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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02. Common Council Minutes PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL CITY OF OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 REGULAR MEETING held Tuesday, September 10, 2019, at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers, City Hall Deputy Mayor Herman presided. PRESENT: Council Members Jake Krause, Bob Poeschl, Bill Miller, Deb Allison-Aasby, Matt Mugerauer and Deputy Mayor Steven Herman EXCUSED: Mayor Lori Palmeri ALSO PRESENT: Mark Rohloff, City Manager; Angela Joeckel, Deputy City Clerk; David Praska, Deputy City Attorney and Dean Smith, Chief of Police Council Member Krause read the Invocation. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Brady Ott and Tyler Nimis from Oakwood Elementary School. INTRODUCTION OF CITY STAFF Mr. Rohloff introduced Russ Van Gompel, Finance Director. CITIZEN STATEMENTS There were no citizen statements to Council. CONSENT AGENDA Report of Bills by the Finance Director Receipt & Filing of the Library Board Minutes from July 25, 2019 Receipt & Filing of Common Council Minutes from August 21s' & 271h, 2019 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL-SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 Receipt of Claims filed with the City's Insurance Company: A) Heather Williams for alleged damages to vehicle from rock thrown from City mower Resolution 19-502 Update Designation of Authorized Individuals for City Financial Matters & Investment Transfers Resolution 19-503 Designate Authorized Individuals for Participation in the Local Government Investment Pool Resolution 19-504 Approve Specific Implementation Plan for a Senior Living Community at 2080 Witzel Avenue (Plan Commission Recommends Approval) Resolution 19-505 Approve Special Event — DealerSocket to utilize Opera House Square for the DealerSocket Nerf Wars / September 12, 2019 Resolution 19-506 Approve Special Event — Cool Events, LLC to hold the Terrain Race on the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) grounds / September 14, 2019 Resolution 19-507 Approve Block Party — Dianne Kettner to utilize Evans Street between E. Irving Avenue & E. Lincoln Avenue for their neighborhood block party/ September 28, 2019 Resolution 19-508 Approve Appointment to Long Range Finance Committee, Board of Appeals & Sustainability Advisory Board Resolution 19-509 Approve Special Class "B" Licenses & Operator Licenses MOTION: ADOPT CONSENT AGENDA (Allison-Aasby; second, Mugerauer) CARRIED: Ayes (6) Krause, Poeschl, Miller, Allison-Aasby, Mugerauer, Deputy Mayor Herman ACTION TAKEN ON ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS Ordinance 19-510 Modify Parking Regulations on Knapp Street MOTION: ADOPT (Poeschl; second, Allison-Aasby) CARRIED: Ayes (6) Krause, Poeschl, Miller, Allison-Aasby, Mugerauer, Deputy Mayor Herman 2 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 Ordinance 19-511 Approve Ordinance Permitting Appointment of Non-Voting Youth Members to City Boards & Commissions MOTION: ADOPT (Mugerauer; second, Poeschl) CARRIED: Ayes (6) Krause, Poeschl, Miller, Allison-Aasby, Mugerauer, Deputy Mayor Herman Deputy Mayor Herman explained the purpose was to engage youth in local government. He stated the City would work with schools to recruit members. Ordinance 19-512 Approve Zone Change from Suburban Mixed Use District (SMU) to Suburban Mixed Use District with a Planned Development Overlay (SMU-PD) at 237 North Washburn Street (Plan Commission Recommends Approval) MOTION: ADOPT (Mugerauer; second, Krause) CARRIED: Ayes (6) Krause, Poeschl, Miller, Allison-Aasby, Mugerauer, Deputy Mayor Herman Resolution 19-513 Approve Amendment to 2019 CIP Budget for Lakeshore Riverwalk Project $150,000.00 (Contract 19-10) MOTION: ADOPT (Allison-Aasby; second, Poeschl) CARRIED: Ayes (6) Krause, Poeschl, Miller, Allison-Aasby, Mugerauer, Deputy Mayor Herman Council Member Mugerauer stated it was his understanding the funds would be moved from the infrastructure improvement account to the tax increment finance (TIF) account. He questioned what remained of the funds from the sale of Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course. Mr. Rohloff stated there was over $2 million dollars left in the Lakeshore fund for park development. He explained City staff wanted to reserve those funds as the plans for the park were not completed. He stated the Oshkosh Avenue corridor project was progressing well and the City had received good bids, therefore City staff felt it was appropriate to allocate the funds to the riverwalk. Allen Davis,Director of Community Development,explained when the installation of the riverwalk began, the asphalt of the former parking lot/driveway of the golf course as well as topsoil had needed to be removed. He stated City staff discovered significant amounts 3 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 of fill that had accumulated over the