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City of Middleton A City of Middleton Annual Report 2014 ---PAGE BREAK--- i Ma Mayor & Common Council – 2014 Middleton’s Common Council meets the first and third Tuesday night of every month at City Hall, 7426 Hubbard Avenue. Council agendas are posted on the City’s website and at City Hall. The public is welcome to attend Council meetings. The Common Council consists of eight alderpersons elected by districts and a mayor elected at large. The current Common Council consists of: Mayor Kurt Sonnentag District 1 District 2 Miriam Share Gurdip Brar District 3 District 4 JoAnna Richard James Wexler District 5 District 6 Howard Teal Susan West (Council President) District 7 District 8 Hans Hilbert Mark Sullivan ---PAGE BREAK--- SIGNIFICANT CITY FEATURES SIGNIFICANT CITY FEATURES •The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, its high level of academic and co- curricular achievements, prominent athletic programs, outstanding staff, and quality facilities such as the community’s Performing Arts Center are keys to the community’s success. •Corporate headquarters and home base for American Girl (Mattel), Capital Brewery (America’s #1 Rated Brewery), Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC), Gilson Medical Instruments, the National Mustard Museum, Springs Window Fashions, Standard Imaging (multiple winner of Wisconsin’s Best Small Manufacturer Award), Spectrum Brands and among many other great businesses in a dynamic regional economy. •Strong environmental ethic, sustainable city plan and initiatives, Tree City U.S.A. designation 19 years running, and as a Wisconsin Water Star, Bird City and legacy Green Tier community. Moreover, Middleton was an All-America City finalist in 2010 and a Gold Medal Finalist (National Recreation & Park Association) for best small city (under 30,000 population) park system in the nation in both 2013 and 2014. •Home to the acclaimed Middleton Hills, the first “new urbanism” subdivision in the Midwest, and the Downtown Middleton neighborhood, honored as the State’s Best neighborhood in 2012 by the Thousand Friends of Wisconsin, the foremost statewide environmental group. •Public amenities include a nationally recognized library that was named the “Library of the Year” for 2007 by the Wisconsin Library Association and in 2014 won the “Super Awesome Library Award from the South Central Library System; nationally-accredited senior center and police departments; the scenic Pleasant View Golf Course; Middleton Municipal Airport-Morey Field; outstanding public safety services, diverse and charming parks and ample public lands, the Capitol Ice arena, two Middleton historic museums (the Rowley House and the Depot), extensive and cost-effective public services and an Aa1 bond rating. •Visitors are welcomed by our historic Middleton Depot Visitors Center and over 70 eclectic dining establishments and 1,000 hotel rooms in seven hotels. ii Welcome to the City of Middleton! This community is very well- rounded, and whether you’re seeking a place to live, work, play or just visit, we’re glad you’re here. Middleton is a vibrant urban ring city on the west side of Madison, the state capital. We were honored by Money Magazine and CNN as one of the top ten small city places to live in the U.S. (under 50,000 population) for eight years in a row, including “America’s Best Place to Live” (2007). Our community offers the best of living and working in a small city while having all the great attributes of a dynamic larger City. WELCOME WELCOME ---PAGE BREAK--- •A regional employment center, we are a net importer of jobs-nearly 8,000 according to the 2010 Census-and an exporter of income to surrounding communities. Moreover, the City, Middleton Chamber of Commerce and Middleton Area Development Corporation have forged a sustainable and strong partnership in economic development. •The “Good Neighbor City”, host of Good Neighbor Festival for the past 51 years, partners in development with neighboring communities in Dane County, as well as the City of Madison and the University of Wisconsin through the regional economic development organization “Madison Region Economic Partnership”. •Celebrated our Sesquicentennial (150th birthday) in 2006 and are proud of our heritage which started with the advent of the railroad between Madison and the Mississippi River in 1856. On April 9, 1963, Middleton transitioned from a village to a city, and we celebrated our 50th anniversary as a city in April 2013. •For those in our larger community who struggle with life’s challenges, we exhibit Good Neighborliness through our local churches and service clubs, Middleton Outreach Ministry, Restoring Hope