Finance Committee approves budget carryovers, special charges, contracts and amendments; several appeals denied or deferred

The Kenosha Finance Committee met on May 19, 2025, and approved a series of routine and substantive items affecting city budgets, contracts and property charges.

Key actions taken included:

- Approval of an ordinance repealing and recreating an element of a self-care grant (Item 1). The committee moved to approve the ordinance during the public hearing and the motion carried.

- Approval of a resolution to encumber 2024 budgeted monies and carry them into the 2025 budget (Item 2). Finance staff reported carryovers, primarily for equipment not yet received (notably police vehicles and public works trucks), totaling approximately $1,600,000 to be carried forward for audit purposes. The resolution passed (motion carried 6-0).

- Approval of resolutions to levy special charges for various property-related enforcement actions (Item 3) and separate special charges for bulk trash removal from specific months (Items 4 and 5). The special-charge items passed after public hearings and roll-call votes.

- Authorization for 2025 special events via resolution (Item 6); the item passed (6-0).

- Award of a professional engineering services contract to Batterman for the Project 24-1045 Eighth Avenue Reconstruction (Item 7). Committee members were told the work will come from the resurfacing CIP fund and that the city is hiring consultants for more complex projects due to staff capacity; the contract was approved (6-0).

- Approval of an agreement with Coney Architects LLC for a Kenosha Police Department facility pre-design study (Item 8). City witnesses described the study as a needs assessment for future police facility location and design; the resolution approving the contract passed (6-0).

- Contract award to Safe Inc. (Safe Abatement) to remove asbestos-containing materials, raze a structure and restore the lot at 5113 Thirteenth Avenue (Item 9). City development staff said the property was acquired in 2013 and was put out to bid; the contract recommendation was approved (6-0).

- First amendments to subgrantee agreements with Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha, Inc. (Item 10) and Women & Children's Horizons, Inc. (Item 11). The Boys & Girls Club amendment moved $1,400 from bus passes to driver education. The Women & Children's Horizons amendment extended the use period by four months to complete security-camera procurement; both amendments passed.

- Denial of a refund request for a $72 inspection fee (Item 12). City inspection staff explained attempts to contact the property owner and the timeline of contractor removal; the committee voted to deny the refund request (motion to deny carried 6-0).

- Denial of an appeal of a special charge for snow removal in the amount of $280.32 (Item 13). Staff described the inspection timeline and enforcement steps; the committee voted to deny the appeal (6-0).

- A separate snow-removal special-charge matter (Item 14) was deferred at the request of the property owner to the committee's June 2 meeting to allow the owner time to pursue additional information; the deferral passed (6-0).

- Award of the official city newspaper contract for the period beginning June 2026 (Item 15); one bidder was the successful vendor and the award was approved.

- Receipt and filing of the 2025 first-quarter loan report (Item 16). City loan-program staff reported a clean audit opinion for the city's financial and single audits, updates on RLF loan activity (including a recently received payment related to the Estelle Hotel) and several loans pending. The committee voted to receive and file the report.

- The committee entered a brief closed session to consider items 19'21. Upon return to open session the committee voted to concur with the city attorney's recommendations for items 19'21.

Why it matters: the package of votes adjusts the city's fiscal year accounting (carryovers), adds charges for code enforcement and trash removal that will affect individual property owners, funds consulting and design work for capital projects (notably the police facility study and 8th Avenue reconstruction), and updates subgrantee agreements for social-service providers operating in the city.

Votes at a glance (selected items): - Item 1 (ordinance, self-care grant amendment): approved (motion carried). - Item 2 (resolution; 2024 carryover encumbrance ~ $1,600,000): approved, motion carried 6-0. - Item 3 (resolution; special charges levied): approved, motion carried (vote recorded aloud during roll call). - Items 4 & 5 (resolutions; bulk trash special charges): approved, motion carried 6-0. - Item 6 (resolution; special events 2025): approved 6-0. - Item 7 (contract_award; Batterman, Project 24-1045 Eighth Avenue Reconstruction): approved 6-0. - Item 8 (contract_award; Coney Architects, police facility pre-design study): approved 6-0. - Item 9 (contract_award; asbestos removal/lot restoration, 5113 Thirteenth Avenue): approved 6-0. - Item 10 (subgrantee amendment; Boys & Girls Club, ~$1,400 reallocation): approved 6-0. - Item 11 (subgrantee amendment; Women & Children's Horizons, 4-month extension for security camera procurement): approved 6-0. - Item 12 (inspection fee refund $72): denial approved 6-0. - Item 13 (snow removal special charge $280.32): denial approved 6-0. - Item 14 (snow removal special charge $1,327.52): deferred to June 2, 2025 (approved 6-0). - Item 15 (official city newspaper contract award): approved. - Item 16 (2025 Q1 loan report): received and filed (motion carried).

Ending: The committee completed its consent and public-hearing items, received the loan report and heard the ERP presentation; several individual appeals were denied while one snow-charge appeal was deferred for further review.