Committee of the Whole Meeting Packets

CITY OF COLUMBUS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE COUNCIL AGENDA - AMENDED RESCHEDULED SPECIAL MEETING WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2023 – 6:30 PM 1. Roll Call 2. Notice of Open Meeting 3. Pledge of Allegiance 4. Approve Agenda 5. Citizen Comments 6. Department Reports: DPW, Fire, Library, Police, Treasurer, WWTP 7. Convene to closed session per §19.85(1)(e) deliberating or negotiating the purchase of public properties, the investment of public funds, or conducting other public business, whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session, specifically to discuss potential acquisition of parcels for the Hwy 73 project in the City of Columbus 8. Reconvene to open session 9. Adjourn  CITY COUNCIL REPORT FOR DECEMBER 19, 2023 MEETING LEVEL OF STAFFING - AS OF 11/30/2023 25 Paid on Call Firefighters - Non-Probationary Members 9 Paid on Call Firefighters - Probationary Members 1 Fire Chief 35 Total Active Members 5 Vacant Firefighter Positions 0 Hiring Process 0 Eligibility List Full staff level for active fire personnel is 40  INCIDENT RESPONSES November 2023 Alarm End City Rural # of Run # Alarm Date Time Time Incident Location Incident Incident Incident Type F.F. 23-196 11/01 12:21 12:34 150 Commerce Dr X Fire Alarm 1 23-197 11/01 19:12 20:40 151 NB 114 MM X MVA 15 23-198 11/02 06:08 08:00 151 NB 119 MM X MVA 7 23-199 11/04 11:58 13:00 W James/Maple Ave X MVA 16 23-200 11/06 08:08 08:25 640 W Fountain St X EMS Lift Assist 7 23-201 11/06 18:49 20:15 151 NB 115 MM X MVA 11 Park Ave/Heritage 23-202 11/07 06:03 06:22 X MVA/cancelled 7 Way 23-203 11/07 07:03 08:20 151 MM113 NB X Fire Alarm 8 ¼ mile south of 23-204 11/07 12:06 14:45 X MVA 10 N949 Cty N Mutual Aid 23-205 11/07 13:38 15:46 N7968 Chestnut Rd X 5 Randolph 23-206 11/07 18:10 18:50 204 Dix St X MVA 16 23-207 11/07 21:09 21:45 W950 Hwy 16 X MVA 13 23-208 11/10 16:56 18:00 N4920 Moriah Rd X EMS Assist 8 MABAS 23-209 11/11 10:38 12:18 4345 Eagle Rd X 4 Deforest/Windsor Drone used to find cattle in corn 23-210 11/11 11:05 13:45 N3021 Janke Rd X 5 field – Public Service Structure 23-211 11/17 00:54 03:00 N1598 Yerges Rd X 2 Fire/Portland 23-212 11/17 10:36 10:40 N8694 Hwy 73 X MVA 8 23-213 11/17 12:44 13:30 119 Meister Dr. #12 X EMS Lift Assist 8 23-214 11/18 15:22 16:30 118 SB on Ramp X 10-46 Vehicle 9 23-215 11/19 15:55 16:50 N1498 Schaefer Rd X EMS 8 23-216 11/23 18:08 18:23 112 Hurrelle St X CO Alarm 12 23-217 11/23 18:23 18:42 528 W Seldon St X EMS Lift Assist 9 23-218 11/25 04:09 05:35 MM 117 Hwy 151 X MVA 5 23-219 11/26 08:11 09:45 MM 116 Hwy 151 X MVA 14 23-220 11/27 15:22 15:50 146 W Mill St X Clean Up 7 23-221 11/30 22:22 22:28 550 River Rd, #104 X EMS Assist 11 Current Monthly Total: 25 Total Runs by Month: Jan 19 July 25 Feb 11 Aug 17 Mar 17 Sep 11 Apr 21 Oct 23 May 33 Nov 25 June 18 Dec Year to date total 221 Last Year at this time 177 TRAININGS, MEETINGS, AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES NOVEMBER 2023 11/01 Meeting – Officer Meeting – CFD – 8 Firefighters Training – Driver Training – Columbus – 2 Firefighters Training - Firefighter I Class – MATC – 5 Firefighters 11/02 Meeting – Training Planning Meeting – CFD – 6 Firefighters Training – Firefighter II Class - MATC – 3 Firefighters 11/03 Training – Driver Training – Columbus – 2 Firefighters 11/04 Training – Driver Training – Transit Road – 4 Firefighters 11/05 Training – Set up for Extrication – Old Countryside – 3 Firefighters 11/06 Training – Pump Operator – CFD – 5 Firefighters 11/07 Training – Driver Training – Columbus – 2 Firefighters Training – Extrication – Old Countryside – 25 Firefighters Training - Entry Level Fire Class – Mazomanie – 2 Firefighters 