Finance Committee - Regular Meeting

Alright. It is 05:30. I will call the August finance committee to order. Roll call. The committee is present with the exception of, Alder Schlei, who informed me that he would not be present this evening. So we'll move on to public comment. Is there anybody from the public that wishes to address the or the finance committee this evening? Please come forward. State your name and address for the record. If you can have a seat at the table and use that microphone, Sean will help you out.

Okay. So probably, but we can't really have a dialogue back and forth, but I appreciate appreciate you having that information. If that's something you wanna hand to Sean, we can take it when we go into closed session so we could just review it, and then we'll get it back to you when we're done reviewing it at that time. But if there's anything else you wanted to tell the committee at this time, you still have the floor.

I guess the last thing I'm I'm looking at a free home here in Manifa, and I've been there for about

Okay. Thank you for your comments. We don't have a long agenda, so we'll get to you in pretty short order here. Okay. Is there anybody else from the public that wishes to address the committee this evening? Third and final call for public comment. Any online public comment, any previously received public comment. With that, I will close public comment. Is there any and then move on to the consent agenda. Is there any member of the committee that wants to remove the only item from consent?

Seeing none, would entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda.

So moved. Second.

There's a motion and a second. There is no discussion. So all those in favor? Aye. And opposed? Okay. Consent is approved. We'll move on to our discussion action items. First up is discussion and possible action of potential items for the mayor's proposed 2026 City Of Mantua budget. I know all the Reckleburg is used to this process.

Alder Dunbar, this is your first go around through this process. So each committee gets kind of a stab at any directives that we want to give the mayor or guidelines that we'd like to tell the mayor to wishfully include into his budget. They're purely guidelines and advisory at this point. The mayor is able to craft his own budget. He does take some input from the committees prior to that, but, again, it's it's purely advisory at this point.

So I'll guess I'll let the mayor if you want to I know you I got your budget letter today, but had a real brief chance to to review it. So but I don't know if they if you wanna kick things off or kinda tell the committee where you're at or if you just wanted to do directives, I don't know what you're prepared to do.

Thank you. Appreciate that. We are are just going to be starting will be dependent on we might keep the levy close to where it was prior year, right open Reckleburg. We did have a full citywide re eval. So that's going to be interesting for some folks in the community regardless of where the levy ends

of And

bit a plan. We're looking at H. C. Howard, we're looking at that.

I got it.

As I mentioned last year and I want to I promise to continue with it, get aggressive on that road plan. But things are coming in pretty expensive. And there's a few things we weren't able to get done this year. For example, Franklin Street, the engineering study that we wanted to do, that was around $05,000,000 We're hoping we would have some fund balance in other projects to be able to start that. We're get

I think to

that that done. Projects off. One, just to be honest, from the I beginning is Calendar Street is kind of at the top of the list of the best road out of all the worst roads on that list. So that's we're just we're having those conversations internally. I'm not saying one way or the other what we're going do.

The borrowing cap as well is going to be a pretty effective promotion of roads that we have on that list, cost just continue to increase. So just things like that be do then, then, to to do we're added some things like downtown decorations and other things that we just can't have a lot of room for. Police department is continually adding more and more things that they have to keep for so many years that we're running out of space. So I'm going to look at buildings pretty closely and to see if there's some efficiencies we can find in potentially eliminating some, but also potentially adding on some current buildings to adjust. Tourism, We

the tax Okay. I'll open it up to committee members if there's any. Alder Reckleberg? Yeah.

When we go back, I'll give you this note. It's exactly what you had anticipated. And like I had said last year when you showed that six year plan, that's great. And I had a feeling things will change. People got too set on, oh, look at that's what's going to happen.

Well, that's what we would like to happen. So I'm understanding that. I still want to push for that Kilner Street, though. With respect to some of the other ones, though, I know I had brought up and I don't know where or when we should address that is some of these so called side streets or not what's considered the main roads to get you from one place to the next. I think we need to look at maybe going to the asphalt blacktop as opposed to concrete.

I think we would get a little bit more mileage out of doing that. But once again, that's a discussion. But I'd like to see that discussed sometime.

It's just diamond grinding. Not asphalt. It's not new road, but it should make it much smoother and get us more life. I definitely want to consider more things like that. And as I mentioned last year, have full staff in the streets department now, starting doing smaller sections. So for example, Keller Street, there is that one strip between Lee and Fleetwood, I think is rated a five or one of the worst, right? And we talked about that, that time not doing those little then, then,

of I strong strong sections. And what they would do is come in and maybe do a 20 foot by 10 foot strip. It didn't fix the street, but it fixed a big problem. And even if we did a couple more of those on Wildwood, we could get a lot more out of Wildwood because that was on my

More slab replacement than slab replacement? Yeah.

Yeah. In fact, they did that at an intersection because I had complained. Had two or three ladies call me who tripped at night when they take their walk that it was so bad. And that section got replaced and I got a couple yep, thank yous. And so basically, I'll give you my street thing. I understand that implicitly. I looked ahead at your personnel committee agenda. I know the health insurance. I saw a number 16%. And I'm going I kind of anticipated something like that.