Transplant House, Gilda’s Club, Gio’s Garden, the Middleton Community Endowment, and many other individual and group philanthropic efforts. • For its work to have over half of all City employees trained in 2014, Middleton is now officially the first “Dementia-Friendly” community in South Central Wisconsin and perhaps in the entire State of Wisconsin as designated by the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin . Below is a picture of our employees from a broad spectrum of City departments who participated in this endeavor. Mike Davis City Administrator & Director of Community Development 2/5/2015 Confidential 4 WE WELCOME “Picture credit: Matt Geiger, Editor Middleton Times-Tribune. To learn more about Middleton’s initiative, see the article in the Middleton Times-Tribune at the following link: http://middletontimes.com/articles/2015/01/16/middleton-becomes-dementia-friendly” ---PAGE BREAK--- TABLE OF CONTENTS Mayor & Common Council i City Administrator’s Welcome ii Introduction 1 a) Employers & Jobs 2 Departmental Reports Finance 3 Information Services 4 Municipal Court 4 Police 5 EMS 6 Utilities 6 Public Works 7 Engineering and Operations(Public Works Dept.) 7 Water Resources (Public Works Dept.) 8 Senior Center 9 Recreation (Public Lands, Recreation & Forestry Dept.) 10 Library 11 Planning & Zoning 12 Sustainability 13 Conservancy Lands (Public Lands, Recreation & Forestry Dept.) 14 Forestry (Public Lands, Recreation & Forestry Dept.) 15 Parks (Public Lands, Recreation & Forestry Dept.) 15 Tourism 16 Pleasant View Golf Course 17 Building Inspection 18 iii ---PAGE BREAK--- INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION The successes chronicled in this year’s Annual Report highlight only some of the amazing work done by our City staff in 2014. The Annual Report is a snapshot of some of the great things our City is doing. However, if you’re interested in receiving more information about events or a given department, you can do so by signing up for Notify Me on our City website at: www.ci.middleton.wi.us/list. You can also sign up to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Finally, you can watch all of our Common Council and Plan Commission meetings on demand on our City Website. 1 ---PAGE BREAK--- Employers & Jobs Employers & Jobs 2 • Middleton has over 18,000 jobs, but only about 9,600 working residents in a population just over 18,000. • More workers come to Middleton daily (over 16,000) to work than leave Middleton (8,000) to work elsewhere. ---PAGE BREAK--- 3 Da Dane County Peer Property Cumulative Tax Comparison FIN FINANCE 2014 Accomplishments 2014 Accomplishments 1) Moody’s investors credit rating related to December 2014 borrowing re- affirmed current Aa1 rating. 2) Took advantage of call feature of one of three outstanding Golf debt issues by totally paying off outstanding principal amount of $1.9 Million and thereby saved approximately $96,000 in interest costs. Take down occurred two years early to regular issuance retirement. 3) Worked through six new City/Developer agreements in Tax Increment Districts 3 (five agreements) and 5 (one agreement). 4) City Assessor successfully concluded property site visits to insure that his property valuation records are in agreement with actual property characteristics. 5) During all of 2014 utilized Park Bank’s positive pay fraud detection and deterrence process wherein the City uploads all generated accounts payable checks to be electronically matched to all checks presented to Park Bank for clearance. 6) At the end of 2014 initiated the development of online dog license application and payment processing, to go live January 2015. *Wisconsin State Journal, December 30, 2014 Municipality Fair Market Value Tax Rate per $1,000 2014 tax on a $200,000 home Middleton $20.87 $4,174.55 Waunakee $20.41 $4,081.23 Fitchburg $22.32 $4,464.96 Stoughton $22.47 $4,494.04 Sun Prairie $23.46 $4,692.69 Verona $21.66 $4,332.22 Madison $23.42 $4,683.53 ---PAGE BREAK--- MUNICIPAL COURT MUNICIPAL COURT • Consistently provides excellent customer service in one of the higher volume municipal courts in Dane County. • Accurately keeps records for reports to the court, the City, the county, the state and the Department of Transportation. • Developing new procedures in coordination with state and community initiatives to resolve outstanding citations 4 IN INFORMATION SERVICES • Consolidated and virtualized servers and desktops, providing more efficiencies and redundancies within the City’s infrastructure. • Upgraded the phone system by increasing the redundancy within the system and adding the capabilities for instant messaging and video conferencing. • Installed a fiber connection between