years that was not appropriate for supporting the riverwalk, some of which was contaminated. He explained the contamination would need to be removed and work with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to balance the contaminated site. Mr. Rohloff stated the archaeological work that was conducted where the Oshkosh Corporation headquarters building was now located had not revealed any contamination. He explained that led City staff to believe that the contamination was limited, however, the WDNR would want to see additional testing related to the park land. He stated City staff would address the concern. Council Member Miller questioned if City staff anticipated discovering additional contamination. Mr. Davis explained City staff had excavated everything from Interstate 41 to Punhoqua Street, and he did not anticipate having to excavate anything further for the riverwalk. He stated there may be additional contamination to the east towards Rainbow Park. He explained until development of that area occurred it remained an unknown. Resolution 19-514 Grant Noise Variance Request/Kelly's Bar/219 Wisconsin Street for Amplified Music until Midnight at Beer Garden / September 131h & 14h; 2019 MOTION: ADOPT (Allison-Aasby; second, Mugerauer) CARRIED: Ayes (6) Krause, Poeschl, Miller, Allison-Aasby, Mugerauer, Deputy Mayor Herman Resolution 19-515 Approve Appointments to Ad-Hoc Special Assessment Committee MOTION: ADOPT (Poeschl; second, Allison-Aasby) CARRIED: Ayes (6) Krause, Poeschl, Miller, Allison-Aasby, Mugerauer, Deputy Mayor Herman Council Member Mugerauer thanked Mayor Palmeri, who was not present, for putting together the list of appointments. He stated he believed the group represented a good 'snapshot' of the community. He explained he appreciated the individuals who had volunteered and believed those who had been selected to serve would keep an open mind and bring suggestions on how to move forward with a replacement to the current special assessment policy. 4 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 Council Member Miller stated he had heard rumors that premier resort tax may be expanded. He asked for an explanation. Mr. Rohloff explained the premier resort tax required special legislation, and Russ Van Gompel, Finance Director,had indicated that there were other communities in Wisconsin being considered. He stated the question was if Oshkosh wanted to be added to the list. Mr. Van Gompel explained there was proposed legislation that would add two new communities as premier resort tax zones and he believed Oshkosh may be a good candidate for the same consideration. He stated City staff would need to work with local legislators to bring forward the special legislation. He explained if it were to be approved, Oshkosh would become part of a special sales tax area as a premier resort district. Council Member Miller requested the topic be added to the next Council agenda for further discussion. Mr. Rohloff stated he would add the topic to future agenda items. Deputy Mayor Herman questioned when City staff anticipated the first meeting of the ad-hoc committee to take place. Mr. Rohloff stated City staff would contact the members on Wednesday, September 111n and create a poll to determine an appropriate time to meet. He explained a number of ad-hoc committee members were also members of the long range finance committee therefore meetings would be jointly noticed. Resolution 19-516 Support Legislative Action at the State & Federal Level to Address Incidents of Mass Violence & Gun Safety Legislation Council Member Mugerauer stated he believed it may be appropriate to table the resolution until Mayor Palmeri was present. He explained she had initiated the resolution and he believed she would like to convey her thoughts on the topic. He stated he did not believe a two week delay on approving the resolution would have much impact. Council Member Allison-Aasby agreed. She stated she believed since Mayor Palmeri had brought the item forward she should be present prior to Council taking a vote. Mr. Rohloff suggested Council layover the resolution as opposed to tabling it, as it would allow for the resolution to appear on the September 24, 2019 Council agenda. 5 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 MOTION: LAYOVER UNTIL SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 COUNCIL MEETING (Poeschl; second, Krause) CARRIED: Ayes (6) Krause, Poeschl, Miller, Allison-Aasby, Mugerauer, Deputy Mayor Herman COUNCIL DISCUSSION, DIRECTION TO CITY MANAGER &FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Deputy Mayor Herman explained there was a meeting with the Oshkosh Area School District scheduled for October 151h at 6:00 p.m. in room 404 at City Hall. He stated the fire staffing study workshop was scheduled for September 241h at 5:00 p.m. Council Member Poeschl explained he would prepare information for a discussion on regulation of conversion therapy at the September 241h Council