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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Fitchburg Board of Public Works Meeting – May 4, 2026

Common Council & City Boards — Monday, May 4, 2026

BodyFitchburg, Wisconsin

SessionCommon Council & City Boards

DateMonday, May 4, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:21:44

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Hi, I'm Jeremy Brosby.

0:01

And I'm Mick Boucher.

0:02

We're your hosts for the program.

0:04

It's all about your city.

0:05

Talking Fitchburg.

Speaker 2

0:06

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.

0:12

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

0:18

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

0:23

This is your city.

0:24

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

Speaker 1

0:29

Get connected, Fitchburg.

0:31

We're launching Fitchburg Connect, the city's new monthly e-newsletter that keeps you informed about all the events, services, and updates that matter to you.

0:39

Get it in your inbox once a month.

0:41

Sign up today to get Fitchburg Connect.

Speaker 3

1:03

Do I wait to see my smiling face?

Unassigned speaker

1:07

All

Speaker 3

1:08

right, it's 5 30.

1:09

I will call the meeting this uh May 4th, 2026 Board of Public Works meeting.

1:15

Looks like we've got a full crew present here.

1:17

Don Gutkowski, Alder Herbst, Walder Jetzer's chair.

1:22

And we've got uh Dave Wilburne and Kim

Speaker 4

1:25

Lobdell.

Speaker 3

1:27

So moving on to uh public appearances for non-agenda items.

1:31

I don't believe we have anybody in chambers, nobody online, no sheets of paper in front of me.

1:35

So we will go ahead

Unassigned speaker

1:36

and

Speaker 3

1:37

uh move on to approval of the minutes.

1:40

I need a motion to approve the April 20th meeting minutes.

Speaker 5

1:44

I'll second it.

Speaker 3

1:46

Thank you, Daves.

1:47

Uh any discussion.

1:50

Seeing none, I'll call the vote.

1:51

All in favor of the approval of the April 20th, 2026 meeting minutes.

1:55

Signify by saying aye.

1:56

I agree.

1:58

It is unanimous.

2:00

Uh moving on.

2:02

Um we have a presentation from the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District.

2:08

Tim, do you want to give Eric an introduction here?

Speaker 6

2:11

Yes, we have Eric Dundee, the executive director for the Madison Metropolitan Sewage District here to kind of give a presentation on an update with the district.

Unassigned speaker

2:24

Take

Speaker 3

2:24

it away, Eric.

Speaker 7

2:25

Thank you.

2:26

Uh so uh as I was introduced, uh Eric Dundee, executive director for the sewer district.

2:32

Uh tonight, just wanted to come and give you guys the things we're working on and try to give a little bit more background.

2:39

Uh I've been in this position now uh about 15 months as executive director before I was the director of operations and maintenance.

2:46

And one of the things I learned as I met with uh community members and on some of our projects is just the general understanding of who we are.

2:55

So I'm gonna go through some of that and then we'll go through some of the specific uh items that will impact the city of Fitchburg and some of the um topics we want you to consider as we go forward.

3:07

So, first off, we were established in 1930.

3:10

Um we have 24 customer communities and 440,000 people we serve.

3:16

So we have about 38 million gallons of water that comes to the treatment plant a day.

3:21

So if you can visualize Camp Randall Stadium, we will fill up that lower bowl every day with water, treat it, and move it

Unassigned speaker

3:29

on.

Speaker 7

3:30

Rain events, big things like that, things change.

3:34

Uh but that's our average flow.

3:37

Uh and how this works um for the public works.

3:40

Um, it's a little easier to explain, but basically, from your house or uh business, it goes through a lateral into the sewer mains.

3:50

In the Madison area, it usually goes to the municipality's sewer.

3:55

So in this case, to Fitchburg owned sewer, and then it goes to the bigger sewers, what we call the interceptors, that the uh metropolitan sewage district uh takes from there to lift stations and then gets pumped to the treatment plant.

4:10

Uh, we are unique here in uh the Madison area, Dane County that a hundred percent of the flow is pumped to the treatment plant, and a hundred percent is pumped away.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Water And Wastewater Management██████████████████████████████████34%

Public Transportation███████████████████████████████31%

Public Infrastructure████████████12%

Procedural██████6%

Public Works██████6%

Environmental Protection████4%

Public Engagement███3%

Budget Equity Analysis██2%

Technology and Innovation██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Fitchburg Board of Public Works Meeting – May 4, 2026

The Fitchburg Board of Public Works met on Monday, May 4, 2026 at 5:30 p.m., chaired by Alder Walder Jetzer. The meeting included a presentation from the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, a director’s report, and action on two resolutions – a budget amendment for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) funding and a contract for an AMI meter software upgrade. A third resolution was postponed. Key votes included a 3‑2 approval of the BRT budget amendment and unanimous approval of the software contract.

Consent Calendar

Minutes Approval: The April 20, 2026 meeting minutes were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public appeared or submitted comments for non‑agenda items.

