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!

~~~~~~~~~~

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:

~~~~~~~~~~

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.  

~~~~~~~~~~

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.  

"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.

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

~~~~~~~~~~

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 which to handle the occurrence.

He stated, simply, that "a $330,000 cut would cripple this department".  "We would become solely reactive at best and the safety of our officers would be at jeopardy."   He indicated that, if he took out insurance, bonds, heat and water expense line items, the $330,000 would be "pretty much our operating budget for 2009".

"If you take this money out of personnel, then as I stated above, we would become solely reactionary at best and no longer proactive.  We are already experiencing delays in our responses due to the volume of calls for service or simply cannot respond to a time sensitive incident.  The safety and security of our officers will be at stake and the safety of our community will slowly deteriorate."

He went on to discuss staffing studies:  "The Germantown Police Department is the least staffed municipal agency in Washington County per capita.  The same holds true for the metro area.  We continually update this study and attach it to our budget to keep our elected officials educated on where we stand for staffing.  The Depart. of Justice recommends approx. 2.2 officers per 1,000 people.  GPD has 1.58 officers per 1,000 people.  Granted the 2.2 is a bit high, however the national average is 2.0, the state average is 1.8".   (This is for communities having from 10,000 to 40,000 people). 

~~~~~~~~~

Now, I'll take the opportunity to "editorialize":

The thought that we would cut our police protection budget by such an amount simply to be "fair" to the rest of the departments in this village is something I simply am unable to grasp.  This would likely result in a reduction of one-third in the on-the-road shift staffing; and that staffing is already quite sparse for the community from my perspective.  "Across the board cuts" are too often simply the easy way out for people charged with developing budgets.  Each department head has, I hope, put forth their best effort.  I rely upon the Village Administrator to assure that there is no "fluff" left in any department's numbers.  I rely upon our elected representatives to handle the balance of any mandated budget reductions with the best interests of all citizens uppermost in mind.

I believe this proposed cut would be to carry the funding of the police department to a level that would cause our services to deteriorate too far.  If we lose the edge we have today in that area, we will pay a very severe price.  The "bad guys" don't respect budget issues.  They respect force.  I hope and trust that wiser minds will prevail when the Finance Committee and Village Board again convene.  It is time for some serious leadership on a serious issue.  There are "issues" and then there are "life and death" issues.

I can only imagine the reaction if a member of the Board were to be poorly served by the department in a time of need due to this budget process.  I'll wager that the recrimination wouldn't be pretty, and I'll bet some heads would roll.  But those likely wouldn't be "elected heads" rolling.

Sidewalk Construction Question...

I received a question from a reader concerning recent sidewalk construction that you may have observed.  He was asking about the new sidewalk on the east side of Pilgrim Road south of Mequon Road, and about the walking path along Division Road on the south end of the village.

His questions, specifically, were:

Are the owners receiving assessments to fund this?  Did they (the owners) get any input on this decision?  Does it make sense to install sidewalks when streets need work?

I asked Daniel Naze, Village Engineer, about these projects and he explained them as follows:

"The Division Road pathway is being installed and paid for by Harmony Homes, developer of the adjacent Meadow Creek Crossing Subdivision.  This is something that was in the original developer agreement and I have been after them to complete since I became Village Engineer during 2004."

"The Pilgrim Road sidewalk is being constructed as directed by elected officials.  There is one property that had signed a letter at the time of their site plan approval in 1997, indicating they would pay for sidewalk for their frontage when installed or directed by the Village.  That property is Pilgrim Plaza.  The remainder is paid for from budgeted funds."

I have sent an email to Dave Schornack, Village Administrator, seeking more information on the "as directed by elected officials" segment of the response.  He is away from his office until next week, so we can anticipate a response soon after his return. 

My thanks to Mr. Naze for his prompt response.

Walking Quorum...

There are rules concerning the number of trustees that may meet outside duly called meetings.  This is designed to preclude gatherings of a sufficient number of trustees so as to push or thwart various motions, and to assure open government for the citizens.

I have learned that a meeting of three trustees was observed at the Mequon Road McDonald's this morning.  The three would be sufficient to thwart actions of several committees if they were of a mind to engage in such activities.  In some instances, a meeting of two trustees could also present the same problem.  This is referred to as a"walking quorum" as I understand the jargon and is not permitted.

Since I didn't observe the people involved personally, I'll refrain from naming them.  My information comes, however, from a very reliable source.

This issue has been an on again-off again issue in Germantown and trustees have been warned of the nature of the rules governing their coming together.

Bridge Construction...

My eyes tell me that the two bridges now being rebuilt (Lilac Lane and Freistadt Road) that were scheduled for completion by the first week in October are ahead of schedule.

