HomeMy WebLinkAboutExecutive Committee - Minutes - 9/23/2014Minutes of the
Bayfield County Executive Committee Meeting
4:00PM, September 23, 2014
County Board Room, Bayfield County Courthouse, Washburn, WI
Members Present: Kenneth Jardine, Harold Maki, Dee Kittleson, Brett Rondeau, Shawn Miller,
Members Excused: Beth Meyers
Others Present: Mark Abeles-Allison (Bayfield County Administrator), Kristine Kavajecz-
Assistant, Marco Bichanich, Scottie Sandstrom-Economic Development Director, Tom Toepfer-
Highway Commissioner, Terri Kramolis-Health Director, Jan Victorson-Emergency
Management Director, Bill Bussey
Rondeau called the meeting to order at 4:00pm.
Public Comment: None
2015 Budget:
Highway: Abeles-Allison explained that Highway was invited back to this meeting to provide
clarification of the discussion last week, specifically fund balance available in 2015. Proposal is
to use $600,000 additional from the General Fund Balance rather than Highway Fund Balance.
The designated funding should be sufficient to construct the 6 mile goal set by the County Board.
Toepfer exited the meeting at this time.
Economic Development: Page 351 of the budget proposal document. Request for 2015 is
$69,500. Goal is to keep a reserve fund of 1/3 of their total budget. APEX budget cost is reduced
by half to $5000. The committee discussed the relationship with APEX over the last 2.5 years.
Sandstrom provided a brief summary of some of the Economic Development accomplishments
and ongoing initiatives. Sandstrom exited the meeting at this time.
Health: Proposed expenditures reflect a 13% increase, levy increase of about 11% for the
department. Kramolis provided a summary of the budget request. 3 staff have come on to county
health insurance, resulting in a large increase in health insurance costs in the department.
Programatically, there are no increases. As a class 3 health department, the county offers 14
additional programs that are not mandated.
Capital Projects for the health department includes a Hemacue replacement, vaccine refridgerator
replacement, county wellness programming funds for community wellness initiatives. Kramolis
exited the meeting at this time.
Emergency Management: Page 150 of the budget proposal document. Levy increase of about
13% due to WISCOM and 911 costs. Wireless 911 will change to Centurylink. Question
regarding the cost of the Port Wing Tower. County actually makes money from renting space on
the tower to cell phone companies.
Capital Projects for the Emergency Management department include: address sign replacement
(signs and installation). Victorson displayed a map of towers, identifying local government
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towers, law repeaters, WISCOM sites. Capital costs are to install WISCOM on the South Shore
if necessary, and to replace/update one existing repeater.
Bussey joined the meeting at this time.
Victorson explained the desire to reconstruct a tower at the top of Maple Hill, which would also
accommodate other users, who would pay rent on the tower and offset the cost of the tower over
time.
Other Departments: Abeles-Allison asked if any of the committee members have questions on
any part of the budget.
Approve changes spreadsheet: Abeles-Allison reviewed a summary of changes that have been
identified to be considered during budget discussions, or corrections that have been identified.
Abeles-Allison explained his reasoning for increasing the revenue line in the Register of Deeds
office.
Committee suggested keeping the allocation for Forestry work benches/shelves at $10,000 and
Landscaping at $5000.
Discussed keeping the NGLVC allocation as recommended in the budget.
Proposed Levy is $9,480,662, including the base, debt service, library and bridge aid. Estimated
mill rate of 3.73.
Handout was provided detailing the amount of fund balance to be used and what it will be used
for.
Abeles-Allison provided an update on the community safe room grant. The size of the building
may be reduced to keep the project within the grant budget.
Maki suggested that next year the board consider a 10% decrease across the board because the
level of spending is not sustainable.
Ag Station, page 344 of the budget proposal was reviewed. Houses to be rented on a month-to-
month basis and the county will send out RFPs for 5-year rentals of the land and buildings, with
options for sale of all or parcels of land.
Committee asked if the county should consider the suggestion that was made by Schultz at a
previous meeting where employees that have a spouse with alternate insurance available, be
required to take that insurance. No further discussion on this topic.
Recommend budget on to County Board or schedule another meeting:
Motion Miller, Jardine to recommend for publication and to the full county board
for consideration at the October meeting, a mill rate of 3.73, levy of $9,480,662,
with expenditures of approximately $29 million including the changes identified
at the meeting tonight.
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Motion Carried 4-1 (Maki opposed).
Meeting adjourned at 5:45pm.
Respectfully Submitted by Kristine Kavajecz, Assistant to the County Administrator