Monday, November 28, 2011

Longest-Ever Monona City Council Meeting Finally Ends

I am pleased to report that the Longest-Ever Monona City Council Meeting has finally ended. The meeting was just slightly shorter than the NBA lockout. The meeting began at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 21, 2011 and ended just 192 hours later...

Or maybe it just seemed that way.

The full agenda is copied below. The careful reader will note that the agenda included both the second reading of the 2012 operating budget as well as the first reading of the 2012 capital budget. Mixed in for fun was yet more consideration of the Belle Isle dredging project, a revision to the Foth engineering contract for Monona Drive Phase Two, real estate acquisition (right-of-way) for said Phase Two.

Oh, yes, and DaneCom (ouch...just typing that gives me a headache), amending a couple ordinances, and banning weapons in city buildings.

The council meeting went until about 12:30 a.m. The council adjourned after getting a lot done, but not close to all of it. The items in bold blue font are the ones we acted on. The rest will wait for another day.

We adopted an operating budget and levy (increasing property taxes by about 1%), went forward with the Belle Isle dredging project with provision for alternate bids without Lagoon du Sud and with Cove Circle Lagoon, amended the Foth contract to reflect the increased work performed and made decisions in closed session on how to proceed with certain Monona Drive real estate acquisitions (right-of-way).

One other oddity: Alder Wiswell referred to Alder Speight and me as "Mr. Speight" and "Mr. Wood". It occurred to me that perhaps I had been recalled, but nobody told me - in which case, I could have gone home early. For a fellow who is generally a stickler for formality, Alder Wiswell repeatedly neglecting to employ our honorific struck me as passing strange.

A. Call to Order.

B. Roll Call and Pledge of Allegiance.

C. Approval of Minutes from November 7, 2011.

D. Appearances.

E. Public Hearing.

1. To Receive Public Input Regarding the Proposed 2012 Operating Budget and Tax Levy.

2. To Receive Public Input Regarding the Proposed 2012 Capital Budget.

F. Consent Agenda.

1. Consideration Of 2011/2012 Class "B" Fermented Malt Beverage and "Class C" Wine Application For Huang & Lin China Star, LLC d/b/a China Star Restaurant, 111 River Place, Monona, Wisconsin, 53716, Agent Ming Yi Huang, 5902 Juniper Ridge, McFarland, Wisconsin 53558.

2. Consideration Of 2011/2012 Arcade License Application For Rossi’s Pizza, 4503A Monona Drive, Monona, Wisconsin 53716.

G. Council Action Items.

1. Unfinished Business (Approval Requested Unless Otherwise Noted).

a. Consideration of Resolution 11-11-1815 Adopting the 2012 Operating Budget and Establishing a Tax Levy (Mayor Miller).

b. Consideration of Ordinance 11-11-629 Revising Title 8, Chapter 3 of the Monona Code of Ordinances Regarding Solid Waste Disposal and Recycling (Public Works Director).

c. Consideration of Ordinance 11-11-630 Prohibiting Weapons in City Buildings (Police Chief).

d. Consideration of Ordinance 11-11-632 Amending the Official Traffic Map Concerning No Parking on Winnequah Road (Public Safety Committee, Public Works Committee).

2. New Business.

a. Consideration of Ordinance 11-11-633 Amending Chapter 9 of the Code of Ordinances to Remove the Regulation of Massage Technicians (License Review Committee).

b. Consideration of Resolution 11-11-1817 Determining the Scope of the Belle Isle Dredging Project (Public Works Committee).

c. Consideration of Resolution 11-11-1818 Adopting the 2012 Capital Budget (Mayor Miller).

d. Consideration of Resolution 11-11-1813 Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement with Dane County for the "DaneCom" Emergency Radio System (Police Chief, Fire Chief).

e. Consideration of Resolution 11-11-1819 Approving a Contract Amendment with Foth Infrastructure and Environment, LLC for Phase 2 of the Monona Drive Reconstruction Project (City Administrator).

f. Convene in Closed Session under Wisconsin Statute section 19.85(1)(e) Deliberating or negotiating the purchasing of public properties, the investing of public funds, or conducting other specified public business, whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session (Monona Drive Phase 2 Land Acquisition).

g. Reconvene in Open Session Under Wisconsin Statute Section 19.85(2).

H. Miscellaneous Business.

I. Reports of Committees, Commissions, Boards, Mayor, City Administrator, City Attorney, and Department Managers.

1. Agendas, Supporting Documents and Minutes are Available on the Monona Web Page – www.mymonona.com.

J. Appointments.

K. Adjournment.

12 comments:

  1. Make sure you put the Edgewater on the next agenda- you just have to find room for it. I vote for the old trailer park on the Yahara or the East Side Club right next to Fred Mohs' building.

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  2. At times, I feel empathy toward you and like reading your blog. Then you do something like this-you write a blog post that seems to want to tell me about the meeting, what passed, what did not and your position on these items. I always find those posts interesting-full well knowing they are told from your eye.

    Instead the post turns into some type of cheap shot/low brow gossip column about Alder/Mr. Wiswell and his sudden lack of respect/decorum (in your eyes.) (I suggest you send future quibbles about Wiswell's actions to Sunny-she always likes that kind of stuff especially when it is about Wiswell.)

    Perhaps, he was trying something new-who the heck knows. Does it really matter? Did you speak to him about it or just go home and whine on this blog?

    My kind suggestion to you is that this kind of lowbrow (not to be confused with a unibrow) is what is wrong with local politics.

    Stick to politics and not silly character assassinations, but then you are the one who shot Dale-so what do I expect.

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  3. You're entitled to your opinion abpout what's wrong with local politics, but at least I put my name on my views.

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  4. love it-keep poking Wiswell in the eye. He has it coming.

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  5. Oh, please, Anonymous. Doug's observant. Doug chose to report on what stood out for him. It's his observation, his blog, his mind. He wasn't being lowbrow, as you say. I happen to notice that NPR often say's Mr. Obama, but I don't remember them saying anything but President Bush. It stands out. Could be my perception, could be NPR is actually treating Obama and Bush differently. I notice.

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  6. "I happen to notice that NPR often say's Mr. Obama, but I don't remember them saying anything but President Bush."

    Actually, the NPR style manual requires tyhem to refer to the president as President Obama/Bush on the first use of the president's name in a story and then as Mr. Obama/Bush thereafter.

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  7. Yes and what stood out is something silly about Jeff. Why don't your report about the time Alder X was scrathing himself?

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  8. Why would Jeff Wiswell have it coming? Why don't you explain yourself. What has he ever done to you?

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  9. Don't you have better things to worry about Doug?

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  10. "Don't you have better things to worry about Doug?"

    Yes, I do. But you know, people complain about this stuff, but then that's all you want to talk about. I make one small, mild comment about what the Alderman Wiswell addressed Chad and I during a meeting and you folks go nutz.

    I didn't publish some particulalry nasty, half-true comments attacking me. It all makes me seriously question why I decided to dip back into the blogosphere - cause I do have muich better ways to spend my time.

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  11. The book blog! Pretty pleeeez?

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