VILLAGE BOARD MEETING
7:00 p.m.
Due to the absence of Paul
Beere, Village President, Betty Novy, Clerk-Treasurer, called the meeting to
order at 7:00 p.m.
The first item of business
was to elect a president pro-tem to chair the meeting.
Chart moved, 2nd by Weinkauf to nominate Gary Beck President
Pro-tem. Motion carried.
There was a call for other nominations.
None were made. Beck was
elected to serve as President Pro-tem for the duration of the meeting.
Beck performed roll call.
The following trustees were present:
Chris Bennett, Ed Chart, Chris Johnson, Bob Lancour, and Mike Weinkauf.
Christopher Birkett, Public
Works Manager; and John Tierney, Engineer; were also present.
Pledge of Allegiance.
Minutes.
Weinkauf moved, 2nd by Chart to approve minutes of the January
3 & 10, 2011 meetings as printed.
Motion carried.
Period for Public Comment
(for items not on the agenda).
There was none.
Department Reports:
Sheriff.
Deputy Castillo read a
written report showing the following statistics for January: zero
accidents; eleven speeding citations, one traffic citation, five parking
citations and twelve warnings were issued. There were zero arrests.
Complaint statistics were as follows:
fourteen complaints originated through calls directly to the Sheriff’s
Department; Deputy Castillo assisted with five additional complaints, originated
thirty-two on his own and performed follow up on twenty-eight.
He reported sixteen working days, 131 hours and 1,053 miles driven.
Twenty foot patrols were also conducted.
Additionally, Castillo
introduced Sergeant Bill Mattke, who will be taking over Sergeant Kacmarcik’s
position as Contract Administrator.
Sergeant Mattke indicated the change-over is occurring more rapidly than was
initially planned. He will forward
contact information as soon as he is settled in an office.
Castillo reported one
isolated burglary on Oak Knoll Road and no accidents due to the recent
snowstorm. However, it was noted
that snow piles in intersections are still causing some vision problems.
Public Works.
Christopher Birkett’s written report was reviewed follows:
Lift Stations/ Sewer:
Testing generators and maintenance of lift stations.
Roads:
SNOW!! Lots of storms, big and
small. We handled the blizzard fairly well. Estimated cost is approx $15,000.00.
Brush cutting will resume when snow melts down. 5 yr road plan is
completed and is on the agenda.
Parks:
Parks are in good shape. Working on spec’s for rip rap project.
RFP for park mowing is done and will be calling for bids.
Animal Control:
No dogs, no cats, more or less quiet this
month. I will be attending a meeting on animal control at county level to
discuss options since Countryside is dropping its animal control service.
Storm Sewer:
Engineer.
Tierney read his written report as follows:
Settlement of Rochester
Condominiums:
Coordination with
Village staff, condo association and bank to establish list of remaining items
and new letter of credit.
Recommended acceptance of sewers.
NOTE: Bank representative David
Smith is no longer with Equitable Bank.
Stormwater Utility
Feasibility Study:
Held first Stormwater
Utility sub-committee meeting.
Reviewed RFP task list, presented preliminary drainage basin list, solicited
drainage problem areas, and discussed methods of billing and exclusion areas.
2011 Municipal
Engineering services:
PW Transportation-
Assist with 15-year paving plan and selection of roads for 2011 project.
Requested digital sewer map data for old Town sewer map.
Application for Kennel License Renewal(s):
Birkett reported his inspections of each property.
He found no concerns and recommended all three licenses be renewed.
Weinkauf moved, 2nd by Bennett to approve the applications for
kennel license renewals for Dale Creek Gun Dogs, Deeidra Schaal, and Jim and
Nancy Anderson. Motion carried.
Resolution #2011-2 “A Resolution to accept the
Completed Portions of the Sanitary Sewer Improvements in The Settlement of
Rochester
Requests submitted by “The Settlement Condominium Association” and “Equitable
Bank” to accept sanitary sewer improvements and the village engineer’s
recommendation regarding these requests were reviewed.
Bennett moved, 2nd by Johnson to adopt Resolution #2011-2 to
accept the completed portions of the sanitary sewer improvements in “The
Settlement of Rochester”. Motion
carried.
Claim of Unlawful Taxes
under Wis. Statutes 74.35: Margaret
Hintz, 105 N. Water Street
Board members reviewed
Hintz’s claim filed in the clerk’s office on January 28, 2011 for compliance
with Wis. Stats. 74.35. It was
noted a claim of unlawful taxes must be based on an error in the assessment
record or in a property’s classification.
The assessed value of the property on the 2010 assessment roll was
$189,165: $69,800 land value; and
$120,500 improvement value.