11/08 Activity – Fire Extinguisher Training – Columbus Chemical – 2 Fire Fighters Meeting – Dane County Chiefs – Middleton – 3 Firefighters Training - Firefighter I Class – MATC – 3 Firefighters 11/09 Training – Driver Training – Columbus – 2 Firefighters Training - Driver Training – Columbus – 2 Firefighters 11/11 Training – Pump Operator – MATC – 5 Firefighters Training – Ropes Training – CFD – 4 Firefighters Training - Entry Level Fire Class – MATC – 2 Firefighters 11/13 Training – Pump Operator – CFD – 4 Firefighters 11/14 Meeting – Compressor – CFD – 5 Firefighters Meeting – Regular Department – CFD – 27 Firefighters Training – Blood Born Pathogens – CFD – 28 Firefighters Training – Firefighter II Class – MATC – 3 Firefighters 11/15 Training – Firefighter I Class – MATC – 5 Firefighters Training – Driver Testing – CFD – 2 Firefighters 11/20 Training – MATC Operators – CFD – 4 Firefighters 11/21 Meeting – Apparatus Division – CFD – 3 Firefighters 11/24 Training – Driver Training – CFD – 2 Firefighters 11/28 Training – Peer Support – CFD – 22 Firefighters 11/29 Training - Firefighter I Class – MATC – 5 Firefighters ITEMS OF NOTE FOR NOVEMBER Scott Hazeltine – Columbus Fire Chief  November 2023 DIRECTOR’S REPORT LIBRARY NEWS Our preschool programs continues to be popular with both story time days having several families. Now that school is in full swing, our elementary aged programs have a lower attendance than in the summer. We will be looking to see if a different night of the week may work better. DINOvember has been a hit all month with programs centered on a dinosaur theme as well as a dino scavenger hunt in the children’s area. The staff has been working on getting ready for the big Holiday Train event on December 4. Adult programs have also continued to be popular. A Badger Talk by Bob McGrath on the Magic of Meditation and Mindfulness 101 by Susan Running were both well attended. Coming up we have Arts and Crafts Supply swap event which looks to be pretty popular. December 16 will be the Huma Siddiqui cooking even that had to be rescheduled. On December 14 we will be hosting an event that is sponsored by the Eric Cotter Agency. Families can come and get their picture taken with Santa Claus by photography Kate Bender. The price is a new, unwrapped gift for the N.I.C.C. Foundation. There will also be cookies and milk donated by downtown businesses. It will take place in the upstairs of the Library by the fireplace. This month we received a $2,500 grant from Enbridge to update our conference room including a large screen TV, conference room TV cart, and new tables. We received a $1,000 grant from the Center for East Asian Studies at UW Madison for new materials and programs focusing on East Asian Culture. BUILDINGS The smell in the Annex has continued to be an issue the past month. After having a plumber, WE Energy, DPW, and TAS Heating and Cooling all investigating the problem, we discovered the sewer line in front of the Annex is the issue. Many buildings downtown have been having the same smell which comes from a lack of water going through the sewer line. There is nothing on our end that can be done to fix it. Columbus Utilities will be adding a chemical to the line that will hopefully help with the smell. The toilet in the men’s bathroom would not stop running, so we had a plumber come in to fix the mechanism. MEETINGS Catherine, Helen, and Amanda attended the Wisconsin Library Association Conference in Middleton. November 16 was the SCLS All Directors meeting which was at the new SCLS Headquarters. November 17 was the Columbia County Board and Directors meeting in Randolph. DIRECTOR GOALS Goal #1- Create a new Strategic Plan- Amanda met with Shawn to go over the goals and benchmarks for the new plan. A draft was shared at the October meeting and will be discussed at the November meeting.  