Council Preview- What to Expect at Tuesday’s Meeting
With the City of Marshfield Common Council’s next meeting on Tuesday, March 14, City Administrator Steve Barg outlines what to expect. Previewing the agenda with him is WDLB’s Mike Warren, host of Council Preview on Marshfield Community Television (MCTV).
Expected Highlights for Tuesday’s Meeting:
Ambulance Billing Services
Should the City outsource Ambulance Billing services? That question was discussed at the Finance, Budget, & Personnel meeting on March 7. The issue moves to Council with no recommendation (as there was a 2-2 tie at FBP, with one member absent).
Background: With the retirement of the full-time staff member handling the service, the City is considering outsourcing this service for the first time. Staff is asking to bid out the service in order to compare costs. They would like to determine whether it would be more cost-effective to outsource or continue internally.
Compensation Review
The City wants to ensure that job positions are being classified and compensated correctly. The most recent market study was conducted five years ago, with Carlson-Dettmann Consulting facilitating. The Council will discuss whether to authorize a new compensation market review, and also whether to continue with Carlson-Dettmann.
New Assessor Service
With the retirement of Joan Spencer, the City decided to outsource this service, because a city the size of Marshfield doesn’t typically employ their own assessor. The City has chosen Grota Appraisal out of Menomonee Falls. The two other employees in the assessing department will continue to work for the City of Marshfield, providing the local connection between the assessor and the public.
Presentation on Geo-Reporting App
Notice a really bad pothole or a street light that is burned out? There’s an app for that! The City’s Concern Manager App aims to quickly address reported issues and to identify and analyze problem areas in the City. The goal is for citizens to be able to report problems immediately. Not only can staff then address the problem directly, but the City can run reports from the data collected to better improve overall conditions. The app is expected to be released to the public this spring.
Request to Appoint a Communications Team
How can the City communicate better with the residents of Marshfield, and vice-versa? The goal of the Communications Team will be to better comprehensively address the issue of two-way communication within the City.
Meeting Minutes Published Online
The Council will discuss proposed state legislation that would allow municipalities to publish agendas online and in print form in a public place, instead of paying significant amounts to newspaper publications to print them. The Council will have a conversation about whether to support this bill or not, or to say nothing at all. The City could save $3,500 each year by not publishing in newspapers.
Zoo Maintenance Building
The Council will review a recommendation by the Board of Public Works to approve a bid for a new zoo maintenance building. The zoo needs more storage for vehicles, equipment, and other maintenance. The lowest bidder is Athens Lumber at approximately $300,000.
