By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Monroe City Council: June 8, 2011
Placeholder Image
MONROE - In a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe Finance and Taxation Committee:

- Set the minimum amount of the undesignated reserve fund balance at 25 percent of the city's annual operating expenses, which will be will be included in the final fund balance policy. The city currently has an unreserved funds balance of $6.2 million. The 2011 expenditures are budgeted at $13 million. Keeping a fixed amount in the reserve balance improves the credit rating of the city in reports to bond investors and rating agencies.

- Discussed the 2012 budget process, zero-based and other methods of budgeting.

MONROE - In a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe Salary and Personnel Committee:

- Authorized advertising for a replacement Water Department operator in training.

- Discussed an employee evaluation schedule for department heads with Phil Rath, city administrator.

MONROE - In a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe Common Council:

- Confirmed mayoral appointments of Reid Stangel, Rob Jacobson, Rex Ewald, Al Gerber and Michael Boyce as Chairperson to the Information Technology Committee.

- Reset a public hearing date of June 21, 2011, for an ordinance amending the definition of a billboard in the Monroe City Code for conditional uses in the R-1, R-2 and B-2 zoning districts.

- Set a public hearing date of June 21, 2011, for an ordinance changing the Monroe City Code for meetings of the Board of Review to meet state changes.

- Approved $397,000 to pay bills.

- Unanimously denied claims presented to the city by individuals for punctured tires damaged in the 8th/9th Street construction area. Carol Stamm, city clerk, said the claims could be presented to the contractors who are responsible for maintaining intersections along the construction route.

- Approved special events permits for the Monroe Balloon Rally, Cars on Square exhibits and Monroe Badger Days.

- Granted a temporary class "B" beer license for an outdoor beer garden to Monroe Balloon Rally, Inc.

- Voted unanimously to grant a "Class B" beer and liquor license to Pancho & Lefty's Tex-Mex Grill, LLC, which was conditionally surrendered by KTHOG, Inc.

- Unanimously approved a change order for 8th and 9th Street Sanitary Sewer and Water Improvements Project, at no cost to the city. Dane County Contracting requested a 4-day extension to its 90-day contract for work the city added to the original contract.

- Unanimously authorized hiring Fehr-Graham and Associates for $8,500 to provide services associated with closing a previously unidentified, underground storage tank in the 8th/9th Street reconstruction project. The 300- gallon tank was removed on May 24 by contractors without proper state credentials, without completing the required registration and permitting steps, and without required vapor inerting and cleaning and a state certified site assessment. Fehr-Graham and Associates will complete the required steps and documentation for submission to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

- Accepted bids and voted unanimously to award H&K Contracting with the contract for the 2011 Shopko area sanitary sewer improvements project, for $126,000. The project is expected to improve drainage of sewer mains in that area.

- Voted unanimously to terminate Monroe Main Street as a city sponsored program and commended the Main Street board and volunteers. Jan Lefevre raised a question about authorizing access to the city's official city logo for the new Main Street Monroe, Inc. to use for its own purposes. Rex Ewald, city attorney, said the wording in the authorization is almost identical to the authorization previously given to the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

- Voted unanimously to rescinded authorization to guarantee a limited portion of the city administrator's mortgage debt. Use of the guarantee was declined by Phil Rath, city administrator. Rescinding the previous resolution giving the authorization clears it from the city's code.

- Voted 8-2 not to revisit the issue of expanding the city's class A liquor license quota at a council meeting. Thurston Hanson made the motion to place the item on the council agenda, after it died in the Judiciary and Ordinance Committee June 1. Hanson described the failure of the motion as the death of free enterprise at full council.

- Reid Stangel commended the Monroe Morning Optimists, the Monroe Cheesemakers Booster Club and PDC Electrical Contractors for their donation and installation of two scoreboards at Twining Park.