COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Matt Athey (Trustee), Dan Behm, Joel Ehrfurth, Paul Garvey (Trustee), Mark Salmon and George Smith.
STAFF: Randy Loberger, Village Engineer, Tim Krause, Director of Public Works, Kay Magyar, Finance Director, Steve Dunks, Zoning Administrator / Building Inspector and Graham Callis, Community Development Director
1) Call To Order
Meeting was called to order by Vice-Chair, Mark Salmon at 6:00 P.M.
2) Approve Agenda
Motion was made by Paul Garvey to approve the agenda; second by Dan Behm.
Motion carried unanimously
3) Citizen comments on public works agenda items
None
4) Public forum
None
5) Approve minutes: April 22, 2008
Motion was made by Matt Athey to approve the minutes; second by Paul Garvey.
Motion carried unanimously.
6) Election of Officers
Annual elections are held on the first meeting of May for all commissions and committees per the operating policy.
Motion was made by George Smith to nominate Joel Ehrfurth for Chair; second by Dan Behm.
Motion carried unanimously.
Motion was made by Matt Athey to nominate Mark Salmon for Vice-Chair; second by Joel Ehrfurth.
Motion carried unanimously
7) Review of Operational Policy/ Information Packet Distribution
Review of the Operating Policies and Procedures is an annual practice intended to re-familiarize committees and commissions with their responsibilities, commitment and practices. It will also help any new officer to become familiar with meeting operations and the basic Roberts Rules of Order.
Staff is providing all committees and commission members with a binder containing all pertinent ordinances, planning documents and related budgets.
These binders are intended to reduce copying costs in the long run, so that reports can be made in reference to a document contained in the binder rather than making copies and distributing them to the members again.
If more detail is needed by a member they will have the resource available to be able to research their questions.
We hope to be able to save on copying costs by not having to copy ordinances, planning document pages and other important information multiple times through the course of a year.
8) 2008 Roadway Reconstruction Additions
STAFF REPORT:
The village recently received bids and awarded the contract for the 2008 roadway reconstruction. The bids that were received for this project came very close to project estimates. Due to fact that a number of the monies, which are being spent on this project are not coming out of the capitol budget, additional funds are available for roadwork. Listed are some of these:
The Howard-Suamico School District is giving the village $252,000.00.
We’ve got the developer cost for Pristine Lane.
Potentially the Garot Subdivisions.
There is a grant for County M.
There is assessable cost which is not included in the available monies because that is still up in the air. Even if it does get assessed it will be collected over a 10-year period.
We’re going to be collecting some bridge funds.
There is the sanitary that Mr. Schlauh will be putting in.
When all this is put together the total estimate for the village is $1,155,000.00.
The commission members were given a capitol improvement schedule with the commission’s previous rating and the staff recommendations for the additions for 2008.
Motion was made by Joel Ehrfurth to approve the roads that staff has identified in yellow (listed below); second by Matt Athey.
Motion carried unanimously.
The following are the additions to the 2008 project:
Renard Court, Cabin Court, Sandy Lane, Breezewood Lane and Elvira Way
SECOND MOTION:
Motion was made by Matt Athey to chip seal Ranchu Road as described in the attachment from staff; second by Paul Garvey.
Motion carried unanimously.
9) Pond improvements Lineville Road. (Tabled on 4-22-08)
STAFF:
Dr. Brian Schaefer is proposing to install a fountain in the regional storm water treatment pond adjacent (east) to his business on Lineville Road.
This item was discussed at the April 22nd meeting and was referred back to the petitioner to get the okay from the DNR.
Staff has requested that the petitioner provide an agreement which must be a recordable document requiring the current or any future owner of the lot to remove the fountain equipment upon request of the Village prior to maintenance activities. (A copy of the preliminary document was provided for the committee members at the meeting.)
Staff believes that any action for approval should be contingent on formal written approval by the DNR and the execution of the owner’s agreement.
Motion was made by Paul Garvey to approve the installation of the pump in the storm water treatment pond on Lineville Road in accordance with the DNR approved specifications. For the removal of the equipment; condition upon the appropriate agreement between the village and the equipment owner for the removal of the equipment for what the village deems appropriate for maintenance purposes; second by Joel Ehrfurth.