It appears that final clean-up is underway.  Concrete has been laid and new blacktop approaches seem to be in place.  I couldn't tell if markings had been applied but I would doubt that has occurred yet given the crush of equipment still scattered about both sites.

Election Follow-Up...

Chris Micka, Deputy Clerk for Germantown sent along some facts concerning the past Presidential elections so far as turn-out relating to an earlier posting about turn-out vis a vis the referenda issues.

The Presidential races in 1996 drew 77.5% of the registered voters, and 79.6% of registered voters in 2000.  2004 had some 91.1% of registered voters turn out.  Chris indicates that, while it is difficult to predict, she would not be surprised to see more than a 90% turn-out this year.  That could generate something in the 12,000 voter range.

I am very happy to see that our Germantown voters have the civic-mindedness to vote in large numbers given all the important decisions that will be made that day.

Garbage Strike...

The Local 200 Teamster members voted 214-0 against the Waste Management proposal last Friday and the same proposal was again voted on yesterday.  The second ballot showed 199 against and 24 for the proposal.

The union leaders say they're ready and willing to resume discussions.  The company says that it will scale back the proposal that had been on the table and that it will begin to solicit replacement workers.

The union says that the company cannot legally solicit replacements since it has lodged a complaint alleging unfair tactics against Waste Management with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).  I guess that will sort itself out as time passes.

So far, our service has not suffered since the first pick-up that was delayed by about 24 hours.  The question, from my perspective, is for how long can the imported workers be kept here to maintain service levels?  They came from elsewhere and they must be causing some problems by being here rather than where they've come from.  Sooner or later, it seems as though something will have to give on that side.

At the same time, how long will the union members be able to sit out?  Most of us are having difficulty given the higher prices being charged for seemingly everything.  That can't be easy if you're out on strike trying to get by on much less than you're accustomed to having available to spend.

Special Meetings...

The Germantown Village Board has two special meetings set.  A meeting has been called for 7:30PM tonight with a closed session shown for personnel matters to be discussed.

A special meeting has been called for 6:30PM Tuesday night with a closed session shown for discussion of a possible land sale in a business park.

Public Fire Protection Charges...

I received information from a Germantown resident who has asked that I not use the person's name.  I will certainly honor that request.  Both name and telephone number were provided.  This is not a trustee, by the way.

The Public Fire Protection charge is where the cost of infrastructure/water system capacity to enable fire fighting to occur is assessed to the citizenry.  It is also sometimes called a 'hydrant rental charge' according to my source.

This cost has been carried as part of the property tax in Germantown for many years.  It is part of the Fire Department budget.  The reason that it is on the property tax roles is so that people who are not on the municipal water system, and who, therefore, don't pay for the costs of that system are fairly charged for the fire protection they receive.

Germantown currently has a 2009 budget deficit of something in the range of $900,000.  Trustees are wrestling with how and where to find the means to cover this shortfall.  I am told that some discussion has been had that would see this hydrant rental charge removed from the fire department budget thus freeing up about $491,000 of expense to the General Fund and shifting it to the water utility alone.

This would make it easy to avoid a "tax increase" or cutbacks even while nearly another half-million dollars was made available to cover wants and needs. 

My source has indicated that there are some 5,825 water utility customers each of whom would see an average annual increase of $84 in their water bills.

This would also mean that those citizens not using the water utility for water but still being afforded fire protection would, in essence, not be paying a fair share of fire protection costs.  The fire department tankers are filled from hydrants in order that fires outside the water utility coverage area can still be fought.  The supply capacity must still be made available, etc.

Citizens must speak their mind on this subject but that is difficult since virtually no one is aware that this approach is being considered as a solution to part of the shortfall.

This would obviously not be a real solution.  Nothing would be cut from the budget to remove the shortfall.  We'd simply be playing a bit of a 'shell game' by transferring money from one pocket to another and adversely impacting the residents who live within the water utility's system reach.

I don't believe this is a good public policy approach.  The hydrant rental costs have been quite properly spread across all users and should continue to be managed in that manner in my opinion.

We have already been tapping surplus that has been accumulated in certain funds in order to have some money available for known future needs as well as emergency needs that might develop.  That 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' approach has already caused some future issues that are not yet fully understood.  Someday we'll be paying that bill and we'll be scratching to cover the needs.

Garbage Costs To Become Fees?

Another discussion topic is that of removing garbage pick-up costs from the village budget and making those costs into fees that would be assessed separately on the tax bill.

This is not necessarily a bad idea on the surface if everything is made known to the residents and if the change is done in a fair and equitable manner.

One such thought would be to move to a bi-weekly pick-up of recyclables such as was recently done in Menomonee Falls.  I understand that some trustees are exploring that idea and gathering knowledge so that they will be able to propose a reasonable package if anything does come forward.

