Common Council Meeting

Common Council Meeting Whitewater Municipal Building Community Room, 312 West Whitewater St., Whitewater, WI 53190 *In Person and Virtual Tuesday, April 16, 2024 - 6:30 PM Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone. Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods. Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82620567128?pwd=yNQKWe39zrX_cTmWXImujvrzu0_a- Q.I4HX6aLGTu3eUVWS Telephone: +1 (312) 626-6799 US (Chicago) (Houston) Webinar ID: 826 2056 7128 Passcode: 065668 Please note that although every effort will be made to provide for virtual participation, unforeseen technical difficulties may prevent this, in which case the meeting may still proceed as long as there is a quorum. Should you wish to make a comment in this situation, you are welcome to call this number: (262) 473-0108. MINUTES CALL TO ORDER Council President Neil Hicks called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm. 1. Swearing In of Newly Elected Council Members. Aldermanic District 2- Orin Smith; Aldermanic District 4- Brian Schanen; Councilmember At Large- Greg Majkrzak- City Clerk City Clerk Boehm swore in Orin Smith for Aldermanic District 2, Brian Schanen for Aldermanic District 4, and Greg Majkrzak for Councilmember at Large. ROLL CALL Present Council President Neil Hicks Councilmember Lisa Dawsey Smith Councilmember Brienne Brown Councilmember Patrick Singer Councilmember Brian Schanen Councilmember Grey Majkrzak Common Council Meeting Minutes April 16, 2024 Page 2 Councilmember Orin Smith City Attorney Jonathan McDonell City Manager John Weidl Public Works Director Brad Marquardt City Clerk Heather Boehm Deputy City Clerk Tiffany Albright PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 2. Election of Council President- City Manager Motion made to nominate Patrick Singer for Council President by Councilmember Brown, Seconded by Councilmember Dawsey Smith. Voting Yea: Councilmember Singer, Council President Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith. Motion made to close nominations by Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Seconded by Councilmember Hicks. Voting Yea: Councilmember Singer, Council President Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith 3. Election of Council President Pro Tem-City Manager Motion made to nominate Neil Hicks for Council President Pro Tem by Council President Singer, Seconded by Councilmember Dawsey Smith. Voting Yea: Council President Singer, Councilmember Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith. Motion made to close nominations by Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Seconded by Councilmember Schanen. Voting Yea: Council President Singer, Councilmember Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith. APPROVAL OF AGENDA A councilmember can choose to remove an item from the agenda or rearrange its order; however, introducing new items to the agenda is not allowed. Any proposed changes require a motion, a second, and approval from the Council to be implemented. The agenda shall be approved at each meeting even if Common Council Meeting Minutes April 16, 2024 Page 3 no changes are being made at that meeting. Motion made approve the agenda by Councilmember Majkrzak, Seconded by Councilmember Brown. Voting Yea: Council President Singer, Councilmember Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith. CONSENT AGENDA Items on the Consent Agenda will be approved together unless any council members requests that an item be removed for individual consideration. Motion made approve the consent agenda by Councilmember Schanen, Seconded by Councilmember Hicks. Voting Yea: Council President Singer, Councilmember Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith. 4. Urban Forestry Commission Minutes from February 26, 2024. 5. Plan and Architectural Review Commission Minutes for March 11, 2024. 6. EOC Meeting Minutes from March 4, 2024. 7. Lakes Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes from March 4, 2024. 8. CDA Minutes from January 1, 2024, January 31, 2024, February 15, 2024. 9. Finance Committee Meeting Minutes from February 27, 2024. 10. Landmarks Commission meeting minutes from February 7, 2024. 