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Record of Proceedings

Fitchburg Finance Committee Meeting – June 9, 2026: Audit, Budget Schedule, Water Rate Increase

Common Council & City Boards — Tuesday, June 9, 2026
BodyFitchburg, Wisconsin
SessionCommon Council & City Boards
DateTuesday, June 9, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 45:03

Original source
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 Nick Boucher.

0:02

We're your host for the program that's all about your city.

0:05

Talking Pittsburgh.

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 Pitchburg.

0:12

Find Talking Fitzburg 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 Fitzburg 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

1:12

The first item on the agenda is the approval of the minutes from the May 26th, 2026 meeting.

Speaker 4

1:19

I move approval.

Speaker 3

1:20

All right.

1:21

Motion approved by Elder Jetzer.

1:23

Any comments or questions?

1:26

All right.

1:26

All those in favor of approving the minutes, say aye.

1:28

Aye.

1:29

Minutes are approved.

1:31

We have public appearances for non-agenda items.

1:34

There's no one in chambers.

1:36

Is everyone on Zoom from Baker Tilly?

1:39

Okay.

1:40

So we'll move on to the finance director report.

Speaker 5

1:45

So to start, we'll have the treasurer's report.

1:48

The April one is included in the packet.

1:50

Not really anything especially noteworthy other than on the tax settlement side.

1:55

So we received that big payment from the state of the lottery credit and the state trust state school tax levy credit.

2:03

We received that money from the state in March, and I sent that all to the overly jurisdictions in April.

2:09

So we'd have seen a big kind of outflow there.

2:12

But I'll pause for questions.

Speaker 4

2:20

That was basically emptied.

2:23

It was about a 1.1 million.

2:24

What can you explain what that's about?

Speaker 5

2:26

Yep, that's what I just mentioned about the tax settlement.

2:29

So it is an agency fund, meaning we collect money, but it's not ours, and we send it on.

Speaker 4

2:34

Okay, we are the agent in that.

2:35

There's not enough.

2:36

Okay, that clears it up.

2:37

Thank you.

Speaker 5

2:37

Yeah.

2:38

And that difference is the interest that we earned because it crossed months a little bit.

2:42

So you'll see that clear out then the following month.

Speaker 6

2:45

Yep.

Speaker 5

2:48

Other than that, uh, so next on the agenda is the audit presentation.

2:53

So if you don't mind, we'll do that.

2:54

And then I'd like to come back and do kind of the rest of my report after

Unassigned speaker

2:57

that.

Unassigned speaker

2:58

So

Speaker 5

2:58

I'll introduce uh Andrea and Ryan.

3:01

They are auditing team.

3:03

Are you guys going to share your screen with the presentation?

Speaker 6

3:07

Okay.

3:20

Sorry, can you speak that?

Speaker 5

3:22

Yes, we can.

Speaker 6

3:24

All right.

3:25

So thank you for your time this evening to talk through the 2025 financial audit.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget Equity Analysis██████████████████████████████████████38%
Water And Wastewater Management████████████████████████████28%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Procedural███████7%
Fiscal Sustainability██████6%
Public Safety████4%
Public Transportation████4%
Taxation Policy██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Fitchburg Finance Committee Meeting – June 9, 2026

The Fitchburg Finance Committee met on June 9, 2026, at approximately 5:00 PM (adjourned at 6:18 PM). The agenda included approval of minutes, a finance director report featuring the 2025 annual audit presentation by Baker Tilly, review of bills, and several action items including resolutions on transportation funding, the 2027 budget schedule, police canine equipment, a development agreement referral, and a water utility rate increase. No public comments were made.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of minutes from the May 26, 2026, meeting was moved by Alder Gerhardt and approved unanimously by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public were present in chambers or on Zoom (aside from the audit team) to speak on non-agenda items.

