The 2014 City Budget Hearing was held during the City Council’s meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
No members of the public spoke during the 2014 Budget Hearing, but the council did have a brief discussion about the proposed 2014 budget.
“There have been people commenting about things such as the West Street project, wondering why we spent money there instead of on repairs to Main Street,” said Kuss. “The funds for the West Street project are coming from TIF 4; the funds for Main Street are largely covered by the state. It’s two completely different sources of funding, so it’s hard to compare those two projects to each other.”
Kuss went on to remind that the city remains under a state-mandated levy freeze.
“We can only levy new taxes on growth,” said Kuss. “Our TIFs have really helped us boost that growth. This past year, we saw growth of 2.94 percent, which translates to $36,000 extra taxable dollars. This will help us reduce taxes by 1.06 percent, or about a $90 reduction on a house with a $100,000 equalized value. You have made responsible decisions, and we’ve done everything we can to balance taking care of our employees and taking care of our taxpayers. I think this budget is a great compromise.”
Magee thanked each department head for their hard work throughout the budget planning process.
The council will meet at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26, at City Hall to approve the final 2014 city budget.
Citizens Forum
Arlo Dumke spoke to the council prior to the 2014 Budget Hearing regarding the condition of N. Main Street.
“As we found out last month, we cannot get any real temp repair on N. Main Street/Hwy. 22 without jeopardizing the rebuild project 2-3 years down the road,” said Dumke. “Remember, that’s a long time to put up with the noise and shaking and it’s getting worse all the time!”
Dumke then presented a piece of steel that bounced off a truck or trailer onto the street adjacent to his house and slid into the lane of traffic.
“By the time I got up from my seat on my front porch, the truck was disappearing down the hill by the middle school,” stated Dumke. “I may not be the sharpest tack in the box, but I would say there was a good chance he was exceeding the posted 25 MPH speed limit!”
Jim Bartz also spoke to the council regarding his concerns over an easement involving his property, the city, the Pigeon River, and Seagrave Fire Apparatus. This issue will be featured in a separate story in a future edition of the County Post East.
Marine Recognition
Sgt. Sam Ferg-Meshnick was honored by the city council for his bravery and heroic acts in combat during a recent deployment to Afghanistan, where he saved the lives of several fellow Marines. Ferg-Meshnick was presented with a Citizenship Award, city pin, and a ‘key to the city’ keychain.
Presentation of “Today in America” DVD
The council viewed the “Today in America” DVD highlighting Clintonville. The five-minute video will be used to promote local business and industry, as well as the city as a whole. Copies of the DVD may be available for purchase in the future, and the clip will eventually be displayed on YouTube, the city website, and various social media outlets.
“This DVD is very well done,” said Mayor Judy Magee. “It’s a great representation of our community. I have relatives who live outside of Wisconsin that saw it and were very impressed.”
Fire Payroll/Payment Policy
A written policy regarding payroll procedures has been drafted by the Clintonville Fire Department and was recommended for council approval by the department’s officers and the Police and Fire Commission, as the volunteer paid on-call nature of the department creates a unique pay situation which is different than that of a full-time, set daily hours job like most employees. A copy of this policy is available at City Hall upon request. The new policy was approved by a 9-0-1 vote, with Alderperson Mark Doornink, who is a member of the Clintonville Fire Department, abstaining.
Sidewalk snow and ice removal bids
Two bids for sidewalk snow and ice removal for the winter of 2013-14 were received. The council approved the low bid from Whispering Pines, which lists a cost of 82 cents per foot to remove snow in one location (including sand/salt application) 0-100 feet long; and 82 cents per foot to remove snow in one location (including sand/salt application) over 100 feet long. The bid lists a cost of 50 cents per foot for sand/salt in one location, 0-100 feet long; and 50 cents per foot to sand/salt in one location, over 100 feet long.
The other bid, from Adam’s Small Engine Repair, was listed at 95 cents per foot for snow removal of the same specifications, and 45 cents per foot for sand/salt application of the same specifications.
Trick or Treat Hours
The council reviewed a thank-you note from Hailey and Heidi Krueger. “Thank you for having your trick-or-treating hours during the afternoon,” read the note. “We enjoyed seeing the costumes and staying warmer with the beautiful weather.”
Closed Session
The council adjourned into closed session to discuss TIF 3, but took no action upon returning to open session. The council also adjourned into closed session to discuss a potential new revolving loan, and voted to approve a loan for a new business Ellen’s Café and Catering (47 S. Main Street), for $12,500 at 4 percent interest for seven years.
Other business
In other business, the following items were approved:
• Appointing Mike Morse to the Revolving Loan Committee. Morse will replace Jon Majerus;
• Appointing Dick Writt to the Housing Authority. Writt replaces John Justman;
• A two-year airport hangar renewal lease with Bird’s Eye Aviation and Andy’s Aircraft Sales. Year one is for $450 per month, and year two is $500 per month;
• An advertisement seeking applications for a newly created paid position ($10 per hour) at the animal pound. Once hired, this person would work on an as-needed basis, possibly around one hour per day. City Wastewater Utility employees had been taking care of the pound animals, but Kuss said it has gotten to be too much for them, and they need to focus on their own work.
• Ordinance 1083 – Bullying (2nd reading);
• Ordinance 1084 – Tampering with a Security Device (1st reading);
• Ordinance 1085 and 1089 – Storage of Recreational Equipment (1st reading);
• Ordinance 1087 – Failure to Carry a Concealed Carry Weapon License (1st reading);
• Resolution 2013-11 – Mortgage Companies Tax Bill Copies Fee. Kuss informed the council that many mortgage companies request large numbers of tax bill copies. She recommended changing the fee to locate, copy and mail these bills to $5 per parcel, which she said is similar to other Waupaca County communities that charge a fee for this service.;
• Contingency request for City Hall building maintenance; and
• Ordinance 1090 – Municipal Court fees on Citations. The council voted to suspend the rules and adopt this ordinance immediately. “As many of you know, we have discussed this state law change for three years,” wrote Kuss in her memo to the council. “The governor has now signed the bill (which allows municipalities to assess a penalty of 26 percent of the citation amount, and court costs in the maximum amount allowed by law, currently $38) and so it is law. We would like to begin collecting the additional $10 as soon as possible.”
A special meeting to approve the 2014 budget will begin at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26, at City Hall.
The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10, at City Hall.