meeting. Deputy Mayor Herman stated the third budget workshop was scheduled for September 181h at 5:00 p.m. in room 404 at City Hall. Council Member Allison-Aasby explained she would not be in attendance as she would be out of state at a conference. Council Member Mugerauer stated he would not be able to attend due to a scheduling conflict. Deputy Mayor Herman questioned what the agenda was for the upcoming budget workshop. Mr. Rohloff explained it would primarily be associated with the funding of capital improvement projects and debt management policy. Deputy Mayor Herman questioned if a draft of the debt management policy would be proposed at the workshop. Mr. Rohloff stated no; it would be more of a general discussion and explanation of why City staff would recommend a new debt management policy as an effective way to manage the Moody's Investment Service rating and other items. He explained the proposed capital improvement plan (CIP) was complete and would be provided to Council in the near future. 6 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 Deputy Mayor Herman stated Council could reach out to City staff at any time during the budget cycle with questions or concerns. Council Member Poeschl explained he had been working with Jim Collins, Director of Transportation, to determine the potential cost of creating a student bus fare. He stated multiple transportations throughout Wisconsin had created student bus fares, and they ranged from .50 cents to $1.25. He questioned if Council was interested in moving that direction, and if so, how detailed City staff should be in their information preparation. He asked for an explanation of City staff's perspective. Jim Collins, Director of Transportation, stated there had been previous discussions about public school students being able to utilize public transit for no cost. He explained most municipalities that operated such a program had a shared revenue agreement with their school district in which the transit system was made whole. He stated there were a number of groups, including ESTHER, who wanted student bus fare to be funded. He explained in lieu of funding student bus fare, there had been discussion about a student fare. He stated the City received approximately$50,000 dollars in revenue from student fares, and the School District purchased approximately $19,000 dollars' worth of bus passes. He explained if a reduced fare was in place, the amount of discounted revenue would need to be recouped by some other means. Council Member Krause asked for a more detailed explanation of the $50,000 dollars in revenue, and if it included the funds from the passes the school district purchased. Mr. Collins explained the $50,000 dollars was revenue from cash fare and monthly pass purchases. He stated the school district purchased approximately $19,000 dollars in passes, tokens and fare, which was then given to students in need. Council Member Krause explained if a reduced fare was put in place the $19,000 dollars could be part of the equation for the transit system. Mr. Rohloff stated yes. He explained if there was a 25 percent reduction in bus fares for students, the School District would then only contribute $15,000 dollars, as their cost would be reduced because the passes were purchased on behalf of children. He stated the City would then need to recoup the $5,000 in addition to the funds that would be lost to reduction at the fare box. He explained a 25 percent fare reduction would result in the City needing to recoup approximately$17,500 dollars. 7 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 Council Member Miller asked for an explanation of how the $50,000 dollars was calculated. He questioned how City staff knew a rider was a student if the fare was paid in cash. Mr. Collins explained City staff did not track student fares. He stated it was determined by comparing revenue for days when school was in session compared to days when school was closed. Council Member Miller questioned if discounts were provided for the purchase of bulk passes or to non-profit organizations. Mr. Collins stated no; the only reduced fares in place were for elderly and disabled individuals, who were eligible for a half price discount. Council Member Miller questioned how the fares in Oshkosh compared to the surrounding municipalities. Mr. Collins stated to his knowledge, Oshkosh had the second lowest fares in Wisconsin. He explained Stevens Point was the only City with lower fares. Council Member Poeschl stated he believed a reduced student fee gave City staff the opportunity to create data, which would benefit both the City and the School District. Council Member Allison-Aasby explained she was a member of the transit advisory board and had participated in several similar discussions. She stated in municipalities where students had discounted fares or were not charged, their School District made up for the revenue loss. Council Member Krause explained he had heard the estimate of$50,000 