Abby considers competing insurance offers
Two additional insurance carriers have stepped forward with competing offers for Abbotsford to consider after city officials decided earlier this month to hold off on renewing the city’s policies through its current insurer.
The city council voted last week to accept an offer from its current provider, the League of Wisconsin Municipalities Mutual Insurance (LWMMI) — but only for a one-month period. This will ensure the city’s insurance coverage doesn’t lapse at the end of 2020, while still giving council members time to consider offers from two other companies.
After the council first discussed renewing its LWMMI policies on Dec. 7 with Jesse Furrer of Spectrum Insurance, alternative proposals came in from Butch Wiegel at Klinner Insurance and Ryan Bedroske at the MacGillis Agency.
Those proposals came before the council at its Dec. 16 meeting, along with additional insurance options requested from Furrer by council members.
It did not take long for city officials to figure out that the three competing offers were not exactly “apples to apples” when it came to the levels of coverage, so the council agreed to put off its decision until a special meeting set for Jan. 6.
Police chief Jason Bauer, in particular, pointed out several differences in the proposals and raised questions about what kind of rebates the city could expect from the competing offers.
“I really think you need to look at it and not decide tonight,” he told the council.
Mayor Lori Voss agreed.
“I don’t think anybody’s had a chance to look at it and compare apples to apples,” she said.
The council did pass a motion to accept Spectrum’s LWMMI proposals for the start of 2021, but it was unknown how much that would cost, as the city may incur what’s called a “short-rate penalty” if it cancels the policy early.
City administrator Dan Grady said he would contact Spectrum and find out what the penalty will be for the city.
Other business
_ The council passed a motion to have the city’s public works crew do curbside leaf pick-ups next years instead of hiring Whirlwind Sweeping to do it. Whirlwind submitted a $12,000 quote to do two street sweepings and three leaf pick-ups in 2021, but a majority of council members wanted the leaf pick-ups to be done in-house like it had been in the past.
Ald. Jim Weix voted against the motion, saying his constituents were happy with the way Whirlwind was able to vacuum up piles of leaves this past fall. Ald. Dale Rachu, however, said he thinks the city crew does a much better job with the leaf pick-ups and said the city might as well use its own vehicles to do it.
Stuttgen said he will see if another company besides Whirlwind also wants to submit a quote for street sweeping before the council votes.
_ The council agreed to have Stuttgen send a letter to resident Hank Blazel, asking him to move back several items on his properties along STH 13 so snow can be removed from the sidewalks without the blower running into obstructions. If the items are not moved, the city will leave it up to Blazel to clear the snow in front of his properties, and if he doesn’t do so, he will be fined by local police.
Stuttgen showed the council pictures of light fixtures on Blazel’s properties with wires sticking out onto the sidewalk, along with two concrete blocks and a sign that gets in the way of the snowblower. Over the past few years, though, Stuttgen said the city has made a lot of progress in getting Blazel to clean up his properties.
_ Stuttgen addressed concerns raised by resident Jim Colby and Ald. Kramer about the curb and gutter installed in the Sportsmen’s Addition last year. Colby told the council earlier this month that the curb installed on Business 29 this summer was much better.
Kramer, who lives in the Sportsmen’s Addition, said he and several of his neighbors are not happy with how high the curbs are around their driveways.
“Every time you go in and out of your driveway, it’s like going over a regular curb,” he said. “It’s very, very cumbersome.”
Stuttgen said the curb in the Sportsmen’s Addition had a three-inch head, compared to a two-inch head for the curb on Business 29.
“So, yes the stuff on Business 29 rides better,” he said.
However, he said installing curb and gutter in the Sportsmen’s Addition was a challenge for engineers and contractors working on the project because all of the houses were built two feet above the height of the street.
Kramer said he doesn’t expect the city to do anything about the curb in the Sportsmen’s Addition now that it’s been installed, but he thinks it should avoid that style of curb in the future. Stuttgen agreed that the style of curb used on Business 29 is preferable for future road projects.
_ Utility operator Josh Soyk said the Wisconsin DNR recently took samples of PFAs (polyfluoroalkyl) at the city’s wastewater treatment plant as part of a statewide effort to address health and environmental concerns posed by the substances. At a previous meeting, he told the council that he expects the DNR to eventually impose a PFA limit for all sewer utilities in the state. Results from the tests will be available in the spring.
_ The council approved a $1,500 repair to well 3, which was having problems with cutting in and out due to either a clogged screen or bad pump.
_ The council approved a pair of motions to combine several bank accounts used by the water and sewer utilities — in a way that will allow surplus money to be set aside for unexpected expenses while also segregating funds needed to pay off outstanding debts.
_ The council approved an inter-fund loan from the water utility to the general fund, in the amount of $624,000, to cover the federal portion of the city’s Safe Routes to School project, which won’t be closed out until next year. Once the federal money is released, the money will be repaid to the water utility, with 2 percent interest added on.
_ At the request of Ald. Kramer, the council held a brief discussion about possibly finding a different financial advisor for the city. Kramer complained about Ehlers and Associates not being proactive enough in presenting refinancing options to the council, but the rest of the council agreed it was up to city officials to take the lead on those matters.
“It’s our money, it’s our responsibility to take that initiative,” Mayor Voss said. “I mean, the bank doesn’t call me when interest rates go up and down.”
_ The council reviewed and approved a total of $754,616 in monthly bills.
_ Ald Frankie Soto said he wants to discuss council members’ attendance records at committee and commission meetings at the next council meeting.
