While we are discussing the area of compensation, I want to take a 'hypothetical' person whom we'll name Jane Doe, and look at her compensation package.

Jane is in her 10th year with the school district.  She has a Master's degree with less than 15 hours of added credit.  This places her in lane 4 and step 10 of the 'matrix' we discussed yesterday.  Assuming that Jane had her Master's degree in the 2006-2007 school year, her base salary would've been $47,937.  In the 2007-2008 school year, her base salary was $49,703, an increase of some 3.7% even though there was no new contract settled and, thus, no new pay schedule in place.

In the school year we are in today, 2008-2009, Jane would be earning a base salary of $51,469 for an increase year over year of 3.55%.  A QEO offer would've more than doubled those increase percentages for Jane.

Total compensation for Jane this past school year was $85,406 inclusive of benefits in addition to base salary.

My point in this exercise is to give citizens some real life numbers to which they can relate versus the percentages that get thrown about without any actual meaning to most of us.

I do not begrudge the income that our educators earn.  It is very important that our children are well-educated and good teachers are a large part of that equation.

Next, we'll look at the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) and the WEA Insurance Group.

First, there was a story by Thomas J. McKillen in the November 15th edition of Germantown Express News concerning the November 10th School Board meeting.  In that story there were quotes attributed to Jon Stachowiak who is the President of the Germantown Education Association.  The article stated:

"GEA President Jon Stachowiak opened his remarks...by noting that Germantown ranked 'number one in all levels' on the WKCE test scores out of 50 school districts in southeast Wisconsin."

"'The teachers have led their students to a high level of success', Stachowiak said."

"He further stated that two-thirds of district teaching staff have Master's Degrees."

"'This success achieved on the WKCE test is not achieved by putting in a contracted day or working to the minimum", Stachowiak said."

It is important that we recognize the excellence in our district; I was pleased to see this in print.  I thought it also interesting that this had been achieved with the classroom crowding we have been told about.

In that same meeting, Stachowiak also cited that teachers had higher wages in the Hartford, Slinger, West Bend and Kewaskum districts, and said that "another offer by the school board which is the state minimum will not be accepted".  I was disappointed that this comment was made in this setting; that seemed more appropriate in a negotiating session and the board meeting was not being held for that purpose so far as I know.  Additionally, I don't know what he meant by "will not be accepted".  That sounds like a job action of some sort could result.

Teacher compensation has always been a bit of a mystery to me, and I suspect it may be for you, also.

We have a step system in place in Germantown which recognizes the combination of tenure and education.  There are a total of 84 different steps, or pay grades, in this matrix.  It is this matrix that is affected by the QEO that we covered in the first part of this discussion.  If a 3.8% increase is made, part of that goes for benefits and the rest, if there is a "rest", goes for salary and is applied to this matrix.

My understanding is that it is possible for teachers to gain salary increases even if no increase has been granted through contract negotiations.  That would happen if more credit hours had been earned, or if a new degree level had been achieved, or if tenure demarcations had been passed.  It is also possible for both education and tenure increases to be involved and that could see a higher increase in overall salary without regard to contract negotiations.  It seems that it can also be said that increases in total are not always limited to the 3.8% or whatever had been approved.  Certainly, steps could be passed at the same time increases were made to the matrix.

The step increases max out, I believe, when a teacher has obtained a Master's Degree with an additional 30 credit hours earned, and has at least 14 years in the district.  The GEA President mentioned that two-thirds of our district's teachers have their Master's Degrees, although I have no idea as to the cumulative years in the district for any of those people.  That suggests to me that our district has more people in the higher steps than in the lower steps, thus the overall costs to the district would be higher than might seem to be the case.

The 'rule of thumb' I've heard applied says that some 85% of the district budget is consumed by people costs.

This is basically how the system looks at this time.  I want to explore the benefit cost implications and am planning that for another part to this discussion since it could take some time to put together. 

The angst that followed the election concerning the defeat of the referenda items has subsided a bit.  I want to explore the whole subject of education in our community and state, and have been discussing many issues with those involved including school board members from communities in Wisconsin, educators and taxpayers.  I have no idea how long this series will run, but the input of the citizenry is important and I hope this might provoke some additional rational discussion.

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I was off the mark on the qualified economic offer (QEO) when I referred to it as the maximum amount that could be provided to teachers in the combination of salary and benefits.  The QEO was instituted in 1993 and replaced the then mediation and arbitration system,  It provided that school boards providing at least 3.8% increases of salary and benefits combined would be protected from binding arbitration which had been problematic for school districts up to that time.  In this sense, the QEO is the minimum and usually the maximum.

There are teachers/former teachers who would admit that the QEO has served to protect the jobs of teachers that might otherwise have been cut in the old binding arbitration days since the arbitrators could assess whatever they felt was appropriate in terms of combined increases without regard to the district's ability to pay the added load.

Similarly, those people would also indicate that rescission of the current QEO rules and their replacement with mediation/arbitration, as the governor has tried to gain over the past several budgets, would probably cause teacher terminations since the proposed mediation/arbitration language has been moot on the subject of districts' ability to pay.  That leads, I suspect, to some of the 'scare' tactics citizens face whenever teachers' compensation is debated.  We almost always hear of the 'programs that will have to be ended if...' there were to be limits to increases proposed.  Those debates seldom, if ever, are concerned with actual reductions, but almost always with limits to the amounts of increases.

