CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS COMMITTEE
Regular MeetingMilwaukee, WI · April 3, 2014
Minutes
200 E. Wells Street
City of Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53202
Meeting Minutes
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
COMMITTEE
ALD. ROBERT BAUMAN, CHAIR
Ald. Nik Kovac, Ald. Michael Murphy, Ghassan Korban,
Martin Matson, Mark Nicolini, and Mariano Schifalacqua
Staff Assistant: Linda Elmer, 286-2231
Fax: 286-3456, lelmer@milwaukee.gov
Fiscal Planning Specialist: Kathleen Brengosz, 286-3926,
kbreng@milwaukee.gov
Thursday, April 3, 2014 9:00 AM City Hall, Room 301-B
1. Review and approval of the minutes of the March 5, 2014 meeting.
Meeting convened: 9:02 A.M.
Members present: Mr. Froh, Mr. Korban, Mr. Schifalacqua, Mr. Dennis Yaccarino
present for Mr. Nicolini, Ald. Bauman, Mr. Matson (arrived at 9:05 A.M.) and Ald.
Kovac (arrived at 9:15 A.M.)
Mr. Schifalacqua moved for approval of the minutes, seconded by Mr. Korban. There
were no objections.
2. Communication transmitting the 2015 Capital Improvements Budget Requests.
--Overview from the Budget and Management Division
Mr. Dennis Yaccarino presented an overview of the capital requests . He said that the
2015 capital requests totaled $277 million. The levy supported request is $141
million. He said the capital plan allows for approximately $81.7 million and that it will
be challenging to match the identified needs with what the City can afford. The
enterprise fund requests totaled $136 million.
---City Assessor
Ms. Mary Reavey and Steve Miner present for the department.
Ms. Reavey discussed the request for a new tax assessment software system. She
stated that the current system is antiquated and that a new system would create
efficiencies and increase system functionality. She said the system will interface with
other City systems and departments including the Treasurer , DNS and DPW. She
said that the department plans to purchase a software product and that both she and
a key member of her staff have experience with system replacement at other
municipalities. She said the cost estimated is based on costs incurred by similar
organizations that have recently purchased systems like this. She said that this will
be a two year project.
---Comptroller
Mr. Martin Matson present on this item.
Mr. Matson distributed a handout titled "Comptroller's Request Updated 4/314" and
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found in file 131718. Mr. Matson discussed the request for a new imaging system for
the Comptroller’s Office. He said that he would like to reduce the request from
$500,00 0 to $370,000 and to use the request for the Records Center where the
current eVault system exists. Mr. Matson said that he would like the Comptroller’s
office to be a test department for a city-wide imaging system. He described an
example of how Workflow would improve efficiency and reduce costs. He said the
request would fund the infrastructure that would allow Workflow to be implemented in
the future and that the project could be replicated in other departments. He said that
the current request only affects imaging in the Comptroller’s office . He said the
imaging system would work with Oracle databases because PeopleSoft is Oracle
based. He said that information is accessed daily and that Milwaukee reviews a
much higher number of grant and aid projects on a daily basis than it peer cities. Mr.
Matson said that he was not sure if the project would result in staff changes or
reductions.
---Dept. of Administration - Information and Technology Division (ITMD)
Nancy Olson - DOA-IITMD, Spencer Coggs and Jim Klajbor - Treasurer's Office
present on this item.
Ms. Olson presented the capital request for the Dept. of Administration – ITMD. Ald.
Bauman asked why some departments are requesting IT projects on their own. Ms.
Olson said that departments which retain IT staff in their departmental budgets will
request their own IT projects. She said there has been some IT consolidation. In
2013 DPW and Health Department were consolidated. The Port and DCD are
schedule for consolidation in 2014. Ms. Olson said that the Record Center which
oversees the City’s eVault is not part of ITMD.
