The Common Council met at City Hall in the City of Black River Falls on September 5, 2023 at 6:00 P.M.
Alderpersons Olson, Dougherty, Gearing-Lancaster, and Ammann were present. Alderpersons Wussow, Brown, M. Rave, and E. Rave attended remotely via Zoom meetings. Mayor J. Eddy presided.
The City Administrator explained the motion to approve the application for payment for Visu-Sewer in the August
1, 2023 Common Council meeting minutes was changed from payment #1 to payment #2. This was a change order to the rehabilitation project and payment #1 was already disbursed to Visu-Sewer.
It was moved by Alderperson Ammann, seconded by Alderperson Dougherty to dispense with the reading of the minutes of the August 1, 2023 Common Council meeting and approve with change to payment number. Motion carried.
CITIZENS IN ATTENDANCE There were no citizens in attendance.
Jackson County Sheriff Duane Waldera provided updates on the county’s jail/justice center building project. The project has slowed but is still moving forward with communication plan meetings. Meetings to begin next week and occur every Thursday after that. Has been some discussion that there may not be enough plans to move forward but will be discussed during meetings. Jail only is still an option and cost is continually increasing.
Some discussion again on 3rd Street, Bauer Road and DHHS site.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
It was moved by Alderperson Ammann, seconded by Alderperson Dougherty to approve the minutes of the August 16, 2023 Committee of the Whole meeting. Motion carried.
The Committee of the Whole met at City Hall in the City of Black River Falls on August 16, 2023 at 6:04 P.M.
Alderpersons Dougherty, Gearing-Lancaster, Wussow, Ammann, and M. Rave were present. Alderpersons
Olson, Brown, and E. Rave attended remotely via Zoom meetings. Mayor Jay Eddy presided.
- There were no citizens in attendance.
- There was no update on the Jackson County jail / justice center project.
- The Department Head monthly reports were reviewed. Department heads present were Darryl Nelson, Jody Stoker, Cara Hart, and Brad Chown. Chad Duerkop and Jeremy Isensee were excused.
- A revision to the attendance and punctuality policy in the employee handbook was reviewed and discussed. The changes clarify work schedules that vary throughout the organization and attendance expectations.
- An amendment to the employee handbook to create a work from home policy was reviewed and discussed. The policy outlines the requirements and expectations when city staff perform work tasks from home.
- The proposed 2024 Capital Budget was reviewed and discussed. Will be presented for approval at the September Council meeting.
- The City Administrator advised state bid pricing for an ADA accessible minivan for taxi service came in at $72,000 with the city responsible for 20% of the purchase price. Quote for replacing the A/C unit at City Hall is expected to be in the $50-60,000 range and should be available to present to Council for approval at the next meeting. Dumpster contractors have expressed concerns regarding the new ordinance requiring a dumpster permit. The City Administrator offered some options for amending the ordinance which included language clarifying that dumpster permits are only issued to pre-qualified dumpster contractors, contractors submitting certificate of insurance naming the city as additionally insured, and possibly an annual permit and
fee. It was emphasized that the ordinance was not intended to be a revenue generator, the intent was to ensure contractors were held responsible for the cost of repairs needed for any damage caused by dumpsters being placed on public property. - The Street Superintendent received two bids for repairing the retaining wall by the Catholic Church and accepted the one from Coulee Region Landscaping for $3,965.37. The gas company does not feel they are at fault for the retaining wall damage.
- It was moved by Alderperson Wussow, seconded by Alderperson Dougherty to award the bid for a new grader to McCoy John Deere for a 2024 622GP grader at a cost not to exceed $361,390 after $30,000 trade in or sale of existing grader. Motion carried.
- It was moved by Alderperson Ammann, seconded by Alderperson M. Rave to approve the purchase of security cameras for the Lunda Community Park from Digital Bay at a cost of $23,415.31. Motion carried.
- It was moved by Alderperson M. Rave, seconded by Alderperson Gearing-Lancaster to approve the
vouchers for July 2023 Check #72732 – #72866 totaling $315,041.21. Motion carried. - It was moved by Alderperson Olson, seconded by Alderperson Wussow to approve the City Treasurer’s Report for July 2023. Motion carried.
- It was moved by Alderperson Olson, seconded by Alderperson Dougherty to approve the Revenue &
Expense Reports for July 2023. Motion carried. - It was moved by Alderperson Wussow, seconded by Alderperson M. Rave to adjourn. Motion carried at 6:41 PM.
It was moved by Alderperson M. Rave, seconded by Alderperson Brown to place on file the minutes of the July 31, 2023 Utility Commission meeting. Motion carried.
It was moved by Alderperson Dougherty, seconded by Alderperson Gearing-Lancaster to place on file the minutes of the August 28, 2023 Utility Commission meeting. Motion carried.
It was moved by Alderperson Gearing-Lancaster, seconded by Alderperson Dougherty to approve Revision #11 to the employee handbook pertaining to attendance and punctuality. Motion carried.
It was moved by Alderperson Wussow, seconded by Alderperson M. Rave to approve Amendment #7 to the employee handbook pertaining to a work from home policy. Motion carried.
It was moved by Alderperson Ammann, seconded by Alderperson Dougherty to approve the proposal from Staley Plumbing & HVAC LLC to replace the 20-ton Trane DX cooling unit at City Hall at a cost of $66,320.00. Motion carried.
There was discussion on the proposal from Cedar Corporation for professional engineering services for the Foundation Trail improvement project at a cost of $47,900.00. The Council asked the City Administrator to get bids from other engineering firms and then bring back for consideration.
ORDINANCE 883 – an ordinance repealing and recreating Section 12.14 of the Code of Ordinances related to dumpster permits was presented for 1st reading.
It was moved by Alderperson Ammann, seconded by Alderperson Dougherty to approve the application for a Temporary Class B Beer (Picnic) License for the Jackson County Little League for the 2023 Pumpkin Ball Tournament September 9th at 650 North Tenth Street (Marks Field). Motion carried.
The City Administrator presented information on ARPA funds. A total of $365,906.63 was received, and the remaining balance is $34,221.24 now that all allocated projects have been paid. The allocation of the remaining balance will be a topic of discussion at future meetings.
The lawsuit filed in Jackson County Circuit Court by Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust related to their claimof excessive assessment for 2023 was presented to the Council.
It was moved by Alderperson Olson, seconded by Alderperson Dougherty to adjourn. Motion carried at 6:39 pm.
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