JEFFERSON — The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously revised and reapproved purchasing a bridge to span the Rock River, connecting two sections of the inter-urban trail between Watertown and Oconomowoc.
The board first acted upon the purchase at its Aug. 13 meeting; however, the contractor since has withdrawn its bid.
At that meeting, supervisors approved the purchase of a three-span, prefabricated, steel-truss bridge to connect the multi-use trail that has been in development for several years. Located on a former rail line, the corridor currently is used for utilities installed by We Energies and the American Transmission Company; the trail is being built along their right-of-way.
Once completed, the nearly 11-mile trail will be used by residents for hiking, bicycling and cross-country skiing.
During its August meeting, the board considered four bids for the bridge and its installation, ultimately awarding the contract to Anderson Bridge, for $174,300, which was the lowest bid.
While the overall cost of the project totals about $439,000, the majority of that expense is covered through private donations and grants, including a pair of $100,000 grants from the Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation. The remaining cost — $37,500 each for the bridge and installation — was budgeted for in the 2018 Jefferson County budget.
However, Anderson Bridge formally withdrew its bid for the bridge project.
The board on Tuesday awarded a new contract to Wheeler Lumber LLC, which submitted the second-lowest bid on the project. Wheeler’s bid was $1,200 over Anderson Bridge’s bid; however, Wheeler Lumber announced that it would match the lower cost offered by Anderson Bridge.
Commenting on the issue after the reapproval was county board Chairperson Jim Schroeder.
“The other company withdrew, and the administration went to the next-highest bidder and asked them to, essentially, lower their bid to what the original bidder had done, and also (give) assurances that the project would still get done on time,” he said. “We want it done this year yet. So, we are very happy with that outcome.”
Also, on Tuesday, the board took actions on two other unrelated infrastructure-related items.
First, it approved a $121,152 contract with KSW Construction to demolish the existing stone retaining wall, and then build a new retaining wall, behind the Lueder Haus Human Services Building.
KSW Construction was the lowest responsible bidder among five bidders for the project.
Second, the board approved a $39,234 contract with Pioneer Roofing to replace a roughly 4,800-square-foot section of the Jefferson County Courthouse. It was the lone bidder.
In other matters, the board:
• Approved three interrelated resolutions that switched employee health insurance provisions from one company to another. The county’s Finance, Human Resources and Executive committees all recommended passage of the resolutions.
First, the board approved an “intergovernmental agreement to authorize a consortium for joint purchasing of employer benefits” to form the Dodge-Jefferson Consortium, which will provide about 2,500 members (employees and their families) to share in the insurance cost.
Second, it approved recommending the Dean Health Plan as the employee health insurance provider for the Dodge-Jefferson Consortium for the next four years. The plan will offer the option of a $500-single/$1,000-family low deductible health plan and a $1,500/$3,000 high deductible plan, along with a health savings account and a “preferred provider organization” health plan.
It is anticipated that the switch will save about 15 percent in total costs.
Third, the board approved formally withdrawing from the Wisconsin Public Employer’s Group Health Insurance Program, due to the previous two actions.
The switch from the Wisconsin Public Employer’s Group Health Insurance Program was due, in part, to the lack of input and/or control that counties had on cost-saving measures and benefit offerings, as well as premium rates not being released until September, which affected the county’s annual budget process.
Another factor for the switch were the pending changes to the state health insurance plan, according to county human resources director Tammy Palm-Kostroski. She noted the switch to Dean has given the county a four-year window of knowing what the maximum increases in rates might be for each of those years (though it might be lower), thus adding stability in the budget process for those years.
The Dodge County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on the issue next week.
Supervisor Brandon White moved to have the issue postponed, saying there was not enough time to get feedback from county employees who also would be supervisors’ constituents. His motion failed on a 28-2 vote; White and Supervisor Dan Herbst cast the two votes in favor of postponement.