Discussion Items

Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) Presentation: Executive Director Eric Dundee presented an update on the district, which serves 24 customer communities and 440,000 residents, treating an average of 38 million gallons of wastewater per day. Major projects include a $50 million treatment process upgrade (bidding June 2026), a heat and power project to utilize biogas, and the Nine Springs Valley interceptor project (phases 1 and 2) – with phase 2 ahead of schedule due to a pipe collapse. Dundee noted five force‑main breaks in the last five years, attributed to aging infrastructure. He also discussed challenges with chloride from road salt and water softeners, including a new permit limit of 408 mg/L (current summer baseline ~370–380, winter spikes to ~420). Flushable wipes remain a maintenance issue. In response to questions, Dundee confirmed the district is evaluating biosolids options (current practice: free fertilizer) and balancing PFAS risks; the “do‑nothing” upgrade for biosolids is $55 million. He invited board members to tour the plant.
Director of Public Works Report: Tim Volker provided administrative updates:
- Public information meeting for the Bellmar/Tower Hill Utility Improvement Project set for May 14, 2026 at 6 p.m.
- Prescribed burns completed for spring; fall burn scheduled for Terra Vesa infiltration areas.
- Spring hydrant flushing continues through May 15, 2026.
- 2026 street resurfacing by Payne & Dolan anticipated to start late May/early June.
- Sidewalk replacement project received no bids when opened April 30, 2026; re‑advertising May 8 with bids due May 22 – staff will contact contractors to understand why no bids.
- Wayland Road paved shoulder project to be advertised May 15, bids open May 29.
- SYNE Interceptor contractor began pipe installation.
- Water tower D painting to start with a containment shroud to protect nearby properties.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – Resolution R9726 Discussion: Ross (staff) presented the amended budget request. The Fitchburg portion of Route B (north‑south BRT) is estimated at $17 million, down from $25 million due to switching from center‑running to side‑running stations. Federal funding is now expected at 70% (down from 80%), increasing Fitchburg’s local share to $5.1 million ($1.5M already in CIP, $4.2M additional needed via this amendment). 33% of the project lies within TID #10, 44% within a half‑mile, and 23% outside (to be funded by citywide borrowing). The amendment was necessary to address a risk factor for federal grant approval at a risk workshop May 19–21. Board members raised concerns about cost escalation, service reliability (citing East‑West BRT maintenance issues), and funding stability. Ross noted the cost estimates are based on actual East‑West construction and include inflation for 2028 construction; signal priority and a new signal at High Ridge Trail are included.
AMI Meter Software Upgrade – Resolution R10526 Discussion: The city’s current meter data management system (Logic) from 2012 will no longer be supported after June 2026. The new contract with CORE & Maine (formerly HD Supply) provides Census Analytics software with a one‑time setup fee of $10,500 and annual hosting for 10 years. The first year’s hosting fee ($27,576) is less than the current Logic fee ($28,881). Board members asked about meter replacement (not needed until 2032), sunset timeline, new features, troubleshooting support, billing interface, comparability with other communities, and privacy policy (staff will clarify data handling). The contract includes prorating to avoid double payment.

Key Outcomes

Resolution R9726 (BRT Budget Amendment) – Approved 3‑2. The resolution amends the 2026 TID #10 and capital project funds budgets, adding $4.2 million in local funding for the Fitchburg BRT portion. The vote: three ayes, two nays.
Resolution R10526 (AMI Software Contract) – Approved Unanimously. The 10‑year contract with CORE & Maine for Census Analytics was approved, including the $10,500 setup fee and annual hosting.
Resolution R10326 – Postponed to Date Uncertain. Due to the absence of a required SIA (Supporting Information Attachment) in the agenda packet, the resolution was postponed unanimously.
Next Meeting: Monday, May 18, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.
Meeting Adjourned at 6:50 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Hi, I'm Jeremy Brosby. And I'm Mick Boucher. We're your hosts for the program. It'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. Get connected, Fitchburg. We're launching Fitchburg Connect, the city's new 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. Do I wait to see my smiling face? All right, it's 5 30. I will call the meeting this uh May 4th, 2026 Board of Public Works meeting. Looks like we've got a full crew present here. Don Gutkowski, Alder Herbst, Walder Jetzer's chair. And we've got uh Dave Wilburne and Kim Lobdell. So moving on to uh public appearances for non-agenda items. I don't believe we have anybody in chambers, nobody online, no sheets of paper in front of me. So we will go ahead and uh move on to approval of the minutes. I need a motion to approve the April 20th meeting minutes. I'll second it. Thank you, Daves. Uh any discussion. Seeing none, I'll call the vote. All in favor of the approval of the April 20th, 2026 meeting minutes. Signify by saying aye. I agree. It is unanimous. Uh moving on. Um we have a presentation from the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. Tim, do you want to give Eric an introduction here? Yes, we have Eric Dundee, the executive director for the Madison Metropolitan Sewage District here to kind of give a presentation on an update with the district. Take it away, Eric. Thank you. Uh so uh as I was introduced, uh Eric Dundee, executive director for the sewer district. Uh tonight, just wanted to come and give you guys the things we're working on and try to give a little bit more background. Uh I've been in this position now uh about 15 months as executive director before I was the director of operations and maintenance. And one of the things I learned as I met with uh community members and on some of our projects is just the general understanding of who we are. So I'm gonna go through some of that and then we'll go through some of the specific uh items that will impact the city of Fitchburg and some of the um topics we want you to consider as we go forward. So, first off, we were established in 1930. Um we have 24 customer communities and 440,000 people we serve.

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