in revenue from student fares discussed before. He stated now that he understood the methodology that had been used to come up with that figure, he believed the number may be at the high end. He explained younger students may have their parents ride with them, and only the student portion of that revenue would need to be recouped. He stated he would not support a completely City funded free bus pass program. He explained the School District had been contributing nearly $20,000 dollars per year, which could be part of their portion, and there was the potential for them to contribute to the reduced fare cost as well. 8 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 Mr. Collins stated he believed the $50,000 dollars was a fair estimate. He explained he had not witnessed many parents ride with students. He stated a majority of the students who utilized the buses were middle and high school students. Council Member Poeschl questioned if Council Member Allison-Aasby's statements were based on the assumption that there would be some type of revenue agreement between the City and the School District. Council Member Allison-Aasby stated the cost of the program in municipalities where there was reduced or free bus fare for students was one hundred percent covered by their school budgets. Mr. Collins explained those municipalities had revenue agreements. He stated the two most recent examples were Sheboygan and Green Bay. He explained their transit directors had indicated the school districts had wanted to create a free or reduced student fare program, and questioned how much they would need to contribute to make such a program happen. He stated in both Sheboygan and Green Bay the school districts had then agreed to pay the amount of necessary revenue to allow their students to ride for free. Council Member Poeschl indicated it was his understanding that Sheboygan had a reduced rate for students. Mr. Collins stated he was not certain, however, he was aware that there was a revenue agreement in place. Council Member Poeschl explained he believed students in Sheboygan were eligible for free rides during the school year and a student rate during the summer. He stated his suggestion for Oshkosh was to create a new fare as opposed to free rides for students. He explained free rides could be part of a long term goal and conversation with other community entities that were interested in such a program. Council Member Miller stated he believed there was an opportunity to assist at risk and underprivileged children. He explained he was aware that there was interest in the private sector. He stated he understood the non-profit organizations did not want to see a seasonal fare because youth riders needed to be able to reach non-profit centers during the summer, oftentimes to receive a meal. He explained he believed it should be a collective community effort. 9 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 Council Member Allison-Aasby stated she believed Council had experienced the benefits of other private/public relationships. She explained one of the obstacles was the need to wait and see what funding the transit system would receive, as it was not fully funded by taxes. She stated historically funding from outside sources had decreased. She questioned when such data would be available so Council would know what the transit department was operating with. Mr. Collins questioned if she was referring to funding from the State and Federal levels. Council Member Allison-Aasby stated yes. Mr. Collins stated he had been part of six previous budget cycles, and the amount had decreased approximately a half percent each year. He explained expenses exceeded the amount the State transit budget had increased. He stated State and Federal funding would likely contribute to approximately 53 percent of the cost. He explained the revenue would offset a portion of the cost, and the remaining balance was then transferred to the general tax levy. Council Member Allison-Aasby stated she believed there needed to be additional items considered, such as age of the riders and if the destination was limited to school, school activities or work. She explained while public/private partnerships had worked well in the past, she did not believe it was appropriate to take funds from the budget of one institution and transfer them to the budget of another institution. She stated she would like to explore the potential of a public/private collaboration after there were concrete numbers to discuss. Council Member Poeschl explained he understood City staff had received information regarding a transportation grant from the League of Wisconsin Municipalities. He questioned if the grants would be beneficial to this situation or enhancing the general ridership of the transit system. Mr. Collins stated the transportation grant that was available for towns, cities and counties were typically designed for capital items such as buses, not to offset fares or