Following White’s motion, all three resolutions passed on unanimous 30-0 votes.
• In two different, but related, actions, and following the recommendation of the county’s insurance provider, Wisconsin Municipal Insurance Company, disallowed a total of six claims against the county for events that that occurred during the severe storm that hit the Jefferson County Fair Park on the night of Friday, July 13.
In the first action, the board denied Dawn Boley and Nicole Meyer’s requests for refunds of $75.75 and $72.30, respectively, for tickets to the fair’s Travis Tritt concert that was canceled due to the storm. The recommendation for denial was based upon the disclaimer printed on fair concert tickets.
In the second action, the board denied claims for damages that allegedly resulted when a tent owned by a fair vendor was blown into motor vehicles by the storm’s high winds. The fair’s vendor contract notes that vendors have a “contractual obligation” to maintain their own tents and that the contract indemnifies and “holds harmless” the county while the vendors conduct business on the fairgrounds.
Requests denied were those by Nicole and Brian Schroeder, who were seeking $3,647.87 in damages plus another $151 in towing expenses; Jonathan Lapp, who was seeking $3,163; Carissa and Melissa Gross, who were seeking $2,756.79; and Savanna and Gerald Drewek, who were seeking $1,098.89.
The claims now will be handled by the insurance company.
• Approved joining a class-action lawsuit against the federal government.
The board officially will file notice that it is joining the class in the Kane County, Utah v. United States lawsuit. The suit alleges that the federal government, in the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, did not provide enough reimbursements to counties under the Payment in Lieu of Taxes Act. That act provides counties with payments to compensate for the non-taxable federal land within a county that counties otherwise would be able tax locally. The lawsuit alleges “insufficient federal appropriations” to the counties.
The deadline to file for class membership is Sept. 14.
• Approved a “not-to-exceed” $28,000 contract with Elert and Associates to perform a communications system analysis for the county’s emergency response departments. The county developed a multi-phase process to update its radio communication system to a digital system. The total cost of that upgrade is expected to be between $1.5 million and $1.8 million.
However, before spending that much money, the county believed it would be good to have an independent consultant review the overall project to ensure that operational outcomes can be achieved in a cost-responsible way.
Elert and Associates was the lowest responsible bidder among eight companies that submitted bids for the services.
• Was formally introduced to Jefferson County Circuit Court Branch I Judge William Gruber.
Gruber was sworn into office on Aug. 10. Governor Scott Walker appointed Gruber in June to fulfill the term of Judge Jennifer L. Weston, who retired on July 10. Gruber’s position will be on the April 2019 ballot.
Gruber said he is grateful and appreciative for the courthouse staff, who have helped him with the transition to his new position.
• Heard five different annual department reports. Speaking were Land and Water Conservation Chairperson Mark Watkins; Land Information Director Andy Erdman; Library Board Director Connie Meyer; Parks Department Director Joe Nehmer; and Planning and Zoning Director Matt Zangl.
• Approved various routine zoning petition changes and amendments as recommended by the county’s Planning and Zoning Committee.
• Confirmed Samantha LaMuro to the county Board of Health, to fulfill an unexpired term until May 2020.
• During the public comment period of the meeting, heard two county residents — Dianne Harold and Sally Williams — speak against a proposed “solar farm” under consideration for Jefferson County.
Harold shared an article she said she found on Facebook, written by an agri-science professor from North Carolina, on solar farming not being a good use of farmland. She read most of the article during her speaking time. Concerns expressed included land-usage issues, ground and water contamination and proper disposal of the materials used to make solar panels.
William supported the same concerns, adding that the board needed to seek more information on the issue “before it was too late,” and “to get active,” noting that there are no official guidelines on solar farms.
While citizens can raise subjects during the public comment period, the board cannot take any action until a future meeting.
• Set two meetings next month. During the board’s regular meeting Oct. 9, the board will be presented the proposed 2019 budget. The public hearing for that budget will be Oct. 23.