Ms. Olson discussed the proposed tax collection for the Treasurer’s Office . She said
the current in-house system was built 1982 and that recruiting for system
maintenance skills is very difficult. She said that it is one of the few systems still
running on the IBM mainframe which will no longer be supported after December 31,
2013. She said that ITMD will freeze the mainframe environment until it can be
replaced. Ms. Olson said that she expects to see operational savings from
reductions in software and hardware maintenance. The system would provide
enhanced functionality and provide data and resources to other departments. She
said the RFP would include the features and functionalities that the City requires .
She said there will be more opportunities for citizen interaction such as displaying old
tax bills. Mr. Coggs said that the Treasurer’s Office collects over $750,000,000 in
property taxes and sends out nearly 540,000 tax bills.
Ms. Olson discussed the remaining capital requests. She said that an increasing
number of applications are looking to use the City’s mapping capabilities . The
MapMilwaukee arc GIS project would allow the department to update the public
internet MapMilwaukee and COMPASS as well as create an intranet environment to
allow sensitive data to be protected in City applications. She said that most software
available today has GIS capabilities. Ms. Olson that the Workplace Safety project
was partially funded in 2013 and that the life safety systems and the floor plan have
been updated. She said that the consolidation effort has added more employees to
the 4th floor of the 809 building. The 2015 funding would update lighting,
environmental controls, the conference room and common areas. Ms. Olson said
that there are three IT upgrades projects proposed for 2015; the Lagan employee
mobile application which would allow City employees to get and complete work
orders in the field, network switch upgrades, and upgrades for the City’s website
software. Ms. Olson said that approximately 1,400 mobile devices access the City’s
email system. Funding for mobile security and management would increase the
security of those devices and simplify their maintenance.
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---Election Commission
Mr. Neil Albrecht presented the request from the Election Commission for new voting
equipment. Mr. Albrecht said that the current Optek Eagle tabulators were designed
in the early 1990s and had an anticipated lifespan of 15 years. He said the City has
using them for 21 years. Mr. Albrecht said that in the most recent election where
turnout was under 10% there were approximately six machine shutdowns or jams.
He said that turnout will be much higher in the 2016 elections and that machine
breakdowns could result in long lines at polling places. He said that the new
machines will still use paper ballots because touchscreen machines tend to have
higher levels of voter confusion and dissatisfaction He said he hoped to have the
new machines in place for the 2015 elections to give poll workers the opportunity to
become familiar with the machines before the busier 2016 election cycle. Ald.
Bauman asked if it could wait until 2017. Mr. Albrecht said that he would have
concerns about using the current equipment for a presidential election because of the
volume of ballots. Mr. Albrecht said that the City owns about 300 of the Optek
Eagles, 60 of which are used for central count processing of presidential election
absentee ballots. He said that when the City began to use a central count process
for absentee ballots additional machines were purchased from Detroit. He said the
request includes just two tabulators for central counting because those machines will
be larger and have more capabilities such as being able to accept ballots from any of
the 327 wards.
---City Clerk
Mr. Jim Owczarski present on this item.
Mr. Owczarski discussed the four requests for the City Clerk’s Office . He requested
funding for the Capital Improvements Committee, Phase 2 of the Channel 25 Digital
Conversion Project, repairs and minor improvements to Room 307 in City Hall, and a
renovation project for Room 205 in City Hall.
He said that his department is working with Purchasing on the Digital Conversion
project. He said that both Room 307 and Room 205 had been requested in previous
budget years. He said that problems with the mechanical systems in both spaces are
the primary driver of the requests. He also said that cost estimates were provided by
DPW.
---City Attorney
Mr. Paul Fredrich (Dept. of Public Works - Facilities) and Atty. Vincent Moschella
presented the capital request for the remodeling project on the 8th Floor of City Hall.
Mr. Fredrich said that they physical renovation has not started yet. He said that DPW
plans to hire Quorum Architects as a sole source to develop a demolition plan and do
the mechanical design. Quorum is the designer of the floor plan that the City
Attorney is requesting. Ald. Bauman asked if the 2014 funding would be carried over
into 2015. Mr. Fredrich replied that he expected much if it to be used in 2014. Ald.
