Village Board of Trustees

VILLAGE OF WESTON MEETING MINUTES Meeting of: BOARD OF TRUSTEES Members: White {c}, Berger, Ermeling, Jaeger, Porlier, Schuster, Ziegler Location: Weston Municipal Court (5301 Mesker Street) **New Meeting Location** Date/Time: Monday, November 3, 2014 @ 6:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order. 1.1 Pledge of Allegiance. 1.2 Roll Call of Attendance. White called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. Present: White, Berger, Ermeling, Porlier, Jaeger and Ziegler. Schuster was absent and excused. Director of Public Works Donner, Deputy Director of Public Works Wodalski, Clerk Weinkauf, Finance Director Jacobs, Director of Technology Crowe, Police Chief Sparks and Fire Chief Meilahn were also present. There was one audience member present. 2. Comments from the Public. White asked for comments from the audience. There were no comments. 3. Communications 3.1 Acknowledge receipt of drafted meeting minutes from all standing and non-standing committees, commissions, and/or other boards of the Village of Weston and/or associated partnerships. *M/S/P Ziegler/Jaeger: to acknowledge receipt of drafted meeting minutes from all standing and non- standing committees, commissions, and/or other boards of the Village of Weston and/or associated partnerships. 3.2 Proclamation #P-14-04 Establish November 15, as America Recycles Day in the Village of Weston *M/S/P Ermeling/Berger: to approve Proclamation #P-14-04 Establishing November 15, as America Recycles Day in the Village of Weston. 4. Consent Items for Consideration. 4.1 Rec from Clerk to approve prior meeting minutes of 10/20/2014. Correct minutes Jaeger. 4.2 Rec from Finance Director to approve Vouchers. 4.3 Rec from Clerk to approve operator licenses. 4.4 Rec from the Property Infrastructure Committee to approve purchase of mobile column lift station. *M/S/P Ziegler/Porlier: to approve Consent items 4.1 to 4.4., subject to correcting Jaeger’s attendance at that meeting. 5. Reports from Departments. 5.1 Clerk/Employee Resources Manager. Weinkauf reported staff issued approximately 1,200 absentee ballots. All polling locations have been set up for the election except for Greenheck Fieldhouse, which will be done this evening. 5.2 Everest Metro Police Department. Sparks said he has a report on health insurance and will discuss that under the budget item below. 5.3 Finance/Assessment. Jacobs reported staff has been busy with the budget. The public hearing is scheduled for Monday, November 24th.  VILLAGE OF WESTON MEETING MINUTES 5.4 Parks & Recreation. Osterbrink asked for questions. There were no questions. 5.5 Planning & Development. Higgins said she met with charter today regarding high speed internet for Business Park South. 5.6 Public Works & Utilities. Donner reported the main focus has been the new hires in the Street Department. He also said staff is working with Ministry Medical Group on the testing for the new hires. Staff has been busy making preparations for winter. He also gave an update on the yard waste pick up. 5.7 SAFER Fire District. Meilahn gave a report on house fire that the Department assisted with in Ringle. 5.8 Technology Services. Crowe reported he is finishing up with some mapping for several departments. 6. Business Items for Consideration. 6.1 Discussion Village of Weston FY2015 Budget. This discussion includes review of all funds managed by the Village of Weston. Further deliberations can include adjustments to revenues, expenses, fees, charges, tax rates and other items which impact the construction and planning of the Village’s 2015 Budget. Guild said the Finance Committee reviewed the proposed budget last week at their meeting. Property taxes will likely go down 3.37 percent, and if there is a yes vote to the public transit referendum, taxes will go down 3.04 percent. He explained the debt service exemption process. There are several municipalities in the area that use this process. He stated the Technical College property tax rate will drop significantly. The budget proposal includes a $4.8 million dollar levy. This is a 4.94 percent rate increase. There is also a proposal to increase the Refuse and Recycling budget. There will be no increase in the Storm Water budget. There will be $40,000 budgeted in the general fund to use for the operation of the aquatic center. Staff proposes the continued use of the debt service exemption in the amount of $241,785. The proposed budget also includes $460,105 in SAFER and Village related equipment, and $124,000 for capital improvement projects. Guild also said staff