BROWN DEER VILLAGE BOARD

APRIL 5, 2004 MEETING MINUTES

HELD AT THE BROWN DEER VILLAGE HALL

4800 WEST GREEN BROOK DRIVE

 

The meeting was called to order by President Jaberg at 7:30 P.M.

 

I.          Roll Call

 

Present:            Village President Jaberg; Trustees: Askew, Baker, Kundinger, Krueger, Nealy, Schilz

 

Also Present:    Russell Van Gompel, Village Manager; William Dineen, Village Attorney; Andy Pederson, Assistant Village Manager/Community Services Director; Steven Rinzel, Police Chief; Kathy Kasza, Village Treasurer; Dana Weber, Deputy Treasurer

 

II.        Pledge of Allegiance

 

III.       Persons Desiring to be Heard

 

John Gibbs, 8542 North 63rd Street, inquired about the process for which item (VI-D), “Representation by Districts”, was placed on the agenda.  President Jaberg indicated that Trustee Askew properly requested that the item be placed on the agenda.  Mr. Gibbs expressed concern about the proposal.

 

Trustee Krueger stated that he would be distributing 4th of July raffle tickets.  Trustee Krueger also presented a letter discussing concerns regarding recent election activities and the fact that he “resent the threats of recall against board members” for support of certain individuals during an election.  

 

Trustee Nealy stated she recently had a campaign sign removed from her yard and that she supported Trustee Krueger’s comments. 

 

Donald Sigmund, 4114 West Woodale Avenue, discussed the Comprehensive Plan of Redevelopment and stated that he did not appreciate the term of “blighted” was used on his home and discussed what ramifications it would have on the sale of his home.  Mr. Sigmund stated that the determination of blight would have to be disclosed to any potential buyer of his home.  Mr. Sigmund also expressed concern about the recently installed culverts along Woodale Avenue.  Mr. Van Gompel reviewed the process utilized for developing a comprehensive plan of redevelopment.  Mr. Van Gompel discussed the fact the State Statute requires that determination of blight be made for the entire area, and the plan does not specify which parcels are blighted.  Mr. Dineen stated that the blight determination does not have to be disclosed upon the sale of property, but rather it must be disclosed that it is within a redevelopment area. 

 

Pam Sefton, 4630 West Wooddale Avenue, requested that a public hearing be held before the Village Board on the Comprehensive Plan of Redevelopment.  Mr. Van Gompel reviewed the process for considering the adoption of the Redevelopment Plan, inclusive of two public hearings before the Community Development Authority.  Ms. Sefton inquired about the recently held UWM Focus Group.  Mr. Pederson reviewed the process for selecting participants for the Focus Group and the relationship the work of the UWM Graduate students has with the Community Development Authority.

 

Henry Hamilton III, 7865 North 45th Street, expressed concern about the process that was utilized to create the Redevelopment Plan.    Mr. Hamilton expressed concerns about potential future uses for the area as well as the lack of input sought in developing a future use.  Mr. Hamilton questioned the truthfulness of the manner in which the Redevelopment Plan was presented and what actually is included in the Plan.  President Jaberg discussed the process and discussions from the Community Development Authority meetings.  President Jaberg further discussed the processes that will be conducted to determine a future use.  Mr. Hamilton further questioned why the plan had to be committed to paper.  Mr. Van Gompel stated the Plan is required by State Statute. 

 

Julia Loritz, 4344 West Bradley Road, questioned why the residences along both Woodale Avenue and Bradley Road are included in the Plan.  Ms. Loritz stated that she supports the redevelopment efforts, but does not support the inclusion of the homes in the Plan. 

 

President Jaberg stated that further discussion would follow when the item is discussed on the agenda.  President Jaberg also reminded the audience that elections will be held on Tuesday and stated that a Village Board race was being held and that she would be honored to serve with any of the individuals who were running for office. 

 

IV.       Consideration of Minutes:     March 15, 2004 – Regular Meeting

 

It was moved by Trustee Nealy and seconded by Trustee Askew to approve the March 15, 2004, regular meeting minutes.  The motion carried unanimously.

 

V.                 Unfinished Business.

 

None.

 

VI.              New Business

 

A)                Resolution No. 04-, “In the Matter of a Resolution Adopting the Bradley Road Corridor Comprehensive Plan of Redevelopment and Declaring the Project Area Blighted”

 

Mr. Pederson reviewed the process that the Community Development Authority has conducted to ultimately approve the Redevelopment Plan, inclusive of eight meetings, two public hearings, and 15 day written comment period.  Mr. Pederson stated approval of the Plan by the Village Board requires a two-thirds majority vote.  Mr. Pederson reviewed the project area boundaries. 

 

President Jaberg discussed the rationale for including the homes within the Plan.  Trustee Schilz further discussed the process and public input within the process.

 

Trustee Askew expressed concern about property values in the area, that a concise time frame for completion be developed, and that the Village have a waiver for removal from the Plan if property owners wish to sell their home.  President Jaberg indicated that the process would not allow spot blighting of properties.  Mr. Dineen also advised against spot blighting. 

 

Trustee Krueger reviewed the goals of the Redevelopment Plan.

 

Trustee Baker expressed support for the proactive approach, which sets the stage for developers to present proposals.  Trustee Baker also discussed the community visioning process and the resulting emphasis on addressing the issues within the Bradley Road corridor. 

