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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdministration12-03-08 1 _ I NOTICE OF MEETING AND AGENDA ST. CROIX COUNTY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE December 3, 2008 9:00 a.m. St. Croix County Government Center Room 1281 1101 Carmichael Road, Hudson CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL APPROVAL OF AGENDA ACTION ON PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES: November 5, 2008 DATE OF NEXT MEETING — January 7, 2009 OLD AND NEW BUSINESS 1. Veterans Services Officer Department Report 2. Redistricting Issues 3. Review of County Board By -Laws a. Orderly Succession of Board Administration b. Committee Structure Issues Under a 19 Member Board 4. County Email Policy 5. Review of Committee Violation of County Board Rules ** 6. Review of County Goal Setting Session — Short and Long Term Goals ADJOURN (Items may be taken in different order) ** Additions /Changes /Corrections Items for County Board approval must be submitted to the County Clerk's office by Wednesday morning preceding a County Board meeting. 11/26/2008 12:11 PM A/UNUTES OF THE ST. CZOIX COUN'T'Y ADMINISTRATION COMNIITITE December 3, 2008 Official Meeting called to order by Chair King at 9:00 AM. MEMBERS PRESENT: Esther Wentz, Richard King, Julie Speer, Daryl Standafer and Eugene Ruetz MEMBERS ABSENT: None OTHERS PRESENT: Administrative Coordinator Chuck Whiting, Veterans Services Officer Merlin Blaisdell, Sr. Planner Ellen Denzer, County Clerk Cindy Campbell, Supervisor Steve Hermsen, Supervisor Lorin Sather, Director of Planning & Zoning Dave Fodroczi, Corporation Counsel Greg Timmerman, County Board Chair Roger Rebholz and Amy Sabelko ADOPTION OF AGENDA: Motion by Ruetz to approve the agenda, 2nd by Speer, motion carried unanimously. DATE OF NEXT MEETING: January 7, 2009 ADOPTION OF MINUTES: Motion by Wentz, 2nd by Standafer to approve the November 5, 2008 minutes, motion carried unanimously. REVIEW OF NEW and OLD BUSINESS 1. Veterans Services Officer Department Report Blaisdell reported recording a program with the New Richmond radio station which will be aired on Sunday. Due to the troops being deployed, including some of the Veteran Services Officers from other counties, it is possible that St Croix Counts Veterans Services department could see additional work. Blaisdell publicly thanked Wanda Plourde and Linda Brown for their efforts on Veterans Day which was very successful. The department is seeing additional applications for health insurance from Vietnam veterans who can now enroll without stipulation. On November 11th Blaisdell participated in an educational workshop at UW River Falls for Veterans. January 2nd is next meeting for Northwest County Veteran Services Officers in Grantsburg. Whiting explained that the County Board needs to re- appoint Blaisdell at the next meeting. Wentz made a motion to re- appoint Blaisdell as Veterans Services Officer, 2nd by Ruetz, motion carried unanimously. 2. Redistricting Issues Denzer made a presentation to the Committee of historical information and data she compiled on redistricting. In 1990 Denzer worked with a committee of Supervisors who came up with guidelines to follow when redistricting. There are 10 guidelines which follow the statute. The guidelines were presented to the Committee indicating the reason each was selected and the value factor adopted for the guideline. The distance or population ratios are the same irregardless of the number of districts in the County. After providing examples to the Committee regarding redistricting, Denzer provided examples using the population in 2000. The County must use 2000 census and the guidelines that were presented to the Committee today. The County has until November 15, 2009 to adopt the redistricting plan, a new census will be completed in 2010 and the County will be required to redistrict again by 2012. A ward map based on 2001 redistricting adjusted for annexations was provided to the Committee. Denzer explained that the Committee must follow the limiting factors provided by the previous supervisory committee. Redistricting is completed by starting in the corners of the County, selecting different municipalities, towns, cities and wards, and moving inward toward the center of the County. Denzer provided 4 redistricting drafts to the Committee and stated that she wanted further direction from the Committee regarding its preferences to proceed. The Committee discussed different options. Next steps will be to revise the draft district maps, hold a J public hearing, receive County Board approval, file redistricting plan with the Secretary of State and begin municipal election adjustments. The Committee could complete redistricting as soon as the end of March, 2009. When the County does redistricting in 2010 the timeframe will be shorter due to statute requirements. Standafer requested that Denzer complete projections starting with Baldwin working out toward the edges of the County. Speer requested that Denzer provide examples based on an estimated population for 2008. The Committee discussed not doing a lot of work at this time because this will all be completed again in 2010. Denzer indicated that she could run some projections based on Speer's request and stay within the 2000 census guidelines and will work up the projection requests from Speer and Standafer and bring them to the next Committee meeting. Campbell brought up splitting of the wards from the Clerk and voting standpoint based on the school boundaries. Denzer will bring