the Police Department and the Middleton School District. This connection allows access to the School’s video surveillance system for greater security. ---PAGE BREAK--- Community Outreach Community Outreach The Middleton Police Department continues to work closely with the citizens who live, work and travel through our community. Programs such as our Middle and High School Resource Officers, lunch at schools, Neighborhood Officers, Apartment Liaison Officers, Mental Health Liaisons, National Night Out, Lakeview Village Cookout, Shop With a Cop, Business Watch, Citizens’ Academy, Senior Car Winterization Program and our Social Media presence assist us in having positive relationships with all segments of our community. 5 Chan Changing of the Guard at the Police Department In 2014, Chief Brad Keil, Captain Noel Kakuske, Sergeants Don Mueller and Barry Reynolds and Officers Jeff Winer and Mike Ash retired or announced their impending retirements. These public servants served more than 180 years in the law enforcement field. The Middleton Police Commission promoted Captain Charles Foulke, a 30+ year department veteran, to Chief; Sergeants Steve Britt and Troy Hellenbrand were promoted to Captain; Travis Kakuske, Jessica Quamme, Scott Moen and Mike Wood were promoted to Sergeants; and nine new police officers have been appointed this year. Crime Rate Continues to Decrease Crime Rate Continues to Decrease The total crime rate in 2014 for Middleton has decreased 19% for similar time periods in 2013. However, heroin abuse continues to be problematic, leading to an increase in robberies, overdose cases and two overdose deaths. The Police Department continues to work collaboratively with our partners in enforcement, education and prevention efforts. POLICE POLICE ---PAGE BREAK--- 6 E EMS Successful Community Programs Successful Community Programs In review of last year’s accomplishments, it has been and exciting and successful year for Middleton Emergency Medical Services. Middleton EMS (MEMS) has implemented several successful community programs focused on EMS Awareness, health, wellness and safety, within all the communities we serve. MEMS provided educational presentations within the Elder communities, covering many health and safety topics such as Home Safety, Safety Mobility Fall Prevention, Heart Health, Stroke Awareness, CPR/CCR, and Suicide Prevention and Awareness. MEMS also continued to host our EMS Awareness program in the schools and local residential assisted living facilities. These programs are directed at students and staff, with the goal of informing the public of the level of care, services and responses provided by Middleton EMS paramedics. Increasing Inter-muni Increasing Inter-municipality Cooperation In 2014 we worked to strengthen our relationships with the Town of Middleton and Town of Springfield, including the execution of an updated contract for provision of emergency paramedic services by the City of Middleton EMS to those townships. Utility Utility Employees of the Middleton Water Utility and inspectors from HydroDesign are performing inspections of residential, commercial and industrial buildings throughout the community to detect actual and potential cross connections and make recommendations for the installation of backflow prevention devices or assemblies where necessary. This will help ensure that contaminated or polluted water cannot backflow into the Utility’s clean drinking water. Residential customers will also have their meter changed during this inspection. If you are contacted to have this work performed at your residence, please schedule an appointment at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your cooperation. ---PAGE BREAK--- 7 PU PUBLIC WORKS Engineering & Operations Engineering & Operations Terrace Avenue In addition to capital borrowing for road improvements, the City also invested Tax Increment Financing for reconstruction and enhancements of the portion of Terrace Avenue between North High Point Road and Parmenter Street. This project included placing utility lines underground, constructing a porous parking lot near the skateboard park, and building a market arcade structure with solar panels and LED street and pedestrian lighting adjacent to the Capital Brewery. Branch Street Building on last year’s renewed commitment to funding road improvements, the entire length of Branch St. was reconstructed to replace failing pavement, curb and gutter and sidewalk. In addition, the Sauk Trail school drop-off zone was improved, bike lanes were added, an enhanced crosswalk was added at Franklin Avenue to increase the safety of school children, and the approach to University Avenue was marked with two lanes. Average