City Names Public Works Head, Assessor, Alderman

After an action-filled City Council meeting Tuesday, Nov. 3, Peshtigo has a new Alderman, a new Director of Public Works, a new Assessor, a new cleaning person for the Municipal Building, and new names for several streets.

A special meeting of the full council to work on the 2010 budget is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

In response to a unanimous Marinette County Library Board decision to move the Peshtigo Library out of its quarters in the Municipal Building rather than pay $50 more a month in rent, Council recanted the rent increase, at least for a year. Decision now rests with the Library Board. There was talk that the Library Board intended to move into the County Highway Department building on the east side of the river in Peshtigo. Correspondence for the meeting included official notice that the library lease was being terminated effective Jan. 1, 2010.

In a narrow 3 to 2 vote, aldermen elected Tim Colburn to fill the First Ward Aldermanic position left vacant by the resignation of James Pariso. The other nominee was former alderman Roger Tachick, who lost his bid for reelection in April of 2008 by a single vote to Alderman Fred Meintz.

Mayor Tom Strouf explained that he as Mayor could nominate someone to fill the Council vacancy but could not vote except to settle a tie. Any Council member could also nominate. He then nominated Colburn, and was seconded by Alderman Mary Lock.

Alderman Cathi Malke, seconded by Alderman Mike Behnke, nominated Tachick. “On Roger’s behalf,” Malke commented, “he is a past alderman and has lots of support in his district. He lost the election by only one vote.”

Meintz said Colburn, “...has shown he’s a very successful businessman. He is good for the community. He is worthy of consideration.”

Behnke asked for vote by secret paper ballot, and commented that there were two excellent candidates.

Strouf invited Colburn to take his seat on the Council, but Clerk Mary Ann Wills did not have the oath prepared, so swearing in was delayed until Wednesday morning. Strouf said Colburn would be given the committee assignments that had been held by Pariso, which include Finance and Claims, License and Police, Streets and Drainage, Judiciary, and Board of Health.

Unanimous approval was given to appointment of George Cowell for the Director of Public Works position left vacant by retirement of City Engineer Steve Cota. He is to officially start work for Peshtigo on Thursday, Nov. 5. Cowell has been working in Marquette, Mich., but has a long history in the TIMESland area, having served for a decade as Marinette City Engineer and City Planner, and nine years as Menominee City Engineer.

Cowell will start work at $60,000 a year, with a $2,500 minimum annual increase pending a favorable review after six months. In accord with benefits for other department heads, the city is to pay full health, dental, vision and life insurance, sick leave will accumulate at two days per month for the first year, then by 1 1/2 days per month to a maximum of 120 days, and the city is to additionally pay an amount equal to 13 percent of his wages toward the employee pension fund with Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance. There are provisions for nine paid holidays, two personal days per year, and vacation time starting with two weeks and growing to six weeks after 20 years.

By unanimous vote, Council approved Strouf’s appointment Jerry Pillath, of M&O Land Survey and Assessor Service of Pound to fill the City Assessor post that will be vacated Dec. 1 by current assessor Richard Sturm, who has moved out of the city.

Behnke, chair of the Personnel Committee, reported there were 13 applicants for the assessor post, and the committee recommended accepting the 3-year contract offered by Pillath at $15,600 per year for 2010, 2011 and 2012, with the guarantee that he will have the city in compliance for the year 2012. Pillath was to be sworn in Wednesday morning, and will take over assessor duties on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Also on recommendation of the Personnel Committee, Council approved offering the Municipal Building cleaning position to Josh Hayes at $10 per hour. If he refuses the job will be offered to the next person selected. Vote on this position was Lock, Meintz, Larsh and Malke in favor and Behnke abstained.

Late in the meeting Strouf thanked the Personnel Committee for all the work they had put into filling the vacant positions and handling the interviews, particularly that of the Public Works Director. “I couldn’t have done it without them” he declared.

The meeting started with a public hearing on repeal of an ordinance related to the UDAG Revolving Loan Fund to permit adopting new rules, and revisions to the animal control ordinance to allow the Parks and Recreation Director to issue permits for dogs to run at large along the Peshtigo River Shoreline for goose control.

Council was informed the city will receive a $9,180 grant from the Wisconsin DNR for control of aquatic weeds.

