The Finance Committee met 11/11/2024. It was a brief meeting lasting not quite 10 minutes during which the committee unanimously approved all 4 action items and also briefly discussed American Recovery Plan Act funds.
I’ve prepared a transcript of the discussion for download:
PURCHASE OF SLUDGE DENSITY METERS – The Appleton Wastewater Treatment Plan utilizes two nuclear (Cesium 137) sources to measure the density of sludge removed from the primary clarifier process. Both of those meters recently failed and need to be replaced. Per Utilities Director Chris Stempa, the meters are radioactive sources, but not huge sources. Most of the equipment at the plant declines slowly, but both of these items rapidly failed in back-to-back fashion. The plant was still able to operate but operations were not as easy or efficient.
They had looked at non-radioactive ways to measure the sludge density but this was the most accurate way to measure density so that’s why they wanted to stay with this technology. They expected the new equipment would last for 20-25 years.
SOLE SOURCE PURCHASE OF FOUR HIGH SERVICE PUMP CHECK VALVES – The wastewater treatment plant needed to replace these valves because the existing valves were not completely closing when the associated upstream pump was offline. In 2023, the city put out for bid a project that included replacing these valves, but all of the bids were rejected because they were excessively high. At the time, Dorner Company’s bid included a cost of $154,776 to replace all four of these valves. Per the memo from staff, “The 2024 budget has sufficient funds remaining from 2023 CIP to cover the purchase.”
REQUEST TO APPROVE TWO-YEAR EXTENSION OF CONTRACT WITH CLIFTONLARSONALLEN LLP FOR ANNUAL AUDIT SERVICES – The city currently has a contract with CliftonLarsenAllen LLP to provide annual audit services. They wanted to extend that contract for two years to cover the annual audits for 2024 and 2025.
REQUEST TO APPROVE CHANGE ORDER NO. 1 FOR B-24 ASPHALT PAVING FOR ADDITIONAL SIDEWALK REPLACEMENT – City staff identified additional sidewalk sections that required replacement. Based on the bids for the 2024 replacement project, they would like to increase the project amount by $69,212.25 so that more of those sections can be replaced. The increase in cost will be covered by the $50,000 contingency amount budgeted for the project as well as the reallocation of $19,212.25 left over in the Sidewalk Construction account.
Alderperson Chris Croatt (District 14) mentioned that he always thought of sidewalks as being concrete but the contract mentioned “asphalt”. Public Works Deputy Director Pete Neuberger said that the overall program was the asphalt reconstruction program, but the sidewalk would be replaced as concrete.
UPDATE ON ARPA FUNDS – Finance Director Jeri Ohman told the committee that they all the funds needed to be obligated by December 31 of this year. She said that everything was obligated with the exception of some money that had been designated for the Covid 19 Response. She was working with Mayor Woodford and some departments on possible uses for those funds.
Alderperson Chris Croatt asked about the $2 million that had been obligated for broadband in the new library. He wanted to know what would happen if that project ended up costing less than $2 million. Director Ohman told him that her understanding was that it would not be under budget and the full $2 million would be used.
Alderperson Croatt was surprised that broadband was that expensive, but there were no staff members present at the meeting who could speak to the details as to why it cost a full $2 million to install broadband in the library.
View full meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1229705&GUID=E2F80741-2F94-424E-A16A-F13C86130A59
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