The Special Meeting of the Common Council was called to order at 8:00 a.m.
on Saturday, April 26, 2008. It was
noted that the meeting had been announced and a notice posted at City Hall.
Roll call was taken, with the following members present: Mayor Mike Giese, Ald. Dennis Aspenson, Ald.
Jim Olson, Ald. Robert Muth, Ald. Tim Miller, Ald. Clarence Stellner, and Ald.
Kim Smith.
Also Present: City Clerk Cari
Burmaster.
Item 2 - Approval of minutes from previous meeting as amended.
Motion by Ald. Aspenson, second by Ald. Stellner, to approve the minutes
from the previous meeting as amended and on file in the City Clerk’s
Office.
Under discussion, Ald. Stellner indicated that the item beginning at Line
27 still does not include all of the questions that Ald. Stellner had asked at
the previous Common Council Reorganization Meeting of April 15, 2008, where he
had asked 3 times if there were any other nominations.
For the record, Ald. Stellner would like the misconception cleared up
that he appointed Dennis Aspenson as his particular candidate. Ald. Stellner said, “That was not true. I looked at the applications, and I made my
personal nomination, but then I also opened it up for other nominations. I want that noted in the record, please”.
Mayor Giese concurred with Ald. Stellner that he had called 3 times for
any other nominations.
Motion withdrawn by Ald. Aspenson, second withdrawn by Ald. Stellner, to
approve the minutes as amended.
Motion by Ald. Stellner, second by Ald. Aspenson, to amend the minutes of
the Common Council Reorganization meeting of April 15, 2008, to indicate on
Line 29 that Ald. Stellner called three times for anyone else wishing to make
any other nominations.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Motion by Ald. Olson, second by Ald. Stellner, to approve the minutes of
the previous meeting as amended.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Consideration and possible action on the following items:
Item 3 – United Fund for Arts and Humanities Proclamation. (Last Year’s
attached).
Proclamation
Mark
Johnsrud
Mayor
City of
WHEREAS, the Arts and Humanities present to the Greater
LaCrosse community its heritage
preserved in
song, drama, pictures and more; and
WHEREAS, the Arts and Humanities encourage everyone to
participate in some fashion such as
performance, financial support, or, most
importantly, simply being an audience member; and
WHEREAS, the Arts and Humanities teach our children and
help them become more
well-rounded
and sensitive adults; and
WHEREAS, the Arts and Humanities encourage and use the
talents of thousands of people from
the area and
attract increasing numbers of tourists and visitors; and
WHEREAS, the Arts and Humanities are responsible for a
positive regional economic impact of
many millions of dollars; and
WHEREAS, the Arts and Humanities are truly for everyone
with something to like for
everybody.
NOW, THEREFORE, WE, MARK JOHNSRUD, MICHAEL S. GIESE, MIKEL R.
POELLINGER, JOHN CHAPMAN, and DENNIS MANTHEI, do hereby proclaim the month
of May 2008 as
“UNITED
FUND FOR THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES MONTH”
and congratulate everyone involved in the superlative effort expended to
keep the bright cultural light of the Coulee Region radiantly shining for all
to see.
Dated this _____ day of
May in the year of our Lord Two Thousand Eight.
________________________________ ___________________________________
MAYOR MARK JOHNSRUD MAYOR MICHAEL S.
GIESE
City of
________________________________ ___________________________________
MAYOR MIKEL R. POELLINGER PRESIDENT JOHN CHAPMAN
_____________________________
PRESIDENT
DENNIS MANTHEI
This proclamation has been an ongoing tradition for some time. The proclamation is prepared by the Mayor of
LaCrosse and then the fellow mayors sign it at the event which will be coming
up in May.
Motion by Ald. Stellner, second by Ald. Aspenson, to authorize Mayor
Giese to sign the proclamation for the United Fund for Arts and Humanities next
month.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Item 4 – Open meetings/Open records compliance.