expense: $541,000 2014: $1,173,500 ---PAGE BREAK--- Public Works Engineering and Operations Public Works Engineering and Operations Municipal Operations Center In conjunction with Meriter’s plans to redevelop land between USH 12 and Laura Lane, the City sold the site of the current municipal garage and began constructing a new facility at the park & ride site on Parmenter Street near Greenbriar Road that will house a new recycling center as well as Public Works, Public Lands and Utility workers. The overriding goal in design and construction of the new operations center is to allow the most efficient use of our equipment, materials and personnel to effectively deliver all of the public works, public lands and utility services that are expected by the citizens of Middleton, both now and into the future. 2/5/2015 13 ---PAGE BREAK--- 8 PD Pond: The City constructed a new storm water control pond just behind the Police Station at a cost for construction of $302,000, most of which ($266,000) was funded through a grant from Dane County for water quality purposes. Vierbicher Associates, Inc. prepared the design, sought and obtained the County grant for the City. The bid was awarded to Terra Engineering and Construction Corp. who worked hard to complete the construction before freeze-up. Meeting this tight deadline was imperative, since the grant was contingent upon completion of the project in 2014. A follow-up project to install stream bank stabilization measures will be completed in 2015. This will ensure that the pond, which is located near the top of bank, will remain stable over time. Storm Water Utility: In November, City residents voted overwhelmingly to approve a Referendum enabling the creation of a Storm Water Utility. City staff, with critical consulting assistance from MSA, is working on implementation: updating the utility billing program, creating a customer database, and completing an inventory of storm water practices. The first order of business will be to appoint seven members to the Storm Water Utility Board. The Board then will make recommendations to set the ERU rate (up to $15), designate which practices will be fundable by utility revenues, and to approve a Five-Year Maintenance Plan. Annual revenues are expected to be between $180,000 and $270,000, depending upon the ERU rate selected. Water Resources Water Resources ---PAGE BREAK--- SENIOR CENTER SENIOR CENTER Senior Center Accreditation Senior Center Accreditation The Middleton Senior Center Accreditation Committee completed their third self-assessment of senior center operations for the National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC). Throughout 2014 a committee of staff, participants, volunteers and a representative of the City Council met to review all areas of operation. This critical review ensures the Middleton Senior Center is meeting all the national standards for excellence in programs, services and administration. A national peer reviewer will visit on site in the early 2015 to affirm the accreditation. Each accreditation is valid for five years. The Senior Center has been state accredited by the Wisconsin Association of Senior Centers (WASC) since 1994 and nationally accredited since 2004. Volunteer Recognition Volunteer Recognition On September 13, the Middleton Senior Center partnered with Electronic Theater Controls (ETC) to host a spectacular volunteer recognition. This partnership with ETC allowed us to honor 100+ volunteers in attendance, in a 1940s atmosphere, complete with a classic jazz orchestra, “canteen” lunch, old fashioned candy, and even (candy) cigarette girls passing out boxes of smokes. It was a fabulous walk down Memory Lane and a great way to honor the more than 300 volunteers who work at the Middleton Senior Center. Dementia Friendly Training Dementia Friendly Training In partnership with the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Alliance, the City of Middleton and the Middleton Senior Center embarked on a mission to become the first city in Dane County to be designated a “Dementia Friendly Community”. After initial training with the Alliance, volunteer leaders from the project task force have certified 14 businesses in the community and City of Middleton employees and volunteers. Senior Center staff persons, Sandy Witte and Kathy Lauer, trained over 125 volunteers at the Middleton Senior Center. These individuals not only use this training at the Senior Center but they also take their knowledge out into the community to provide better understanding for persons living with dementia. The Senior Center will provide ongoing training for new volunteers as they join the Senior Center program. 