The City of Monroe will be without a mayor and down to only five members on the City Council from midnight Monday, April 14 until about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 15.
City Attorney Rex Ewald and City Clerk Carol Stamm read state statues and determined that, legally, the terms of the 2006 elected city officials end at midnight April 14, but newly-elected members will not be sworn in until the City Council meeting the following evening.
Although the newly-elected aldermen are actually re-elected and their terms start at 12:01 a.m. April 15, they will be without a voice on the council or committees until taking the oath of office.
That creates a problem for city committees that normally meet on Tuesday before the City Council meeting; actions taken by Tuesday committee members would not be official. So, to keep city government projects on track, April 15 committee meetings will move to April 14.
Some Tuesday committees that may be effected include Judiciary and Ordinance and Review Committee, Finance and Taxation Committee, License Committee, Claims Committee and Salary and Personnel Committee.
Green County Emergency Management Director and Alderman Keith Ingwell said the city could still operate with five members in the event of an emergency.
In the event an actual emergency meeting of the council were needed, Stamm said the mayor and aldermen would be sworn right before the meeting. Stamm conducts the swearing in.
The re-elected are Mayor Ron Marsh and Aldermen Neal Hunter (Ward 1), Mark Coplien (Ward 3), Chuck Koch (Ward 5) and Thurston Hanson (Ward 7). Kent Kallembach (Ward 9) was appointed in January to fill Ward 9 after Mike Capesius moved out of state. He won his first term in that ward in the election April 1.
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Aldermen are not always as gruff and serious at city committee and council meetings as they seem in news articles.
Answering roll call at the council meeting April 2, several members decided to deviate from the normal, following Neal Hunter's booming, "I'm here."
Paul Hannes: "I'm here too." Coplien: "Here." Lefevre: "Ditto." Koch: "Here." Ingwell: "Si." Hanson: "Here." Kallembach: "Here." Schuringa: "Yes." Dan Henke was absent.
City Attorney Rex Ewald and City Clerk Carol Stamm read state statues and determined that, legally, the terms of the 2006 elected city officials end at midnight April 14, but newly-elected members will not be sworn in until the City Council meeting the following evening.
Although the newly-elected aldermen are actually re-elected and their terms start at 12:01 a.m. April 15, they will be without a voice on the council or committees until taking the oath of office.
That creates a problem for city committees that normally meet on Tuesday before the City Council meeting; actions taken by Tuesday committee members would not be official. So, to keep city government projects on track, April 15 committee meetings will move to April 14.
Some Tuesday committees that may be effected include Judiciary and Ordinance and Review Committee, Finance and Taxation Committee, License Committee, Claims Committee and Salary and Personnel Committee.
Green County Emergency Management Director and Alderman Keith Ingwell said the city could still operate with five members in the event of an emergency.
In the event an actual emergency meeting of the council were needed, Stamm said the mayor and aldermen would be sworn right before the meeting. Stamm conducts the swearing in.
The re-elected are Mayor Ron Marsh and Aldermen Neal Hunter (Ward 1), Mark Coplien (Ward 3), Chuck Koch (Ward 5) and Thurston Hanson (Ward 7). Kent Kallembach (Ward 9) was appointed in January to fill Ward 9 after Mike Capesius moved out of state. He won his first term in that ward in the election April 1.
• • •
Aldermen are not always as gruff and serious at city committee and council meetings as they seem in news articles.
Answering roll call at the council meeting April 2, several members decided to deviate from the normal, following Neal Hunter's booming, "I'm here."
Paul Hannes: "I'm here too." Coplien: "Here." Lefevre: "Ditto." Koch: "Here." Ingwell: "Si." Hanson: "Here." Kallembach: "Here." Schuringa: "Yes." Dan Henke was absent.