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City of Gem Lake City Council Meeting Minutes January 17, 2023 2 | Page <br /> <br />regarding this to which Councilmember Johnson responded that a bill has been introduced. The City should <br />have some sense of how things are progressing around May 2023. <br /> <br />Corridor Project Final Report/Next Steps <br />Members from the Corridor Project Committee will be attending the February 21, 2023 City Council <br />meeting to give the council and those in attendance an overview of the project and suggested next steps. <br /> <br />New Business <br /> <br /> COLA Discussion <br />The City of Gem Lake Employee Manual states that when determining if a COLA increase will be given <br />the City will follow the CPI. The CPI for 2023 is sitting at 5% for civilian workers. While an increase is not <br />guaranteed each year, the budget included a 5% increase for all city employees. Councilmember Lindner <br />introduced a motion to approve a 5% increase for civilian workers retroactive back to January 1, 2023, <br />seconded by Councilmember Cacioppo. Voice vote taken, all voted yes, motion passes, COLA increase has <br />been approved. <br /> <br />Gem Lake Infrastructure Issues <br /> <br /> Gem Lake Proposed Water System Planning <br />State and federal funding for a municipal water system, whether it is a partial or full system, can <br />take up to two years to obtain. With this in mind, the Mayor would like to invite City Engineer <br />Justin Gese to the February meeting to discuss how the city could get the ball rolling on funding <br />applications. It is clear from prior discussions that any funding request could be easily withdrawn <br />if the city decides not to go head with a full or partial water system at this time. <br /> <br /> Internal Management <br /> <br /> Additional Check Signer <br />Mayor Artig-Swomley suggested that one more person be added as an additional signer for the <br />City. In the case that the City Treasurer and Mayor are both away and something needs a signature <br />that the City Clerk is unable to sign. Councilmember Lindner was asked if he could be added as an <br />additional signer, to which he accepted. <br /> <br />Councilmember Cacioppo introduced a motion to add Councilmember Jim Lindner as an <br />additional signer to the City’s account, seconded by Councilmember Amlee. Voice vote taken, all <br />voted yes, motion passes, Councilmember Lindner will be added as an additional signer. <br /> <br />City Clerk Credit Card Increase <br />The Acting City Clerk is requesting an increase to the City Clerks credit card. The City Clerk is <br />the one that purchases most items for the City and with a $500.00 limit is not always able to <br />purchase product or training classes until the bill has been paid. An increase would help the clerk <br />to be able to purchase items needed for the office, with the Mayor and Councils approval, and <br />other training classes without needing to use the Mayor’s credit card or waiting until the bill has <br />been paid. Councilmember Cacioppo suggested the limit be increased from $500.00 to $2000.00. <br /> <br />Councilmember Cacioppo introduced a motion to increase the Acting City Clerks credit card limit <br />to $2000.00 for approved purchases for the City, seconded by Councilmember Lindner. Voice <br />vote taken, all voted yes, motion passes, Acting City Clerk will request a credit limit increase. <br /> <br /> Nuisance Ordinance Discussion <br />Over a dozen complaints have been received at Heritage Hall regarding several properties in Gem Lake. <br />Neighbors have expressed numerous concerns about excessive junk, excessive numbers of parked cars, the <br />appearance of industrial or business activity, etc. These concerns have pointed out the need to revisit the <br />city’s nuisance ordinance and see if improvement is possible. Mayor Artig-Swomley suggested turning this <br />project over to the planning commission for review. Some suggestions could be to ban camouflage fencing,