The cost of healthcare has played a significant part in the rising cost of education.  The 3.8% increase has to cover the cost of benefits and compensation.  If the health premium increases in double-digits annually, that translates into relatively little remaining for salary increases.  In the unregulated world that most of us occupy, the employer makes the decisions and enforces those decisions.  That world does not exist in education.

So, it is possible to extrapolate that the removal of QEO and its replacement with mediation/arbitration, without consideration for a district's ability to pay, could result in teacher losses, increased class sizes and some issues surrounding the nebulous issue of 'quality of education'.  That issue is nebulous in that it is poorly defined on a consistent basis.  It seems that whenever we get into those discussions, the achievement side becomes dynamic so that it is never quite possible to gather information permitting solid decision-making to occur.  Cause and effect are difficult to equate in those discussions.  That coupled with the emotional response that comes very quickly from one or both sides fairly well suggests that we'll not get to a good, solid, well-informed decision.

Under our current rules, after the 3.8% has been granted by the district, and that is not acceptable to the teachers, a mediator is brought in to attempt to help the sides find common ground.  If neither side is willing to give ground, the mediator can declare an impasse and the 3.8% offer is put into place with no further negotiation.  This has tilted the equation to the district's side and it has been that way since QEO was created.  It is understandable that teachers would find this 'unfair' even though you and me might think 3.8% was a pretty fair increase...especially if we've not received an increase for awhile...or if we've lost our job due to cutbacks.

Next time, we'll look at some hypotheticals that put some numbers in place.

A few short weeks ago, our governor mentioned that we would be contending with as much as a $3 billion budget shortfall in the next biennium.

A few days ago, that number was escalated to as much as $4 billion.  At that time, the governor was quoted as saying that he would do everything possible to avoid having to increase taxes.

Today, we appear to be staring a $5 billion budget shortfall in the eye, and, while he says he will do everything possible to avoid tax increases, there is some mention of income tax and sales tax.

I am reminded of that age old 'frog in the water' story.  We're the frog and the State of Wisconsin is the water and the elected masses will prove to be the hand that turns the heat up so that we boil under the strain of tax increases.

In the intervening few weeks, there has been no talk about how the budget can be cut to accomplish the magic 'balancing' act.  The state budget has been rigged for this failure for awhile.  Handy dandy accounting games have been used to continually push a significant shortfall into the next biennium in order to help "balance" the current biennium. 

That and the use of funds 'stolen' from every little rainy day money pot the governor could find have, to mix metaphors, kept the wolf from the door; but the 'big, bad wolf' has just huffed and puffed and the door is about to cave in on top of us taxpayers.

There is no other money available.  There are only budgetary cuts or tax and fee increases.  Guess which will be used to get the majority of the shortfall covered.  Oh, there will be some marginal cuts for our consumption but nothing even approaching what is required.

What will they cut?  Education?  Are you joking?  The new health care program they're trying to foist on us?  Are you joking?

I'm sorry to tell you that I think we all better buckle our chinstraps; we've a rough ride ahead and the Democrats are in control.  They haven't been too anxious to reduce spending as I recall.

Maybe I'll be surprised; I certainly hope so.  I'd love to take a bite of that crow!

Sendik's Food Market 60 Days Later...

I have yet to encounter a Sendik's associate who wasn't happy to be there and who wasn't happy to help me.

I have noted that the facility remains bright and cheery with a very clean floor, which I thought might be problematic given carpeting.  Winter will be a bigger challenge.  Shelves are always fully stocked; delicious samples are scattered throughout the store.

I don't know about you, but I am happy Sendik's selected Germantown as the site for one of their beautiful grocery facilities.

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Veterans Day 2008...

Remember that the 2008 Veterans Day ceremony will be held at the Veterans Memorial at the corner of Freistadt Road and Park Avenue on Sunday, November 9th at 10:30AM.  If you've not seen the memorial, it is worth your time.

A little history...

Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day when proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson for November 11, 1919 to celebrate all veterans of World War I.  It finally became known as Veterans Day on November 8, 1954 when Congress amended the act to change the name and to have the day honor all veterans who have served their country.  The President was Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The American Legion will also conduct a flag disposal ceremony following the program so that you can properly dispose of any torn, tattered and/or faded American Flag you may have.

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County Supervisors Cut Property Tax Levy...

The supervisors agreed to take half of the county's sales tax revenue into the operating budget for 2009.

Unfortunately, this budget cuts the $35,000 for the County Convention and Visitors Bureau and cuts $15,000 from the Fair Park.  The Village of Germantown is working to assist the Convention and Visitors Bureau since it receives significant promotion from that organization and felt that the funding cut by the county would have consequences for the community and its merchants.

The county set a 2009 tax rate of $2.71 per $1,000 which is down about $0.10 per $1,000 from this year.

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SRO Officer In Schools...

I had the pleasure of meeting SRO Tim Miller during the Citizen Police Academy session this past Wednesday evening.  He gave us an overview of his duties in the schools and discussed the changes that have been brought about since this program was initiated.  "SRO" means School Resource Officer.  The SRO is a sworn officer and funding for this position is paid jointly by the school district and the police department on a 75%-25% ratio, respectively.

Our high school is a much quieter place of learning than before the initiation of this program several years ago.  Student fights seldom occur now; the SRO has formed relationships that help both students and administration.  And, students develop, I suspect, a much different view of police officers having had this experience.  The SRO is available for class instruction whenever the subject matter entails.  SRO Miller, in this case, can 'tell it like it is' during driver education and health classes, for example.

This strikes me as a very good use of taxpayer dollars that provides both a current payback as well as future benefits.

