Santa Needs Help

The following is the engineer’s base evaluation of the structure:
Based on the information gathered from our own observations, conversations with City Staff (listed below) and a general analysis of the Santa sign structure, the sign construction and attachment appears to be tenuous in nature. We would recommend at a minimum providing a stiffer framing system behind the plywood facing thus allowing a better and more frequent connection to the support structure. This framing should most likely be treated lumber for weathering purposes for long term use. Based on preliminary checks, the two existing utility poles do not have the embedment depth to take a design wind load on the structure. We calculate this depth may need to be up to 12 feet unless poles could be guyed in both directions perpendicular to the sign. Again we have not done a detailed design check on this, but based on preliminary information and analysis it appears the overall sign and supports would not meet required design load conditions.
Here is a summary of the information obtained from our own observations and City Staff:
• Santa is made of painted ¾” plywood and untreated 2x8 lumber.
• There are three sections that get installed with each of the lower two sections getting two 5/8” bolts with washers attached through the plywood, through the 2x6, and through the support poles. The upper section (head) gets one such bolt connection.
• The support poles are currently buried approximately 6-feet deep.
• The northerly support pole has a guy wire on it that supports aerial lines on the west side of Main Street.

To Regulate

"Police power" is the governing authority's ability to legislate for the protection of the citizens' lives, health, and property, and to preserve good order and public morals. The demand over the last twenty years has been for more regulation, but the tide is turning. The question has to be what is really needed and what just reactionary.
The police power allows the governing authority to establish rules of good conduct and good neighborhood which are calculated to prevent a conflict of rights and to insure to each the uninterrupted enjoyment of corresponding enjoyment by others.[1]
"Police power" becomes regulations. “The term “regulation” covers a great deal of territory. It can refer to prohibitions on discrimination on the basis of disability; to energy efficiency requirements; to automobile safety provisions; to safeguards against terrorist attacks; to restrictions on texting while driving; to efforts to reduce risks from chemicals; to bans on deceptive nutritional labeling; to required disclosure of relevant information about credit cards, school loans, and mortgages; to restrictions on air and water pollution; to incentives for
automatic enrollment in savings plans; and to much more.”[2]
While it should be clear that the reasons and consequences of regulation are highly varied. Regulations are designed to save lives, investments and rights. Some regulations save money. Some regulations cost a great deal. Some regulations preserve freedom of choice. Some regulations amount to flat prohibitions. Some regulations create jobs. Some regulations eliminate jobs.
The importance of the police power is given from the following language of the Wisconsin Supreme Court: "Without it the purpose of civil government could not be attained. It has more to do with the well-being of society than any other power. Properly exercised it is a crowning beneficence. Improperly exercised it would make of sovereign will a destructive despot, superseding and rendering innocuous some of the most cherished principles of constitutional freedom.
A basic limitation on the police power is "reasonableness." Property rights cannot be randomly destroyed by wanton legislative enactments. There is a limit to the powers which may be exercised by the governing authority. A reasonable relation must exist between the character of the legislation and the policy goal to be attained. That relationship has been expressed in various forms. One court said, "The police power is broad in its scope, but it is subject to the just limitation that it extends only to such measures as are reasonable in their application and which tend in some appreciable degree to promote, protect, or preserve the public health, morals, or safety, or the general welfare."
Another court said: "Police regulations, in order to be valid, must tend to accomplish a legitimate public purpose; that is, such regulations must have a substantial relation to the public objects which government may legally accomplish; and, while it is for the legislative department of a municipality to determine the occasion for the exercise of its police power, it is clearly within the jurisdiction of the courts to determine the reasonableness of that exercise.
This debate is one that continues through the ages and the process that determines how change should come about needs a full and open airing. The debate provides the justification for changing the way people think and live. Debate occurs daily in legislatures around the world, at the State, the faculty meetings at a school, and at your dinner table. The procedures for these debates may differ, but the process is the same. People engage in a discussion that will determine whether a particular change is good or bad.
Today’s American thinks it is the collective responsibility of the nation, through its governments, to ensure each citizen's equality, rights, safety, and freedom by ensuring fairness, transparency, and a healthy balance between private opportunity and the public interest. They believe that their government is neither a paradigm nor a panacea, but more fairly represented by this Churchill statement "the worst form of government, except for all the others." The government seeks to "improve" things in terms of making social arrangements more just, but has modest expectations for success.
[1] Thomas Cooley
[2] Cass R. Sunstein

August 2002

Fire Department/Library Building Projects
This item is up for discussion at this Council meeting and may need to have extra study sessions to deal with the potential referendum scheduling problems. A memo has been distributed regarding the topic. The Council is being asked to determine if they are prepared to recommend a project and send it to referendum. The referendum would be in November and needs to be filed shortly to make the ballot. The issue is very complex and really has many options that may be viable. Anything we do, even nothing, is going to be criticized.

Performance Evaluation

If clarity about job expectations is a key to an objective performance evaluation, then a Council that struggles with the legislative/administrative concept will not be able to provide a fair evaluation. Whether the Council has been positive of negative, I don’t think that I have received a evaluation that focused on objective, behavioral-based, and observable outcomes that are job-related based on a fair of the process.

Budget Cleanup

Time to perform a policy audit and clean up the information.

Fear

The waves are laughing at me but the Voice of Truth says do not be afraid.

Today's Quote

It is a general popular error to suppose the loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for its welfare.
Edmund Burke

Goal

Where to and how fast?

Same Old

There isn’t any question of about the employee's conduct. It did not constituted a breach of his obligation under the fundamental contract understanding and warrant any possible discipline because the postulated reason would not meet any “just cause’ conditions, particularly reasonable work rules.

Just Trust Me?

The gap between what is now politically acceptable and what is administratively sustainable requires a complete dedication to exploring and understanding operational, financial and administrative processes. This involves risky changes and significant opportunities to fail and having to start over again. Governments aren’t very generous with risk takers. How does a risk taker reduce the trust deficit enough to survive? Trust is earned! I work hard at conducting myself in a trustworthy manner, but I need to develop more personal intimacy with those around me to really be trusted.

Wallace Park

Wallace Park is a 29-acre park located between Industrial Drive and Brookstone Drive on the City’s east side and is the newest park facility in the City. Upon its completion, the park plan had called for playground equipment, ball diamonds, a football field, soccer fields, a tennis court, skate board ramps, a wooded area, restrooms, a picnic area and 124 space parking lot.
The City recently started promoting a public/private partnership for the development of Wallace Park. The City decided to install a portion of the parking lot this year to encourage investment from other groups. The Lake Mills Area School District recently requested that the city provide space at Wallace Park for moving the little league ball fields from the Prospect Elementary School site to accommodate a new school facility.
Drawings in the packet show the layout of ball fields that the school has agreed to pay up to $250,000 for five diamonds. The ball fields would require the relocation of the soccer fields to Faville Park as shown in the drawings. This is a significant opportunity for both the City and the School District to work together to substantially improve athletic facilities in the community. The issue will first go to the Parks Board for a recommendation to Council.
The Parks Board has recommended the Council approve the concept of the ball diamond complex at Wallace Park. Staff is working on a memorandum of understanding for the Council to review at their next meeting if the concept is approved at this meeting.