Guest Blog - Police Chief Pete Hoell...

I felt, that as Chief of Police, I should probably chime in on this PD building project blog; I owe it to my staff and our citizens.

Just as a little background, I have been part of the Germantown Police Administration for approximately 14 years now.  As Administrative Sergeant, Lieutenant and now as Chief, I have been involved in the budgetary process those 14 years in a variety of degrees.  Obviously the last 4 years it has been my sole responsibility to present a budget to address the PD needs.

Also as background, I had hoped that the road improvement issue would not be connected to the PD building project.  Everyday our citizens see the condition of the roads and what they feel is needed.  Most people do not use the PD everyday, most if ever.  I would venture to say there is a large portion of our population who has never been inside our two buildings.  So I do understand that there may be some who do not understand the "need" for a PD building project.  But, a budget is about money and taxes, so the fact that the two are equated was anticipated.

When I read Mr. Fletcher's comment on the PD building, that it would "nice", I think this statement is not an accurate term for what we are asking for.  Granted, it may just be a matter of semantics or splitting hairs, but this project is by no means something that would be "nice".

I was looking back on my last 4 years of budget requests to confirm my original thoughts on the word "nice".  The requests that the PD has made have all been "needs".  I have never asked for anything that would be "nice to have".  I see part of the role as Chief is to operate this department as efficiently and as effectively as possible.  It is my duty to this community to be fiscally responsible and to watch every penny and stretch every dollar.  Again, if I am belaboring this point of "nice", my apologies to Mr. Fletcher.

I put together a time line on the PD building project for the Public Safety Committee a couple of months ago at their request.  The time line was supported by minutes of previous Board and Public Safety meetings.  This building project started in 1995 with a village wide space needs study and discussion of the PD space needs.  The last 7 years we have been dealing with conceptual designs.  There are many issues as to why we are requesting a PD building project, too lengthy for this blog.  However, I would certainly entertain any questions to this blog or directly to my e-mail: phoell@germantownpolice.org

Our current Public Safety Committee recently has made some difficult decisions, which has given me direction.  Granted, I would have been pleased to see the conceptual design move forward that Zimmerman Design presented, but that is not the case.  So now we are at plan "B" and we'll develop a plan that will eventually meet our "needs".  I also do not want to speak on behalf of our Trustees, but most have expressed to me that they do understand our needs and do see the issues we are dealing with that do need attention.  Therefore most do understand and have educated themselves to the PD building issues.

Security and efficiency are my most important objectives with this project.  I owe it to my staff and to the citizens who visit and do business at the PD buildings not to give up and to continue to move forward to the point of where our needs are met.

I am also pleased and very thankful for the support of our citizens.  Policing a community takes a community; your involvement, trust and support is very much appreciated.

Bridges To Somewhere...

I asked Dave Schornack, Village Administrator, where we stood on the bridge completion dates for both the Lilac Lane bridge and the Freistadt Road bridge near Hwy 145/Fond du Lac Avenue.

I had noticed some concrete being poured in the Lilac Lane site and it seemed as though that project had been ongoing for some time since I use that route often.  I hadn't the same feelings about Freistadt since I don't frequent that route as often.

Nothing like being selfish, is there?

Dave wrote back promptly to advise that both projects "are on track to be completed by the first week of October".

So, in about a month, we'll all be ooh-ing and ahh-ing over our new bridges.

Police Station Building Delays...

I understand that there is only so much money to go around within the Village of Germantown.  I understand that I'm a bit of a 'scold' so far as spending goes, too.

But, I have had the opportunity to tour the Police Department facilities and know that there is a very real need.

I also know that the chief, the officers and the staff will make do with whatever they have, but it is going to be very much like a group of sardines minus the oil going forward.  New radio/computer equipment is being forced on the department and there is virtually no room to accommodate that equipment and the people who operate it.  I'm sure the Public Safety Committee is cognizant of this, as well, but my fear is that the squeaky wheel gets the grease...and the chief and his department aren't known for being whiners.

They'll get the job done no matter what, but it sure would be nice if they had a little larger facility.  There is no opulence involved here.  It is a relatively spartan environment without frills.  Even with that, room to operate is critical.  If 2009's budget can't accommodate this need, then let's be very certain that it gets done in 2010...and that it doesn't get short shrift over and over again.

Sendik's...

My first visit this morning was fantastic.  These folks know how to do markets!  Every employee had a ready smile, each was willing to be helpful and created a great experience.  Prices seemed to be very competitive.  Food appearance was superb; selection seemed wonderful; ambiance was excellent...who could ask for anything more (great title for a song, huh)?

If this holds true after they've been open for a month or two, and other locations indicate that to be the case, we've got ourselves a real jewel!  Business seemed to be very strong with few parking spaces available.  However, all went very smoothly inside.  And, samples abound!