continues to work on two projects that include the Village of Rothschild Municipal Court consolidation and a staffing partnership between the Village of Weston and the Rothschild/Schofield Pool Commission. The SAFER District includes a minor cost increase. The Everest Metro budget will remain flat. He reported on the staffing changes in the Village of Weston. To fully implement the Carlson Dettman pay plan and bring all Village employees up to market rate would cost an additional $115,306. The Finance Committee recommends the Village Board rescind the transportation utility ordinance. Guild referred to a spreadsheet on the 2014 combined assessed tax rate options for all taxing jurisdictions and comparison of tax levies and assessed tax rates for the 2011-2020 budget years. He pointed out the estimated tax rate increase without the bus tax levy would be 4.94% and the estimated tax rate increase with the bus tax levy would be 6.23%. Ermeling said regardless of the outcome of the referendum there will be an extra $50,000 assessed to the taxpayers. This is why the Finance Committee recommends eliminating the transportation utility fund. White said the transportation utility ordinance also addresses such things as equipment expenses and capital improvements. If eliminated we can’t reinstitute it. Guild commented on the capital equipment budget. He said most people relate to the transportation utility charge on their bill as paying for the bus service. Jaeger does not agree with keeping this fee because we originally had it for bus. Ermeling agreed it was originally implemented to fund the bus. She is not in favor of having that utility charge remain on the utility bill. Finance Committee members Yeager, Bender and Sukup indicated they were in favor of eliminating the transportation utility. *M/S/P Jaeger/Ermeling: to approve rescinding the ordinance establishing the transportation utility fund. Q/Berger said taxes may need to be increased to provide for services. White said he is in favor of increasing taxes to pay for services. All were in favor. Guild said he will list this as a consent item on the Budget Hearing agenda. He said staff would like to have the Village’s financial plan built around a 3.44 percent increase going forward. *M/S/P Ermeling/Porlier: to approve implementing a combined tax rate increase of  VILLAGE OF WESTON MEETING MINUTES 3.44 percent through 2019, inclusive of the state levy limit and the debt service exemption, and recognizing that this is just a plan. Guild said the Village’s general fund for staffing includes two replacements in the Street Department and an addition of one employee in the Planning and Development Department. Ermeling asked if any of the wages would be allocated to the utility budget. Guild said yes. White asked if a job description was completed. Guild said yes. Ermeling said she would like to see more detail in the future for any substantial budget increases. Guild said that staff would do that. Sparks said Everest Metro and SAFER are looking into several different options for health insurance. They would also like staff to look into self-funding the health insurance. He also said they feel like they have no input in the process. Meilahn and Sparks would both like to see the health insurance benefits be more competitive. Savage said working with United Health Care has been a night mare. Sparks said he and some of his staff have also had issues with them. 6.2 Convene into closed session under Wisconsin State Statutes 19.85 (1) (c) for the purpose of considering the employment, compensation, or performance evaluation data of any employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility to consider recommendations regarding hiring of municipal maintenance workers. *M/S/P Jaeger/Berger: to convene to closed session at 7:36 p.m. Roll Call Vote: All were in favor. 6.3 Reconvene into open session. *M/S/P Jaeger/Ziegler: to reconvene from closed session. 7. Report from the Administrator. Guild gave a report on the America Recycle Day event. He also reported on the proposed high speed internet for Business Park South. He said he would be attending an economic development program in Indianapolis, Indiana the week of November 16th. 8. Remarks from President/Trustees (No motions will be made, and no action will be taken related to policy affecting the Village of Weston as a result of this agenda item). No comments. 9. Set next meeting date, discuss items for next Board agenda: Monday, November 17, 2014. 10. Adjourn. White adjourned the meeting at 8:50 p.m. Respectfully, Sherry Weinkauf Village Clerk