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| | 1. | | Review and approval of the minutes of the April 16 and 17, 2015 minutes.
Minutes note: Meeting convened: 9:05 A.M
Members excused: Mr. Nicolini
Mr. Schifalacqua moved for approval of the minutes. There were no objections.
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| | 2. | | Discussion of and recommendations for the 2016 Capital Budget Requests.
Minutes note: The committee discussed its recommendations for the 2016 capital budget.
Ald. Bauman noted the large number of IT related requests especially in the Police Dept. He said there was no real basis for evaluating their legitimacy. He asked if there was any capacity for independent review of these requests. Mr. Froh said that in the past, an effort was made to have ITMD review all IT requests but that fell by the wayside because ITMD didn’t have the expertise for police, fire and many public works matters. He said that reviewing and comparing software for various applications is expensive. He recommended having a representative from ITMD on every IT project over a pre-determined cost. Ald. Bauman asked if the City already had a committee devoted to IT issues. Mr. Matson said the City Wide Information Management Committee meets regularly. Mr. Schifalacqua suggested that the committee recommend funding for a dedicated position in ITMD to independently review IT requests. Mr. Froh said that the operational department is in the best position to decide what piece of software fits it best. ITMD can determine which piece of software makes the most sense in terms of its functionality and its reliability. He said it’s important to determine the purpose of purchasing software. He said software purchases should allow the City to get more done or it should lower costs.
Ald. Bauman said he was not comfortable recommending funding for any of the IT requests. Mr. Froh said he was not comfortable denying it all. Mr. Matson said the HRMS project definitely needed funded. Mr. Schifalacqua asked if the committee should pass the requests through to the Budget Office. Ald. Bauman said he would like to zero them out. Mr. Matson expressed concern with that approach. Ald. Kovac said it was more important to express concerns regarding the IT requests than to recommend a specific dollar amount.
Mr. Matson said the tax collection system and the assessment software for the Assessor seem to be reasonable requests. Mr. Matson suggested giving the Police department the same amount they got in 2015 and let them prioritize their capital expenditures. Ms. Brengosz said that evaluating Police Department IT requests especially difficult because most projects appear in the capital request for the first time in the year the project needs funding which doesn’t give a lot of time to evaluate the merits of the project before a decision needs to be made. Ald. Bauman suggested that the committee recommend zero funding for the Police Department’s IT requests with a footnote explaining that more information is needed before funding can be recommended.
Special Capital Projects
Ald. Kovac said he would like to see funding for the Municipal Art Fund. Ald. Bauman suggested $50,000 for the Municipal Art Fund and $87,000 for the Capital Improvements Committee.
Ms. Brengosz said that the Better Buildings Challenge is administered by the Office of Environmental Sustainability and would replace the DPW capital account for Energy Efficiency Upgrades. She said the requested funding is not specifically tied to grants. Ald. Bauman asked why improvements at firehouses and police stations were not included in the departmental requests. Ms. Brengosz said because these projects would be specific to energy reduction goals, not general building maintenance. Ald. Bauman suggested cutting the request in half. Ald. Kovac agreed saying he would like more information about the projects.
DOA – ITMD
Ald. Bauman suggested $300,000 for IT Upgrades and $800,000 for the Tax Collection System. Ald. Kovac suggested reducing Public Facility Communications to the amount budgeted for 2015.
Ald. Kovac asked how the CSWAN/COMON upgrade was different from the Public Facility Upgrade request. Mr. Froh said the CSWAN project would replace the electronics of the system as opposed to the conduit, fiber wiring. He said electronic components typically last between 3 and 7 years. Ms. Brengosz said they were last upgraded was in 2008. Mr. Froh said the price has come down substantially since the last upgrade. Ald. Kovac asked about the consequences of postponing the CSWAN project. Mr. Froh said that as electronics age, they are more prone to periodic failures or incidences of randomly shutting down and coming back on.
Ald. Kovac suggested cutting the funding in half for the Corporate Database Server. Mr. Froh said that it was already a two year request. Ald. Bauman suggested $150,000. Ald. Kovac said he would like to see more detail on how the funding for the CRM Upgrade ($220,000) would be spent.
The committee deferred its recommendation on the CRM Upgrade project. The committee reduced requested funding for the following programs: Public Facility Communications, (from $625,000 to $550,000), Corp. Database Server Upgrade (from $270,000 to $150,000), and CSWAN/COMON Upgrade (from $500,000 to $250,000). The committee recommended the requested funding for the IT Upgrades and Replacement Program ($300,000) and the HRMS Upgrade project ($1 million)
Assessor
Mr. Schifalacqua expressed concern that almost half of the request for the Assessment Software project was for positions. Ms. Brengosz said that the capital request for the 2015 Budget included a similar amount of positions. She said she did not know how much has been expended on the project. Ald. Bauman suggested $0 until more information is available because there may be carryover funding available. Mr. Matson suggested recommending the full requested amount because if the request is largely for salaries, the money will be spent. Mr. Froh agreed. Ald. Kovac suggested reducing it to $555,000. The committee recommended funding of $555,000 for the Assessment Software project.