I mean, I see what's happening at the county, but more so I see what's happening with my own. Got notified that my own personal health insurance is going up 15% next year. And

And you'll hear on if you watch or go on Thursday, you'll hear there's handful of claims that just yourself insured.

Oh, yeah. Well, was a listing of the high that 20 or 50 or 20 or 10 high paid claims and you can't get around that. Mean, somebody has an you get cancer or whatever and the dollars go real fast. The only thing I guess I would ask is what is our retention? What do we have to retain before I'm assuming we have a reinsurance for claims above a certain dollar figure.

What do we retain before that other insurance kicks in? What's our upper limit? Okay. Well, that's respectable. I mean,

yeah. Sure.

Yeah.

We get new brokers. Yep. Hopefully, we can be a little more creative. Yeah. Get that.

And then the only other thing, like you had mentioned, we had a reassessment. And I can tell you there's a lot of mathematicians apparently in my district. And they know how to do the math as to, are you pulling one over my eyes or we are not. And so I can live with a 1%, 2% increase, maybe even 3%. And I had asked for a bunch of numbers and I haven't seen one of them yet, but neither has anybody else.

And that is where is our assessment ending up with numbers. I have asked for some what are the averages on this, that and the next thing. So I will be looking when you give us the budget at the number and you really have to work on the average because unfortunately somebody is going to come out a little better, somebody is going to come out what the hell are you doing to me. But at this stage of the game, you can only work with the average and shoot for that. And if you get there, you'll have my support. And if you don't get there, at least I'll talk about it. So thank you very much. I'm done.

All right. Okay. I don't have anything at this point. So we look forward to the budget presentation in October. Okay. So we'll take no action on this. There's nothing really more informative. So, we'll move on to 25Dash 0637, the environmental or the EPA Brownfield Community wide assessment grant agreement for, what was it, $500,000 from EPA with zero local match. Adam is not here to talk about us. So it's you, Sean.

It looks like it's through 2029. So approve and enter into agreement. So any questions from the committee? If not, if not, I would look for a motion to approve and enter into agreement.

So moved.

There's a motion and a second. Discussion? Seeing none all in favor. Aye. Aye.

And opposed. Alright that passes. We'll pass it for signatures. Next up, we have 25Dash0638, application of class b retail intoxicating liquor and fermented malt beverage license to Randall and Austin Enterprises do business as Silver Valley Hospitality for Silver Valley Banquet Hall on Alverno Road. Any discussion from the committee?

Seeing none, I would understand a motion to approve.

Motion to approve. Second.

Motion to approve in a second discussion. Seeing none. All in favor. Aye. Aye. And opposed? Alright. That passes. And if there's no objection, I'll put that on consent. Alright.

And then our next two items do require closed session, so I will read us into closed. Notices here by giving that the above governmental body may adjourn in a closed session during the meeting is authorized by section 19 dot eight five one a of Wisconsin statutes, which authorizes the governmental body to convene into closed session for the purpose of deliberating concerning a case of which the subject of any judicial or quasi judicial trial or hearing before the governmental body. The specific subject matter that may be considered in closed session is 25Dash0369, two year operating license number 250249HDeWitt. And notices hereby given that the above governmental body may adjourn into a closed session during this meeting as authored by section 19 dot eight five one g. Eluzcazza statutes was authorizes the governmental body to convene into closed sessions for the purpose of conferring with legal counsel for the governmental body who is rendering oral or written advice concerning the strategy to be adopted by the body with respect to litigation in which it is or likely to become involved.

The specific subject matter that may be considered in closed session is 25 Dash0640L25Dash00076, power claim for damages greater than $5,000. The motion is convened into closed session was made by alder person.

Motion to go into closed session.

Dunbar. Second.

And seconded by Reckleburg. Alright. I Reckleburg. I. And Dunbar. I. Alright. We are in closed session. We will move down to the end of the hall.

Okay. Yeah. And I'm like, alright. Once is an accident, twice is

More than a coincidence. Yeah. Alright. We are back from closed session. So the two items that we address in closed session, the first one is 25Dash0639, the two year operating license for h DeWitt. Is there a motion from the committee?

Mister chair, I move to recommend approval of the license pursuant to Wisconsin stat one one one point three three five.

Okay. There's a motion to approve the license. Is there Second. There's a second. Any discussion on the license? Seeing none. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. And opposed? Okay. So the committee approved your license this evening. It will get forwarded to council. That meeting is on September 15. So it comes before the entire council with the recommendation from the finance committee for claim for damages for the Bauer claim. Is there a motion from the committee?

Motion to deny or to approve the denial.

There's a motion to deny the claim. Yes. Is there a second?

Second.

Motion to deny the claim. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. And opposed? Alright, I will pass that for signatures. That passes. Alright, that does endorse our agenda this evening. So I look for a motion to adjourn. So moved. Second. Right. We are adjourned. Thank you.