Suamico Municipal Building Project Referendum (2009)

Not on Ballot
This measure was not put on an election ballot

The Suamico Municipal Building Project Referendum did not appear on the November 3, 2009 ballot in Suamico. The current plan for a new Suamico Municipal Building, Phase 1a, was approved by the Suamico Village Board on July 20, 2009. A petition, signed by more than 1,000 area registered voters, that could have resulted in a referendum, was received by the Suamico Village Clerk on July 6, 2009, and reviewed by their legal counsel. It was determined, according to Section 9.20 of the Wisconsin State Statutes, that the village board had no obligation to act upon or vote upon the petition because of several insufficiencies in it:

1. The petition did not contain an ordinance or resolution that could be presented, without alteration, to the voters.
2. There was no certification of a qualified circulator of the petition.

Therefore, the petition was presented to the Village Board on July 20, 2009, as a communication, and no action was taken.

Suamico resident and designer of the current village hall Ben Schenkelberg had circulated the petition, citing bad location for the proposed new building and a high monetary price, among other things.

The Village of Suamico has a population of more than 10,000.

Building plan

Phase 1 of the project is budgeted at $6 million with the site being located in the center of the village in order to administer efficient delivery services to Suamico. Phase 1a includes public works vehicle storage and a new salt/sand shed. Phase 1b includes plans for a new municipal center, and was subsequently approved on August 17, 2009. Construction is to begin in the fall of 2009.

According to a local blog, the building project is being developed due to an increase in population and facilities that the village has experienced in the past ten years.

In 2007, the village research results to a study that analyzed the short and long term needs of the village. The study's purpose also was to make recommendations for the construction of the new site. The findings, concluded by Short Ellitot Hendrickson, Inc., are as follows:

In February 2007 the Village retained Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH) to assist in the long range master

planning of their municipal facilities. Five existing municipal buildings were reviewed to determine adequacy of the facilities and their ability to support expanding programs and services over the next 20 years. The study included a facility condition report, site analysis and space needs assessment for the five existing buildings within the Village. The buildings included the Department of Public Works and Engineering office facility, The Village Hall, Fire Stations #1 and #2 and the Department of Public Works maintenance shop and vehicle storage building. A code review and ADA audit were also completed for the various sites and buildings.

Several deficiencies and accessibility issues were noted.

Timeline

• October 24, 2007: Village board is presented Municipal Facility Master Plan, complete with floor plans, costs, location, construction strategy and village statistics

• July 8, 2008: Village board reviews the $6 million building proposal

• July 7, 2009: Newly circulated petition against proposed location, design, and cost of building reaches 600 signatures

• July 8, 2009: More than 1,000 residents sign petition for referendum and is submitted for review.

• July 20, 2009: Village Board determines the petition to be insufficient, and approves Phase 1a of the Municipal Facilities Master Plan.

See also

• Suamico residents submit petition for building project referendum
• November 3, 2009 ballot measures in Wisconsin

External links

• Village of Suamico Official Site
• SEH, Inc. Official Site
• State of Wisconsin Official Site (dead link)