety of our citizens is crucial. He does not believe that the County system will provide as good of service. The Mayor stated smaller municipalities that join would benefit. Ald. Petfalski expressed concern that national standards for the same area and population base call for 150 dispatchers; the County is planning on using 90. The Mayor gave a brief explanation of the concept of consolidated dispatch in response to a question from Mr. Voss who was present in the audience. Police and Fire Commission President Michael Kuwitzky provided an update on the County Executive’s Steering Committee meeting he attended on Tuesday. He said he has safety concerns about Muskego participating in consolidated dispatch as well as what will happen financially if the City does not. Mr Kuwitzky said the police chiefs from the communities involved need to go to the various meetings, especially the ones attended by the County Executive and his top officials. The chiefs are ultimately responsible for the safety of Committee of the Whole Page 2 Minutes of Meeting Held 7/25/02 their communities, particularly during crisis situations. Chief Johnson has been very active in this issue. Mr. Kuwitzky stated the County cannot handle all of the communities joining at once but everyone will have to pay. Ald. Petfalski suggested writing a letter to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Waukesha Freeman as well as some of the other local newspapers. This may educate people and force them to contact their local officials. The Mayor noted there are significant issues in Brown County, where consolidated dispatch has been implemented. The Mayor stated he would keep everyone informed regarding this issue. The Committee took a brief recess at 8:04 PM. Mr. Kuwitzky left the meeting during the recess. NEW BUSINESS Consider Quarterly Billing for 2003 Refuse/Recycling The Mayor explained that a notice is currently mailed to residents (by Oct. 1) giving them an opportunity to pay the annual refuse/recycling fee (by Nov. 1). If the amount is not paid, it is placed on the tax bill without penalty. The notice is mandatory in order for the amount to be placed on the tax bill if it is not paid. The Finance Director and Clerk- Treasurer are recommending that the quarterly amount for refuse/recycling be included on the quarterly utility bills. Both departments would realize a cost savings, which is why the conversion is being proposed. Written materials supporting the recommendation were distributed. Mayor Slocomb said some people will have a negative reaction. Ald. Petfalski stated he prefers the current system and likes the charge being on the tax bill. Ald. Patterson agreed. He suggested the annual notice could be included on one of the quarterly sewer/water bills to save postage. The Mayor was not sure if that could be done. He stated giving people the opportunity to pay then creates a peak collection period for staff. There also was concern that placing the notice on the utility bill could be confusing. Ald. Petfalski said people may think everything on the entire bill did not need to be paid and could go to the tax roll, which would result in interest and penalty being assessed on the water and sewer charges. Ald. Damaske stated he supports what is being proposed. Mayor Slocomb stated the only people that may object are the 528 residents who do not receive a sewer or water bill and would receive a quarterly bill for refuse/recycling charges. Ald. Madden said it is easy for postcard bills to get lost; she opposes because of the format. The final consensus was 2 in favor and 3 opposed to the conversion to quarterly bills for refuse/recycling. The Mayor stated he would place the issue on an upcoming Finance Committee agenda. Discuss Future Goals of the Council Ald. Petfalski led the discussion regarding future goals. He stated all of the aldermen should focus on future goals and he believes some of those goals are the same. Ald. Petfalski presented “What Makes a Quality Community?” and ideas on “Where Do We Improve?” During this discussion, Ald. Salentine returned to the meeting at approximately 8:43 PM. Committee of the Whole Page 3 Minutes of Meeting Held 7/25/02 The aldermen submitted their goals and posted them so they could be grouped. Some of the goals were broad categories and others were more specific. Ald. Petfalski grouped them in categories accordingly: (The numbers indicate how many goals in each category were submitted.) DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT (3)  Bury utilities on Janesville Road.  Get Parkland Drive through the intersection of Lannon done.  Lannon to Pioneer - Offer businesses help to bury services and dress up fronts; C.D.A. can help.  Gateways to City (here and also under Historical Areas of the City) COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT (4)  Expand shopping.  Recruit businesses.  Develop retail commercial park on Moorland, expanding west.  Taco Bell; C.D.A. can help. COMMUNITY CENTER (4) Get Community Recreation Center up; C.D.A. can help. RECREATION/PARKS (6)  Skate board park.  Swimming facilities.  Equestrian trails.  Create equestrian trails and promote.  Winter recreation facilities.  Park signage. PARKLAND MALL (3)  Exercise options.  Get Parkland Mall Resolved; C.D.A. can help.  Do something with Parkland Mall. BUSINESS PARK (5)  Site Business Park; C.D. A. can help.  Business Park west of Racine.  Create Business Park. JOINT DISPATCH (1)  Make decision. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (C.D.A.) (1)  Get C.D.A. working. Committee of the Whole Page 4 Minutes of Meeting Held 7/25/02 CITY DEPARTMENTAL ISSUES (2)  Update zoning.  Get Engineering Department to be more independent of outside consulting (such as R & M). SCHOOL DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE ON PLAN COMMISSION (1) REDO PUBLIC CHANNELS TO ADD PICTURES AND POSSIBLE VOICE READ (1) CITY REPRESENTATIVE ON HISTORICAL SOCIETY (1) HISTORICAL AREAS OF THE CITY (2)  Expand historical areas of the City.  Create quality gateways to City - keeping flavor of the history of those areas. CITY LAKE DISTRICT FEES (1)  Get fees to be uniform. FREEDOM SQUARE PONDS (1)  Get ponds all done and resolved before dredging. As anticipated, several of the aldermen had similar goals. Discussion began to give the aldermen an opportunity to present the rationale for their goals. Ald. Damaske explained his goal of having a City Rep on the Historical Society. The City used to have a representative on the Historical Society. The City has a large financial investment and a Council rep would provide a better handle on what is going on. Discussion took place. Ald. Patterson questioned if this would indicate that the City would be willing to take on more financial responsibility. Several aldermen supported and believed the communication would be beneficial to everyone. However, Ald. Petfalski suggested the Mayor contact the Society to see if it would support. Several aldermen expressed concern about the site of the Old Town Hall being a safety hazard; the Mayor confirmed it would be fenced. Ald. Madden explained that her goal (Historic District) was to maintain as well as expand the historical areas of the City. It was noted this was similar to Ald. Le Doux’s goal regarding the City’s gateways. Several aldermen agreed that it was very important to preserve the historical areas of the City. Regarding the goal for the Engineering Department to be more independent of outside consultants, the Mayor noted that the department now consists of a Dept. Head, one engineer and one tech. Ald. Salentine stated she would like the department to continue to become more self-sufficient. The Mayor stated that the direction given to Department Heads is that if a position can be self-funded, it can be brought forward for consideration. Ald. Petfalski asked what is the advantage to the City to have in house; the associated costs get passed on to the developer anyway. The Mayor stated we still have to provide supervision to outside consultants. When in house, we are able to perform the necessary follow up and have more control. Ald. Petfalski expressed Committee of the Whole Page 5 Minutes of Meeting Held 7/25/02 concern about adding people just for the sake of keeping it in house. Ald. Salentine noted there have been problems in the past with the same person designing plans for a project, doing the inspections, and then finalizing it. The Mayor noted this has not been rectified. The deputy clerk was directed to type the list of goals and forward to the aldermen prior to the next meeting, which is scheduled for August 8, 2002. Discussion regarding future goals to continue at that meeting. Adjournment Ald. Petfalski moved to adjourn at 10:04 PM. Ald. Madden seconded; motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Jill Blenski, CMC Deputy Clerk