Correspondence for the meeting included a request from Jim LeSage of the Quarter Mile Bar ‘N Grill requesting an ordinance change to permit snowmobile trails to enter the city from the north and south ends. LeSage noted with the opening of the by-pass city businesses will endure a substantial loss of traffic passing through, and said they need to do everything possible to retain revenue in the city. He said many snowmobilers would like to get to city business places, but the closest they can come now is Eagle Express. Clubs are currently cutting trails to County B, he said.

Malke told him in order to change the ordinances they need to know what routes are requested. She could make no promises, but assured him the committee is working with Police Chief Tom Hartwig and two of the clubs on trail possibilities. His request was formally referred to the Streets and Drainage Committee.

A request from Philip and Sandra Kaufman asking that $15,469.29 in interest owed on personal property taxes on a doublewide mobile home be waived was referred to the Finance Committee. The home is located at 871 Bechthold Drive. A letter from the couple stated they will pay the $7,215.79 in back taxes and purchase the home if the interest is waived. They would leave it at its present location where they pointed out it will continue to create a tax base for the city.

Meintz reported the Finance and Claims committee had advertised for bids to sell the Harbor Road property, but after opening them recommended that the sale be postponed for further information. Council unanimously approved the recommendation.

Setting pay raises for non-union city personnel and a request for length of service monetary awards for two long-time fire fighters led to lengthy debate and some split votes.

Final decisions were to deny the length of service monetary awards requested by Second Assistant Fire Chief Jim Felker on behalf of himself and Mike Madden, and to give department heads and all non-represented city employees 3 percent raises across the board without the $1,500 raise cap originally recommended by the Personnel Committee.

Discussion indicated determination on the part of all Aldermen that next time Union contracts are negotiated they will be settled with raises for a straight dollar amount rather than percentages.

In a letter to the Personnel Committee, Felker had noted that he and Madden were given a one time payout of $1,000 in lieu of the length of service payments to retirement accounts because they were over age 60, when state contributions to the program ends. Felker noted he had over 38 years of service on the department and Madden has over 45 years. He said some of the younger firefighters have already received over $3,000 in length of service payments, while all he and Madden received was the $1,000 payment. His request was not that the city look backward, but that in future the city pay them their share of the award. Behnke said after researching the issue, three members of the Personnel Committee felt they should get the monetary award, not going backward, but starting this year.

Lock said she did not understand how they could take the $1,000 payouts, and then come back and ask for more.

Malke countered that is not what they asked for, it was what the city offered and they had no choice. She said the two are lifelong city residents, and very dedicated to the fire department and she felt they should not be penalized because of their age. Once firefighters hit age 60 they are no longer covered by the state program.

Strouf said he received a call on Saturday from Madden, who was very upset that Felker had put his name in the letter without his approval. He said he was not asking for the length of service money. Meintz commented then there is only one person asking for it - Felker.

“It seems to me this keeps coming back to the Council and it keeps getting turned down,” commented City Attorney Dan Miron.

Wills was not able to say just how much money would be involved if the awards were granted.

Motion to grant Felker’s request was made by Malke and seconded by Behnke, but when vote was called it failed on a four to one vote, with Malke voting in favor and Behnke, Lock, Larsh and Meintz opposed.

Behnke said, in regard to raises for non-represented city employees, that the original recommendation had included a $1,500 cap on the dollar amount of the raise any individual employee would receive for a single year, but that decision had been reversed, and the recommendation now was for 3 percent raises without a cap, in line with raises won by city employees who are represented by unions.

Lock said she was the one who wanted the $1,500 maximum raise in view of the current hard times, with many people unemployed, working short hours, etc. She said if the other members disagree, “That’s fine, but then they’re all entitled to the 3 percent increase.” That, she said, would include Miron, who is a part-time employee.

Meintz felt the raises should be contingent on finding enough money in the budget.

Lock agreed, but declared, “If we vote on it tonight, it’s settled.”

Behnke and Strouf both said they felt next year union contracts must be negotiated for dollar amount raises, not percentages. Discussion centered on the widening gap between those at the bottom of the pay scale and those at the top after years of percentage raises.

“We suggested a cap several years ago,” Lock reminded them. “It’s a hard thing to get passed...It becomes a personality situation.”

Behnke said in the last round of union negotiations his committee’s main goal was to get equal treatment for all unions, “and I think we accomplished that. We did get every body evened out as far as benefits.”