9 ---PAGE BREAK--- RECREATION RECREATION Enrichment Programs Enrichment Programs In 2014, new enrichment programs were incorporated. The most successful programs have been the Engineering for Kids and Young Rembrandts Drawing and Cartooning classes. We hope to continue the expansion of recreation programs in 2015. 10 Po Poolpalooza In July, we hosted the 3rd annual Poolpalooza at the Walter R. Bauman Aquatic Center. The event included a visit from local mascots, food specials, ice cream cones, Duck Race, and other activities. Also, Teen Night was hosted by the Middleton Youth Center in August. Youth Center Youth Center In early 2014, the Youth Center re- opened at the Clark Street Community School. The Youth Center offers a wide variety of after-school and summer programming for those in grades 5- 8, and is funded by the City of Middleton, Middleton Cross Plains School District, Dane County, grants and donations. ---PAGE BREAK--- 11 L LIBRARY The Middleton Public Library continues the long history of supporting lifelong learning through advance technology, high quality author discussions and programs for children, tweens, teens and adults and free access to a rich collection of materials, both physical and digital. Librarians have been eyeing the explosion of Middleton’s digital content use (from magazines, databases, electronic journals to online tutoring services), noting Middleton’s digital circulation shift from 1,789 eBooks in 2010 to 37,000 eBooks in 2014. In 2014, Middleton Public Library received special recognition by the South Central Library System Foundation at their annual Cornerstone Event for creative community engagement and innovative partnerships. Last year, Middleton Public Library’s Investment Performance Report showed a Gain on Investment of over $32.9 million. The Return on Investment (ROI) calculation demonstrated that for every $1 invested in the library an $18.30 value was returned back to the community ---PAGE BREAK--- PLANNING & ZONING PLANNING & ZONING Completion of the Terrace Av Completion of the Terrace Avenue Project This included reconstruction of the road, replacing aging infrastructure and utilities, undergrounding electrical wires, adding an off-street porous parking area near Quarry Skate Park, and adding bicycled parking and streetscape improvements, including decorative street lighting and the ‘Market Arcade.’ The project was entirely paid for using tax increment funds (TIF). 12 Pro Provided ongoing support and planning for commercial development and multi-family housing development in both TIF #3 and TIF #5 including major projects that are currently under construction, such as: Parmenter Center Building Middleton Station Apartments, and Parmenter Circle Apartments Phase II. Completion of the Downtown Brick Paver and Crosswalk Project Completion of the Downtown Brick Paver and Crosswalk Project This included removing and replacing the deteriorated bricks with new brick pavers and a porous asphalt base which allows for storm water infiltration. In addition to reducing runoff, the bricks trap suspended solids and filter pollutants from the water. The old bricks that were removed were provided to residents for reuse. ---PAGE BREAK--- SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY Rebates for water-conserving fixtu Rebates for water-conserving fixtures The Water Utility will begin offering rebates to residents who upgrade their toilets to water- conserving models and to businesses who undertake water audits. 13 Ma Market Arcade Solar The first City-owned solar array was installed at the “Market Arcade” on Terrace Avenue. The 16kW is part of a “net metering” arrangement with MGE and will help to power the nearby L.E.D. streetlights and electric vehicle charging station. Middleton Recycling Center Middleton Recycling Center The Middleton Recycling Center will open in the spring of 2015 and will offer residents a convenient location to drop off electronics, metal, wood, Styrofoam, and other items for reuse and recycling. ---PAGE BREAK--- 14 C CONSERVANCY LANDS The City completed construction of a two-acre forebay/wetland complex to help control storm water runoff pollution and increase wildlife habitat in an area that was dominated by cattails and reed canary grass. The wetland is designed to maximize shallow open water habitat as well as aid in the removal of pollutants through plant uptake, microbial breakdown, retention, settling, and adsorption; helping to control weed growth and algal blooms in Tiedeman Pond and ultimately Lake Mendota. It was funded jointly by the City and the Dane County 2013 Partners for Recreation and Conservation (PARC) Grant Program. National Rec National Recreation and Parks Association Gold Medal Finalist