Mayor Giese explained that the city attorney, as part of his report to the
council at the first regular council meeting, will be discussing the general issue
of parliamentary procedure and also the background information relative to the
open records/open meetings statutes in the State of
Mayor Giese said, “It’s I think more prudent for our tax dollar not to
have the attorney come in for this special meeting so we let it go as planned
as a regular activity. In no way am I
suggesting that this is in response to any impropriety or that we’re not in
compliance in any way at all. Sean in
his discussion with me, I concurred that it would be good to have that as a
refresher as we’re going forward.
Relative to the Parliamentary Procedures, I do feel, and I’m looking at
myself when I say this, that we’ve been getting less than optimally careful in
how we word motions and other things”.
Cari Burmaster will make available in the council chambers two
publications from the State of Wisconsin Attorney General’s Office that discuss
Open meetings/Open records. These
documents are rather large consisting of approximately 40 pages. One copy is to be on file for ongoing
reference for council members and the other one can be checked out to eliminate
the necessity of reading the large document on the screen. There will also be two documents prepared by
Sean to be available to council members that Cari will copy and place into
their boxes for review at their leisure.
Mayor Giese indicated this is a point of information and should be just
good due process.
Mayor Giese questioned if there was any discussion regarding this item.
Item 5 – Appointments to standing committees, boards, commissions, and
other committees.
Motion by Ald. Stellner, second by Ald. Miller, to take each committee
separately and discuss them before making any approvals on any of the
committees.
Under discussion, Ald. Smith indicated that because most of the council
members have multiple copies, she would request that the copy they work off is
the one that was included in the meeting notice so everyone is on the same page
at the same time and then if someone has supplementary information, they can
have this off to the side.
Cari questioned if everyone had a copy of this that came with the agenda.
Members agreed.
On voice vote, motion carried.
In anticipation of this, Mayor Giese suggested going through each committee
in a general fashion noting any changes to them and then coming back to each
individual committee for discussion and voting.
Page 9 – Cable Franchise Negotiating Committee – There have been changes in state law to
indicate the phasing out of this committee.
This will not be applicable within several different calendar sequences,
depending on what occurs. Mayor Giese
said, “But it’s very unlikely that we’re going to be in a position to call this
committee to order and take action in the near future, and eventually it will be
phased out”.
Page 12 – Plan Commission
– The chair for the Plan Commission is an elected position determined by this
body so that requires a separate vote by the council for that to occur.
Page 14 – Tourism Commission – The recommendation of the Mayor’s Office is for Ald. Jim Olson to be
chair which is a change from what is currently in the packet of information
included with the agenda.
Page 15 – Waste Facility Siting Board – Mayor Giese explained, “By statute, this is created whenever a
significant waste depository is to be created in a community. This board needs to be formed to represent
the best interests of the community. In
the statute, it says nothing about how these are disbanded once they’re
created. The situation in our area right
now is the LaCrosse County Landfill was modified within the last couple of
years, and it’s very unlikely any additional waste facilities are going to be
sited. So this committee will not be called
for probably 10 to 20 years, so it’s my recommendation in subsequent meetings,
we’ll have a motion to disband this committee so we keep our list a little bit
tidier”.
Members of the council addressed the following committees individually:
Administrative Committee – The nominations as presented were Ald.
Stellner, Ald. Miller, and Ald. Muth.
Motion by Ald. Stellner, second by Ald. Aspenson, to approve the
nominations as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on this motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Board of Building Appeals – The nominations as presented were Mike
Schneider, Bill Buchner, Steve Mutch, Tod Neumeister, and Robert Erickson.
Motion by Ald. Olson, second by Ald. Muth, to approve the nominations as
presented.
Under discussion, Mayor Giese indicated that Tod Neumeister has given him
a verbal statement of willingness to serve, but he had to check with one item
before a firm commitment could be made.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Board of Public Works – The nominations as presented were Ald. Stellner,
Ald. Miller, Mayor Giese, Jarrod Holter, Fred Buehler, and Ald. Muth.
