OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Fitchburg, Wisconsin/Common Council & City Boards
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Finance Committee Meeting, March 24, 2026: Budget Carryovers, Salt Purchase, and City Hall Renovation Approved

Common Council & City Boards — Tuesday, March 24, 2026
BodyFitchburg, Wisconsin
SessionCommon Council & City Boards
DateTuesday, March 24, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 23:11

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Get connected, Fitchburg.

0:01

Sign up for Fitchburg Connect, the city's monthly e-newsletter that keeps you informed about all the events, services, and updates that matter to you.

0:10

Get it in your inbox once a month.

0:12

Sign up today to get Fitchburg Connect.

Unassigned speaker

0:29

Hi,

Speaker 2

0:30

I'm Jeremy Frogby.

0:31

And I'm Nick Bouchet.

0:32

We're your host for the program that's

Speaker 1

0:34

all about your city, Talking Fitchburg.

Speaker 2

0:36

Every weekday, we pull together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of Fitchburg.

0:42

Find Talking Fitchburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web.

0:48

Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service.

0:53

This is your city.

0:54

Keep up with Talking Fitchburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors.

Speaker 3

1:03

Call to order the meeting of the Finance Committee on March 24th, 2026 at 5 33 p.m.

1:10

First sign of business is the approval of minutes.

1:12

Um we'll need a postponement of the draft minutes from March 10, 2026, because they were not included in the packet.

Unassigned speaker

1:19

I

Speaker 4

1:19

move we postpone the approval of minutes until we can actually see them.

Unassigned speaker

1:23

All

Speaker 3

1:23

right, motion to postpone by Alder Jetzer to the next meeting.

Unassigned speaker

1:26

Uh

Speaker 3

1:26

all in favor of postponing say aye.

1:29

Aye.

1:30

Motion carries unanimously.

1:31

We are postponed.

1:32

Uh the next is item three, public appearance for non-agenda items.

1:36

We have nobody in chambers and nobody online for non-agenda items.

1:41

So we'll move on to item four finance director report.

1:43

Our uh finance director is out of town, but our accountant Robert is here.

1:47

Uh you have the floor.

Speaker 5

1:48

Thank you.

1:49

Good evening.

1:50

Um as mentioned in the last meeting by Misty, the auditors were here doing their field work between March 9th and the 13th.

1:58

That is now over.

1:59

The audit presentation to the finance committee will be at the finance committee on June 9th.

2:05

They will report on

Unassigned speaker

2:06

that.

Speaker 5

2:07

And that is all I have to report.

Speaker 3

2:10

Nice and easy.

2:12

Any questions?

Unassigned speaker

2:15

Uh

Speaker 3

2:16

seeing none, we can move on to item five review of bills.

2:19

Uh first item 5A detailed review review of all checks issued.

2:23

Checks 130306 to 13031 from March 1 to 15, 2026, totaling 81,264.96 cents.

2:34

Comments or questions.

Unassigned speaker

2:37

Micah.

Speaker 6

2:38

One quick one, and I'm not sure if you'll pass this along.

2:41

There's two in here that are for it says they're for parcels, P L E and T L E.

2:46

Do you know what that is?

Speaker 7

2:48

Yeah, P L E and TLE are probably uh uh the permanent limited easement and temporary limited easement for uh road project.

2:57

I'm suspecting probably for the Fitcherona Road reconstruction.

3:01

Um,

Speaker 6

3:02

hi Tim.

Speaker 7

3:03

Hey, Tim.

3:04

You can probably clarify that even better.

Speaker 8

3:07

Chad, Chad's correct.

3:09

I um don't have to say anything.

3:11

It is for the the Fitchfrona Road Reconstruction Project.

3:14

We're going through the land acquisition process and it's TLE's for temporary and P is for permanent limited easement.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Capital Improvement Projects████████████████████████████████████████40%
Public Works█████████████████████████25%
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████13%
Procedural███████████11%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Summary of Proceedings

Finance Committee Meeting – March 24, 2026

The Fitchburg Finance Committee met on March 24, 2026, at 5:33 PM and adjourned at 5:55 PM. All action items were approved unanimously, including a salt purchase contract, annual budget carryovers, audio-video equipment for the new police facility, and a professional services agreement for the City Hall and Community Center renovation.