GEA Members Protesting...

I have learned that teachers in Germantown, members of the Germantown Education Association, are apparently protesting by wearing black clothing, or black armbands and pins over their lack of a contract that expired a few months earlier.

The offer from the Board/Administration was in accordance with the QEO (qualified economic offer) rules still in effect in Wisconsin that cite a maximum of 3.8% compensation increase including benefits according to my information.

I Blogged yesterday about the QEO going away in Wisconsin given Democrat control and WEAC support.

Could this be the first salvo in that battle?  Is it just coincidence that this occurs the day after the election, or is it part of well-planned scenario to force that issue sooner rather than later.

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GOP Voter Turn-Out Down In Washington County...

I learned from an benefits industry newsletter this morning that voter turn-out on the GOP side of the race for president were off from the most recent similar race.

Washington County showed 50,641 votes for Bush in 2004 while there were a total of 47,725 votes cast for McCain.  Waukesha County showed 9,837 fewer votes for McCain versus Bush in 2004, and Ozaukee County reported 2,744 fewer votes for McCain versus Bush.

Given the intensity of the campaigning and other races that were involved, this would seem to suggest that conservatives were really 'put out' over being forced to cast votes for the least desirable of the Republican candidates that started the race.

These three counties are solid conservative counties typically.  Maybe this was a backlash or maybe there were more casual Republican voters who were swayed to cast their ballots for Obama because they liked him rather than as a protest of their selection.

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MATC Response Opposing The Germantown School District Petition Filed...

A 54 page response is available for your review on the MATC website if you like.  I've gleaned some of that information as follows:

• "MATC offers the highest quality and greatest variety of programs and learning opportunities in the most diverse college in Wisconsin.  Germantown has benefited enormously from MATC's resources."
• "As discussed below, reorganization would certainly not be in the best interests of the hundreds of Germantown residents who attend MATC, utilizing programming and coursework that is unavailable at Moraine Park."
• "...Germantown has not presented any compelling reason to sever its productive, long-standing relationship with MATC and realign Germantown with Moraine Park.  To do so would-in effect-place an unfunded mandate upon MATC by reducing its revenues without any corresponding reduction in costs.  Programming and enrollment data strongly suggest that Germantown residents will continue to attend MATC and utilize its resources, even if reorganization occurs."

This could, and does, go on and on through the course of the 15 page letter signed by the MATC President, Dr. Darnell E.Cole, and the MATC Board Chairperson, Lauren Baker.

It asserts that there is no real reason for the petition other than our desire to get out from under the $5.7 million annual tax burden (that MATC fails to acknowledge has climbed exponentially over time).  It complains that the sole reason for the petition is financial and it says that isn't permitted as a reason for consideration.

I was struck by the fact that MATC can decry the petition on the basis of the financial havoc that would be visited on MATC but the citizens of the school district are denied the same opportunity.

MATC brags about the unique courses available, and the commuting distance differences.

That rings hollow to me since there has been no indication that Germantown students, as few as they are in total number, are seeking out MATC for those "unique" courses.  The discussion of "distance" rings hollow for me since I can drive "more quickly and more easily" from Germantown to West Bend than to either the Mequon campus or the downtown campus.

MATC points out the $2.7 million investment made in the Mequon campus over the past ten years but fails to acknowledge the $40 to $50 million in taxes paid by us citizens over that same time span.  Again, the point of money is made by MATC but cannot be used to defend the petition.

MATC says it would have to engage in "substantial" program/job cuts" if the petition were to be approved.  What a novel idea for this organization contrasted with the endless tax increases that have been and will continue to be levied.  Once again, they can use the fiscal fact set they create to defend against our petition but we cannot use the fiscal fact set we create to auger in favor of our petition.

I  have long maintained that the likelihood of a ruling favorable to the Germantown School District in its petition to move to Moraine Park was a long shot, at best.

Reading the story put together to defend the poorly run MATC organization makes me ill, as it also helps me see that the likelihood of a favorable ruling is probably much more remote than I had ever supposed.

This is such a classic case of a non-elected governmental body with taxing authority being judged by its own parent to the detriment of us citizens.  This simply has to change...but that isn't going to happen for the time period during which the Democrats control state government.  I'd simply better come to understand that and forget trying to tip windmills.

First, thank goodness that the elections are essentially over this morning.  This seemed a particularly grueling election season although I don't quite understand why.

From a personal perspective, I won some and lost some; probably like many of you.  Now, I'm trying to determine what I think will be happening as the result of the votes made yesterday and earlier by absentee ballot.  I haven't even thought about the national implications, but have some ideas about our state and local implications.

The Democrats achieved the 'trifecta' they have desired by taking control of the Assembly, and keeping control of the Senate and statehouse.

Some of the results that I foresee are these...

• The state budget is in a three to four billion dollar shortfall situation,  I think we'll see an increase in the sales tax statewide, and that we could see an increase in our income taxes, as well.
• The municipalities have long complained about the limitations they face on local property tax increases.  I think those limits will either be removed or significantly increased so that we will almost certainly see property tax increases at our village level.
• The state teachers' union, WEAC, has long advocated the removal of the QEO (qualified economic offer) rules in Wisconsin.  I think we'll see QEOs gone and that will result in some very large increases in teacher compensation and benefits thus increasing our local property taxes on that score, as well.

Among the other hot button issues will be the discussions concerning a state run health care plan for virtually all citizens.  This has been happening incrementally in the various BadgerCare plans, but I expect to see a real push in the coming year.

