MONROE - At a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe Historic Preservation Commission:
- Postponed approving a certificate of appropriateness for 1110 15th Ave., pending the owner's final decision on roofing color and material.
- Approved a certificate of appropriateness for replacing windows and siding for the Green County Historical Society, located in the former Bethel School at 1617 9th St. The school building will be painted white.
Building Inspector Dave Powers reported updates on the Historic Preservation District.
Members Sue Disch, Marshall Zwygart and Rudolph Regez were absent.
MONROE - In a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe Revolving Loan Fund Committee:
- Approved a request from Alpine Slicing to transfer service rights for loans to another bank.
- Completed the write-off of defaulted loans: Allman, Barrett and Lisa d/b/a Barrett's Brick Café for $41,805; Barrett's Brick Café, $47,700; and Jensen Chiropractic, $14,600. The write-off amounts include accrued interest.
- Discussed an on-going, statewide effort to regionalize revolving loan fund programs, with the local five-county area slated to begin by June 2013. Some areas in the state have already established a regional program. Members voiced concerns about joining in the regional plan, which they said could cause the city to lose the ability to make its own local funding decisions, but also saw the problem of losing points on community development block grant applications for not joining. When a regional program is developed, the city expects to see its revolving loan fund, originally funded by the state, slowing absorbed by the regional program. The city could develop its own locally owned and administrated program, but would need financial backers to begin the program. City Administrator Phil Rath said he hopes to be and wants to be "at the table" in order to include Monroe's concerns and interests during the structuring of the regional area program.
MONROE - In a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe Public Property Committee:
- Discussed the anticipated future use of the city hall building and determined that repairs, upgrades and maintenance considerations should be based on using the building for at least another 50 years. The city hall was built in 1965.
- Reviewed a draft of an agreement to turn over the title of a run-down property on 11th Street to an adjacent property owner, in return for removing the structure on it within 60 days. The lot does not meet zoning requirements to allow another house to be built on it. The agreement will be presented to the adjoining property owner for consideration. The county is presently poised to take the property for unpaid back taxes, which will be written off under the agreement.
MONROE - In a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe Finance and Taxation Committee:
- Authorized Behring Senior Center to hire South Central Sealcoating for $1,825 to sealcoating the center's parking lots, using its funds left from a capital campaign.
- Discussed the need to upgrade light fixtures in the senior center building and other city buildings in anticipation of T12 lamps (light bulbs) being phased out of production starting July 2012. The committee directed Rath to send out requests for proposals to upgrade all city buildings.
MONROE - In a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe Salary and Personnel Committee approved a revised a job description for the position of Director of Public Works. However, the committee did not move forward to authorize recruiting for the position, as recommended by Rath. Instead, the committee voted 4-1 to hear from current department supervisors before determining whether to proceed. Committee members want to know whether department heads need and want a public works director or would prefer to continue to operate without one as they have been for the past year. Brooke Bauman voted against the motion.
MONROE - In a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe License Committee voted 2-1, to recommend the council to grant a temporary class "B" fermented malt beverage license to Green County Humane Society for an outdoor beer garden in conjunction with the Main Street Monroe series of Concerts on the Square.
Committee member Sara Conway voiced objection to the license, saying it takes away from businesses in the Square during an event that is supposed to be promoting it, and she said she would like to see activities in the Square that do not include alcohol. She voted against the measure.
Tom Miller voted in favor, noting the concerts bring people downtown and have been successful in the past. He added that the humane society needs to raise money and he has received many positive and few negative comments about their beer garden at these events.
Chairman Chuck Schuringa broke the tie to recommend the measure to the council.
- Tere Dunlap
- Postponed approving a certificate of appropriateness for 1110 15th Ave., pending the owner's final decision on roofing color and material.
- Approved a certificate of appropriateness for replacing windows and siding for the Green County Historical Society, located in the former Bethel School at 1617 9th St. The school building will be painted white.
Building Inspector Dave Powers reported updates on the Historic Preservation District.
Members Sue Disch, Marshall Zwygart and Rudolph Regez were absent.
MONROE - In a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe Revolving Loan Fund Committee:
- Approved a request from Alpine Slicing to transfer service rights for loans to another bank.
- Completed the write-off of defaulted loans: Allman, Barrett and Lisa d/b/a Barrett's Brick Café for $41,805; Barrett's Brick Café, $47,700; and Jensen Chiropractic, $14,600. The write-off amounts include accrued interest.
- Discussed an on-going, statewide effort to regionalize revolving loan fund programs, with the local five-county area slated to begin by June 2013. Some areas in the state have already established a regional program. Members voiced concerns about joining in the regional plan, which they said could cause the city to lose the ability to make its own local funding decisions, but also saw the problem of losing points on community development block grant applications for not joining. When a regional program is developed, the city expects to see its revolving loan fund, originally funded by the state, slowing absorbed by the regional program. The city could develop its own locally owned and administrated program, but would need financial backers to begin the program. City Administrator Phil Rath said he hopes to be and wants to be "at the table" in order to include Monroe's concerns and interests during the structuring of the regional area program.
MONROE - In a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe Public Property Committee:
- Discussed the anticipated future use of the city hall building and determined that repairs, upgrades and maintenance considerations should be based on using the building for at least another 50 years. The city hall was built in 1965.
- Reviewed a draft of an agreement to turn over the title of a run-down property on 11th Street to an adjacent property owner, in return for removing the structure on it within 60 days. The lot does not meet zoning requirements to allow another house to be built on it. The agreement will be presented to the adjoining property owner for consideration. The county is presently poised to take the property for unpaid back taxes, which will be written off under the agreement.
MONROE - In a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe Finance and Taxation Committee:
- Authorized Behring Senior Center to hire South Central Sealcoating for $1,825 to sealcoating the center's parking lots, using its funds left from a capital campaign.
- Discussed the need to upgrade light fixtures in the senior center building and other city buildings in anticipation of T12 lamps (light bulbs) being phased out of production starting July 2012. The committee directed Rath to send out requests for proposals to upgrade all city buildings.
MONROE - In a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe Salary and Personnel Committee approved a revised a job description for the position of Director of Public Works. However, the committee did not move forward to authorize recruiting for the position, as recommended by Rath. Instead, the committee voted 4-1 to hear from current department supervisors before determining whether to proceed. Committee members want to know whether department heads need and want a public works director or would prefer to continue to operate without one as they have been for the past year. Brooke Bauman voted against the motion.
MONROE - In a meeting Tuesday, the City of Monroe License Committee voted 2-1, to recommend the council to grant a temporary class "B" fermented malt beverage license to Green County Humane Society for an outdoor beer garden in conjunction with the Main Street Monroe series of Concerts on the Square.
Committee member Sara Conway voiced objection to the license, saying it takes away from businesses in the Square during an event that is supposed to be promoting it, and she said she would like to see activities in the Square that do not include alcohol. She voted against the measure.
Tom Miller voted in favor, noting the concerts bring people downtown and have been successful in the past. He added that the humane society needs to raise money and he has received many positive and few negative comments about their beer garden at these events.
Chairman Chuck Schuringa broke the tie to recommend the measure to the council.
- Tere Dunlap