Kovac asked about maintaining public asses to the library space. Mr. Moschella said
that maintaining public access to the library would eliminate between 25% and 33%
of the usable space. Ald. Kovac asked if the design had been altered to
accommodate scheduled events that may be open to the public. Mr. Moschella said
that the concepts of office space and grand public space are incompatible. He added
that all the staff will not fit on the 8th floor if the library space is not utilized for offices.
He also said that it is inefficient to manage the operations of the department when
they are in separate locations. Ald. Kovac asked if staffing levels had increased. Mr.
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Moschella said yes. Ald. Kovac requested details of past staffing levels. Mr. Korban
asked Mr. Fredrich if the department will be able to do the work scheduled for 2014
without knowing what the final floor plan will look like. Mr. Fredrich said yes, adding
that most of the work scheduled for 2014 was for the demolition of the existing interior
and the installation of the head end of the HVAC system. He said that the walls
would be part of Phase 2 or Phase 3. Mr. Moschella said that the request is for 2015
is the funding which would get into the details of the floor plan. Ald. Bauman
suggested removing funding from the budget until the floor plan issue is settled. Mr.
Schifalacqua asked if the premise that all the attorneys need to be together on a
single floor was still valid. Mr. Moschella said he believed it was.
---Municipal Court
Ms. Sheldyn Himle presented the request from the Municipal Court for an upgrade to
the Court’s website and automated tracking system. She said that this is a mission
critical system that has reached the end of its ten year life expectancy. She said it is
expected to be a two year project.
---Port of Milwaukee
Mr. Paul Vornholdt presented seven capital requests for the Port of Milwaukee . He
described four of them, dockwall rehabilitation, roadway paving, port security and pier
berth and channel improvements as maintenance of effort. Mr. Vornholdt said the rail
track and service upgrades are related to the need to upgrade the weight of the rails
to meet current standards and to address flooding. These improvements will make
rail service more reliable for tenants. He said that the Port is attempting to leverage
the $500,000 that has already been budgeted by applying for $1.8 million WisDOT
grant. He said funding may be used to add track to the lake classification yard
because the Port has a tenant who might be able to utilize the increased capacity.
He said that requested terminal resurfacing is related to deferred maintenance.
---Dept. of Neighborhood Services
Mr. Art Dahlberg presented the capital requests for the Department of Neighborhood
Services (DNS).
Mr. Dahlberg discussed the conversion of the Anderson Tower Garage . He said that
staffing increases have been related to a reorganization in the Residential
Enforcement Nuisance Control area and the creation of Special Enforcement. Mr.
Dahlberg said that DNS has employees at four locations. He said there are 70
employees at the Anderson Tower and that it is important for work teams to be
co-located.
Mr. Dahlberg described the Development Center remodeling project. He has the
project was partially funded in 2014 and that Phase 2 is being proposed for 2015. He
said the project will improve customer service by allowing two managers to have a
direct line of sight to the service counter so they can better monitor activities there.
Mr. Dahlberg discussed the proposed conversion of microfilmed records to scanned
images. He said there are over 7.7 million permit records stored on microfilm. The
equipment used to store and access the microfilm is no longer manufactured and
parts are hard to find. He said that digital storage would improve public access to the
images. He said the microfilm is accessed regularly by the public. He said the intent
is to contract with a private firm to convert the images.
---Dept. of City Development
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Recess: 10:30 A.M.
Reconvened: 10:52 A.M.
Ms. Martha Brown presented the Dept. of City Development (DCD) capital requests.
She said that DCD is requesting $25.3 million for 2015, about 80% of which relates to
Tax Increment Financing. She said $5.3 million is for other capital needs.
Ald. Kovac asked if the department tracked retail that was maintained or attracted by
the City’s investment in DCD’s capital programs. Ms. Brown said no. She said there
may be an opportunity for the Business Districts to track it for themselves. She
suggested that property value appreciation might be a useful metric for evaluating the
effectiveness of the City’s investment. Mr. Korban asked how money is allocated to
projects. She replied that funding is allocated based on the cost of the project. She
said that design standards make it unlikely that any one project would use all of the
funding available in any given year.