operating expenses. Mr. Rohloff explained the guidelines that were distributed by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, allowable uses of the grant funds included new projects statewide related to roads, bridges, transit vehicle purchases and facility projects, bicycle and pedestrian accommodations, railroads and harbors. He stated it would not cover transit operating costs, however, a vehicle purchase may be an option for the City. 10 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 Council Member Poeschl explained one of the concerns from the School District perspective was the congestion that occurred related to student bus transportation, most frequently at the high schools. He questioned if the grant could be used to address the congestion of'trippers' through a purchase of an additional bus. Mr. Collins stated he did not believe the number of buses was behind the concern; it was related to the operating costs. Council Member Poeschl questioned if it Mr. Collins was referring to labor and other costs that would be attributed to relieving the congestion. Mr. Rohloff stated the City had a sufficient fleet of vehicles, and would be able to handle the 'trippers' from an equipment standpoint, it was the operational cost that would be the challenge. Mr. Collins explained that Appleton had 'trippers', however, their school district funded that operational cost. Deputy Mayor Herman stated Council Member Poeschl was a school board member. He questioned if his recommendation to look at a program was based on that role. Council Member Poeschl explained through his conversations with community members about the concern,he determined a reduced student rate fare would be a common ground solution. Council Member Miller questioned what the trend in ridership had been over the last five years. Mr. Collins stated it had decreased over the last two years. He explained there had been a fare increase beginning January 1, 2019, which generally resulted in a short term decrease in riders that would rebound in the long term. He stated with the economy doing fairly well and reasonable gas prices, it was a poor environment for public transportation. He explained companies such as Uber and Lyft also impacted ridership. He stated he believed there were transit dependent riders who did not have an alternative, students, whose ridership varied, and discretionary users. He explained when the economy was good, fuel was low and employment was good, discretionary users tended to decrease. Council Member Miller questioned if he believed it was mainly the economy that resulted in the decrease in riders. 11 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 Mr. Collins stated a combination of the economy and the fare increase. He explained from a transit side he was in support of a solution, it was a matter of finding funding. Council Member Mugerauer stated he agreed a funding source needed to be determined. He explained he understood Council Member Poeschl had been part of a community group that had discussed youth transportation needs. He questioned when the group had last met. Council Member Poeschl stated it had been over a year. Mr. Rohloff explained the concern related to financing was not in regards to impact on the tax levy as that was up to Council's discretion. He stated it was about expenditure restraint as the levy support for transit was directly related. He explained if the City was able to fund the program through additional support from either community organizations or the School District there would not be an impact on expenditure restraint. He stated the focus for the transportation department was identifying funding options that would lessen the reliance on the levy and expenditure restraint. He explained he agreed with Mr. Collins in that when the economy was good, transit ridership goes down. He stated the fare increase of .50 cents over ten years was minor. He explained the decrease in discretionary users resulted in the need to increase levy support. Deputy Mayor Herman questioned if Council would like Council Member Poeschl to work with Mr. Collins and City staff on a proposal for a student fare program or if the item should continue to be discussed during the budget cycle and not be placed on a future agenda at this time. Council Member Allison-Aasby stated she believed it would be appropriate to begin work on the topic, however, she recommended exercising caution as there had been recent misconceptions in the public about the potential adoption of a transportation utility fee. She explained she did not want to create any false expectations. Deputy Mayor Herman questioned if the topic should be listed as an agenda item for the meeting between Council and the School District on October 151h. He explained it would allow Council to get further into the budget process and provide time for Mr. Van Gompel and Mr. Collins to review financial data. Mr. Rohloff questioned how Council would like the transit advisory board to weigh in on the topic. 