Committee of the Whole

CITY OF AMERY COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE PROCEEDINGS September 21st, 2022 The Committee of the Whole of the City of Amery met on Wednesday – September 21st, 2022 at City Hall. Council President, Sarah Flanum called the meeting to order at 5:00 P.M. Present: Council President, Sarah Flanum; Mayor, Chad Leonard; and Alderpersons, Rick Van Blaricom; Mike Manor and Eric Elkin. Absent: Mykaela Thompson. Staff Present: City Administrator, Patty Bjorklund; City Clerk-Treasurer, Ben Jansen; Police Chief, Tom Marson; Lieutenant, Jason Hickok; Fire Chief, Chuck Frohn; Library Director, Rachel Thomas, Library Director, Heather Wiarda; and Deputy Clerk/Treasurer, Taylor Larson. Staff Absent: Public Works Director, Jeff Mahoney. Others Present: None. Department Head Reports – Reports were heard from Administrator, Bjorklund; Clerk-Treasurer, Jansen; Chief, Marson; Lieutenant, Hickok; Director, Thomas; Director, Mahoney and Deputy Clerk/Treasurer, Larson. Community Center Lease – The lease for the Community Center is set to expire at the end of the year and must be renewed if the current usage is to remain the same. No meetings have yet been scheduled between the Community Center Board and the City. Mayor, Leonard stated that he would like to see the guaranteed $25,000 a year from the City removed and a yearly request made instead. No action was taken at this time but City staff was instructed to reach out to the Community Center and to begin talks regarding a new lease. Public Works Building RFP – City staff had sent out an RFP for a new public works building but received no bids on the project. Public Works Director, Mahoney had previously solicited a bid for the building at a cost of approx. $313,000. No action was taken at this meeting but formal approval will be sought at the October Council Meeting. Ordinance 08-2022: Obstruction of Waterways – This ordinance is a simple change from the current one that the City has. Currently this section states that any public drainage cannot be blocked. The major change is that the “public” portion has been removed so that any waterway in the City cannot be blocked. Motion by Van Blaricom; seconded by Leonard; to recommend the passage of Ordinance 08-2022 to Council. Ayes – 4 Nays – 0 Motion Carried. 2023 Budget Discussion: Police Squad Car Request – Lt. Hickok informed the Committee that the timing for ordering new squad cars is significantly shorter than in the past. The current estimate is that the City has less than a week to decide whether to order a new squad or not. The estimated cost for a new squad is about $39,000 plus approx. $11,000 for outfitting. The dealership is offering a trade in of $12,000 for the old squad. Van Blaricom asked if it wouldn’t be a better idea to try to sell the squad car to a private party as used cars are going for above market value routinely. Motion by Leonard; seconded by Van Blaricom; to recommend the purchase of the squad car to Council. Ayes – 4 Nays – 0 Motion Carried. Lt. Hickok also spoke to the Committee about the need to replace the radios in the squad cars as they are outdated and are unable to communicate with the County. City staff was instructed to add the replacement cost for the radios into the Capital Replacement Budget. Other budget items discussed were the need to have a lease for all entities within the City’s buildings to ensure a fair and equitable cost sharing agreement. Public Comment – Mayor Leonard stated that he would like to see the first meetings of the Arts, Parks, and Rec. and Recycling Committees. 1 Motion by Van Blaricom; seconded by Leonard; to adjourn at 6:05 P.M. Ayes – 4 Nays – 0 Motion Carried Respectfully Submitted, Ben Jansen, MPA Clerk-Treasurer September 22, 2022 2