By Kellen Olshefski
Correspondent
The City of Elkhorn Common Council voted 5-1 in favor of amending the city’s code of ordinance in regards to the Board of Review at its meeting Monday night.
The Board of Review has in the past been comprised of the mayor, city clerk and alderman, and it’s primary purposes under the ordinance have included adjusting assessments when they’ve been proven incorrect by sworn oral testimony, correcting any errors or omissions in the descriptions or calculations found on the assessment roll and checking the assessment roll for omitted properties and double assessments.
While the topic came before the Council as a first reading Monday night, aldermen voted in favor of waiving the first reading, allowing them to bring forth a motion to approve amendments to the ordinance Monday night.
During Alderman Cathy Bensaid’s report on the Legislative and Regulatory Committee meeting on May 11, she said the committee recommended the board of review be comprised of citizens appointed by the mayor for five-year terms, rather than alderman. According to Bensaid, the feeling was that appointed citizens might be a bit more knowledgeable and aware of the process, as they would be serving for five years.
In addition, Bensaid noted the board recommended removing the clerk from the Board of Review as a voting member as well, as the position does not require the city clerk to live within the city limits. The recommendation from the committee called for five appointed residents and the mayor to make up the composition of the board.
Alderman Michael Kluck, who cast the only vote against the amendments, said he’s fielded several calls about the topic that persuaded him to go outside of his district to ask more questions and gather thoughts from community members. He said constituents were primarily against removing councilmembers from the board.
“I told them what this was about, and all but one said they didn’t like it because their notion was that we are voted here for a reason, and they would like us on the Board of Review,” Kluck said. “I’m here to listen to the residents in my district, and I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Kluck further noted that the one constituent who wasn’t opposed didn’t have a preference.
The motion to approve the ordinance amendment was passed 5-1, with Kluck casting the lone opposing vote.
In other business
– Councilmembers voted in favor of moving the concept of a resolution to discontinue the right of way that leads from the future East Market Street through the school property and to the City of Elkhorn water tower to the public hearing process.
City Administrator Sam Tapson said Monday that right of way has to be continued in order for the projects related to East Market Street, including projects proposed by the Elkhorn Area School District under its previous referendum, to move forward.
Tapson said the process is slow, requiring three insertions in the newspaper and that the council cannot consider the motion for 40 days. Wanting to move this forward, Tapson requested the council endorse moving the resolution through the public hearing process, so as to keep the ball rolling while it discusses possible ways to move the process along quicker with the district.
– The Council approved a Class B liquor license for Plaids, LLC, at 10 W. Evergreen Parkway. While the restaurant had previously been denied a liquor license, Bensaid said representatives from the establishment provided documentation showing the previous applicant no longer had an interest or stake in the business. The license was approved 6-0 by the council, with an effective date of July 1, 2017.
The liquor license was approved alongside 16 other applications, including establishments such as Moy’s Restaurant, Sperino’s Little Italy, Elkhorn Wine & Spirits, the Lakeland Players and others. All were met with 6-0 votes, with the exception of Elkhorn Wine & Spirits, which is owned by Alderman Tim Shiroda, and as such, he abstained from voting on that particular license.