In-Person In-Person Take & Make & Live Virtual & Live Virtual (# kits taken) (# programs) (# attended) Future Readers 10 218 30 Children 4 47 60 Teen 1 3 0 Adult 12 89 0 General Interest 4 332 0 2023 2023 2022 2022 STATISTICS Month YTD YTD Total Visits (# door counts) 5,472 53,586 47,116 55,474 Items Borrowed (total) 4,781 45,320 45,337 53,701 % Columbus residents 52% 55% % Fall River residents 13% 10% % Other Columbia County 20% 21% % Dodge County 11% 10% % Other 5% 4% Digital Items Borrowed (# checkouts) 1,157 11,377 10,988 12,984 Books by Mail (# items sent) 26 301 183 193 Public WiFi (# sessions) 4,890 54,779 58,466 68,502 Public Computer Use (# sessions) 302 2,474 2,034 2,380 Wireless Printing & Faxing (# jobs) 80 890 624 761 Community Use of Rooms (# attended) 74 852 397 518 Patrons Added (# added) 26 318 232 255 November 2023  COLUMBUS POLICE DEPARTMENT 159 S. Ludington St. Columbus, WI. 53925 920-623-5919 (Main) 920-623-5930 (Fax) December 13, 2023 Mayor Hammer Members of the Common Council Columbus Police and Fire Commission: RE: POLICE DEPARTMENT ACTIVITY REPORT, NOVEMBER 2023 Attached is the monthly report for the Columbus Police Department. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions. Chief Dennis Weiner www.cityofcolumbuswi.com Dennis R. Weiner, Chief of Police  COLUMBUS POLICE DEPARTMENT 159 S. Ludington St. Columbus, WI. 53925 920-623-5919 (Main) 920-623-5930 (Fax) PERSONNEL The department is not fully staffed. Current staffing as of December 13, 2023: Authorized by Budget Actual Sworn Officers Full-time sworn police positions: 10 8 (Position breakdown) Patrol Officer 6 4 Sergeant 1 1 Lieutenant 2 2 Chief 1 1 Clerical Office Manager (full-time) 1 1 Clerk (full-time) 1 1 Current Staff: Name Date of Hire Chief Dennis Weiner 02/18/2008 Lieutenant Roger Witthun 12/17/2001 Lieutenant Darrel Ward 09/19/2022 Sergeant Mike Rosecky 12/30/2022 Officer Matt Schultz 12/23/2002 Officer Julia Knoll 01/03/2022 Officer Matt Dammen 01/03/2023 Officer Spencer Trevorrow 07/31/2023 Officer James Kicmol (part time) 09/25/2023 Officer vacant Officer vacant Office Manager Erika Kellar 02/04/1999 Public Safety Clerk Amanda 12/11/2023 Kulow www.cityofcolumbuswi.com Dennis R. Weiner, Chief of Police  COLUMBUS POLICE DEPARTMENT 159 S. Ludington St. Columbus, WI. 53925 920-623-5919 (Main) 920-623-5930 (Fax) PERSONNEL: Amanda Kulow has been hired to fill the Public Safety Clerk vacancy due to the retirement of Bonnie Langsdorf. She began on December 11, 2023. Amanda has 3 years experience working for the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office in an identical capacity, using virtually the same software platforms. The training and transition time for her is expected to be minimal. Bonnie Langsdorf’s last day was December 5, 2023 after almost 20 years. A luncheon was held for police department employees. Cake was also provided. Other city employees attended as well. Officer Trevorrow is graduating from the Madison College Police Academy on December 15, 2023. He will begin his local training the following week. We ran an officer recruitment that concluded December 1. We received 3 applications. One does not meet the minimum requirements, one was hired by another department and the last withdrew 2 hours before we were scheduled to meet with him. As of now, it appears we will run far in 2024 down 2 sworn staff. I am considering adding another part time officer to help with the voids and supplement staffing. Wages would come from the full-time vacancies. TRAINING: Officer Knoll attended a multiple day FTO (Field Training Officer) class in Waukesha. This class will enable