Discussion Items

  • Treasurer’s Report (Finance Director Misty Carrie): Noted a $1.1 million outflow in April due to sending state lottery and school tax levy credits to overlying jurisdictions; interest earned from the timing difference was retained.
  • 2025 Audit Presentation: Andrea Jansen and Ryan Shavlick of Baker Tilly presented financial highlights. Key points:
    • Unmodified (clean) opinions issued; emphasis-of-matter paragraphs noted implementation of GASB 100 and reclassification of TID #9 from major to non-major fund.
    • General fund fund balance increased by ~$600,000; unassigned fund balance at $4.6 million (15.2% of revenues, within policy range of 15-25%).
    • General obligation debt outstanding ($55.5 million) well within statutory and policy limits.
    • Debt service as a percentage of non-capital governmental expenditures: 16.1%.
    • Water utility: operating income ~$780,000; unrestricted cash reserves equivalent to ~18 months of operations; no debt.
    • Sewer utility: operating loss of ~$227,000 offset by investment income; cash reserves healthy.
    • Stormwater utility: operating loss of ~$252,000 partially offset by investment income; cash reserves ~5 months; staff advised continued monitoring.
  • Finance Director Report (continued):
    • Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) released; finance committee hearings scheduled for June 22, 2026; public hearing on June 23, 2026.
    • TID annual reports to be presented at joint review board meeting on June 24, 2026.
    • Payroll software going live soon; dual payroll for a few cycles.
    • Responses to prior questions: $345,000 interest earned on ARPA funds reinvested in ARPA projects; Bradford lockers approved November 2025; Strand solar analysis corrections expected by end of June; pole repair invoices – $15,000 claim related to Fitchburg squad hitting utility pole, $3,000 for reinstalling light pole on Fitrona Road after third-party accident.
  • Review of Bills:
    • All checks (manual and ACH) for May 16–31, 2026, totaling $821,638.81 and $693,312.44 respectively, were presented. Alder Gerhardt asked about a $60,000 payment to Arthur Weiler for trees; clarified as tree planting projects (emerald ash borer replacement and developer trees). No objections; items moved forward.
  • Resolutions:
    • R1136 – Support for sustainable municipal transportation funding (League of Wisconsin Municipalities template). Approved unanimously.
    • R1146 – Adoption of 2027 annual city budget schedule. Two changes: Committee of the Whole presentation moved from July to August (after state equalized values received); amendment deadline moved from 4:30 PM to noon. Approved unanimously after discussion about tight timeline for amendments following public hearing.
    • R116 – Purchase of equipment for police canine squad ($79,000, under CIP budget of $92,000). Deputy Chief noted canine vehicle replaced one year early due to repair costs; average canine tenure 8-9 years. Approved unanimously.
    • R11926 – Amended and restated development agreement with Bowman Plaza LLC. Staff recommended referral to council without recommendation; approved by voice vote.
    • R12126 – Authorizing water utility to file simplified rate increase (3%) with Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. Increase equates to ~$6/year for average residential customer. Staff noted current rate of return (3.84%) well below authorized (6.8%). Clarified that sewer and stormwater rate adjustments would come through council resolution, not PSC. Approved unanimously.
  • Announcements: Next regular finance meeting June 23, 2026; special finance meeting June 22, 2026.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes of May 26, 2026, approved unanimously.
  • Resolution R1136 supporting sustainable municipal transportation funding passed unanimously.
  • Resolution R1146 adopting 2027 budget schedule passed unanimously.
  • Resolution R116 for police canine equipment passed unanimously.
  • Resolution R11926 (Bowman Plaza LLC development agreement) referred to council without recommendation.
  • Resolution R12126 authorizing water rate increase application passed unanimously.
  • Meeting adjourned at 6:18 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Hi, I'm Jeremy Brosby. And I'm Nick Boucher. We're your host for the program that's all about your city. Talking Pittsburgh. Every weekday, we pull together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of Pitchburg. Find Talking Fitzburg 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 Fitzburg 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. The first item on the agenda is the approval of the minutes from the May 26th, 2026 meeting. I move approval. All right. Motion approved by Elder Jetzer. Any comments or questions? All right. All those in favor of approving the minutes, say aye. Aye. Minutes are approved. We have public appearances for non-agenda items. There's no one in chambers. Is everyone on Zoom from Baker Tilly? Okay. So we'll move on to the finance director report. So to start, we'll have the treasurer's report. The April one is included in the packet. Not really anything especially noteworthy other than on the tax settlement side. So we received that big payment from the state of the lottery credit and the state trust state school tax levy credit. We received that money from the state in March, and I sent that all to the overly jurisdictions in April. So we'd have seen a big kind of outflow there. But I'll pause for questions. That was basically emptied. It was about a 1.1 million. What can you explain what that's about? Yep, that's what I just mentioned about the tax settlement. So it is an agency fund, meaning we collect money, but it's not ours, and we send it on. Okay, we are the agent in that. There's not enough. Okay, that clears it up. Thank you. Yeah. And that difference is the interest that we earned because it crossed months a little bit. So you'll see that clear out then the following month. Yep. Other than that, uh, so next on the agenda is the audit presentation. So if you don't mind, we'll do that. And then I'd like to come back and do kind of the rest of my report after

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