Hintz’s claim indicated an
appraisal done in March of 2010 by an independent appraiser listed the value of
her property at $100,000. She is
asking that the assessment value of her property be dropped to $100,000 or less
for 2010 tax bill. The claim
also indicates two clerical errors in the description of her property on the
assessment record: a discrepancy of
60 square feet in the dimensions of the house; and
an incorrect record regarding the number of bedrooms.
No supporting evidence of these discrepancies was provided with the
claim.
A written response from
Kathy Romanak, Village Assessor, was reviewed.
Romanak indicated the assessment cannot be dropped by Hintz’s say of an
appraisal of $100,000. She noted an
appraisal is a matter of opinion.
Romanak clarified Wis. Stats. 74.35 specifically states “unlawful tax” does not
include judgmental questions about valuation.
She also noted valuation issues are more appropriately addressed during
Board of Review. Romanak recommended
the claim be denied and that Hintz be directed to submit a copy of her appraisal
by April 1, 2011 to allow for review and possible adjustment of her value on the
2011 assessment roll.
Novy reported on a phone
conversation she had with the assessor regarding possible square footage and
bedroom discrepancies. Romanak
stated, if these discrepancies are proven, the difference in value still falls
within an allowable variance range for each assessment class- 10% above or 10%
below value. In the case of Hintz’s
property, a reduction of 60 square feet in the house’s dimensions would equal a
reduction of $5,400 in assessed value. She
did not feel this justified the reduction Hintz is requesting ($89,165).
Lancour moved, 2nd
by Chart to disallow the claim of Margaret Hintz for unlawful taxes and to
forward correspondence to Hintz notifying her of the disallowance and the
correct procedures to follow to contest the assessed value of her property,
noting the ability of the assessor to be at variance with the value in each
assessment class up to 10%. Motion
carried.
Application for Special
Animal Permit to keep chickens at 607 Stephanie Street:
Christie Hall
Birkett reported he had not been able to meet with
Hall in advance of the meeting. This
item was tabled until such time as a complete application is received.
15 Year Road Plan and Associated
Financial Strategy
A 15-year road plan was reviewed that listed all village street segments
and proposed five year project groupings in which the streets are planned to be
resurfaced. This plan was reviewed
by both public works and finance committee members along with a project
financing schedule that included consideration of other planned debt issues,
including the village hall building project and future fire truck replacements.
The public works committee recommended adopting the 15-year plan as a
guide for future road improvement projects and an associated financial strategy
of financing projects for a term of 20 years.
The finance committee also recommended a 20-year financing strategy for
upcoming road projects and other capital expenditures.
Bennett moved, 2nd by Lancour to adopt the 15 year road plan
as a guide for future road improvement projects and the associated 20-year
financing strategy for upcoming road projects and other capital expenditures.
Motion carried.
Selection of 2011 Road Project
Tierney reported on public works committee review of the roads included in the
first five year project grouping at their February 9th meeting.
The
public works committee recommended resurfacing Fox Knoll Drive; Fox Knoll Court;
Clover Lane; Fernwood Drive; and Knoll Terrace this year.
Tierney recommended increasing the scope of this project to include all
first five year project grouping roads located east of the Fox River.
This adds June Lane and Hidden Circle to the list, with the balance of
roads in that project group to be resurfaced in 2012.
Weinkauf moved, 2nd by Chart to resurface all of the roads in
the first five year project group that are located east of the Fox River this
year. Motion carried.
Work Order for 2011
Street Projects: John Tierney, Baxter-Woodman Engineering
Tierney presented a work order for design
and construction engineering services for all of the above referenced roads in
the amount of $51,800. He noted this
amount to be about 10% of the estimated project cost.
These services are normally calculated at 15%, but the size of the
project enabled some cost savings.
Weinkauf, 2nd by Lancour to approve the design and construction
engineering work order for 2011 street projects in the amount of $51,800.
Motion carried.
2011 Sewer Utility Budget
Novy reported on public
works and finance committee reviews of monthly and annual sewer flow data from
the past six years. Reduced flows
were reported in the last quarter of 2010.
The public works committee believes this to be the result of efforts
taken in the past year to reduce infiltration in the system.
This reduction in flows resulted in lower treatment costs for 2010 and
provided a basis for reducing estimated 2011 treatment costs.
By making this adjustment, the current sewer utility fee of $82.00 per
quarter appears sufficient for 2011. The
finance committee recommended maintaining the current rate, but re-visiting
flows and treatment costs this June to make sure they still display a downward
trend. Chart moved, 2nd
by Weinkauf to accept the finance committee’s recommendation to maintain the
current rate of $82.00 per quarter and to keep an eye on flows and costs for the
next two quarters. Motion carried.