Larsh maintained they were getting the cart before the horse by looking at raises before doing the budget. “If we approve this, we can’t go back,” he declared. Lock again agreed. Strouf said the timing is bad. He said if the city finds they are to be thousands of dollars short of meeting the budget needs they can renegotiate the contracts, but now there is not enough time.

“Next year the budget process has to start no later than August,” declared Meintz. A problem, however, is that not all numbers are known by then.

Motion to grant the three percent raises to all city non-represented personnel, including Miron, was unanimously approved.

Larsh gave a first reading of ordinances to permit parking on Maple Street from Beebe Ave. to Stephenson Avenue and lower the speed limit to 25 miles per hour once the by-pass is in place, and to add teeth to the ordinance banning possession of controlled substance and/or drug paraphernalia. Public hearings on both ordinances will be held prior to the Dec. 1 Council meeting. The by-pass is expected to open on Friday, Nov. 27, and intent is to lift the Maple Street parking ban in time for residents to use parking areas in front of their homes during the Christmas holidays, Larsh said.

By unanimous vote, Meintz was authorized to seek estimates on lighting for the fire department and police department garages, the boiler system, a new water heater, and any other work connected with application for a Focus on Energy Grant.

A Class A liquor license was approved for “The Store,” at 705 French Street, with Cheryl Pentony as agent.

The Fire, Lighting and Building committee was asked to negotiate a new contract with Cyberzone for use of the city water towers.

Malke reported that she and Meintz, representing the Streets and drainage Committee, had met with DOT representatives regarding reconstruction of the Peshtigo River Bridge in 2011. The state will be working on the bridge design this winter. There is a proposal to straighten the curves and have the bridge come out on Pine Street, but they had no recommendation right now, she said. Her personal feeling was to leave it where it is because of the business district. A suggestion from Meintz to defer a decision until Cowell is on the job and is able to take a look at it was eagerly received.

Miron commented the Pine Street alternative would eliminate two curves that have caused a lot of problems and the site of numerous accidents over the years.

Malke also reported she and Meintz met with Karen Sylvester and Herman Pottratz from the Town of Peshtigo as well as representatives of the Town of Grover and in a spirit of wonderful cooperation came up with new names for several streets where there are new connections with town roads due to the highway bypass. They worked out name plans that will require only two city businesses and one city resident to change addresses.

The changes affecting the city are that 1100 French Street will remain, but be changed to Popple Ridge at the curve; Cedar Road will be changed to Old Cedar Way, 560 South Dolan will be changed to a fire number address, and the name of South Dolan Ave. will be changed to McGraw Street. Plans were to have the cost of signage shared with the town, but Highway Commissioner Mark Desotell has advised that the state should pay for the signs because the changes are the result of their work on the highway bypass.

Strouf complimented Meintz and Malke on doing an excellent job by changing street addresses with so little effect on city residents.

Action on the library lease came at the beginning of the meeting, with a suggestion from Behnke that in response to the Library Board’s notice of intent to move they should approach them with an offer to extend the lease at the current $600 per month rent for another year, foregoing the $50 per month rent increase.

During that year, he said they should study the cost of providing utilities for the library, and return with a decision earlier for next year. Motion to forego the $50 a month rent increase was made by Behnke, seconded by Malke and unanimously approved. Everyone on the Council felt the library should stay in the Municipal Building.

Behnke said he had been advised when the Library Board agrees to change the amount of rent paid it is for all satellite libraries at one time.

Meintz felt the Library Board should be happy with the offer to stay where they are, because it would take them many years to recoup the cost of a move to the Highway Department building at $50 per month rent, and there will be expenses there too.

Larsh commented this was the third time the city had tried to increase the library rent, “and the third time we’ve backed down.” He said next time they must bring the Library Board into the process earlier.

Dianne Murphy, who had been waiting for her turn to speak as a member of the audience, said her intent had been to urge them to keep the library where it is, and said she was happy with what they had just done. She said particularly with the Peshtigo River Bridge replacement coming up, “I prefer the library on this side of the river...the majority of the population lives here.”

There were 12 building permits issued during October.

Bartender licenses were approved for Pamela J. Lund, Robert Thomas Lund, Mike Robert Peterson, Shawana Marie Brekke, Angie Irene Angus, Kristin Jean Koronkiewicz, Karen Lynn May, Ashley Ann Sinnaeve, and Sue Ann Miller. Sinnaeve and Miller must complete responsible beverage server classes before their licenses are issued.

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