Ms. Brown said that the Healthy Neighborhoods program is a partnership with the
Greater Milwaukee Foundation. That provides funding for resident initiated projects in
nine designated areas. She said the department reserves one third of the City’s
contribution for small scale projecs in neighborhoods other than the designated
healthy neighborhoods. She said the nine neighborhoods were determined by the
Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
Ms. Brown said that the $500,000 in the Façade capital account will also fund a city
wide White Box program and the Retail Investment fund. Ald. Bauman asked about
the amount of carryover in several of the DCD capital accounts. Mr. Schroeder said
the large carryover amounts were caused by the department spending down the
balance in the Development Fund. He said the combined expenditure from the
Development Fund and the Façade account was $580,000 in 2013. Ald. Bauman
asked if there are enough requests from businesses to justify the level of funding.
Ms. Brown said that the recession had affected business owners’ ability to make use
of some DCD programs because they are matching grants. She said that the
department has begun taking applications online which should improve access to the
program. Ald. Bauman asked for a 3 year summary of the Façade program,
including projects, funding levels, expenditures and requests received.
Ms. Brown discussed several other capital programs. She said that the department
is using four approaches to incentivize the sale and renovation of city owner tax
foreclosed residential properties; forgivable loans for new owner occupant buyers,
rental rehabilitation loans to investor buyers; building repairs at the homes enrolled in
the lease to own program, and the establishment of partnerships with home
ownership agencies that are involved in the sale of foreclosed properties. Ms. Brown
said that the 2014 Budget included $200,000 for a new capital program to make
vacant lots assets to their neighborhoods. She said the department is working with
the Office of Environmental Sustainability and DPW to finalize the plan for the
deployment of the money. She expected the spending plan to be finalized in the next
few weeks. Ms. Brown said that as part of the SNIP program the department is
requesting $500,000 to incentivize the renovation and sale of city owned commercial
buildings by offering renovation loans for commercial properties.
---Milwaukee Water Works
Ms. Carrie Lewis presented the capital request for the Milwaukee Water Works .
Ms. Lewis described the projects scheduled at the Linnwood plant including the
replacement of the dielectrics, the replacement of the motor control centers and the
replacement of steel piping. Ms. Lewis said that the utility is beginning to investigate
the installation of a side stream ozone injector system to replace the current diffuser
stone system. She said that side stream injection is the current technology and there
may be operational benefits to upgrading. Funding in 2015 would allow the project to
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move forward if the cost benefit analysis is positive. Ms. Lewis described another
project that is being evaluated. This project would increase the efficiency of the
coagulation and settling processes. She anticipated that there would be operational
savings because the project would reduce the amount of chemicals that are needed
to treat the water. Ms. Lewis said that the consolidation of the meter shops is about
40% complete.
Ald. Bauman stated that the Water Works should be investing more aggressively in
its infrastructure and raising rates to pay for it. Mr. Yaccarino said it was important to
carefully align capital investments with rate increases needs so the appropriate
funding is available. Mr. Schifalacqua said that the water main replacement request
should be based on the actual needs of the system. Ms. Lewis said that she believed
15 miles of main annual main replacement would be adequate to maintain the system
in good condition. Ald. Bauman suggested increasing the water main request. Mr.
Yaccarino said that if the water mains were increased , some other project would have
to be postponed or the City would have to use a different source of funding such as
borrowing. Ms. Lewis said the utility was criticized during the last rate case for not
borrowing enough for main replacement. She also said that interest and the principal
on debt are not recoverable through the rate. She said that whatever rate of return
the utility asks for would be used to pay principal and interest on debt. Ms. Lewis
said that if the water main request was increased to $15 million that the utility has the
capacity to use it in 2015.
---Sewer Maintenance Fund
Mr. Tim Thur discussed the capital requests for the Sewer Maintenance Fund . He
said the department is requesting funds for six programs in 2015. He said the request
includes $1.75 million in grant funding from MMSD for a private property inflow and
infiltration (I&I) program. He said that $33 million has been requested for the sewer
relay program. He said that miles replaced will be slightly lower because the large
diameter projects which are scheduled cost more per foot. He said the department
will still be above the goal of 27 miles per year.