Motion carried unanimously.
10) Request by Jim Hopkins to Review Water Billing for Snowshoe Apartments
STAFF:
Mr. Hopkins owns the Snowshoe apartment/condos and was recently back billed for utilities at three of the eight units. He is contesting the charges because of a claim that he was told by members of staff that charges did not begin until occupancy took place.
For approximately 4 years the finance department has been charging both the $21 standby fee for water to vacant lots and debt recovery fees to unoccupied spec homes. The basis for this rational is that connection has been requested and capacity in the system has been designated for use to that particular living unit. When the meter is installed the unit has total capability of utilizing that capacity and as such is subject to debt retirement charges for the construction of that system capacity.
In this case, back charges were assessed to the three units after discovery that three of the eight meters at the complex were not being billed as were the other 5. Finance was merely bringing all eight of the units into consistent compliance. This is the exact reason for the purchase and installation of the MUMS (Mass Unit Manager System) computer program which balances meters to accounting.
Billing of the other 5 meters was never contested and all 8 meters were installed between August and December of 2006.
Each of the 3 units has accrued charges of $565.16 for a total of $1695.48. A payment plan can be set up so the burden is not as intrusive and as we are required to provide under PSC regulation.
Three of eight meters were mistakenly not charged in the correct manner while 5 of the 8 were charged correctly. This is not a matter of he said she said it is a matter of finding a mistake and correcting it. Tax dollars were spent on a computer program to do just this.
Staff is drafting a general billing guideline; when does billing start, so it is available to future condo and multi-family complex owners.
Cost recovery should proceed under a payment plan to be decided by the customer, the finance department and PSC regulations.
PSC- Chapter 185 does allow (the village financial department) in situations where it has inadvertently omitted billing to go back 24 months and bill.
Mr. Hopkins was in attendance at the meeting to review this billing with staff and the commission. He stated he doesn’t have a problem paying his fair share but questioned why he is being billed for an oversight that he did not do.
He also questioned how he would go about stopping the sewer debt reduction fee per quarter on a unit that is vacant.
Motion was made by Matt Athey to deny the request made by Mr. Hopkins due to current policy and PSC ruling; second by George Smith.
Motion carried unanimously.
11) Request by Barbara White for Village to Extend Water Lateral through Private Property (SU-481-3-b)
STAFF:
Rules and policies are to extend within the right-of-way; that is what we are required to do.
Back in June of 2007 this commission deemed the cemetery as basically right-of-way because it is public property.
The petitioner is requesting that the village extend through a parcel of private property to get to the land-locked property. It would be a cost in the excess of $4,300.00.
It is not the village’s policy to extend laterals through private properties.
Motion was made by Joel Ehrfurth to determine, if appropriate as constructed, any additional costs to be borne by the property owner; second by George Smith.
Motion carried unanimously
12) Discussion and Recommendation on Changes to Village Subdivision Code
STAFF:
We have had a few situations in the past year involving storm water utilities in Cedar View and Wynding Ridge Subdivisions.
These issues are not on village owned properties they are on easements and this can cause conflicts if there isn’t full disclosure to the property owners or they’re not aware of the fact that there is storm water utility.
Staff has been discussing that we should try to have these utilities located on the lots that the village owns and that is a good direction to go because we then won’t have any issues keeping buffers between homeowners and the utilities.
We wouldn’t have any issues with homeowners planting grass or building gazebos, patios, etc. into the easement area, which the village needs to access and maintain these facilities.
This is the direction that staff is looking to go with and we’re bringing this item to this commission to get input on it, and then move ahead with drafting some language to put into the subdivision ordinance.
Motion was made by Paul Garvey for staff to draft language for dedicated village owned property for storm water treatment facilities to include easements to those dedicated properties for review; second by Joel Ehrfurth.
Motion carried unanimously
13) Adjourn
Motion was made by Mark Salmon to adjourn; second by Matt Athey
Motion carried unanimously
Meeting was adjourned at 7:25 P.M.
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Recorder, Jean DeBauche