12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 Deputy Member Herman stated they would be able to discuss it and provide a recommendation. Council Member Poeschl explained it had not been his intention to usurp that board, it had been to begin the conversation and come up with a general direction. CITIZEN STATEMENTS TO COUNCIL There were no citizen statements to Council. CO UNCIL MEMBER ANNO UNCEMENTS & STATEMENTS There were no Council Member announcements or statements. CITY MANAGER ANNO UNCEMENTS & STATEMENTS Mr. Rohloff explained the fire staffing study would be discussed during the September 241h Council meeting. He stated earlier in the meeting there had been a discussion about the contaminated soil in the Oshkosh Corporation headquarters area, and that topic would appear again on a future Council agenda. He explained Winnebago County had begun to weigh in on items they would like to see related to the riverwalk and trail, as it will connect to the Heritage Trail over Lake Butte des Morts. He stated the annual maintenance for commercial assessment service agreement with Tyler Technologies had been extended. He explained the professional service agreement with AECOM was related to the demolition occurring on 700 block of S. Main Street and getting the block prepped for future marketing. He stated the parks board had reviewed three different designs for the future Lakeshore Park, and had liked various parts of each design. He explained they requested the Smith Group to incorporate the different features from the plans, therefore the parks board did not discuss the master plan at the most recent meeting. He explained it would be discussed at the next meeting, which would delay the plan commission participation, ultimately resulting in Council receiving the proposed master plan in early November. Council Member Miller stated he was comfortable slowing the process down as he believed Council and City staff was receiving good feedback from the community. Mr. Rohloff explained a meeting had been held the previous evening for City staff to have discussions with citizens who had concerns related to water bills. He stated he believed approximately 34 citizens were in attendance. He explained City staff clarified the features of water utility bills, including fixed costs versus variable costs. He stated City staff recommended comparing usage prior to the cost of the bill. He explained City staff 13 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 had reviewed the reasons behind the switch to a monthly billing cycle, which was the result of customer and landlord requests. He stated he had heard pros and cons of both cycle options and had ultimately decided upon monthly billing as it seemed to be what most customers leaned towards. He explained City staff had discussed common causes of leaks and provided examples. He stated he believed City staff put a big emphasis on that topic, and in retrospect he was not certain it was necessary. He explained they had discussed future software analytics that would include an app a customer could download to receive alerts related to water usage. He stated there was an opportunity for customers to review their individual bills and specific questions. He explained an individual had questioned if the City would consider budget billing. He stated Russ Van Gompel, Finance Director, was researching options to see if it was something the City was able to do. He explained City staff had clarified that leaks were a property owner's responsibility, and if there was an issue with a water meter or software, it would be the City's responsibility. He stated they had not determined any issues with the meters or software at this point, however, would continue to explore the possibility. He explained prior to the individual meetings to review the bills, City staff had placed significant emphasis on high bills due to usage, however, in most instances this was not the case. He stated a frequent concern was a misunderstanding of the transition bill. He explained some of the transition bills were for nearly two and a half months' worth of usage. He indicated this caused a great deal of confusion. He stated unpaid balances also contributed to customers believing their bill was too high. Russ Van Gompel, Finance Director, explained the utility meter reading program had not changed. He stated City staff was prepared to assist customers with their concerns, and the individual meetings had been beneficial as no two situations were exactly the same. He explained if there was a concern about consumption or an issue with a meter, the meter was tested. He stated video of the meeting was available on the City's website. He indicated the City had nearly 25,000 utility accounts and approximately 34 individuals had attended the meeting. He explained he understood there had been comments regarding the timing of the meeting, however, City staff had responded to a request