Given the budget shortfall and the pain that will cause, I suspect that other programs will have to be put on the 'back burner'.

Other things, such as the ban smoking movement will be much more visible.

Some have wondered if our current governor might be selected to become part of President Obama's leadership team.  Governor Doyle is actually less liberal than is the lieutenant governor, Barbara Lawton.  I won't be surprised if Governor Doyle is tapped for a role in Washington, but I'll grit my teeth at the thought of a "Governor Lawton".

Wow, voting day is finally here and my telephone will quit ringing so much, my mailbox will be less cluttered and I can either celebrate or cry in my proverbial beer.  This election 'season' has seemed to go on forever.  Several things are at top of mind this morning...

Milwaukee Police Unit Disbanded...

The special investigative unit of the Milwaukee Police Department that generated the 67 page election fraud report has apparently been disbanded some five days prior to today's election.  The detective who led that operation has, according to the Wall Street Journal, been relegated to the sidelines today.  John Fund of the Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Detective Michael Sandvick had predicted that Wisconsin could see as many as 55,000 illegal votes cast.  He cited the cross-border flow from Minnesota and Illinois since Wisconsin is one of only eight states that have 'same day' registration coupled with the weak verification of eligibility.  His estimate was that as many as 30,000 votes could be cast today in that manner. 

There are only two people of whom I'm aware who could've caused this 'stand down' and those are Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and/or Police Chief Flynn.  Neither has been available for interviews today to my knowledge.

~~~~~~~~~~

My Voting Site...

I drove past the site where I vote at about 7:20AM today and was astounded at the number of vehicles parked and at the length of the line of people waiting to move into the building to vote.  I plan to vote in the 9:00AM range and we'll see if this surge was simply caused by people on their way to work as I suspect.

At any rate, it certainly seems that our voter turn-out will be in the range predicted by the Village Clerk's staff which I recall was in the 73 percent range.

On top of this was an inordinately high number of absentee ballots being cast based on my casual observations of parking lot loads during the preceding couple of weeks and of anecdotal comments from people working in village hall.

UPDATE:  I voted at about 9:20AM and was number 580.  The people were still streaming in and there was about a ten minute wait at that time.

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Media Hype...

I am angered with what now seems to pass for the mainstream media so far as their seeming promotion of Obama's 'inevitable' victory.

We have been fed the 'facts' for many days that there is no way for McCain to win.  There are, unfortunately, too many voters who are swayed by this 'stuff' and who don't think for themselves.  If just 1% of potential voters were dissuaded from 'wasting' their time voting, the swing could become a 'self-fulfilling' prophecy.

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Direct Legislation...

Finally, we are witnessing direct legislation in Milwaukee concerning mandatory sick days from employers.  This would create a burden for many businesses that would force them to close or move thus negatively impacting the residents.  But, there are too many who can't or won't think these issues through and simply vote because they like the idea that they can have sick days. 

We are witnessing some 25 to 30 communities across the state that have ballot questions concerning 'mandatory health care plans similar to those afforded state employees'.  These types of issues are done at the state level but grass roots groups have begun to work at the local levels to bring some pressure to bear on state legislators.  The simple fact is that there isn't enough money in the state to provide that level of health care coverage for all the residents.  We would bankrupt ourselves.

Having family members in Colorado, I am reminded of the folly that those voters are subjected to in the form of ballot initiatives.  There are something on the order of fifty individual questions on ballots in Colorado today that require some real effort to understand.  The majority of voters do not take the time to do their own research and, instead, follow the direction of their associations or unions or professional affiliations.

This is a very dangerous thing, in my opinion, that lends some credence to the old saw about us voters getting the government we deserve.

There has been much ado over the signing of a "No Tax" pledge by Rep. Wasserman and whether or not he violated his pledge.  This issue has been debated and both candidates have gone after the topic vigorously.

Rep. Wasserman appeared on the Mark Belling Show on WISN 1130AM last Friday to specifically refute the claim that he had violated his pledge.

The podcast of that discussion between Rep. Wasserman and Mark Belling is found here and you must go to Hour 2 Part 1 10-31-08 to find the correct podcast segment.

This podcast will only be available until 3:00PM today, so you'll need to listen to it soon if you intend to do so at all.  You can make up your own mind as to the answer to this campaign question.

Remodeled & Expanded Senior Center...

I had the opportunity to visit the newly completed Senior Center yesterday and was very impressed with the facility and the people involved.  The Open House ran from 1:00PM to 4:00PM and we arrived at about 3:20PM and were met with a very full parking lot and with parking available only on the street.  I don't have any idea of the actual number of folks who were present but I'd suspect it was somewhere in the 200+ range.

The Center has just about everything you could imagine for such a building including a new kitchen that can accommodate many cooks and many varieties of food simultaneously.  There are special rooms for exercise, a library, a computer lab, places to sit and visit, rooms for recreational activities, and great equipment available along with instructions on its proper use, especially for the older folks.

The newsletter detailed a wealth of activities on a daily, weekly and monthly basis with several special trips and outings.  The meals program had a wonderful selection of foods daily and I can see where many would gravitate here for both the food and the friendship. 

I know that there has been some animosity over the fact that the village didn't put the expansion of this Center on any referendum, especially as our community has been involved in the debate over a new elementary school building, and that the building expansion and modernization was done through bond issues to borrow the money.

I admit to being a "senior" although this was my first visit to the senior facility and I do not expect to become a member or use it on a regular basis for some time to come.

