MONROE - With no consensus on how to fund a $775,000 city-wide program to meet federal and state mandates for emergency radio communications, officials opted to put the project on hold at the city's Finance and Taxation Committee Tuesday.
The delay could cause the city to miss the November 2011 state deadline for installation of a narrowband emergency radio system.
At issue is financing the project. Committee members are waiting for the 2010 audit to be finished in late July. That will tell them exactly how much money is left in the city's undesignated fund balance.
Until the audit arrives, committee members have also asked to see financing option for the projects. The committee meets again July 5.
The Public Safety Committee recommended to the Finance and Taxation Committee on June 6 an emergency services and public works communications project prepared by Rob Jacobson, technical services director for the Monroe Police Department.
The project, as presented, would cost an estimated $750,000, and City Administrator Phil Rath suggested the project be paid for with surplus funds.
But the request to fund the project - using money from the city's undesignated fund balance - arrived at the Finance and Taxation Committee on the heels of a committee vote to set aside about $3 million of the undesignated fund balance for a "committed working capital" account.
Such an account can't be used without council resolution.
The committee also learned that the $6.2 million in undesignated funds in 2009 had dwindled by 2011. The west-side fire station was funded with $1 million in 2010, and in 2011, $140,00 was spent to replace a trail bridge over 8th Street and $700,000 was earmarked for loan to the water utility.
Cathy Maurer, city treasurer, and Suzie Shaw, city accountant, cautioned the committee not to promise another $775,000, until the audit was complete.
"I understand the committee's concerns about spending that amount of money, but I'm concerned about the timeline," Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley said.
Jacobson estimates the project would need about four months to complete - with another two months to replace an emergency generator in city hall. He also said work to replace antennas on tower needs to be done early before winter begins, and ordering and receiving the needed radios takes about 60 days.
"It's an aggressive schedule," Kelley said. "But I am confident that we'll get through the process on time."
There are no fines for not complying by the state deadline, "but the practical problem is that we wouldn't be able to communicate with other agencies," Kelley said.
Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud said his department will be narrowband ready by November.
The Federal Communications Commission has ordered all local and state public safety radio systems converted to narrowband channels by Dec. 31, 2012. After that, public safety radios not using narrowband channels can no longer be operated. Failure to comply could result in the loss of the FCC license and fines of up to $10,000 per day.
Wisconsin moved the deadline up to November 2011 for its statewide mutual aid channels, in anticipation of the federal deadline.
The Wisconsin Interoperability Council informed municipal, county and tribal officials of the state's need to modify its FCC licenses to narrowband channels in an "urgent communication" that required "immediate attention" on Aug. 2, 2010.
Kelley said he and other local public safety officials knew of the FCC deadline date, but the state deadline was unexpected.
Up to one-half of the frequencies used by the city are managed by the state, according to Kelley.
The delay could cause the city to miss the November 2011 state deadline for installation of a narrowband emergency radio system.
At issue is financing the project. Committee members are waiting for the 2010 audit to be finished in late July. That will tell them exactly how much money is left in the city's undesignated fund balance.
Until the audit arrives, committee members have also asked to see financing option for the projects. The committee meets again July 5.
The Public Safety Committee recommended to the Finance and Taxation Committee on June 6 an emergency services and public works communications project prepared by Rob Jacobson, technical services director for the Monroe Police Department.
The project, as presented, would cost an estimated $750,000, and City Administrator Phil Rath suggested the project be paid for with surplus funds.
But the request to fund the project - using money from the city's undesignated fund balance - arrived at the Finance and Taxation Committee on the heels of a committee vote to set aside about $3 million of the undesignated fund balance for a "committed working capital" account.
Such an account can't be used without council resolution.
The committee also learned that the $6.2 million in undesignated funds in 2009 had dwindled by 2011. The west-side fire station was funded with $1 million in 2010, and in 2011, $140,00 was spent to replace a trail bridge over 8th Street and $700,000 was earmarked for loan to the water utility.
Cathy Maurer, city treasurer, and Suzie Shaw, city accountant, cautioned the committee not to promise another $775,000, until the audit was complete.
"I understand the committee's concerns about spending that amount of money, but I'm concerned about the timeline," Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley said.
Jacobson estimates the project would need about four months to complete - with another two months to replace an emergency generator in city hall. He also said work to replace antennas on tower needs to be done early before winter begins, and ordering and receiving the needed radios takes about 60 days.
"It's an aggressive schedule," Kelley said. "But I am confident that we'll get through the process on time."
There are no fines for not complying by the state deadline, "but the practical problem is that we wouldn't be able to communicate with other agencies," Kelley said.
Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud said his department will be narrowband ready by November.
The Federal Communications Commission has ordered all local and state public safety radio systems converted to narrowband channels by Dec. 31, 2012. After that, public safety radios not using narrowband channels can no longer be operated. Failure to comply could result in the loss of the FCC license and fines of up to $10,000 per day.
Wisconsin moved the deadline up to November 2011 for its statewide mutual aid channels, in anticipation of the federal deadline.
The Wisconsin Interoperability Council informed municipal, county and tribal officials of the state's need to modify its FCC licenses to narrowband channels in an "urgent communication" that required "immediate attention" on Aug. 2, 2010.
Kelley said he and other local public safety officials knew of the FCC deadline date, but the state deadline was unexpected.
Up to one-half of the frequencies used by the city are managed by the state, according to Kelley.