Mr. Thur said that the I&I request was $2 million less than anticipated because of a
separate request for flood mitigation. Both requests are designed to reduce flooding
and keep water out of the sanitary sewer system but the method is different enough
that the department submitted a separate request.
The committee discussed the benefits and limitations of relining sewers. Mr. Thur
said that the diameter loss is nominal and that the liner for an 8” sanitary sewer would
be about 6mm thick. Mr. Korban said that the loss of diameter is offset by improved
hydraulics. Mr. Thur said that if the host pipe is extremely deteriorated or has settled,
it will not be a good candidate for lining. Mr. Thur said it appears that liners may last
close to 75 years. He said most sewers are 9 or 10 feet deep so they are always
below the frost line.
The committee discussed the I&I program. Mr. Thur said that the City program
addresses the sewer mains and the manholes. He said that MMSD has a private
property program that addresses the laterals on private property. The City has done
two projects using the MMSD program. Mr. Thur said that for the lateral work, a
cleanout is installed two or three feet from the house and the lateral is lined from the
main to the cleanout. The average cost is $6,100 per house. The average lateral
length is 50 feet. Mr. Thur said the price is lower than it was a few years ago but not
as low as we would like it to be. He said lining the main sewers and the laterals in
the Cooper Park area reduced flow by 47%. Mr. Thur said that Wauwatosa has done
some lateral lining and grouting and they are seeing similar flow reductions. Flow
reduction data is not available yet for the Clemens neighborhood project.
Mr. Thur described the pilot foundation drain disconnection project in the Cooper park
area. He said the voluntary program will cover four blocks. Property owners will be
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asked to disconnect foundation drains from the sanitary sewer and install a sump
pump. Mr. Thur said that every year, between 70 and 80 homes disconnect their
foundation drains because of other related work on their property.
Mr. Thur discussed the flood mitigation project in the Dineen park area. He said the
City is partnering with Milwaukee County and MMSD to construct a 25 year, level
protection retention pond in Dineen Park for high flow. Mr. Thur said the project may
be constructed in 2015. He said that a 50 year level protection facility would have
required the removal of the lagoon and that residents wanted to keep the lagoon. He
said that there was no other viable solution to the flooding issues. Mr. Polenske said
that this is a major positive shift in Milwaukee County’s policy for working with the City
to manage storm water issues.
Mr. Thur said that the channel maintenance program is for sections of river channel
for which the City has responsibility. He said that MMSD has jurisdiction over most of
the rivers and streams. But there are some smaller, upstream segments that fall on
the community to maintain.
---Dept. of Public Works - Parking
Ms. Cindy Angelos discussed the capital requests for DPW –Parking . She said that
capital projects are planned at five parking garages for 2015. She said that projects
and the 2nd Street structure will include the modernization of the west elevator,
membrane replacement and a façade inspection. She said the elevator project will
be very similar to the recent replacement of the east elevators. Ms. Angelos said
projects at the 4th and Highland structure include the installation of a backup
electrical backup system, the re-cabling of two elevators, the replacement of 10
windows on the south wall and a façade inspection. MacArthur Square includes
basement level repairs, joint caulking, painting and restriping. For 1000 N. Water
Street the request includes the cabling of four elevators. The façade inspection is the
responsibility of the condo association. The Milwaukee/Michigan structure may
require slab replacement and a façade inspection is required.
Ms. Angelos discussed the single space credit card meter pilot project. She said the
meters, which are on loan from Duncan meter, have been installed in three small
areas. Approximately 70 meters were installed. She said that each meter has a
battery and a modem. The batteries are expected to last about a year. The meters
do not print receipts. She said that the credit card mechanism fits inside the existing
meter housing. She anticipates that the meters will be used to infill areas where
there are not enough spaces to justify the installation of a LUKE meter. Ms. Angelos
said that the request will provide for 1,300 meters each year. She said that the
meters will not be installed where meter use is not high. Ald. Kovac asked if these
meters would allow the City to implement a smart pricing policy. Ms. Angelos said
the meters can be programmed for smart pricing but that the pricing policy would
have to be clearly posted on signs. Ald. Kovac said that the Brady Street pilot area is
the ideal test case for adjustable pricing.