Our population is aging and the 'baby boomer' generation is retiring and will swell the ranks of retirees very quickly and to quite a degree.  We seniors are living longer today than ever before.  So, there will be a very significant need for what this center has and it is good, I think, that the community has had the foresight to attack the issue sooner rather than later.

That doesn't mean that we can overlook the other needs that exist, and the school referenda items will be there when we all go to vote on November 4th.

That having been said, I think the community should be proud of the Senior Center.  The ongoing budget needs should be scrutinized thoroughly, however, since there can be no 'sacred cows' in the current environment.

I had intended to scan a copy of the sample ballot for Germantown however that wasn't sufficiently legible.  So, we'll list the offices for which there are candidate selections to be made by all of us who are registered to vote in the village.

You may elect to vote a straight ticket including, in the order found on the ballot:

• Democratic
• Republican
• Wisconsin Green
• Libertarian

The race for President and Vice President, in the order found on the ballot:

• Barack Obama/Joe Biden (Democratic)
• John McCain/Sarah Palin (Republican)
• Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente (Wisconsin Green)
• Bob Barr/Wayne A. Root (Libertarian)
• Brian Moore/Stewart A. Alexander (Socialist Party USA)
• Gloria LaRiva/Robert Moses (Party for Socialism, & Liberation)
• Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez (Independent)
• Chuck Baldwin/Darrell L. Castle (Constitution Party)
• Jeffrey J. Wamboldt/David J. Klimisch (We, the People)
• Write-in________________

Representative in Congress District 5, in the order found on the ballot:

• F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (Republican)
• Robert R. Raymond (Independent)
• Write-in________________

State Senator District 8, in the order found on the ballot:

• Sheldon A. Wasserman (Democratic)
• Alberta Darling (Republican)
• Write-in________________

Representative to the Assembly District 24, in the order found on the ballot:

• Charlene S. Brady (Democratic)
• Dan Knodl (Republican)
• Write-in________________

District Attorney:

• Todd K. Martens (Republican)
• Write-in________________

County Clerk:

• Brenda J. Jaszewski (Republican)
• Write-in_________________

Treasurer:

• Janice Gettelman (Republican)
• Write-in_________________

Register of Deeds:

• Sharon Martin (Republican)
• Write-in_________________

Referendum - Germantown School District

Question #1:

Shall the following Initial Resolution be approved?

INITIAL RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $22,500,000

BE IT RESOLVED by the School Board of the Germantown School District, Washington County, Wisconsin that there shall be issued pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $22,500,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of constructing a new elementary school on school district property next to Kinderberg Park; technology, safety and security initiatives District wide; and acquiring furnishings, fixtures and equipment.

Yes ____

No   ____

Question #2

Shall the following Resolution be approved?

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET TO EXCEED REVENUE LIMIT BY $500,000

FOR RECURRING PURPOSES

BE IT RESOLVED by the School Board of the Germantown School District, Washington County, Wisconsin that the revenues included in the School District budget for the 2010-2011 school year and thereafter be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $500,000 a year, for recurring purposes consisting of costs associated with the new elementary school.

Yes ____

No   ____

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The ballot is two-sided as you would expect from the many questions.

This Blog promises to be too long...and I apologize up front.  BUT, this topic is critical, in my estimation, to the safety of our citizens and our property.  While we're getting everything on the table, you should know by now that "I am in the tank" for our Police Department; I make no bones about it and I am unapologetic for that!

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I have had several exchanges with Chief Pete Hoell about the budget of his department and about the requests that have been made of him to further reduce his budget by something north of $300,000 for 2009.  I have to tell you that he is anguished over this; he wants to remain a loyal servant of the community, he doesn't want to appear to be carping over the political situation, and he had some qualms about some of the information I'll make known in this Blog.  In the final analysis, he came down on the side of letting the citizens of the community know what is going to happen if his budget is cut any further than has been the case over the past several years. 

The budget numbers to date (as of yesterday) for the department were expected to approximate $4,501,000 for 2009 versus the $4,497,000 approved for 2008.  That is virtually a 0% increase even though fuel prices have soared and even though personnel costs are what they are.  The majority of the department budget is committed to wages and benefits since it is made up of people.

The actual discretionary operating budget, when the numbers represented above are stripped away is something on the order of $520,000.  From that, we remove the base costs such as insurance, heat, water and sewer and have some $300,000 remaining for discretionary costs.  As the chief pointed out, he has been reducing annual budget requests on a regular basis and is simply at the point where there is not much else, if anything, that can be cut.

The department is already relying on donations from the community as well as grants that are available to cover its needs.  The DARE program is funded by the school district.  Citizen's Police Academy (CPA) graduates are donating volunteer hours and are engaged in fund raising activities on behalf of the department.  The CPA program actually pays back more than its cost to the department over and above the PR value gained.  Officer Bosco's costs are funded by grants and donations.  Contributions a couple of years ago raised by CPA graduates were used to replace many of the side arms carried by officers, for example.  The motorcycle patrol is funded by contributions.  Officers are already working extra hours without overtime pay; they get compensatory time off if and when that doesn't stretch the force too much.  The department's gas costs went out of sight just as yours and mine did.

If you've toured the department's facilities, you will recall seeing a lot of "hand-me-down" equipment and furnishings.  I don't think I've seen a desk that is any newer than circa 1960.  Most of what I see has been donated by someone or other in the community.  "New" equipment, if there is to be any, is often found on the 'for sale' sites of other police departments as they replace old items with new items.  An old aquarium found its way to the evidence room for use as a finger print development tool.  The buildings are on a "bare bones" basis; this is not a department that has an excess of funding nor is it a department that wastes taxpayer dollars.  It scratches to make ends meet and continue to do its job.