Motion by Ald. Aspenson, second by Ald. Muth, to approve the nominations
as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on this motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Board of Zoning Appeals – The nominations as presented were Ald. Miller,
Ald. Aspenson, Robert Jorgenson, Robert Mullally, Diane Oldani Wulf, and Robert
Wehrenberg.
Motion by Ald. Miller, second Ald. Aspenson, to approve the nominations
as presented.
Under discussion, Cari noted that the alternate member will be the Plan
Commission representative from the council so this alternate spot would depend
on whoever will be appointed to the Plan Commission.
Ald. Aspenson indicated that he had submitted a letter to Ald. Stellner
and Mayor Giese stating that as he would consider himself a junior alderperson,
if there is any senior alderperson that would be interested in being on one of
the committees that he is listed under, that they could feel free to take his place.
Ald. Muth disagreed and noted that Ald. Aspenson has a lot of experience
on this council and in the past and brings a lot of experience as a developer
and as a citizen. Ald. Muth said, “So I
have no reservations whatsoever as far as you chairing any committee”.
Ald. Stellner concurred.
Ald. Aspenson indicated appreciation for this and offered that any
council member wishing to take his place on any committee to please let him
know.
Mayor Giese said, ‘What I tried to do was create a recommendation of
positions that I felt was in the best interests of the city, and I did not give
any consideration to seniority; and whether that’s right or wrong or the best
policy of procedure, that’s for the council to decide. But specifically in response to Dennis, in no
way is he junior by nature of experience, no way is he junior by contribution
within the various committees he’s served on in the past that we’re well aware
of, and he’s also senior relative to the quality of the work that he does and
the thoughtfulness that he gives”.
Mayor Giese asked if there was broader discussion regarding this item.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Cable Franchise Negotiations – The nominations as presented were Ald.
Aspenson, Mayor Giese, Fred Buehler, and Sean O’Flaherty.
Motion by Ald. Stellner, second by Ald. Aspenson, to approve the
nominations as presented.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Community Development Authority
of the City of Onalaska – (CDA) – The nominations as presented were Ald. Olson, Ald. Aspenson, Mike Uss,
Bill Leathen, Mike Gargaro, Ann Brandau, and George Osterhout.
Motion by Ald. Aspenson, second by Ald. Olson, to approve the nominations
as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on this item.
On voice vote, motion carried.
D.A.R.E. Board of Directors – The nominations as presented were Jacqueline
Streicher, Thomas Smith, and Mike Fries.
Motion by Ald. Stellner, second by Ald. Miller, to approve the
nominations as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Finance & Personnel
Committee – The nominations
as presented were Ald. Olson, Ald. Smith, and Ald. Aspenson.
Motion by Ald. Miller, second by Ald. Smith, to approve the nominations
as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Historical Preservation
Commission – The nominations
as presented were Ald. Stellner, Vera Fuenger, Orlene Hough, Gary Lass, Irene
Radcliffe, Jim Nelson, and Kathryn Schaller.
Motion by Ald. Stellner, second by Ald. Aspenson, to approve the
nominations as presented.
Under discussion, Ald. Stellner noted that he has received a letter from
a gentleman by the name of Mr. Tabbert that has expressed an interest in
serving on this committee if an opening would become available.
Ald. Stellner requested this letter be on file for future use if a
position becomes available that Mr. Tabbert be considered for this.
Motion by Ald. Aspenson, second by Ald. Olson, to place the letter on
file and place Mr. Tabbert on the list for acceptance.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
In terms of the original motion to approve as recommended.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Joint Municipal Court – No action is required.
Judiciary Committee – The nominations as presented were Ald. Muth,
Ald. Miller, and Ald. Stellner.
Motion by Ald. Stellner, second by Ald. Aspenson, to approve the
nominations as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Library Commission – The nominations as presented were Ald. Smith,
Ron Espe, Sandy Musolf, Mike Ritter, Clay Pollert, and Bob Wehrenberg.