Consent Calendar

  • None. The committee postponed approval of the March 10, 2026, draft minutes because they were not included in the packet (motion by Alder Jetzer, carried unanimously).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public appeared in chambers or online for non‑agenda items.

Discussion Items

  • Finance Director Report (Accountant Robert): The city’s auditors completed their fieldwork (March 9–13, 2026). The audit presentation will be brought to the Finance Committee on June 9, 2026.
  • Review of Bills:
    • Checks #130306–130311 (March 1–15, 2026) totaling $81,264.96 were reviewed. Alder Micah asked about two payments labeled “PLE” and “TLE”; Public Works Director Tim explained they are for permanent and temporary limited easements related to the Fitchrona Road Reconstruction Project.
    • PCAR transactions for the cycle ending February 6, 2026, totaling $193,376.54 were reviewed.
  • Resolution R5426 – Salt Purchase (2026‑2027): Public Works requested authorization to participate in the Wisconsin DOT cooperative bidding process. The budget for road salt is $77,600. The per‑ton price is not yet known; current cost is $98.21/ton. The committee discussed that the $77,600 will either cover the needed amount or not, depending on the final price. The resolution was approved unanimously.
  • Resolution R5626 – 2026 Budget Carryovers: The annual carryover of unspent project‑specific funds into 2025 was presented. Guidelines for eligibility were included in the packet. Approved unanimously.
  • Resolution R5826 – Police Services Facility Audio‑Video Work: City staff revised the project scope and obtained pricing through a UW‑system contract, reducing the cost from the original rejected bid (~$500,000) to under $400,000 for equipment, plus a 10% contingency, totaling just under $440,000. The original engineer’s estimate was approximately $400,000. Approved unanimously.
  • Resolution R5926 – City Hall & Community Center Renovation Design Contract: The committee approved a professional services agreement with O’Crowley 646 Design LLC for design and construction administration. The total fee is about $675,000, plus a 10% contingency, for a total of about $740,000. The project will renovate all four floors of City Hall and parts of the Community Center (senior center kitchen, reconfigured entry). City staff noted that the current CIP for the project is $6.5 million, but preliminary estimates suggest a $10–12 million total; the Mayor is expected to propose a CIP adjustment. If the higher amount is not approved, the project would be scaled back. The fee is approximately 6.7% of the projected project cost and is not a percentage‑based incentive. Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes postponed (unanimous).
  • Resolutions R5426, R5626, R5826, R5926 all passed unanimously.
  • Next meeting: April 14, 2026.
  • Meeting adjourned at 5:55 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Get connected, Fitchburg. Sign up for Fitchburg Connect, the city's monthly e-newsletter that keeps you informed about all the events, services, and updates that matter to you. Get it in your inbox once a month. Sign up today to get Fitchburg Connect. Hi, I'm Jeremy Frogby. And I'm Nick Bouchet. We're your host for the program that's all about your city, Talking Fitchburg. Every weekday, we pull together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of Fitchburg. Find Talking Fitchburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web. Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service. This is your city. Keep up with Talking Fitchburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors. Call to order the meeting of the Finance Committee on March 24th, 2026 at 5 33 p.m. First sign of business is the approval of minutes. Um we'll need a postponement of the draft minutes from March 10, 2026, because they were not included in the packet. I move we postpone the approval of minutes until we can actually see them. All right, motion to postpone by Alder Jetzer to the next meeting. Uh all in favor of postponing say aye. Aye. Motion carries unanimously. We are postponed. Uh the next is item three, public appearance for non-agenda items. We have nobody in chambers and nobody online for non-agenda items. So we'll move on to item four finance director report. Our uh finance director is out of town, but our accountant Robert is here. Uh you have the floor. Thank you. Good evening. Um as mentioned in the last meeting by Misty, the auditors were here doing their field work between March 9th and the 13th. That is now over. The audit presentation to the finance committee will be at the finance committee on June 9th. They will report on that. And that is all I have to report. Nice and easy. Any questions? Uh seeing none, we can move on to item five review of bills. Uh first item 5A detailed review review of all checks issued. Checks 130306 to 13031 from March 1 to 15, 2026, totaling 81,264.96 cents. Comments or questions. Micah. One quick one, and I'm not sure if you'll pass this along. There's two in here that are for it says they're for parcels, P L E and T L E. Do you know what that is?

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com