For the second year in a row, the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department was a finalist for the National Recreation and Parks Association Gold Medal. While we came up short in our efforts, Middleton Public Lands and Recreation continues to be a leader not only in WI, but the entire US. Forebay/ Wetland Complex Forebay/ Wetland Complex ---PAGE BREAK--- 15 P PARKS Harvey John & Lucille Taylor Par Harvey John & Lucille Taylor Park Work continues to move forward on the Harvey John & Lucille Taylor Park. The Master Plan was completed in 2014 and we are eagerly looking forward to implementing this in 2015. FORESTRY FORESTRY Emerald Ash Borer Emerald Ash Borer In March of 2014 the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was discovered in Middleton. The City has been preparing for this inevitability since adopting its EAB plan in 2009, but the finding was still an unfortunate event since there exists currently no cost-effective treatment for EAB. Residents should be on the lookout for the following: • In winter, high levels of woodpecker activity. • In spring, new branch sprouting lower on tree limbs. • In summer, branch dieback from the top of the tree down towards the trunk Residents can also call or email the City Forester with questions and advice on this subject (821-8345 or [EMAIL REDACTED]). ---PAGE BREAK--- TOURISM TOURISM 16 Mi Middleton Trolley In May, the Middleton Tourism Commission launched its free trolley service, which was met with an eager and consistent ridership. The program was so successful that the City opted to make the service permanent in 2015 and chose to invest in a custom- wrapped, handicapped-accessible trolley with interior advertising opportunities. Know-N-Go Mobile Visitor Center Know-N-Go Mobile Visitor Center In August, the Middleton Tourism Commission announced the arrival of its new mobile visitor center, the “Know- N-Go,” and its driver, the Middleton “Know-It-All.” The mobile visitor center travels to events throughout Dane County, encouraging folks to plan a trip to Middleton and helping those already in town find great things to do and see. It also serves as a way to increase e- newsletter signups, mobile app downloads and promotion entries for the Middleton Tourism Commission. Social Media Success Social Media Success In 2014 (through December 1) the Visit Middleton: Facebook page gained 6,124 fans (an 81% increase) Twitter account gained 88 followers (a 25% increase) Pinterest account added 9 boards and gained 51 followers (a 54% increase) Facebook page posted 312 times Twitter account Tweeted 275 times ---PAGE BREAK--- 17 P PLEASANT VIEW GOLF COURSE Best of Best of Madison – Silver Winner The Best of Madison Readers’ Poll is an annual survey asking local customers to vote for their favorite establishment and people. In 2014, Pleasant View Golf Course was fortunate enough to be awarded the silver medal for best public golf course in the Madison area. Weddings added to non-golf Weddings added to non-golf events In the first year of hosting weddings, Pleasant View held two ceremonies and five receptions in 2014. Close proximity to Revenue continues to grow Revenue continues to grow With the continued emphasis on golf and non-golf outings, gross revenue increased by $48,000 this year compared to 2013. The majority of this revenue increase came from the Food and Beverage department as an increase in private events, the addition of weddings, and creating a successful and tasty Friday Night Fish Fry all played a large role in the success of PVGC. local hotels and a gorgeous setting overlooking the City of Middleton and Madison has placed Pleasant View as a wedding destination going forward. This will be a nice opportunity to reach a different audience as we expand our non-golf outing business. Best Golf Course for Business Outings Finalist Best Golf Course for Business Outings Finalist Chosen by a select group of Greater Madison business executives, the winners of this annual program represent the top business-to-business vendors in Greater Madison. Pleasant View was a finalist in 2014 along with University Ridge (winner), Bishop’s Bay, and Nakoma Country Club. Finalists are chosen from a fill-in-the-blank survey, which means Pleasant View achieved top-of-mind awareness in our community. ---PAGE BREAK--- Building Inspection Building Inspection 18 Commercial and Residential permit activity: • Now close to pre-recession average levels of building activity. • 2011 and 2012 aberration from hail damage permits. ---PAGE BREAK--- City Employees and Friends Welcome City Employees and Friends Welcome Home Middleton’s Plumbing Inspector Art Stark from His Honor Flight this Past Spring ! 2/5/2015 19