Ald. Kovac commented that in addition to the $175,000 from the Parking Fund that
the City is contributing to the Bradly Center, the City is also spending $137,000 to
maintain the structure.
Meeting adjourned: 12:15 P.M.
This meeting will be webcast live at www.milwaukee.gov/channel25.
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Members of the Common Council and its standing committees who are not members of
this committee may attend this meeting to participate or to gather information. Notice is
given that this meeting may constitute a meeting of the Common Council or any of its
standing committees, although they will not take any formal action at this meeting.
Upon reasonable notice, efforts will be made to accommodate the needs of persons with
disabilities through sign language interpreters or auxiliary aids. For additional
information or to request this service, contact the City Clerk's Office ADA Coordinator at
286-2998, (FAX)286-3456, (TDD)286-2025 or by writing to the Coordinator at Room 205,
City Hall, 200 E. Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
Limited parking for persons attending meetings in City Hall is available at reduced rates
(5 hour limit) at the Milwaukee Center on the southwest corner of East Kilbourn and
North Water Street. Parking tickets must be validated in the first floor Information
Booth in City Hall.
Persons engaged in lobbying as defined in s. 305-43-4 of the Milwaukee Code of
Ordinances are required to register with the City Clerk's Office License Division.
Registered lobbyists appearing before a Common Council committee are required to
identify themselves as such. More information is available at www.milwaukee.gov/lobby.
City of Milwaukee Page 8
Agenda
200 E. Wells Street
City of Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53202
Meeting Agenda
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS COMMITTEE
ALD. ROBERT BAUMAN, CHAIR
Ald. Nik Kovac, Ald. Michael Murphy, Ghassan Korban, Martin
Matson, Mark Nicolini, and Mariano Schifalacqua
Staff Assistant: Linda Elmer, 286-2231
Fax: 286-3456, lelmer@milwaukee.gov
Fiscal Planning Specialist: Kathleen Brengosz, 286-3926,
kbreng@milwaukee.gov
Thursday, April 3, 2014 9:00 AM City Hall, Room 301-B
1. Review and approval of the minutes of the March 5, 2014 meeting.
2. Communication transmitting the 2015 Capital Improvements Budget Requests.
Presentations given by the following City departments on their proposed 2015 Capital
Improvements Budget Requests:
Overview from Budget and Management Division
City Assessor
Comptroller
Department of Administration - Information Technology Management Division
Election Commission
City Clerk
City Attorney
Municipal Court
Port of Milwaukee
Department of Neighborhood Services
Department of City Development
Milwaukee Water Works
Sewer Maintenance Fund
Department of Public Works - Parking
This meeting will be webcast live at www.milwaukee.gov/channel25.
Members of the Common Council and its standing committees who are not members of this
committee may attend this meeting to participate or to gather information. Notice is given that
this meeting may constitute a meeting of the Common Council or any of its standing committees,
although they will not take any formal action at this meeting.
Upon reasonable notice, efforts will be made to accommodate the needs of persons with
disabilities through sign language interpreters or auxiliary aids. For additional information or to
request this service, contact the City Clerk's Office ADA Coordinator at 286-2998,
(FAX)286-3456, (TDD)286-2025 or by writing to the Coordinator at Room 205, City Hall, 200 E.
Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
City of Milwaukee Page 1 Printed on 3/31/2014
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Agenda April 3, 2014
COMMITTEE
Limited parking for persons attending meetings in City Hall is available at reduced rates (5 hour
limit) at the Milwaukee Center on the southwest corner of East Kilbourn and North Water Street.
Parking tickets must be validated in the first floor Information Booth in City Hall.
Persons engaged in lobbying as defined in s. 305-43-4 of the Milwaukee Code of Ordinances are
required to register with the City Clerk's Office License Division. Registered lobbyists appearing
before a Common Council committee are required to identify themselves as such. More
information is available at www.milwaukee.gov/lobby.
City of Milwaukee Page 2 Printed on 3/31/2014