Motion by Ald. Smith, second by Ald. Aspenson, to approve the nominations
as presented with one vacancy available.
Ald. Muth indicated that Les and Mary Ann Ross is a couple that he has
met with who show a great amount of concern and love for the library. Ald. Muth has been attempting to contact the
Rosses to see if they are interested in serving on the commission.
Ald. Muth noted that if the possibility exists that Les and Mary Ann
could serve on the commission, they would be a tremendous asset.
Mayor Giese indicated that since there is one open space, it is the
intention that they would move forward with this and they would be added at a
later date. This is a modification from
the recommendation and will be addressed at the appropriate time at the regular
Council Meeting.
Mayor Giese offered to also attempt to contact the Rosses and to keep in
communication with Ald. Muth regarding this.
Mayor Giese said, “If we have a firm interest then they will be part of
the consideration”.
Ald. Muth agreed.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Motion by Ald. Smith, second by Ald. Stellner, to approve the nominations
as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Motion by Ald. Aspenson, second by Ald. Stellner, to approve the
nominations as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
Ald. Muth questioned if they are fixed to a certain number of members or
if there is the possibility of adding City Employee Calvin King to the
commission as he has expressed tremendous interest in serving.
Cari said that they could research this but most of the committees are
limited by a certain number if the situation were to arise where a majority
vote is required. Cari said, “Right now
this sits at 7 members, so I’m guessing that it’s probably limited to those 7
members, but the Mayor would have that name there for consideration in case one
of the members was not able to fulfill their term”.
Mayor Giese said that he has checked with all of the listed members
relative to their terms and they are willing and able to serve and have
expressed an interest to continue in their positions. Mayor Giese also noted that the Municipal
Harbor Commission, specifically, is formed according to state statute.
Cari agreed that the commission was formed from the state statutes so
without discussion with the city attorney, it would be difficult to give an
answer regarding this.
Ald. Aspenson suggested holding this motion under advisement after it is
researched by Cari.
Mayor Giese agreed to add Mr. King’s name to the roster of individuals
for consideration in the future.
Ald. Stellner questioned if Mr. King’s name could be added as an
alternate.
Mayor Giese suggested deferring this question to the next council meeting
when an answer to these questions can be addressed after conferring with the
city attorney.
In response to a question from Mayor Giese, Cari noted that this
commission has actually met two times; originally to inform members of their
duties and things that they may be addressing in the future. The commission has not met since the first
two initial meetings.
Mayor Giese noted that a meeting being called in the interim would not be
likely so they could defer this item to the next council meeting.
Members agreed.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Onalaska Enrichment Corporation
– (OEC) – This is set up
according to the bylaws of the OEC. As a
point of information, the OEC is experiencing a difficult time obtaining a
quorum at their meetings.
Motion by Ald. Stellner, second by Ald. Olson, to approve the nominations
as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
Ald. Stellner noted that Ald. Smith has obtained a great relationship
with the school board and in working with the library situation, she is the
person best to keep in place.
Ald. Smith said, “I don’t think that was anything to do with me. I think the school district enjoys having
such close proximity to the library, and it’s just a really positive
relationship that has absolutely nothing to do with me”.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Parks and Recreation Board – The nominations as presented were Ald. Miller,
Doug Hauser, Andrea Benco, Larry Schmitt, Jeff Fronsee, Stacy Hoeft, and Tom
Smith.
Motion by Ald. Miller, second by Ald. Muth, to approve the nominations as
presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Plan Commission – The nominations as presented were Mayor Giese,
Jarrod Holter, Jan Brock, Matt Deshler, Mark Kennedy, and Knute (Skip)
Temte. The council member that has been
recommended is Ald. Muth which will be elected pursuant to the vote of council.
Motion by Ald. Aspenson, second by Ald. Stellner, to approve the
nominations as presented.
Under discussion, Ald. Smith said if Ald. Muth were approved in this
position, then he would also serve as an alternate for the Board of Zoning
Appeals.