City Attorney
Ald. Bauman suggested recommending $0 for the 8th Floor of City Hall. Ald. Kovac said that it was likely that there would be no be funding in the 2016 Budget primarily because of the uncertainty regarding the foundation project. The committee did not recommend funding for the 8th Floor of City Hall Remodeling project.
City Clerk
Ald. Bauman expressed support for the Channel 25 Conversion project. Ald. Bauman said he did not support the LRB Office Upgrade or the Room 205 Remodeling. Ald. Kovac was in agreement. The committee recommended $225,000 for the Channel 25 project.
DCD
Ald. Bauman said the $28 million for Tax Incremental Districts is a placeholder. He said the budgeted amount was likely to be higher. Ald. Bauman said the requests for the Advanced Planning Fund and the Healthy Neighborhood Initiative seem to be reasonable. He said he was comfortable with $450,000 for the Housing Infrastructure Preservation fund. He suggested funding the Commercial Investment Fund and the Brownfield Fund as requested.
Ald. Bauman said that the Strong Neighborhoods Program is difficult to evaluate because it is spread across so many capital accounts in different departments. Ms. Brengosz said that the Strong Neighborhoods Program also gets funding in the operating budgets of several departments. Ald. Kovac suggested footnoting any capital request relating to the foreclosure crisis asking for comprehensive information regarding funding. Ald. Bauman suggested funding the Strong Neighborhood Program as a special capital project. He also suggested deferring action on any Strong Neighborhood Program related capital accounts until the next meeting.
Ald. Bauman asked why carryover wasn’t included in the write up. Ms. Brengosz said that based on feedback from the committee after the 2015 capital budget hearings, the annual carryover amount was deleted from the committee’s write up, primarily because it didn’t accurately reflect the amount of funding that is available. Ald. Kovac said that he would prefer to have carryover information so the departments could explain it. Mr. Korban said it was important to identify encumbered funds and obligated funds.
The committee deferred their recommendation on the in rem Property and Commercial in rem Property programs. The remaining projects and programs in the Dept. of City Development were recommended for funding as requested.
Fire Department
Ald. Bauman asked if a site had been found for the new repair shop. Mr. Schwark said no. Ald. Bauman suggested $0 for the Fire Repair Shop.
Ald. Bauman asked what equipment was budgeted for the Fire Department in 2015. Ms. Brengosz said funding was provided for two ambulances. She said that based on the current size of the front line fleet, funding for two engines per year would keep the fleet age within the NFP guidelines. She also said that obtaining engines consistently over time would allow for a proper break in period for new equipment would be less disruptive to the department’s operations. Mr. Froh said the request for major equipment is consistent for the next five years. Ald. Bauman suggested $2.2 million for Major Capital Equipment. Ald. Kovac said he was comfortable with that.
Ald. Kovac asked if the University of Chicago study was complete. Ms. Brengosz said that the department hopes that by early September they will have a model that will be able to identify the effects on response time of moving a piece of equipment from one house to another.
Ms. Brengosz said that the majority of the work being proposed for 2016 in the Fire Facilities Maintenance account involves roofs. Ald. Bauman asked if improvements at the fire houses were related to improving energy efficiency. Mr. Korban said that presumably projects would include energy efficiencies but that improving energy efficiency was not the primary purpose of the project. Ald. Bauman suggested funding Fire Facilities Maintenance and Auxiliary Power Supply as requested.
Ald. Bauman suggested $0 funding for the Record Management system and the Radio Console Upgrade because the committee needed more information. Ald. Kovac said he would like to see the Fire Department coordinate with the Police Department on IT upgrades.
The committee deferred their recommendation on the Fire Record Management System and the Fire Digital Radio System. No funding was recommended for the Fire Repair Shop. The remaining projects and programs administered by the Fire Department were recommended for funding as requested.
Library
Ald. Kovac said the request for the construction of new mixed use libraries has been discussed for several years. He said the current plan was to replace four neighborhood libraries. He also said that constructing mixed use libraries is far less expensive for the City than building stand-alone facilities. Ms. Brengosz said the construction timeline has been extended to reduce the annual capital requests. Ald. Bauman suggested funding the Library as requested.
All capital programs administered by the Library were recommended for funding as requested.
Municipal Court
Ms. Brengosz said the construction of the Municipal Court space in the Police Administration Building would be funded in the Police Department’s budget. The request would fund a consultant who has expertise specific to court operations and security. The committee did not recommend funding for the Court Remodel/Redesign project.
Dept. of Neighborhood Services
Action on the Code Compliance Program and the Demolition program was deferred because both accounts are part of the Strong Neighborhood Program. The committee supported the continuation of the conversion of the Anderson Water Tower Garage. The committee did not support the Remodeling of the Development Center Offices.
Police Department
Ald. Bauman asked if the Police Administration Building project was back on schedule. Ms. Brengosz said yes.
Ald. Kovac suggested reducing the request for District Repairs to a level more consistent with recent budgets. Ald. Bauman suggested $500,000. Ald. Kovac suggested reducing the Radio & Communication Upgrade request by half. Ms. Brengosz said the department was currently in negotiation with a vendor for the Record Management System. Ald. Kovac said he would like to see the CAD system coordinated with the RMS system.