11. Public Works meeting minutes from March 12, 2024. CITY MANAGER REPORT City Manager Weidl gave his bi-monthly update of City events and accomplishments, including reports from the following departments: Public Works, IT, Neighborhood Services, Library, Parks and Recreation, Police, and Human Resources. STAFF REPORTS 12. Gala Update- HR HR Director Marquardt explained that we have been working on our city gala honoring those volunteers who do so much for our city. At .ComConnect event at UW-Whitewater we were able to meet up with Alyssa Ostrenga who expressed an interest in event planning in her future and we decided that it was a match made in heaven and so Alyssa is here tonight to tell us what her plan is. Alyssa Ostringa, a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, outlined her plan for the upcoming City Gala during a recent presentation. She highlighted her background in communications and event planning, expressing her aspiration to become Common Council Meeting Minutes April 16, 2024 Page 4 an event planner for a non-profit youth organization. The gala, scheduled for August 16, 2024, aims to honor community leaders and their volunteer contributions. Alyssa discussed managing the guest list, arranging decorations and catering, organizing awards for community leaders, sending invitations, and arranging live entertainment. She expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the gala's success and sought approval for her plan at an upcoming city council meeting. 13. Update on MOU with UWW-City Clerk City Clerk Boehm explained that Last week, she met with Jan and Jeremiah to discuss the venue for our upcoming November Election. They toured the Hamilton room, which was deemed perfect for our needs, confirming our decision to hold the election there in November. Jan provided feedback on the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which she forwarded to Jonathan. Regarding the financial impact of hosting all polling locations on campus for elections, based on April's data, labor costs were around $8,900. In the draft MOU, she proposed consolidating all wards from Jefferson County and wards 8, 9, 10 of Walworth County to the UW campus. This aims to achieve a more equitable distribution of polling places within the city and enhance the security of the electoral process by centralizing handling of absentee ballots at no extra cost. Jan Bilgen (800 W Main) explained that we discussed initial concerns, including parking arrangements for poll workers and voters. Parking will be free in lot 12A, adjacent to the Hamilton room, with approximately 30 spots allocated, which is an increase of 10 from the previous agreement. However, there's flexibility in this number depending on feedback. Stephanie Hicks (1254 Tower Hill Pass) Raised a concern regarding the impact of consolidating polling locations on elderly residents in Jefferson County. She emphasized the need for education and consideration of accessibility, noting that many elderly residents are accustomed to voting at the armory and may face challenges adapting to a new location at the University. She suggested further thought be given to this issue, as it could significantly affect the population in that particular district. HEARING OF CITIZEN COMMENTS No formal Council action will be taken during this meeting although issues raised may become a part of a future agenda. Participants are allotted a three minute speaking period. Specific items listed on the agenda may not be discussed at this time; however, citizens are invited to speak to those specific issues at the time the Council discusses that particular item. To make a comment during this period, or during any agenda item: On a computer or handheld device, locate the controls on your computer to raise your hand. You may need to move your mouse to see these controls. On a traditional telephone, dial *6 to unmute your phone and dial *9 to raise your hand. Debbie Mischka (Lil Debbie's Coyote Grill) expressed concern over her windows of the bar having to be clear space. She would like to be grandfathered in because she paid $400 for the window painting and is unsure of how to remove it. Common Council Meeting Minutes April 16, 2024 Page 5 RESOLUTION 14. Resolution approving updates to the Whitewater Adjusted Urban Area Boundary-Public Works Public Works Director Marquardt provided an overview of the process to update the urban area boundary of metropolitan areas, which occurs every 10 years after the census. He volunteered to meet with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to review the proposed changes compared to the 2010 boundary. The proposed adjustments include moving the boundary from Willis-Ray Road to Highway 12 on the south side, incorporating a potential annexation east of Howard Road on the east side, including the hang glider airport on the northwest side, and adjusting boundaries on the west side. He noted that these changes don't have significant impact and were recommended for approval by the Public Works Committee. Motion made to approve the updates to the Whitewater Adjusted Urban Area Boundary by Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Seconded by Councilmember Brown. Voting Yea: Council President Singer, Councilmember Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith CONSIDERATIONS 15. Update on Common Council Retreat/Good Governance Manual Special Meeting-HR Human Resources Director Marquardt revisited the idea of