Committee of Whole

CITY OF HORICON COMMITTEE OF WHOLE APRIL 9, 2013 The Committee of Whole of the City of Horicon met in regular session on April 9, 2013. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Neitzel at 6:00 p.m. Alderpersons present: Hady, Marschke, Pahl, Miller, Plautz, and Wieneke. Alderpersons absent: None. Mayor Neitzel led the Pledge of Allegiance. Public Appearances: Two City residents spoke in favor of allowing hens in City limits. Motion by Hady, second by Miller, to allow the South Central Federation of Labor use of amplified music in Discher Park on June 22, 2013 for their annual picnic. All voting AYE. Motion carried. Rob Uphoff of MSA gave a brief presentation on a proposed contract amendment for the Well & Wellhouse #5 project. Information presented included additional costs incurred by MSA in the amount of $72,295; of this amount MSA has absorbed $53,690, they are requesting the City pay $18,605. Discussion was held in regard to the reason behind the additional costs. Motion by Hady, second by Miller, to approve MSA’s proposed contract amendment of an $18,605 increase for Well & Wellhouse #5. Voting AYE: Hady, Marschke, Miller, Plautz, and Wieneke. Voting NAY: Pahl. Motion carried. Rob Uphoff of MSA gave a brief explanation of Change Order 2 from Staab Construction for construction of Wellhouse #5. Motion by Miller, second by Plautz, to approve Change Order 2 from Staab Construction for Wellhouse construction for a net savings of $37,087. All voting AYE. Motion carried. Discussion was held in regard to allowing chickens in City limits. Items discussed included: prohibiting roosters, number of hens to allow, proximity to neighbors, allowable coops, and inspection/enforcement of licensed chickens. Mayor Neitzel instructed Wieneke to work on gathering information and drafting an ordinance for the Council to review. Dave Magnussen, Public Works/Utility Supervisor, presented a list of individuals he would like to hire for the Part-Time Spring/Fall Parks positions, Part-Time Summer Parks positions, and the Part- Time Utility position. CITY OF HORICON COMMITTEE OF WHOLE APRIL 9, 2013 Motion by Marschke, second by Miller, to approve employment of the following: Part-Time Spring/Fall Parks: Dave Berggren $9.50/hour Milton Schessow $9.50/hour Dale Vander Schaaf – Alternate $9.50/hour Part-Time Summer Parks: Dustin Hoefs $7.25/hour Anthony Schuett $7.25/hour Aaron Bischoff $7.25/hour Part-Time Utility: Austin Hoefs $7.25/hour All voting AYE. Motion carried. Magnussen presented a bid tab for the 2013 Mill & Overlay project. Discussion was held in regard to the bids and possible removal of one of the streets listed. He also presented cost estimates for storm sewer alternatives. Magnussen announced he will be requesting the Council to decide on an engineering firm for bridge design at their next meeting. Discussion was held pertaining to Dodge County Housing Authority’s request for the City to contribute funding for storm sewer work they performed at 905 Division Street. Donna Braun from the Dodge County Housing Authority listed costs incurred for the entire project as well as an estimate of the cost to replace piping the City already had on the property. Motion by Plautz, second by Miller, to authorize payment of $10,000 from fund balance to be paid to the Dodge County Housing Authority for storm sewer work done at 905 Division Street. All voting AYE. Motion carried. Mayor Neitzel announced he had been approached by a resident requesting the City lower the speed limit on the hill/curve located on Hwy 33 before its intersection with Clason Street; the resident also requested a sign be erected indicating a curve ahead. Discussion was held in regard to Connecting Limits which gives the City authority over Hwy 33 from Hwy 28 to Clinton Street, anything outside of this is governed by the State. It was indicated the hill/curve is already posted at 25mph but the City would like it reduced to 25mph prior to reaching the hill/curve. The City will contact the DOT to inquire about lowering the speed limit and the placement of additional signage. There were no operator license applications. Non-Action Discussion: Joseph Adamson, Police Chief, announced the new 2013 squad has been put in service. He thanked the Council for allowing purchase of the squad early in the year. Adamson also announced Rapid Response Police Training was currently being held with area departments at St. Stephen School. CITY OF HORICON COMMITTEE OF WHOLE APRIL 9, 2013 Dave Magnussen announced he is in the process of contacting the DOT for placement of temporary stoplights to relieve traffic congestion on Hwy 33. Plautz inquired on the status of the City website. Kristen Jacobson, Clerk-Treasurer, stated all users had been provided their login information and Department Heads were to sign off on their respective pages prior to the site going live. Plautz also inquired on the status of the recodification project. Jacobson stated she had just received notification a first draft should be issued in May. Jacobson announced the City will hold their Organizational meeting next Tuesday. Hady stated she had noticed an increase in both traffic and speed on the west side of Hwy 33, she requested the Police Department place their Smart Unit to advise motorists of their speed. Mayor Neitzel announced he would like to hold a Public Informational Meeting on the status of the East Lake Street Bridge at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17. Neitzel also announced he recently attended a Mayor Consortium and local government entities are considering introducing their departments with one another to encourage sharing of processes and ideas. Motion by Plautz, second by Miller, to adjourn. All voting AYE. Meeting adjourned at 7:56 p.m. _____________________________________ Kristen M. Jacobson, City Clerk-Treasurer