approximately 3 to 4 different 8 lh X 11 map options to the next Committee meeting and then the Committee should be able to determine a public hearing date. 3. Review of County Board By -Laws Orderly Succession of Board Administration King suggested that all members be on more than one elected Committee. Standafer stated that with some of the information that he found during his research a lot of County's elect officials to all of their Committees. Standafer suggested that the Chair and Vice -Chair find out what each supervisors' interests are and what expertise they bring to the County. The Committee discussed different County Board succession options. Committee Structure Issues Under a 19 Member Board King requested that at the next Administration meeting each member bring back information regarding how they would like to see the County Board structured. Rebholz said that he would like to see information provided to members who are running so that data is available regarding what will be required of them Standafer said that he would like the Administration Committee to determine how many parent committees and sub - committees are required. In his research Standafer found that many counties have 6 Committees with 4 Supervisors. Standafer noted that in the County By-laws on page 3 there is a minor error that needs to be corrected. The Committee discussed reducing the number of parent Committees going forward and have one County Board meeting per month be considered a "Meeting of the Whole" and one meeting be the general County Board meeting. 4. County E -mail Policy Ruetz explained that a couple of County Board Supervisors stated that some e- mails should be kept for legal purposes. Standafer stated that there is a way to keep all of the e- mails on the computer systems because there is enough storage space available. Whiting explained that there are 2 sides to the e -mail issue. Sometimes keeping the e -mail can be a legal issue. Standafer and Whiting clarified that this issue has not been resolved and that Corporation Counsel and Information Technology are researching it. 5. Review of Committee Violation of Coun ty Board Rules Supervisor Hermsen brought forward a claim of Board rules violation. The Planning & Zoning Committee had voted on a request to increase fees and voted it down. There was a second request to increase the POWTS fee submitted to the Committee and that request was tabled. Hermsen stated that the item on the agenda was not passed when it was requested the first time and therefore should not have been on the agenda a second time unless it was put on the agenda by one of the members who had voted against it the first time. Ruetz explained that the reason the issue was brought up a second time was due to the State raising fees. Hermsen reviewed the correspondence between Timmerman and himself with the Committee. Ruetz explained that the agenda item brought up at the subsequent Planning & Zoning meeting was a different issue which the Committee does have the right to vote on. Fodroczi said that for every " POWTS permit" the County issues, $75 is remitted to the State and the remainder stays with the County. Timmerman explained that from a procedural standpoint Sather and Hermsen are correct. In Timmerman's opinion even though there is new information it is still information that pertains to the agenda item which was already voted down. Therefore, the only persons who can bring the issue back up to the Planning & Zoning Committee would have been Sather and Hermsen. Sather explained that the request being brought to the Administration Committee is to undo the motion which was passed by the Planning & Zoning Committee. Fodroczi explained that the issue being brought forth is the motion itself, and whether or not this should have been brought up. The motion that failed was very specific and that was the motion that was voted down. The second issue which was brought up was the increase in the POWTS fees from a $75 to $100 remittance to the State and the increase in fees for review of holding tanks and the pass through of fees. This is why the agenda item was brought up to the Committee. The new motion was just to address the two new issues. Timmerman explained that the second agenda item was still a fee schedule issue and the wording "reconsideration" was included in the agenda, which means that the Committee members were dealing with the same issue again. Ruetz requested written information from Corporate Counsel regarding this issue. Timmerman said that the Administration committee does have to make a motion on the issue being requested. The Administration Committee needs to determine whether or not the 2nd item brought up in the Planning & Zoning meeting was indeed a new item or a reconsideration of the prior item voted upon. Ruetz stated he will be recusing himself from voting since he voted on the matter at the Planning & Zoning Committee. Standafer made a motion that the Administration Committee affirms the action of the Planning & Zoning Committee to vote on the increase in POWTS fee. The motion failed for lack of a second. Speer made a motion that the Planning & Zoning Committee rescinds the action made to raise fees because it was a reconsideration of a previous motion, 2nd by Wentz. Motion passed with King, Speer, Wentz voting yes, Standafer voting no & Ruetz abstained. 6. Review of County Goal Setting Session — Short and Long -term Goals The Committee deferred this item until the next meeting. Meeting adjourned at 12:15 PM. Julie Speer, Secretary Amy Sabelko, Recording Secretary