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Council to decide on liquor sales

JANESVILLE — The Janesville City Council will decide Monday whether to approve an ordinance to allow Wisconsin Hockey Partners to apply for a liquor license to serve beer during junior A hockey games at the city-owned ice arena.

A public hearing is scheduled at 7 p.m. Monday in City Hall, 18 N. Jackson St.

The city allows the sale of alcoholic beverages at the golf courses and at Rotary Gardens.

Wisconsin Hockey Partners has said the team must sell beer to make the venture financially viable.

The Alcohol License Advisory Committee has forwarded a positive recommendation. Members recommended sales be limited to beer and wine and that sales be allowed only during junior A hockey events. The ordinance allows for a full Class B license, although Wisconsin Hockey Partners said it was interested in fermented malt beverages only.

Wisconsin Hockey Partners can terminate its contract if it does not get an alcohol license.

The proposed ordinance was written to provide maximum flexibility to the city council. It permits the activity only in designated areas approved by the council. Customers who are not of legal age would not be able to buy or consume alcoholic beverages even if they are with their guardians.

Also on Monday, the council will:

-- Consider renewing the lease to operate Swinger’s batting cages with Janesville Youth Baseball. The group lost $5,283 in 2008, mostly because a new sump pump was needed and a broken toilet and batting cage equipment needed repair. The group made $2,354 in revenue, with the city picking up the difference.

A new contract would limit the city’s responsibilities to repairs to the facility and equipment the city owns. The group also would not give the city a percentage of the revenue.

-- Consider approving a TIF agreement with HIS Aviation Holding that leases a hangar to Helicopter Specialties, a growing business at the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport. The city would reimburse HIS $100,000 to build a 20,000 square-foot facility in return for increasing employment from 19 full-time workers to 31 by January 2010. The city would recover its TIF investment within eight years.

-- Take action on City Manager Eric Levitt’s proposal to consolidate and eliminate administrative positions. Levitt would eliminate the position of director of leisure services, assistant director of administrative services, the economic development assistant and sustainability coordinator. All the positions are vacant.

He would increase the responsibilities of two management analysts and one management assistant. They would work with the neighborhood services director and leisure services staff and with the economic development director on sustainability issues, public works projects and the budget. One administrative analyst might need to be added.

Levitt estimates saving at least $275,000, which includes hiring an additional administrative analyst in 2010 if needed.

Levitt said the savings are needed because the city continues to use its general fund balance to pay for general operations, a trend he believes must be turned around by 2012.

In 2007, the city used about $175,000 in fund balance and in 2008 used $990,000 in fund balance. In addition, there is pressure to keep property tax rates flat, Levitt said.