Against that backdrop, permit me to get right to the point.  I don't see any other areas where costs can be reduced but the area of personnel.  That is going to impact you and me adversely. Period!  The hoped for 0% increase budget of about $4.5M would become $4.2M if the $300K is stripped out.

One of the areas that Chief Hoell had some misgivings about disclosing is the number of officers on patrol during each shift.  He discussed this with members of his command group and finally decided that, in the interest of full disclosure to the citizens, I could include this information:

We have a total of THREE officers on patrol each shift to cover the thirty-six square miles that comprise Germantown.

It is entirely possible that overlapping calls could mean that there is no one available to respond.  One heavy-duty call could easily make that happen.  The recent burglary of a Germantown construction site consumed all the patrol officers that were available.  Situations requiring all three officers and the shift commander are not that unusual.  During my ride-along, a pretty simple auto accident saw two officers and the shift commander on scene and also saw the vast majority of our fire department's on duty staff engaged along with vehicles of both departments.  This was essentially a fender-bender.  No one needed to be cut out of a vehicle; traffic control pretty much took care of itself since we were at a light-controlled intersection, etc. 

The $300,000 cut being requested of this department could, and probably would, since there isn't anything further left to chop, cause staff cutbacks that would result in two officers available for patrol duties on each shift.  That is an insufficient number considering the back-up required in many situations that are encountered.  Bar fights are difficult if not impossible to control with two officers.  Certain domestic abuse situations can easily require all three officers.  Bank robberies obviously could pull all three into that scene.  Our officers will be put in harm's way just as you and me will be adversely affected. 

I used the phrase "cutting muscle instead of fat", or something to that effect, in an earlier Blog.  I hope you now have a much better idea of what that meant.

What, you might ask, do I think we need at this point?

We need political leadership to go along with the excellent department leadership now in place.  We need people to stand up and let their political leaders know that they do not want a weak Germantown Police Department even if taxes have to go up a bit to support it at the 0% growth number.  We need to understand as a community that there comes a time when we have to pay for critical services. 

Germantown Police Department Building Follow-Up...

Several readers requested a timeline concerning the Germantown Police Department building process.  Chief Hoell had done just such a timeline for the Trustees and was kind enough to provide that for this piece:

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1982:  Both the original Police Building (N112 W16877 Mequon Rd.) and Library - now PD Annex - were built.   The shell of the range was completed but funds have never been approved to date for completing the indoor range.

1994:  The Public Safety Committee discussed an expansion project for the Police Dept.  No action was taken. 

1995:  The Village retained the services of HNTB to conduct a Needs Assessment Study of all municipal facilities.  The study recommended building a new library and that upon completion the police department should expand its building by connecting both existing structures.  HNTB estimated the cost of the police department expansion at $750,000.

According to the Public Safety Committee notes, the police department building expansion, indoor range and communications center projects would be moved from 1995 to 1996. 

1998:  Garage addition proposal submitted.

1999:  A request was made to budget $725,000 for the building expansion to be completed in 2003.  The amount was reduced first to $450,000 and then $350,000 at the final budget meeting. 

2000:  Garage construction started with a $270,000 budget. 

2001:  Garage addition completed.   January 16, 2001 the Public Safety Committee tours new garage.

Fischer, Fischer Theis, Inc. hired for $4,400 to design the police expansion.

2002:  Fischer, Fischer Theis, Inc. worked with the $350,000 budget constraints, submitted and received final approval from the planning commission for the architectural design plans.  The Village Board split the amount of which $167,500 was allocated for 2003 to remodel the interior of the old library, and $167,500 was set aside to connect the two buildings in 2006.  The Village Board then decided at the final budget hearing to withdraw all funding since the limited money budgeted created a design that fell short of their expectations for the long-term use of the police department facilities. 

2003: The Village Board approved $750,000 in the Capital Budget to connect the police department in 2004.

2004:  Police staff, primarily support services, moves into the old library (PD Annex). 

2004 – 2005:  Public Safety gave direction to hire Plunkett Raysich for $9,200 to design a connection and remodel both buildings based on space needs to accommodate the PD until 2025.  The total project, to include connection of both buildings and a total remodel, came in at $3,200,000 for a 2006 construction date.

2005-2006:  Homeland Security grant received to install building security upgrades.  Items chosen from a security study of the buildings and the ability to reuse the items with the building project.  Items added:  fob key system, lobby security drawer, fencing, cameras/monitor, and windows. 

2006:  Village Board tabled the PD building project till 2007.

2007-2008:  Third conceptual design for PD connection and remodel of both buildings.  Zimmerman Architectural Studios was hired for approximately $12,000.   This project is ongoing.  Cost estimate for a remodel of both buildings and connection was at approximately $6,000,000.  Village Board sent the plan back to be reviewed with the possibility of doing this project in phases. 

Notes on a couple important issues, but not inclusive:  90% to 95% of all the police department furniture is original (26 years old) and/or secondhand donated items.  Most of the furniture was not designed for computer usage.  

The completion of the indoor range has been discussed for 26 years but never completed.

The radio is too small to accommodate the county radio project coming in the fall of 2009.  The current radio console is outdated and not equipped to handle the computers. 

The radio and communications equipment should be removed from the basement.

Air quality due to electronics needs to be improved. 

Men and Women’s lockers are over capacity.

