Finance and Personnel Committee approves TIF audit engagement, signs off on bills; postpones school resource officer agreement

The Finance and Personnel Committee on June 16 approved the audit of the city’s bills, authorized an engagement letter with accounting firm Baker Tilly LLP for dissolution audits of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District No. 3, and agreed to postpone consideration of a school resource officer agreement with the Middleton-Cross Plains School District until the committee’s July 7 meeting.

Alder Madden moved to approve the engagement letter with Baker Tilly and Alder Bains seconded; the motion passed with no recorded opposition. Brian, a city staff member, described the Baker Tilly engagement as standard practice: "Yes, um this is the standard procedure that you have to follow with the Department of Revenue when you close a TIF district," he said, noting the firm conducts similar audits for other Wisconsin municipalities. Brian also said staff will work with Finance Director Burns to provide internal documentation to reduce consultant hours and that Baker Tilly indicated it could waive a technology fee included in the draft letter. Staff also flagged a typographical correction in the contract language — the word "progressional" will be corrected to "professional fees."

On the routine audit of bills, committee members raised a few vendor and insurance questions before approving the package. A member asked about several charges from BE Construction for services such as bus stop clearing; Brian explained that BE Construction’s individual operator, Brett Nardi, provides contracted snow removal and spot assistance for sidewalk and transit-stop clearing. A committee member asked whether Madison Metro contributes to bus stop maintenance; Brian said he would check with Finance Director Burns and report back. The committee also discussed a hail-damage vehicle charge; Brian indicated the city would submit an insurance claim if damage exceeded the deductible and noted the amount in question was $9,000.

An agenda item proposing a school resource officer agreement between the city and the Middleton-Cross Plains School District was paused after Brian relayed that the police chief had asked for more time to address questions with the district. A committee member moved to postpone consideration until the July 7 finance meeting; Angel seconded and the motion carried.

Committee members closed the meeting by flagging future agenda work, including updates to the city’s procurement policy and a report on "Project Phoenix." The committee adjourned after a brief session.