Village Board

EAST TROY VILLAGE BOARD MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE July 23, 2018 Page 1 of 4 Call Meeting to Order; Pledge of Allegiance Administrator Suhm verified the meeting was posted according to law. Roll Call: President Seager called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Present: President Scott Seager, Trustees John Alexander, Alexander Alger, Alan Boyes, John J. Jacoby, Matt Johnson and Forty Renucci Excused: Others: Chief Swendrowski, DPW Director Equitz, Administrator Suhm, Attorney Pruitt Discussion Items 1. Economic Development workshop with Graef, a. Primary discussion to include CDA (Community Development Authority) b. Other items could be discussed including, BID (Business Improvement District), revitalization grants and/or marketing Tanya Fonseca and Larry Witzling were present from Graef. Ms. Fonseca explained the formation of a CDA was part of the strategic plan. She recommended the Village consider a separate ad hoc committee initially to decide what the initial projects, goals and responsibilities should be for the CDA. The recommended composition for a CDA, once is formed, was also discussed. Two Board members, and possibly the Administrator, were suggested as members to ensure the Village Board is kept informed of CDA activities. The remaining members would be non-Village board members. She suggested individuals with experience as brokers; attorneys; Plan Commission members; economists or economic development specialists; or business owners, general managers or operators. The total number of members recommended for a CDA is seven. The benefit of a CDA is strong public/private partnerships. It is a separate legal entity with much authority. Bylaws would need to be created for this organization. Discussed the advantages of giving a CDA freedom, but ensuring they report back on the items the board determines are necessary. Trustee Boyes expressed concerns about the potential for the CDA to move forward on development without considering the impacts on services such as DPW and Police. It was discussed any proposal would still be reviewed by the Plan Commission, as it is today. Some communities require the CDA to present a development with long-term fiscal impacts as well. When asked if authority could be repealed once given to a CDA, Attorney Pruitt advised this can be done, but in doing so the Village must be cognizant of any contractual obligations of the CDA. It was clarified the appointment of members is a recommendation from the Village President with confirmation by the Village Board. The statute also provides provisions for removal of members. There are term limits for all appointed members of the CDA.  EAST TROY VILLAGE BOARD MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE July 23, 2018 Page 2 of 4 Benny Stichmann was present as an audience member and expressed a desire to see the CDA focusing on developing manufacturing and industrial. He stated he felt commercial will follow this type of development as a natural progression. It was discussed that the goal should be development of recommendations for who should be on the ad hoc committee by the next Board meeting. Meetings for the ad hoc committee should be one to three times per month. President Seager questioned if Graef has recommended a CDA in all the communities they have been involved in. Larry Witzling discussed communities that have not moved forward with one, such as Twin Lakes. He stated it is really a question of whether the Village feels they need to be able to negotiate with developers in a confidential manner and would like to move forward. Discussed there are some communities that have or are looking into disbanding the CDA, such as South Milwaukee, who was using it purely as a housing authority, and Caledonia. If the Village decides to proceed with a CDA an ordinance would need to be approved. First, the ad hoc committee would need to identify the mission, projects and goals. Discussed a potential focus on a façade grant program and the new TID. At the next Village Board meeting the Board will make decisions on committee members and discussed including a Plan Commission member on the committee. Ms. Fonseca also discussed a potential for a BID, stating the decision to move forward on this will need to be made by business owners. Motion by President Seager, second by Trustee Johnson, to take a five-minute recess. Motion carried. President Seager reconvened the meeting at 8:07 p.m. 2. Discussion regarding utility pole relocations and other improvements on the square Director Equitz reviewed the history of the topic, stating in June the Board reviewed a proposal to remove some of the utility poles along the west and south sides of the Square. The project amount is $110,000 to relocate the feeds to the buildings from different directions. The utilities will not be buried. The total includes moving WeEnergies and Spectrum utilities. Trustee Jacoby expressed his support for the project, stating it cleans up the area and opens up the ability to widen sidewalks and allow for sidewalk dining. It was clarified these poles are not being relied upon for the holiday lights project. Audience member, Jim Taylor, expressed his support for the project when asked. Audience member, Benny Stichmann, inquired why the east side of the Square was not being considered. It was explained this is a project