The flooring is old, worn out and in poor shape.  Also in need of repair are some of the ceilings and walls. 

There is no central location to handle and store evidence.  The evidence processing and storage is handled between two floors and the storage should be removed from the basement. 

No room to function as an Emergency Operations Center.

Because staff has outgrown the buildings, interview rooms were taken over for office space.   The police department is in need of both hard and soft interview rooms equipped with both audio and visual recording devices to be able to record interviews per State Statute.  The rooms should also be equipped with emergency notification/alert call buttons.  

A secure training and conference room that can be utilized by outside organizations and other law enforcement personnel is needed.

The PD Annex is an old library; it’s still an old library which is occupied by PD personnel.  This building is in need of security updates.

Records are stored throughout the PD and Annex; there is no central records location.

There is a strong need to create a safe work environment for the PD employees and the public while in and around the PD building and Annex.  PD staff should be able to move around without the constant exposure to the outside by having to walk through the courtyard.  The entrance to the main PD building is hidden from the parking lot.   We need the front door to be seen by those in distress because they may not have the time or ability to read a directional sign or follow arrows.  

The overall buildings are aged and worn.  They were built with the security needs of the early 1980’s in mind.   The safety of the staff and public while at the police department are paramount, and creating a professional, efficient work environment is an important aspect of this project as well.  

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This provides the rest of the story over and above the request that the department find $330,000 of "unnecessary" expense to be cut so the village can balance its 2009 budget without a tax increase.

I believe that the board has been neglecting the department and that we will ultimately pay the price.  As is evident, the simple impact of inflation has caused the building connector proposals to escalate significantly over time. 

My apologies for such a lengthy Blog but all this information seemed quite germane to the story needing to be told.  

The Sunday Journal Sentinel contains a story by Tom Kertscher that discusses the school referenda with interviews of Bruce Warnimont, school board member, and others representing both sides of the debate over a new elementary school and the operating cap 'forgiveness' that would permit an additional $500,000 for operations of the new school.

Mr. Warnimont is quoted as pointing out the potential, based on presumed increases in full day kindergarten enrollment, for the increases in state aid to offset or exceed the cost of the referenda issues on the property tax bills in the district.  He is very knowledgeable on such things and I do not presume to espouse a position, either pro or con, in this Blog.

I will say that this is a most counterintuitive argument.  How does one approve a $22.5 MM bond issue and an additional $500M in annual operating costs and still see his or her property tax bill stay the same or decrease so far as the school district's portion of that bill?  The assumption is that some 230 full time kindergarten students would be enrolled (76 more than now) and that the additional state funding would offset the tax increases necessary to pay off the building and to operate the school.

Those in favor point to this as justification while those opposed point to this skeptically given that there can be no assurances that the supposition will prove valid.

I have difficulty in thinking that anyone would be disingenuous and therefore presume that each side is speaking what it considers to be the truth.  Perhaps I am terribly naive but I hope that isn't the case.

Given the lay of the land today so far as this project goes, I must say that I am happy to be an interested observer and not a direct participant on either side.  As I stated above, this is one tough counterintuitive argument to mount.  I do not know how I will vote but you can be sure I will vote.  I trust that the vast majority of our school district citizens will vote, as well.  We need to learn the true will of the people...and this election should point that out...unless the referenda pass by a handful or lose by a handful of votes.

"Your mission, should you decide to accept..."

That lead-in to the old Mission Impossible television show came to mind as I pondered today's Village Buzz topic possibilities.

I take some of our elected representatives to task now and then, and some of you readers do the same in your comments.  Maybe it is time for us to "put up or shut up" as the old saying goes (not really but it gets the point across).  If we have ideas as to how our governing entities could do things differently, lets put those on the table and see if any grow legs.

For example, we see privatized prisons popping up around the country.  That happened because the private sector found a use for capital that took a burden from the shoulders of the taxpayer.  I read of the latest Scott Walker budget proposals for Milwaukee County and thought that he has to be among the most creative politicians I've seen in some time (and, I hope he runs for Governor again).

What is there in our small world that could be done differently if we were to 'color outside the lines' for awhile?  At the risk of angering entrenched interests, I'll throw out a few thoughts along those lines (remember that there may be some current impediments but that most impediments are man-made and could be altered if we demanded that):

Why not look to the private sector to build a school building that we can lease?  The lessor could be obligated to handle all repairs, for example, over the term of the lease to assure that things that break get fixed on a timely basis instead of being delayed until they manifest as something worse.  I see many former hospitals that have been turned into apartment buildings, for example.  Just because a building is built to house students, doesn't have to mean that it would always be a school building.  As population ebbs and flows, this would give the taxpayer some welcomed flexibility.  Would this be workable?  We won't know unless we ask the questions.

What about a charter school or an Internet school option to take student-count pressure off the buildings now available?  Might that also reduce the personnel costs? 

Many communities have hired assessor organizations and building inspector organizations to do their specialized work instead of retaining this talent on their own payrolls.  Why not go through an extensive review of what we could do along those lines.  That might reduce costs.  It might eliminate our angst over rising benefit costs that have been negotiated and about which we can do nothing even as we watch the private sector deal with those same issues.  Current employees with those skills might welcome the opportunity to become entrepreneurs and build new companies that other communities could employ.

