Committee of the Whole

CITY OF VERONA MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE JANUARY 30, 2012 1. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Jon Hochkammer at 6:02 p.m. 2. Roll call: Jon Hochkammer, Jeremy Charles, Scott Manley, William “Mac” McGilvray, Steve Ritt, Clark Solowicz, Richard Streich, Brad Stiner, Evan Touchett. Also in attendance: Bill Burns, City Administrator; Bruce Sylvester, City Planner. 3. Public Comments. None 4. Minutes of the November 11, 2011 Committee of the Whole Meeting. Motion by Ritt, seconded by Charles to approve the minutes of the November 21, 2011 Committee of the Whole Meeting. Motion carried 8-0. 5. Proposed Development on the Brown Property. Tony Heinrichs presented a proposal for the development of the Brown Property with high-end single family homes on private well and septic systems. The concept plan shows seventy-six lots arrayed around a prairie-style open area on the property south of the Dane County dog park. Staff explained that it would be very expensive to extend municipal utilities to this property. Some of the issues facing the potential development include the need to annex the property into the City, transportation improvements including the reconstruction and upgrade of Sunset Drive, and the potential impact on other development that is closer to City services. Several committee members indicated their support for this type of housing within the City. Concerns were also voiced over the difficulty of obtaining the Dane County’s support for the annexation and the cost to provide City services to the property. 6. Fire District Facilities. Clark Solowicz provided an update of the Verona Fire Commission’s facility needs evaluation. The Commission has put together a project schedule and prepared a request for proposal for a firm to conduct a facility needs assessment and location study. Committee members indicated that they would like the study to consider all options at this point and that the Commission should consider risk evaluation as part of the process. 7. Adjourn into Closed Session as Authorized by Section 19.85 (1)(e) of Wisconsin Statutes (Negotiations) The Committee did not go into closed session. 8. Establishing an Economic Development Fund. Bill Burns presented a proposal for the establishment of a City of Verona Economic Development Fund. The intent of this fund would be to provide gap financing loans to encourage economic  development throughout the City. During the budget process, the City identified $250,000 in the capital projects fund that could be used for the initial capitalization of the fund. Key decisions for the City include: Should a fund be created? What body should serve as the loan committee? What types of projects should the fund be targeted toward? Committee Members stated that they would like to ensure that the funds not be used for residential development and that they would like the City Council to have the final say on the approval of loans. In addition, several members were supportive of the idea of having the Community Development Authority serve as the loan committee, possibly with a liaison from the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Burns stated that the next step is to convene a meeting with interested Chamber members and then to bring a proposal to the Finance Committee and Council for their consideration. 9. Multi-Family Residential Development. Bruce Sylvester provided an overview of planned and approved multi-family developments within the City as well as statistics of single family and multi-family development. He also presented several possible policy actions for consideration including: allowing more than one building per lot, increasing the density of units allowed without going through a planned development process, modify the ratio of single family to multi-family units in new developments, require notification to residents of planned multi-family projects, require additional design standards, and review parking requirements. Some Committee Members indicated that they had concerns with the amount of multi-family development within the City and that they would be interested in restricting the number of new units developed each year. There was also support for higher level of design requirements. It was noted that there is demand for senior housing in the community which should be considered as part of any new restrictions. Staff also noted that there are areas where multi-family development may be appropriate such as in transition areas, the downtown, or as part of redevelopment projects. Mayor Hochkammer stated that this topic will go before the Plan Commission for their input. 10. Zoning Restrictions for Tax-Exempt Properties. Bill Burns presented information on the legal opinion regarding the City’s ability to regulate tax-exempt properties through its zoning ordinances. The opinion states that the City may have the ability to restrict uses which are likely to be tax-exempt if it can be shown that such restrictions are reasonable and that they support the general welfare of the community. Options for the City to consider include: creating an overlay district and restricting indoor assembly uses, creating a detailed list of allowed and non-permitted uses within a district, requiring a conditional use permit for changes in use within a district, and/or working with property owners to obtain control over key properties. Some Committee Members expressed a desire to find a mechanism to limit tax exempt properties in the central business area. Others raised concerns with imposing too many restrictions and the difficulties in implementing and enforcing new restrictions. The Committee directed staff to do additional research and come back with a recommendation for consideration with information on the pros and cons of the proposal. 11. Email Procedures and Open Meetings Requirements. Bill Burns presented a draft email procedure and information on open meeting requirements related to email communication. Under the proposed procedure, elected officials that receive emails from citizens regarding City services will notify the appropriate Department Head and the City Administrator and let staff know if they should respond or the elected official will be responding. Staff will provide background information and maintain the email correspondence for open records purposes. In order to avoid violations of the open meeting law, elected officials should not engage in an ongoing discussion by email. It was also suggested that people forward messages when needed rather than using the blind cc option. 12. Adjourn. Motion by McGilvray, seconded by Solowicz to adjourn the Committee of the Whole meeting at 8:48 p.m. Motion carried 8-0. Bill Burns City Administrator/Recorder