that could be done in phases and the east side is  EAST TROY VILLAGE BOARD MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE July 23, 2018 Page 3 of 4 much more expensive due to it being a higher voltage line. A prior estimate for the whole Square was $300,000 for WeEnergies utilities alone. An electrician would also need to be hired to feed the electric to the businesses from the back of the building. Director Equitz estimated approximately $10,000 in additional cost for this. Director Equitz questioned whether the Board should have a cohesive plan for the Square. The Board discussed concerns about waiting due to increased costs. However, there were also concerns about the project not being in the budget. Director Equitz was directed to incorporate the project into the capital budget and the Board will review this as a budgeted item along with other capital budget considerations. The Board also discussed the request to place trees in the sidewalks. Director Equitz reviewed the options of potted trees and planting trees in the sidewalks. He expressed concern after reviewing some planters where it was recommended to remove soil during the winter months. He feels placing the trees within the sidewalks may be less labor intensive. The Board also discussed concerns regarding exposure to street salt when they are within the sidewalks and drainage from pots running on sidewalks. It was suggested the Village could consider grated areas for pots, which would assist with drainage and keep sidewalks clean. Engineer Nunn reminded the Board to be cognizant of required ADA pathways when this item is reviewed. When maintenance was discussed, audience member Benny Stichmann suggested business owners could be responsible for maintaining trees or plantings in front of their building. The Board decided a committee should be formed to discuss the tree options and arriving at selections of plantings so there is some consistency. They discussed the committee including Director Equitz, a trustee and business owners. 3. Discussion regarding a committee and options for future uses of property surrounding dam and impoundment area Discussion included the following: • An audience member inquired why dredging was discussed at the last meeting, expressing concern regarding including this in a referendum. Trustee Jacoby discussed he had brought this up, stating he feels if the project is completed, he feels this should be included to complete the project correctly. It was discussed if the ultimate use of the area is recreational and this is to be used as a navigable body of water then dredging may be necessary. • Audience members discussed the invasive nature of the cattails and questioned the safety of the area as it is today. • Discussion occurred regarding the cost to remove and the make area useful again versus the cost to repair the dam. o Concerns were expressed about long-term maintenance of a dam and how to make that sustainable.  EAST TROY VILLAGE BOARD MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE July 23, 2018 Page 4 of 4 o The time required to dewater the area if the dam were removed was also discussed. • A fixed spillway was discussed. Engineer Nunn stated she believed when this was previously discussed it was determined a fixed spillway would be more expensive. It was also discussed a drawback of this would be the inability to remove boards in flooding situations. • The Board discussed an overall desire to improve the area for resident’s use and consider the community as a whole. o They further discussed planning for the area and staggering improvements within the plan as well as seeking grant funds for improvements to the area. o Discussion also occurred regarding the overall aesthetics of the dam and surrounding area as people are entering the Village. o Tim Lynch, Lynch & Associates, offered Ayres (engineering firm) could model what the new dam would look like and include options to make it more aesthetically pleasing. • The timing of the project was discussed o The grant deadline to have plans and specifications submitted to the DNR is January 2, 2019. ▪ It was estimated the DNR would potentially issue an approval by March, but it may be desirable for the Village to go out to bid sooner than this o Once the DNR approves the plans, the project must be bid within 90 days. • The Board discussed establishing a Committee and directed the following: o Based on timeline discussed, they would like the committee to come back with recommendations by September 15 o The recommendations should include options to repair and remove o Recommendations for individuals on the committee will be considered at the August 6, 2018, Village Board meeting ▪ Committee will be comprised of an equal number of individuals in favor of keeping the dam as those in favor of removing the dam ▪ When the Board reviews recommendations, they will appoint a head of the committee ▪ The timeline will need to be aggressive, with the potential for several meetings per week • The timing of the grant deadlines and repair deadline of August 2019 may not be conducive to a referendum as previously discussed. o With the formation of a committee, the Board discussed they likely would not move forward with a referendum. Adjourn Motion by Trustee Renucci, second by Trustee Boyes to adjourn at 10:04 p.m. Motion carried. Respectfully Submitted, Eileen Suhm, Administrator