her to be a member of the FTO team at the Columbus Police Department to help train new hires. New hires go through a comprehensive training program that involves all shifts and different trainers. FLEET: We auctioned the 2017, 162,000 mile squad we retired and received $5,200 for it. Payment was promptly received and vehicle has been picked up by the purchaser. The Dodge Durango we received earlier this year was finally fully equipped and returned to us for use. Our equipment installers were barraged with a backlog of vehicles and supply chain issues. The new Chevy Tahoe recently purchased is scheduled to be outfitted after the first of the year in conjunction with the semi- retirement of the 2019 squad, which will be stripped and used for travel to court, training, and miscellaneous errands. When that transition is concluded I will be requesting to auction the current vehicle we use for those miscellaneous purposes. We have put the department UTV to use on many occasions. These have included the homecoming parade, the Holiday Parade and the Holiday Train. We have only had it since late July. TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT: During the month of September officers issued 86 traffic citations, 18 ordinance citations and 98 warnings. CALLS OF INTEREST: A resident fell the victim to the grandparent scam that we hear so much of. This one had an even more concerning twist to it. After receiving the call and going to the bank to withdraw $9,000, the scammer came to the persons residence to collect the money to release her grandson, who was reportedly in jail. The incident remains under investigation. Columbus Police Department www.cityofcolumbuswi.com Dennis R. Weiner, Chief of Police  COLUMBUS POLICE DEPARTMENT 159 S. Ludington St. Columbus, WI. 53925 920-623-5919 (Main) 920-623-5930 (Fax) Columbus Police Department Total CAD Calls Received, by Nature of Call Nature of Call Total Calls Received ----------------------------- -------------------- 911 HANG UP 6 ACCIDENT HIT AND RUN 1 ACCIDENT PROPERTY DAMAGE ONLY 8 ACCIDENT WITH PERSONAL INJURY 3 ASSIST ANOTHER AGENCY 7 BURGLAR ALARM 3 FIRE ALARM 1 MEDICAL ALARM 2 PANIC ALARM 2 AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READE 1 ANIMAL COMPLAINTS 5 ANIMAL BITE 1 CAR VS DEER 4 MENTAL HEALTH COMMITMENT 1 CITIZEN ASSIST 11 CIVIL 2 COMPLIANCE CHECKS 1 CONTROLLED 3 CIVIL PROCESS 3 DISORDERLY CONDUCT 1 DISABLED VEHICLE 7 DOMESTIC ABUSE 6 DOMESTIC WITH INJURY 1 DPW 2 DRIVING COMPLAINT 10 ELDER ABUSE 1 ELUDING 1 EMS CALL 12 EMS-PNB 1 ESCORT 3 EXTRA PATROL 19 FOOT PATROL 2 FRAUD 2 ROAD HAZARD 5 HOUSE WATCH 1 JUVENILE INCIDENT 6 CALL IN LOBBY 1 LOST AND FOUND 2 MUTUAL AID 2 OUT WITH PERSON 3 OPEN DOOR 1 ORDINANCE VIOLATION 1 OWI 5 PARKING ENFORCMENT 13 PARKING VIOLATION 20 www.cityofcolumbuswi.com Dennis R. Weiner, Chief of Police  COLUMBUS POLICE DEPARTMENT 159 S. Ludington St. Columbus, WI. 53925 920-623-5919 (Main) 920-623-5930 (Fax) PROPERTY DAMAGE 2 SECURITY 145 SPECIAL EVENT 1 SUSPICIOUS 10 THEFT 7 THREAT 1 TIPS/LEADS 1 TRAFFIC CONTROL 1 TRAFFIC STOP 142 VEH LOCKOUT 7 WARRANT 3 WELFARE 22 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Total Calls: 535 www.cityofcolumbuswi.com Dennis R. Weiner, Chief of Police  Synopsis of Wastewater Department Activities November 2023 Columbus Wastewater department was 100% in compliance for the month of November. Duties and activities for November: • Weekly/daily lab tests for: BOD, TSS, PO4, Nh3, pH, DO complete. • Chloride samples collected. • Enter all data. • Submit WiDNR- DMR report for October • Decanting and pressing sludge throughout the month • Landspreading • All regular preventive maintenance complete • Maintenance and checks on lift stations • Televise and clean sewers