Ald. Bauman asked why additional funding was needed for the Uninterruptable Power Supply project. Ms. Brengosz said that in 2014 the Police Dept. received $696,000 to replace auxiliary power supplies for various department systems. She said that no funding was requested 2015, but now the project appears to be more extensive than originally estimated so the department is requesting an additional $850,000. Ald. Bauman said that this was a large estimating error.
The committee deferred action on the Police department’s IT requests and the Police Administration Building. The committee reduced requested funding for District Repairs (from $2,053,900 to $500,000) and for Radio Communications Upgrades (from $815,000 to $400,000)
Port of Milwaukee
Ms. Brengosz said it was likely that the crane, which has been in the capital plan for several years, will be purchased in 2015 with redevelopment bonds.
All programs and projects administered by the Port of Milwaukee were recommended for funding as requested.
DPW – Operations
Mr. Korban said the department has purchased one brine maker and intends to purchase two more. He said having three brine makers will reduce travel time and reduce the City’s salt usage.
The committee deferred action on the Vacant Lot Beautification program because it is part of the Strong Neighborhood Program. All other programs administered by DPW – Operations were recommended for funding as requested.
DPW – Infrastructure
The committee discussed the memo from DPW regarding repair and replacement options for the 1st Street Bridge. The bridge opens approximately 700 times per year. Mr. Korban said that there are many variables that influence cost, but that a lift bridge would probably not be significantly cheaper than a bascule bridge. Mr. Schifalacqua said that if the City applied to close the 1st Street Bridge or reconstruct it as a fixed bridge, there would likely be opposition from affected property owners during the public comment period. Ald. Bauman said that the construction of the freeway in the mid 1960’s over the Milwaukee River created a permanent restriction on the vessels that can go up the river. He said other bridges including the Hoan were constructed 125 feet above the river to allow for boat traffic
The committee discussed funding for street reconstruction. Ald. Bauman said that the total amount requested was lower than last year. Ms. Brengosz said the approximately $2 million of Local Road Improvement Program funding would be available from the state in 2016. Mr. Korban said that the increase in the High Impact request would allow the department to begin improving local streets. Mr. Korban said the City crew to make repairs to electrical manholes is now in place.
The committee recommended the Major and Local Bridge programs for funding as requested. The committee recommended the paving related capital accounts for funding as requested. The committee also recommended the following accounts for funding as requested: Alley Program, Sidewalk Replacement Program, Street Lighting Program, Traffic Control, Underground Conduit and Manholes, Underground Conduit and Electrical Manhole Reconstruction.
Facilities
Mr. Korban said that based on meetings with the consulting and construction firm the department is comfortable reducing the request for the City Hall Foundation Project by $5 million for 2016. He said the project is expected to take four or five years and that the first phase, at $15 million, is likely to be the most expensive because it includes the relocation of the mechanical room. He estimated the cost of the mechanical room alterations at $4 million.
Ald. Bauman asked if the Space Planning, Alterations and Engineering was a general account. Ms. Brengosz said that the account has generally been used to address smaller projects and needs in various departments that come up unexpectedly during the year. She added that in the 2016 request, the Space Planning and City Hall Remodeling were combined in a single request.
Ald. Bauman asked if the Hartung Park landfill was full. Mr. Korban said that 2016 will be the last year of funding for the Hartung Park Landfill project. He said funding will allow the department to put the finishing touches on the park.
With the exception of the City Hall Foundation Project, all projects and programs were funded as originally requested.
Parking Fund
The committee discussed the request for the parking structure at 4th & Highland. Ms. Brengosz said that a revised request for $50,000 was received from the department. Minimal work is planned at the structure pending the resolution of the arena construction discussions.
Mr. Korban said that as existing parking meters age and need replacement, the department would like to replace them with meters that can accept credit cards. Ms. Brengosz said the meters were last replaced around 1997.
The committee discussed the operation of the Luke parking meters, including issues with card reading and the lack of reliable receipt production. Mr. Korban said that as parking and payment technology continues to advance, the department will re-evaluate the use of Luke meters. Mr. Korban said the convenience fee for the parking payment app ranges between 22 and 37 cents. The customer pays the fee to the application manager. The app was developed at no cost to the City.
With the exception of the parking structure at 4th & Highland, all programs and projects administered by DPW Parking were recommended for funding as originally requested.
Milwaukee Water Works
Mr. Korban said the department’s request was consistent with the plan to increase water main replacement. All programs and projects administered by the Milwaukee Water Works were recommended for funding as requested.
Sewer Maintenance Fund
All programs and projects administered by the Sewer Maintenance Fund were recommended for funding as requested.
Agenda
The committee discussed the agenda for the June 3 meeting. Ald. Kovac said he would like to discuss the Police and Fire Department IT items and the Strong Neighborhood Program. He requested that a representative from ITMD be present. Ms. Brengosz said that the condition reports for DPW maintained buildings, recreational facilities and forestry were on the schedule. She asked if the committee wanted the Police and Fire Departments to appear. Ald. Bauman said it was not necessary.
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