Ald. Stellner asked if there are only 4 persons serving on the Plan
Commission.
Ald. Smith indicated that is correct in addition to the Park and Rec
Board chair (a citizen) who is elected by the Park and Rec Board, for a total
of 7 members.
For point of information, Mayor Giese indicated a change in terms of one
of the citizen members, Tom Kennedy, who has been a long serving member of that
committee. Because of fortunate business
expansion, he will be out of the state for the next 18 months on a regular
basis and so has asked to be withdrawn or is resigning from that seat.
Mayor Giese indicated that Mark Kennedy is his recommendation for
replacement. Mark Kennedy has a Master’s
Degree in Public Administration and has a strong interest in that area. He also is the brother of Tom Kennedy.
Ald. Stellner indicated that another gentleman who has shown interest in
serving on the commission is Bob Ritger.
Bob was the former Deputy Fire Chief for Onalaska and was very
instrumental in building the present City Hall building. Bob is very familiar with planning
issues.
Ald. Stellner said, “But this is just an insight that he was
interested. The motion is as printed,
and I’ll go along with that”.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any additional discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Mayor Giese questioned if it was the intention of the motion to include
Ald. Muth as the Alderperson appointed to the Plan Commission.
Ald. Aspenson and Ald. Stellner agreed this was the intent of their
motion; thereby appointing Ald. Muth to the Plan Commission.
Plan Commission Sub-Committee – The nominations as presented were Ald. Muth
(as appointed by the council), Jarrod Holter, Matt Feuerhelm as an alternate
member, and Knute (Skip) Temte.
In response to a question from Ald. Stellner, Mayor Giese noted that at
the will of council, anybody can be replaced.
Motion by Ald. Stellner that Bob Ritger be added to the Plan Sub
Commission and Knute (Skip) Temte be taken off.
Under discussion, Cari clarified, “The Plan Sub Commission is made up of
a sub committee of the Plan Commission so as a Plan Commission member that
would sit on the sub committee, so it would be one of the four that are on that
Plan Commission, one of those would sit on that sub committee”.
Motion withdrawn by Ald. Stellner.
Motion by Ald. Olson, second by Ald. Muth, to approve the nominations as
presented.
Mayor Giese said, “I’ll make an observation here that having sat on that
sub-committee, it’s very much a placeholder, but what it does do is forces the
applicants or any issue to prepare their documents a week earlier to have a
public presentation to give the public a chance to come in, but no real
decisions or final conclusions are reached by this committee. And Mr. Temte has a unique personality and
background to facilitate that process, so I just wanted to compliment him for
how that works and also indicate that this is not a policy position”.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Police and Fire Commission – The nominations as presented were Mary
Anderson, Joel Chilsen, Jeff Fronsee, Jeff Fleig, and Mark Dahlke.
Motion by Ald. Stellner, second by Ald. Aspenson, to approve the
nominations as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Police and Fire Department
Liaison – Ald. Stellner as
Common Council President.
Mayor Giese explained that this position is filled by the Common Council
President so Ald. Stellner has this position.
Motion by Ald. Aspenson, second by Ald. Stellner, to approve the
nominations as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Seniors Coalition – The nominations as presented were Ron Espe,
Vera Fuenger, Leo Landsinger, Charles Lathrop, Maureen Smith, and Harley
Gullikson.
Motion by Ald. Smith, second by Ald. Miller, to approve the nominations
as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Stop Sign Evaluation Committee – The nominations as presented were Ald. Muth,
Jarrod Holter, and Tim Hauser.
Motion by Ald. Miller, second by Ald. Aspenson, to approve the
nominations as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Technology Committee – The nominations as presented were Ald. Miller,
Diane Oldani Wulf, Trevor Jones, Janice Ward, John Sarnowski, and Jim Strack.
Motion by Ald. Miller, second by Ald. Muth, to approve Vicki Lyons to the
Technology Committee.
For clarification, Ald. Smith suggested that it may be appropriate for Ald.
