Monona council: votes, tabling and contract approvals from Feb. 3 meeting

The Monona City Council on Feb. 3 recorded several formal actions, including passage of an ordinance regulating electronic-smoking retailers, approval of a floodplain ordinance update, tabling of a street vacation, and approval of a construction management contract for the Monona Civic Center Campus. The council also approved a parks cold-storage building resolution on a single meeting suspension of rules.

Votes at a glance

- Cold storage building (Resolution amending the 2025 capital budget for construction of a cold-storage building at Ahuska Park): Council suspended the rules to consider the item immediately and then approved the resolution. The motion to suspend the rules passed and a subsequent roll-call vote approving the capital amendment passed. The proposal had been advanced by the Parks Board and staff described funding from park impact fees plus TIF monies; staff noted an estimated building cost of $350,000 with other project elements bringing total project estimates discussed in the packet to earlier figures of about $550,000 (initial estimates discussed ranged from $600,000 to $550,000). Funding sources discussed included parkland dedication fees and contributions from TIF 6 (Meriter/UW clinic donor district). The council voted to approve the measure on first reading after suspending the rules.

- Vacation of Angle Street (Resolution 24-11-2753): After a public hearing with no speakers, council moved to table the street-vacation resolution for an indefinite period so staff and the developer can better align timing; council members said the developer expects to close mid-March and staff preferred to act closer to that date. Motion to table for an indefinite period passed.

- Electronic smoking retailers (Ordinance amending zoning with respect to electronic smoking retailers): Council approved the ordinance on second reading. The ordinance as passed establishes a 750-foot buffer from youth-oriented locations (including the recently added La Follette High School), and the language clarifies that if any portion of a lot intersects the buffer the entire lot is ineligible. The meeting record shows that council discussed a 1,000-foot buffer alternative but that the legal risk of effectively precluding placement citywide was cited by the city attorney. The ordinance does not ban sale by general retailers that sell vaping products as a minor portion of sales (e.g., convenience stores); the threshold criteria in the ordinance exclude such establishments.

- Floodplain and shoreland wetlands (Ordinance amending Chapter 466 and creating Chapter 470): Council adopted the required updates to map-based floodplain regulations to align the local code with the updated FEMA flood-insurance study and DNR requirements. Staff said the change will preserve the city's eligibility for the National Flood Insurance Program; the adopted approach creates a new Chapter 470 for floodplain regulation and defers to it in the event of conflict while staff complete a separate update to shoreland-wetland language.

- Construction management contract (Resolution 25-5-270 approving contract for construction management services for the Monona Civic Center Campus): Council approved the contract by roll call. The clerk called the roll and the motion carried.

How the council voted: The meeting transcript records roll-call "ayes" for the passed items above; roll-call tallies were recorded by the clerk in sequence but the electronic transcript does not contain a single consolidated numeric tally for each vote. Where roll-call names were audible the clerk called each member and the record indicates the motions passed.

What happens next: Several items approved require follow-up implementation steps. The cold-storage project will need final design, permit review and Plan Commission approvals; staff indicated topographic surveys and design work could begin soon and that construction could be bid as early as spring if scheduling and supply-chain factors allow. The floodplain ordinance will be sent to DNR and FEMA as required for map adoption. The Angle Street vacation remains tabled and will be returned when developer timelines align.