a special meeting on May 28th to discuss changes to the Good Governance manual, as well as a council retreat planned for mid-May to streamline meetings. There's a suggestion to merge the good governance discussion into the retreat. She was seeking feedback on whether to keep the May 28th date and what topics to include on the agenda for both the special meeting and the retreat. HR Director Marquardt will come back to Council with a draft agenda for May 28th Special Meeting/Retreat to be held in the Cravath Lakefront Conference Room at 6:30 pm. 16. Discussion and Possible Action regarding Appointments of Vacant Seats for Alcohol Licensing Committee (3), Cable Involvement and Cable TV Commission (1), CDA (2), EOC (2), Finance (3), Landmarks Commission (1), Library Board (1), Parks & Rec (1), Plan & Architectural Review Commission (1 & 1 alternate), Public Works (3), WW University Technology Park Board (1)- City Manager Alcohol Licensing Committee- Councilmembers Majkrzak, Schanen, and Singer. Board of Review-Councilmembers Brown, Singer, Hicks, and Dawsey Smith. CDA- Councilmembers Hicks and Majkrzak. Community Involvement & Cable TV Commission- Councilmember Schanen. Whitewater FD Inc.- Councilmember Dawsey Smith. Equal Opportunities Commission- Councilmembers Brown and Smith. Finance Committee- Councilmembers Dawsey Smith, Schanen, and Singer. Common Council Meeting Minutes April 16, 2024 Page 6 Landmarks Commission- Councilmember Smith. Library Board- Councilmember Brown. Parks & Rec Board- Councilmember Brown. Plan Commission- Councilmember Hicks and Councilmember Schanen (alternate). Public Works Committee- Councilmembers Hicks, Majkrzak, and Smith. Technology Park Board- Councilmember Dawsey Smith. Motion made to approve the above Councilmembers to the above Boards and Commissions by Councilmember Schanen, Seconded by Councilmember Hicks. Voting Yea: Council President Singer, Councilmember Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith. 17. Discussion and Possible Action Regarding the Resignation of Municipal Judge Patrick Taylor- City Manager City Manager Weidl explained that Municipal Judge Patrick Taylor turned in his resignation effective June 1, 2024 and that the memo in the packet outlines the necessary steps regarding the appointment of a replacement. The decision lies with the Council, but if no decision is made within 90 days, a circuit judge will make the appointment, leading to a special election afterward. The suggestion is to hold a special election in November for a cleaner process since an election already occurs then. Applications could be accepted until the end of the month, with a review process by the council, followed by a selection. The current judge is leaving due to his spouse's career opportunity, and the council needs to decide how to proceed. Motion made to accept applications for Municipal Judge until 4/26/24 and interview applicants and appoint a qualified candidate at a Special Council meeting 5/1/24, and have a Special Election 11/5/24 to elect a Municipal Judge to finish out Judge Taylor's term by Councilmember Hicks, Seconded by Councilmember Smith. Voting Yea: Council President Singer, Councilmember Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith 18. Discussion and Possible Action regarding Changing City Class- City Manager City Manager Weidl explained that questions arose during the previous nominating period about signature levels, prompting inquiries into the process of moving from a fourth class to a third class city. It's noted that certain criteria, such as having a licensed plumber on staff and adding members to the library board, are required for such a transition. The only requirement currently met is the population threshold. The purpose of the discussion is to provide information and clarify questions raised during the last nominating cycle. He will look into seeing if the plumber can be contracted or has to be an inhouse plumber. Common Council Meeting Minutes April 16, 2024 Page 7 19. Discussion and Possible Action regarding Assignment of Whitewater Windup Judge.- Interim Economic Development Director Economic Development Director Zeinert explained that Whitewater Windup is going exceptionally well. We currently have 25 contestants, which is exciting to see. With that being said, we have moved into this final stage where we will have the finale on May 18th. We are hoping for a rep from the Common Council to serve on that judge panel. Motion made to nominate Councilmember Hicks by Council President Singer, Seconded by Councilmember Dawsey Smith. Voting Yea: Council President Singer, Councilmember Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith 20. Discussion and Possible Action regarding Strand Task Order for Construction Administration covering Contracts 1-2024 thru 5-2024- Public Works Public Works