Post Messenger Recorder -

The Monticello Village Board met on August 3, 2016. Bart Nies of Delta 3 Engineering appeared before the board to discuss the closing out of the N. Monroe Street project. Nies told the board that the pay application that the board would be considering was not a final payout since there were items on the punch list that would still need to be completed. Those items included landscaping, where the grass failed to grow or was full of weeds, and some areas that need repair. Following a discussion of the issues, it was decided that the final assessments public hearing would be held on September 7, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. before the Village Board meeting.

Greg Bettin gave the Personnel Committee report and said that Employee Evaluations had been completed and that the committee would be reviewing those evaluations with the department heads. He also said that the committee had discussed Police Chief Tom Erb’s retirement, and were looking at whether to have another Police Chief or possibly go to an Officer in Charge. He added that he believed the issue would be discussed at the September 7th meeting.

In the Public Safety meeting report, Trustee Steve Scanlan noted that, according to Chief Erb, Homecoming had gone well. An outside officer had worked a total of 56 hours; regular officers had worked 143.1 hours. During the weekend there had been nine parking violations. Citations issued: one arrest for probation and parole violation; one possession of drugs; one drinking in public (not in park); one Operating after Revocation and one urination in public.

The board also discussed holding a public hearing on the EMS question. The public hearing will be held on Thursday, August 25, 2016, at 7:00 p.m., in the school’s library. If more people than anticipated attend, the meeting may be moved to the gym. The public will be able to speak, however they must sign up first.

It was unclear from the meeting and from the published Public Notice (see page 18) whether people must sign up before the meeting or the night of the meeting. No information was given on how members of the public could sign up to speak. As of Monday, August 8, there was also no information on the Village’s website on how people could sign up to speak. According to Scanlan, there will be a time limit for each speaker that will be determined at the meeting, depending on the number of people who wished to speak.

The board also reviewed language for an Advisory Referendum on the November ballot. Trustees Tere Dunlap and Greg Bettin reported that they had worked on language that would be concise enough that it would not cost the village anything to add it to the ballot.

The question will read:

“We, the People” of the Village of Monticello, Green County, Wisconsin, support passage of an amendment to the United States Constitution stating:

Only human beings – not corporations, unions, non-profits, or similar associations are endowed with constitutional rights, and

Money is not speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech.

A Yes vote means you support the above statement.

A No vote means you do not support the above statement.

Board members also discussed the fact that since it is an advisory referendum, the board may decide on any further action or if they wish, they may take no action at all.