Letter of Credit Extension or Redemption:
Johnson Development LLC (Coyote Territory)
Novy reported the
letter of credit for this development expires March 12, 2011.
A notice to submit a one-year extension was sent January 10th.
Authorization to draw the balance is
needed in case it is not received.
Johnson moved, 2nd by Bennett to authorize withdrawal of the balance
of the letter of credit for Johnson Development LLC if a one-year extension is
not received by March 10, 2011.
Motion carried.
Inquiry pertaining to
teen involvement opportunities on village boards and committees
Novy reported meeting with
Christina Weigler, Community Outreach Coordinator, from Waterford High School.
Weigler is looking for opportunities for Waterford High School students
to get involved in the community in ways that allow them to feel they are
contributing to community decisions.
She asked whether there are any opportunities for high school students to sit in
on and participate in village board or committee meetings.
Weinkauf noted the recent
work of Meg Webber to encourage participation in the village’s recycling program
as an example of how students can have positive impacts in the community.
Discussion was such that student interests must be compatible, but some
opportunities might exist within the Village’s committee structure.
Consensus of the Board was to invite Weigler to the next Board meeting
for further discussion.
Application for
Operator’s License : Devina M.
Johnson
Novy reported Johnson meets
the requirement of holding an operator’s license within the past two years.
Johnson’s background check showed three recent operating while under the
influence charges. Chart moved, 2nd
by Lancour to deny the application for operator’s license by Devina M. Johnson.
Motion carried.
Correspondence
was read from the legal counsel of
Associated General Contractors of
America stating disagreement with the Village’s recent action to revise
their request for proposals for construction management services;
Time Warner Cable including transmittal of an updated
government relations contact list and a promotional “Guide for Wisconsin
Policymakers”; and the City of Racine
Health Department inviting all Racine County municipalities to a
discussion on provision of animal control services on March 10th.
Chris Birkett, Chris Bennett and Betty Novy will attend.
Committee Reports:
Public Works Committee:
Birkett reported on the February 9th meeting.
Johnson, Bennett and Beere were absent.
Vince Klemko chaired the meeting.
The committee reviewed and recommended approval of the 15 year road plan;
reviewed sewer utility flows and discussed infiltration measures; heard a report
from the stormwater utility sub-committee;
reviewed and approved a request for proposals to solicit park mowing
services; and discussed possible restrictions involving the keeping of chickens
in residential areas. The next meeting
of the Committee is Tuesday, March 1st.
Ordinance Committee:
Beck reported the committee had not met for a while as it has been
waiting for zoning administrator review and recommendations to update the zoning
code. The next meeting is Monday,
February 21st. Weinkauf
questioned building inspection fees and reported a complaint regarding fees
charged for an agricultural storage building.
Novy reported the Village adopted the fee schedule utilized by the SE
Wisconsin Building Inspector’s Association. Fees
charged by other municipalities are to be researched in advance of renewing the
building inspection contract in 2012.
Village Hall Building Committee:
Chart reported the committee met January 31st to review
construction management service proposals.
Anderson-Ashton submitted a proposal that included architectural
services. The committee invited
three of the lowest bidders for construction management services only to submit
alternate bids that included architectural services; and Anderson-Ashton to
submit a proposal that does not include architectural services.
They felt this would allow apples to apples comparison.
Secondary proposals are due February 21st.
The next meeting of the committee will be February 28th.
Western Racine County Health Department:
Bennett reported predominant discussions at health department meetings
lately involve the withdrawal of Countryside Humane Society from providing
animal control services to the county effective December 2012.
Bennett reported several inquiries regarding how Rochester is providing
this service on their own. Bennett
plans to attend the county meeting on this on March 10th and remains
open to collaborative efforts.
Honey Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Board:
Weinkauf reported on the January 16th meeting of the district
board. They were informed that the
County Highway DD bridge project has been delayed due to a lack of funding.
They also discussed snowplowing operations and that all members of the
Spring Prairie Town Board will be replaced in the April election.
Finance Committee Report:
Beck reported the recommendations of the committee to approve all
disbursements listed on the check detail dated January 11, 2011 – February 14,
2011. They also recommended
reinvestment of a certificate of deposit for the sewer utility which recently
came due for $169,629.39 at the best rate of interest available for up to seven
months. All other recommendations
had been previously discussed during the course of the regular meeting.
Bennett moved, 2nd by Johnson to approve the finance committee’s
recommendations. Motion carried.
Bennett moved, 2nd by Chart
to adjourn at 8:55 p.m. Motion
carried
Respectfully submitted,
Betty J. Novy,
Clerk-Treasurer