for a meeting with one individual, which grew into the larger meeting. He stated as he was relatively new to the City and had a fresh perspective,he did believe City staff could have done a better job of communicating about the process. He explained City staff was identifying ways to improve. James Rabe, Director of Public Works, explained the meeting had been fairly well attended. He stated City staff from public works described how a small faucet drip had the ability to waste hundreds or thousands of gallons of water in a month. He explained they had posted additional links to the City website from the Environmental Protection Agency's water sense website. He stated the data indicated that one in ten homes in the 14 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 country had a water leakage issue. He explained the City was pursuing analytic software that would notify City staff if usage went outside of specific parameters, and eventually would have the capability to notify residents of a spike in usage. He stated there was not enough City staff to monitor 25,000 utility accounts on a daily basis. Council Member Poeschl explained he had been supportive of the switch to monthly billing as he found it was a useful budgeting tool for the households he helped. He thanked City staff for the switch. Mr. Rohloff stated he appreciated the work that utility accounting and finance had done. Council Member Poeschl explained prior to monthly billing,he was aware of letters being sent to customers indicating there had been a spike in usage noted. He stated he understood Mr. Rabe had indicated utility accounting did not have enough staff time to provide that notification any longer. He questioned what had changed. Mr. Rabe stated as utility accounting staff had been checking meter reads and preparing to issue quarterly bills, they would note spikes. He explained the analytics software would be a solution. Mr. Van Gompel stated the length of time between meter reads and mailing a quarterly bill was longer than with monthly, therefore utility accounting had previously been able to note spikes in usage. He explained with monthly billing, the timing between meter reading and billing was significantly shorter, which was a benefit to the customer in the event of an issue. Mr. Rohloff stated because of timing, the monthly bill had now become the warning that some customers had previously received. He stated the upcoming software would notify City staff and eventually customers of real-time spikes in usage. Mr. Van Gompel explained in addition to notification, the software would allow customers to manage the account at any time. He stated water consumption was costly from all aspects and conservation in addition to monitoring usage was important. Council Member Miller questioned if the City had previously issued strictly quarterly bills. Mr. Rohloff stated yes. Council Member Miller questioned if the City owned the billing system or if it was a third 15 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL—SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 party. Mr. Van Gompel stated the billing system was a third party vendor. Council Member Miller questioned how much the billing costs had increased after switching to a monthly cycle. Mr. Van Gompel explained the main costs were printing, supplies and postage, which had essentially tripled. Council Member Miller questioned if ACH and online payments were an option. Mr. Van Gompel stated City staff consistently tried to promote those options. Mr. Rohloff questioned what percentage of bills were on ACH payment. Mr. Rabe stated he believed it was approximately 20 percent. He explained customers had the option to select an email bill as well. Council Member Miller explained for his business,it was approximately$3.75 to generate an invoice. He questioned if the cost was similar for the City. Mr. Van Gompel stated he did not have an exact total, however, believed it was approximately one dollar. Council Member Miller questioned if the cost per bill was approximately one dollar including postage. Mr. Van Gompel indicated that was what he estimated, although he was uncertain about labor cost and other overhead. Council Member Miller stated it was his understanding then that it cost the City approximately$25,000 per month to invoice customers. Mr. Van Gompel agreed. Mr. Rohloff explained City staff would communicate with customers when the analytics software moved forward. He stated Council would need to approve the future app software. 16 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL-SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 Deputy Mayor Herman explained he believed Council would also need to approve budget billing if it became an option. Mr. Rohloff agreed. He indicated City staff would continue to research that option. MOTION: ADJOURN (Krause; second, Allison-Aasby) CARRIED: VOICE VOTE The meeting adjourned at 7:16 p.m. ANGELA J. JOECKEL DEPUTY CITY CLERK 17