Director Marquardt explained that we currently have five awarded contracts for projects: the Ann, Fremont Street reconstruction, Forest Street reconstruction, Fremont Street reconstruction, Walworth Avenue storm sewer paving, and 2024 street maintenance. These projects require construction administration, including staking, inspection, pay request reviews, and record drawings. We'll have one full-time construction representative on-site from May to September, with part-time involvement starting next week until May and again from September to October. During peak periods for the three major projects, a second representative may be needed for a few weeks. The funding is budgeted within each project and split between various utilities and the general fund. The Public Works Committee recommended approval to the Council last week. Motion made to approve Strand Task Order for Construction Administration covering Contracts 1-2024 thru 5-2024 by Councilmember Hicks, Seconded by Councilmember Brown. Voting Yea: Council President Singer, Councilmember Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith 21. Discussion and Possible Action regarding Ayres Old Stone Mill Dam Proposal for Engineering Services for Downstream Wall Repairs- Public Works Public Works Director Marquardt explained the city has been using Ayer's Associates for dam inspection and design services for many years. The last inspection in 2022 on the Old Stone Mill Dam at Cravath Lake highlighted necessary repairs to the downstream masonry sidewalls, originally due by December 31, 2023. Due to time constraints, an extension was granted until August 1, 2025. A maintenance plan is required by June 30, 2024. Ayer's proposal includes preparing design plans and specifications this year, with a cost estimate of $45,000 for design work and $130,000 total. Once the project is bid out, we will determine if additional funds are needed. The Public Works Committee reviewed and recommended approval last week. Common Council Meeting Minutes April 16, 2024 Page 8 Motion made to approve Ayres Old Stone Mill Dam Proposal for Engineering Services for Downstream Wall Repairs by Councilmember Majkrzak, Seconded by Councilmember Schanen. Voting Yea: Council President Singer, Councilmember Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith 22. Discuss and Possible Action regarding P-Card Policy Update- Finance Finance Director Blitch explained we've been updating our policies to align with current practices. This is one of the initial updates. The state secures the contract, and Whitewater adopts it. We recently switched vendors from JP Morgan to US Bank. The second copy of the policy highlights all changes, and the job aid has also been updated accordingly. Motion made to approve the P-Card Policy Update by Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Seconded by Councilmember Hicks. Voting Yea: Council President Singer, Councilmember Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith 23. Councilmember Requests for Future Agenda Items or Committee items. Questions Councilmember Dawsey Smith would like the Gala removed from future items and an update on the Library Renovation. Councilmember Majkrzak requested an update on Housing Projects and Business Developments. Councilmember Schanen would like the Ordinances 2080 and 2082 re-examined to align with each other. Councilmember Brown requested the Accurate Assessor Contract reviewed. Councilmember Hicks requested changing the Gala update to reviewing the Gala Proposal. He would also like to bring back the MOU for UWW polling place. Council President Singer would like an update from Police Chief Meyer regarding with window ordinance for Alcohol establishments. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 24. Brown Cab update-Finance Q2 25. Staff update on Procurement Policy. - Finance Q2 26. Update on 2024 Gala.-Chief of Staff Q2 27. Set Date to hold Common Council meeting at UWW Campus-City Manager/Hicks Q3 28. Mobile Home Community understanding of special assessment.- Finance/Hicks Q2 Common Council Meeting Minutes April 16, 2024 Page 9 ADJOURNMENT Motion made to Adjourn at 7:53 pm by Councilmember Hicks, Seconded by Councilmember Majkrzak. Voting Yea: Council President Singer, Councilmember Hicks, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Dawsey Smith, Councilmember Schanen, Councilmember Majkrzak, Councilmember Smith Anyone requiring special arrangements is asked to call the Office of the City Manager / City Clerk (262-473-0102) at least 72 hours prior to the meeting. 2023-2025 City of Whitewater's 5 strategic goals: Build single-family homes, Communicate with the community without the newspaper, Support a thriving business community, Recruitment and retention efforts with a focus on diversity, and Prioritization of expenditures with available resources.