City of Fitchburg Finance Committee Meeting – October 28, 2025

The City of Fitchburg Finance Committee met on October 28, 2025 to receive the August Treasurer's Report and act on resolutions covering a TIF development agreement for the LEDO Apartments, water well bidding, sidewalk assessments, payroll software, plow equipment, police equipment, and election-related budget amendments. All votes taken during the meeting were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

• Motion to approve meeting minutes by Alder Jetzer passed unanimously.
• Detailed check review: checks issued October 1–15, 2025, totaling $3,933,829.60.
• P-card transactions for the cycle ending September 8, 2025, totaling $251,427.34, were reviewed without comment.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public appearances for non-agenda items were made, either in chambers or online.

Reports

• August Treasurer's Report: Finance Director Misty said the report was in the packet; reports were behind schedule because of a staff vacancy. One CD renewed at continued high rates. Alder Bill noted park fees post Act 243 were down $2.2 million and were spent on 'The Hub.' The community well-being fund doubled because of a semi-annual entry. The affordable housing fund still showed $10.3 million; efficiency navigator bills were still coming through, the loan had not closed, and programmatic details for projects identified in the 2026 budget were still being worked out.
• Budget process: A committee-of-the-whole meeting is scheduled for October 29 at 6 p.m. to discuss four council budget amendments and one omnibus correction amendment; no vote will occur then. Voting is planned for the next council meeting on November 11, 2025.

Discussion Items

• Resolution R-194-25 (LEDO Apartments TIF development agreement): The committee voted to move this action item to the top of the agenda. City staff and Avante Properties presented a 114-unit apartment project in Uptown Fitchburg. The project includes 10% workforce housing units at 60% of area median income, described as a new workforce-within-market-rate pilot. The developer originally requested about $3.1 million in TID assistance; the city's financial advisor, Keith Dahl of Ehlers, determined that a $2,050,000 municipal revenue obligation paygo TIF was warranted, plus a 15-year workforce housing offset estimated at $877,000, including a 25% ancillary cost allowance. The TID has about 13 remaining revenue years. TIF payments are made only after property taxes are paid, while workforce housing payments are tied to maintaining qualifying units. Committee members asked about parking ratios, transit, and funding sources; the building is strictly residential and will have roughly 304 parking stalls. Several members expressed support for the workforce housing component and praised the project design. The resolution passed unanimously.
• Resolution R-140-25 (Well No. 12 bid rejection): Public Works recommended rejecting the low bid for a new high-capacity well because the lowest bid was 28% higher than the engineer's estimate. The project was advertised July 3 and July 10, 2025; staff plan to redesign and rebid this winter. Passed unanimously.
• Resolution R-159-25 (2024 sidewalk replacement final assessments): Work under the sidewalk special assessment district was completed, and final assessments included additional parcels with tripping hazards. Because some final assessments exceeded preliminary amounts by more than 10%, the special assessment process was reopened. Passed unanimously.
• Resolution R-181-25 (UKG payroll/timekeeping software): The city will enter a five-year agreement with Ultimate Kronos Group for payroll and timekeeping after an RFP that drew five proposals, an eight-member evaluation team, three vendor demos, and two discovery sessions. Implementation is expected to take 12 months, with an October 1, 2026 go-live target. The agreement includes monthly licensing for 260 employees, with 278 used during implementation, generating a true-up line item. Police officers will move from paper timesheets to electronic entry; HR will continue using NeoGov for recruitment. Passed unanimously.
• Resolution R-182-25 (Well No. 12/Tower D engineering amendment): The Strand Associates engineering agreement was increased by $60,100—$26,600 for hourly rate increases and time extension, and $33,500 to redesign the Well 12 pump house roof by removing an attached open-air shelter. The $33,500 would be redirected from parks wages ($30,000), FICA ($2,000), and WRS ($1,500). Passed unanimously.
• Resolution R-183-25 (Fourth plow truck equipment): Monroe Truck Equipment agreed to honor its low bid of $146,040 per unit plus $1,685 for a wing side airbag, for a total of $147,725 to equip the fourth chassis. The city administrator is authorized to auction the replaced truck when new chassis arrive. Passed unanimously.
• Resolution R-184-25 (Police special response team equipment): The Police Department requested authority to use 2025 TID closure fund budget dollars to equip two new special response team members, expanding the team from 9 to 11 members at capacity. Equipment includes helmets, armor, and communications. Department use has grown over the past two to three years; the team also uses consortium partners when additional operators are needed. Passed unanimously.
• Resolution R-186-25 (Election costs and clerk software): A 2025 budget amendment funds equipment for a planned 2026 polling location and required mailing notices, using unused 2025 election LTE staffing dollars. The resolution also moved clerk software accounts to the correct 245 software account and absorbed $700 in translation services overage. A question about ranked-choice voting legislation was deferred, with the clerk saying it was too large to answer immediately. Passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• All resolutions before the committee passed unanimously: R-194-25, R-140-25, R-159-25, R-181-25, R-182-25, R-183-25, R-184-25, and R-186-25.
• The meeting was adjourned at 6:19 p.m.
• The next finance meeting is November 11, 2025.