Would it be possible to contract for road repair and shift some of the uncertainties off onto a private sector entity?  Private business is accustomed to taking risk.  Government tends to have to avoid risk and that adds expense.  Road salting and snow plowing, for example, is a real problem given a hard winter and higher salt costs.  If a private firm were contracted, it would bear that risk.  I see many landscape firms that become snow plowers and salters in the winter.  Is that worth exploring?

Would it make sense to lease computer servers for the village's use and have those housed in a private data center that does that as its primary business?  The village wouldn't have need for the IT skills that it might today.  Leasing of such systems might prove more economical and is an expense for which we could plan.

In most of these examples, the private sector would probably be more efficient, less susceptible to the political winds that blow hot and then cold, more intent on running very tightly controlled operations, etc.  Where there is a true risk/reward relationship that is properly negotiated and vetted, I believe that the private sector is simply better at that than is a government body.  And, as the "sidewalk" issue shows, I feel certain that the private sector can get things done in shorter time periods in most cases.

"Your mission, should you decide to accept" is to come up with your own ideas that might be capable of altering the way we look at the world of Germantown government and the Germantown school system today.  I look forward to your comments...if you are brave enough/foolish enough to offer those.  Most of you, at least, have anonymity on your side.  I'm just hanging out there with my zipper down.

The "sidewalk" item in yesterday's Village Buzz referenced that I was seeking further information on the "as directed by elected officials" portion of the explanation from Daniel Naze, Village Engineer.

I really need to be sure that I want that for which I ask.  Trustee Dean Wolter sent me a six page e-mail that details the evolution of the sidewalk that now appears on the east side of Pilgrim Road south of Mequon Road.  I will gladly send that information to anyone who wishes to send me an e-mail requesting this information.

I want to provide a summary of this process for it really amazed me.

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July 11, 2007 Public Safety Committee Meeting:

A citizen presents a petition to the committee concerning sidewalks from Bel Aire to Mequon Road on the east side of the road.  The committee forwarded this request to the Public Works Committee for action.

August 7, 2007 Public Works and Highway Committee Meeting:

The Public Works Committee asked that the Public Safety Committee authorize a study for the intersection of Lyle Lane and Pilgrim Road and suggested that funding be placed in the budget for a sidewalk from Lyle Lane to Mequon Road.

Village Board Meeting September 17, 2007

This item was removed from the Consent Agenda and motion was made by Trustee Zabel with second by Trustee Vanderheiden to table until adoption of the 2008 budget and to have the project done in early spring. Motion lost.

Motion made by Trustee Langer with second by Trustee Sorce to approve installation of 166 lineal feet of asphalt pavement at a cost estimated to be $13,700.Motion was subsequently amended to permit use of asphalt or concrete with the cheaper of the two be used.

October 2, 2007 Public Works Committee Meeting

Request to contractors to bid on installation of an asphalt or concrete sidewalk from Lyle lane 166 feet to the south.  bids were received ranging from $13,000 to $25,625 for asphalt and from $6,950 to $8,300 for concrete.

Motion was made by Trustee Zabel with second by Trustee Steitz to accept $6,950 bid from Zenith Tech with funds to be disbursed from the Capitol Budget.

October 15, 2007 Village Board Meeting

Consent agenda item G for sidewalk was part of motion by Trustee Langer with second by Trustee Sorce for approval.  Motion passed.

October, 2007

Construction occurs.

December, 2007

Monies left from borrowing for roads in 2007 budget carried to 2008 budget (some $200,000+), additional $300,000 borrowed for road maintenance and construction for total of $500,000 with another $200,000 borrowed for sidewalk construction.

May 5, 2008 Special Meeting of Public Works Committee

River Lane project was approved

May 5, 2008 Village Board Meeting

Final Resolution - Issuance of General Obligation Promissory Notes:  Motion made by Trustee Langer with second by Trustee Vanderheiden to approve total of $1,480,000 at 3.70% interest.  (Trustee Wolter noted that this was for all approved 2008 budget items that required borrowing like equipment purchases, new buildings, DPW parking lot, roads and sidewalks.)

June 3, 2008 Public Works Committee Meeting

After considerable discussion, a motion was made by Trustee Langer with second by Trustee Wolter that a bid from Rennhack Construction be accepted not to exceed $52,402.10 for construction of the sidewalk from Lyle Lane north to Mequon Road.

August/September 2008

Construction commences on the sidewalk.

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As you can see, this passed through multiple committees and hands on its way from the original citizen's petition to completion over the course of some two years.  Not having been heavily involved in the governance of our community, I have to confess that I was astounded by the time involved in something that seems quite simple for a business person.

There will be two versions of the Village Buzz posted today given two relatively lengthy subjects each of which deserve a more detailed review.

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Germantown Police Department Budget...

I learned that our Police Department was being tasked by some members of the Village Board to reduce its 2009 budget request by some $330,000 as its share of the $900,000+ deficit solution.  I have followed the department closely enough to recognize that this request would very likely cut away muscle and not fat, and I asked Chief Hoell for information about what this level of reduction would bring in the way of policing in 2009 without sharing my position with him at that point.

Chief Hoell indicated that his proposed budget was already done on the basis that this was an austere year for the village and that he would have to make do without a lot of the things he'd like to see for the department and the citizens of Germantown.  He advised that he had been able to trim some operating costs but that other line items, such as fuel costs, were beyond his ability to control.  He said that, although there have been cost increases in other line items, the department had made do without similar budget increases.  If there were equipment breakdowns or if some large unforeseen event such as a major crime scene were to be confronted, there would be no surplus available with