Miller to list the 5 people that he would like to serve on the committee so
council members would know if he is adding a person to the committee or
replacing one of the listed members.
Motion withdrawn by Ald. Miller, second withdrawn by Ald. Muth.
Motion by Ald. Miller, second by Ald. Stellner, to approve the following
to the Technology Committee: Diane
Oldani Wulf, Janice Ward, Jim Strack, Trevor Jones, and Vicki Lyons.
Under discussion, Ald. Aspenson questioned if John Sarnowski would be
listed as a committee member.
Ald. Stellner said he would not be a committee member because they only
need five members.
Mayor Giese note that there could be any number of members serving on
this committee because there is no enabling resolution or statute that limits
the formation.
In response to a question from Ald. Smith, Ald. Miller indicated that he
would obtain Vicki’s address for the record.
Ald. Aspenson indicated that as he does not personally know Vicki Lyons,
he will defer to the council.
Ald. Miller indicated that in the last 6 months the Technology Committee
has done more than it has in its entirety since inception, and as the
facilitator, he will take some responsibility for that, but there are people
that are on the committee that are actually the driving force.
Ald. Miller said, “And the people that I want on there are the people
that are going to continue to do what we’re doing now, and I have commitments
from these people for a long term. The
Common Council passed a strategic 5-year plan for the Technology Committee, and
those are the people I want to move forward with. W e don’t just meet once a
month; we’re in constant contact because as we sit here and speak, the
infrastructure of the computer system and the IT structure for the City of
Ald. Aspenson thanked Ald. Miller for the clarification and indicated he
will be voting in favor of this replacement to the committee.
Mayor Giese concurred with Ald. Miller as to the importance of the Technology
Committee and the performance of the Technology Committee as currently
formed. Mayor Giese said, “I also am
concerned and concur that we are in a risk state right now relative to our IT
Technology. This is not a situation that
is good for the city to be in. Those
considerations bore on my interest on this committee, and my recommendation of
Mr. Sarnowski.
Mr. Sarnowski is a known participant at City Hall. He also is an IT professional who works in a
different realm of the IT world, and the current, as best I can tell the
committee is currently configured. And
that’s in the public sector in terms of governmental computing and a little bit
more closely aligned with – I feel may be a little bit more closely aligned
with the unique problems in a municipal IT environment. I’ll defer to the council. It’s your authority to form this committee as
you see fit, but I do ask you to seriously consider the skill set that John
brings to the mix”.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any further discussion on the motion.
Mayor Giese asked if Ald. Miller has firm acceptance from Vicki Lyons to
serve on this committee.
Ald. Miller said yes.
For clarification, Mayor Giese noted that the motion indicates the
replacement of John Sarnowski with Vicki Lyons.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Tourism Commission – The nominations as presented were Ken Berg,
Erik Sjolander, Jason Lund, and Jeanne Gilman.
As a correction to the nominations, Mayor Giese said the chair will
actually be determined by the commission rather than Ald. Aspenson as indicated
on the attachment to the agenda.
Motion by Ald. Smith, second by Ald. Miller, to place Ald. Olson as the
alderperson representing the Tourism Commission and accept the rest of the
nominations as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Utilities Committee/Mass
Transit/Cable TV – The
nominations as presented were Ald. Aspenson, Ald. Smith, Ald. Olson, Tony Szak
representing Holmen Public Transit, and Diana Engel representing West Salem
Public Transit.
Motion by Ald. Stellner, second by Ald. Olson, to approve the nominations
as presented.
Mayor Giese asked if there was any discussion on the motion.
On voice vote, motion carried.
Ald. Aspenson asked if
Ald. Smith answered that
Waste Facility Siting Board – This committee will be disbanded at the next
council meeting.
Item 6 – Any other business that may come up subsequent to this notice.
There being no further business to discuss, motion by Ald. Miller, second
by Ald. Aspenson, to adjourn.
Recorded by:
Theresa Nau