 

Trustee Nealy stated that this is a positive step for the Village, and that it promotes new growth. 

 

Trustee Kundinger inquired about the process for amending the Plan as well as the positive and negatives for being included in the Plan.  Trustee Kundinger discussed a prior personal experience where not being included in a plan made it more difficult, and expressed support for including the homes in the Plan. 

 

It was moved by Trustee Kundinger and seconded by Trustee Nealy to approve Resolution No. 04-, “In the Matter of a Resolution Adopting the Bradley Road Corridor Comprehensive Plan of Redevelopment and Declaring the Project Area Blighted”.  The motion carried 6 to 1, with Trustee Askew opposing.

 

B)                Ordinance No. 04-, “In the Matter of Repealing and Recreating Section 6-4.04 of Article 4, Chapter VI of Volume I of the Brown Deer Code of Ordinances Regarding Curfews for Minors”

 

Mr. Dineen reviewed the proposed Ordinance and discussed the reasoning for the changes.  Trustee Kundinger inquired about why the Ordinance was not reviewed by the Traffic and Public Safety Committee prior to Village Board consideration.  Mr. Dineen stated that adoption was being recommended as soon as possible due to a recent decision by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and its impact on the current curfew for minors.

 

Trustee Schilz discussed the extent of the changes within the new Ordinance. 

 

Trustee Askew inquired about the amount of crime and violations associated with curfew violations within Brown Deer.  Chief Rinzel stated that while he did not have statistics at hand, he discussed the need to approve the Ordinance as soon as possible so that an enforcement mechanism is in place.

 

It was moved by Trustee Kundinger and seconded by Trustee Nealy to approve Ordinance No. 04-, “In the Matter of Repealing and Recreating Section 6-4.04 of Article 4, Chapter VI of Volume I of the Brown Deer Code of Ordinances Regarding Curfews for Minors”.  The motion carried unanimously.

 

C)                Trustee Responsibilities and

 

D)                Representation by Districts

 

For the purposes of discussion, items C, “Trustee Responsibilities” and item D, “Representation by Districts”, were discussed together.  Mr. Van Gompel reviewed the roles and responsibilities of trustees.  Trustee Askew requested these items be placed on the agenda and thought it would be timely to discuss the roles of trustees, discuss new ideas, and possibly enhance communications with the public. 

 

President Jaberg stated that the Visioning statement discussed being “bound together by shared values” and that dividing the community into districts would not be consistent with that objective.  President Jaberg further stated that each trustee should be able to represent the entire population of 12,000, and that having seven representatives versus one provides for greater opportunity for representation and communication. 

 

Trustee Nealy discussed her experiences and the limited extent to which representation by districts is used throughout the State of Wisconsin. 

 

Trustee Schilz stated the each trustee sits on various committees within the Village, and expressed that trustees representing a district would be more divisive and not represent the entire community at the various committee meetings. 

 

Trustee Baker stated that he considers the Village Board a team for the community, and discussed the small geographic area of the community and the population size as reasons that each Trustee could represent the entire community.

 

Trustee Kundinger indicated that he could not formulate a strong reason in favor of representation by districts.

 

No action was taken. 

 

 

 

VII.           Department Report-Administrative Services

 

Kathy Kasza, Village Treasurer, reported on the roles, responsibilities, and operations of the Administrative Services Department.   Ms. Kasza reviewed the Department’s 2003 accomplishments and 2004 goals. 

 

VIII.        Village President’s Report

 

President Jaberg reported on the following:

 

Attended Chamber of Commerce meeting on March 18 at CopyMax.

 

Attended the City of Milwaukee neighborhood meeting regarding the proposed 68th Street senior housing development.

 

Committee appointments are currently underway.

 

IX.              Village Manager’s Report

 

Mr. Van Gompel reported on the following:

 

Reported on two recent armed robberies along the Green Bay Road corridor in Brown Deer as well as the additional armed robberies within the North Shore.

 

Elections will be held on Tuesday, April 6.

 

            Communication efforts regarding the spring water main flushing.

           

Mr. Pederson reported on the neighborhood and committee meetings with the City of Milwaukee regarding the proposed senior housing complex on North 68th Street.

 

Trustee Schilz reported on the progress of the Water Commission’s chlorine boosting facility.  Trustee Schilz also reviewed the Water Quality Initiative by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District.

 

X.         Recess into Closed Session pursuant to §19.85 (1)(e) and Wisconsin Statutes for the following reasons:

 

(c)        Considering employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility. 

 

It was moved by Trustee Nealy and seconded by Trustee Krueger to Recess into Closed Session pursuant to §19.85 (1)(e) and Wisconsin Statutes at 9:30 p.m.   The motion passed unanimously.

 

XI.              Reconvene into Open Session for Possible Action on Closed Session Deliberations

 

It was moved by Trustee Krueger and seconded by Trustee Nealy to Reconvene into Open Session for Possible Action on Closed Session Deliberations at 10:52 p.m.   The motion passed unanimously.

 

 

 

 

 

XII.           Adjournment

 

It was moved by Trustee Nealy and seconded by Trustee Krueger to adjourn at 10:53 p.m.   The motion passed unanimously.

 

 

 

_______________________________

Russell Van Gompel, Village Manager

 

 

 

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