MIA?

Our fire chief has been under fire (no pun intended) for some time.  He has been the subject of a remedial program that was cause for his 'cost of living' increase being withheld.  To my knowledge, that money still has not been paid.

There have been repeated rumors that he is not always on duty when he claims to be on duty, as well.  He is required to log in and to log out through the central dispatch system when he comes on duty and when he goes off duty throughout the course of every day on which he is scheduled to work.  I happened to drive west on Willow Creek road on September 3rd and noted that the chief's vehicle was parked in the driveway of his home at precisely 11:00AM.  Another source confirmed that the chief was shown as being at the Waste Management facility during that time period.  I thought it strange that he wouldn't be driving his assigned vehicle.  This morning I learned that he apparently was not at Waste Management since another person was looking for him at the same time and was at that location.  That person, I'm told, was Don Otter, the chair of the Police and Fire Commission.

If this is true, and I believe it to be based on my sources, there ought to be some form of action taken.  I am led to believe this happens with some regularity.

Why A Temporary Committee Appointment?

The General Government and Finance Committee met last evening to deal with budget issues.  Three of the four members were present thus constituting a quorum.  The fourth member, Trustee Langer arrived about an hour after the meeting had been convened.

Why did the Committee Chair, Art Zabel, feel it necessary to appoint another trustee, Mel Ewert, to sit in Langer's place?  Code section 2.09 authorizes such an appointment if a quorum is not present however that was not the case last evening.

Hooray!

After 10:00AM today, we can shop at the new Sendik's Food Market!  I know I will be pleased with the store and I hope that the new traffic will cause the empty spots to fill quickly.  Those who saw it during the pre-Grand opening party were very impressed.

Dangerous Intersection?

I heard from a Germantown citizen yesterday about the intersection of Freistadt and Hwy145.  He was questioning whether or not there had been a review of that intersection for purposes of traffic signals or flashing warning lights.  He also wondered about the accident rate there as contrasted with the community at large.

Police Chief Pete Hoell advised that he recalls this having been the topic on many Public Safety Committee meeting agendas throughout the years.  He advised that this intersection is complicated by the fact that Freistadt east of Fond du Lac avenue is County Trunk Highway (CTH) F and Fond du Lac avenue is STH 145.  So, there is a state highway maintained by the county with state jurisdiction and a County highway.  Germantown's authority extends solely to Freistadt west of Fond du Lac.  That just sounds complicated when we're talking governmental bodies.

Chief Hoell recalled that there had been studies in the past including at least one State study.  He also indicated that the rate of accidents at this intersection was not significantly different than elsewhere in the village.  Given the 45 MPH speed limit on Fond du Lac, though, he said that the accidents that do occur are typically 'T-Bone' crashes that result in personal injury.

Village Administrator Schornack has referred my inquiry to Dan Naze in the Village Engineering area for his input.  Schornack said that he has always disliked this intersection on a personal level.

I'm curious as to whether or not this viewpoint is shared by many or only a few people.  Do you believe that this intersection should have some kind of signals or, at least, warning lights?

Vehicle 'Wheel Tax'...

What are the chances that we'll see this subject debated at the village board level given that Milwaukee just approved a $20 per vehicle 'wheel tax' for all vehicles registered within the county?  I probably shouldn't give anyone any ideas.  If we're trying to find the funds for road repairs, someone is bound to come up with this idea.

These are the kinds of things that can get through the process without too much scrutiny and, once in place, never go away and never go down.  If anything, these kinds of 'fees' go up regularly since they do not appear on a property tax bill and are collected by the state Motor Vehicle Department. 

Special Board Meeting Follow-Up...

The special meeting of the village board was convened at 5:35PM with Trustee Zabel absent but expected soon thereafter.

In the audience were news reporters, two members of the MATC staff and two school board members.  It appeared that there were also individuals from both Waste Management and, possibly, from Veolia.

The discussion on MATC secession centered on the desire by some that a 'co-signature' be provided for the village board to assert its approval of the filing.  There was discussion that since the village is one of several taxing entities, if the village were included, the others would need to be, too.  This was settled when Trustee Langer offered a motion to have a supporting letter attached to the filing by the school district.  After the second, that motion passed unanimously (with Zabel absent). 

The discussion on the possibility of a referendum regarding road repairs dealt with debt levies, budget trade-offs, and state gas tax proceeds.  It became apparent that there was no support for a referendum and that trustees felt it was their responsibility to determine how best to handle the issue without incurring more debt.  Trustee Vanderheiden offered a motion that was seconded by Trustee Langer to that effect.  That motion passed nearly unanimously with Trustee Zabel abstaining since he had arrived midway through this discussion.

The discussion concerning Waste Management and the current labor issues as those were impacting the village followed.  While President Kempinski and Administrator Schornack indicated that each had received calls about delayed pick-ups, the other members of the board were either moot or expressed that they had received no calls.  Discussion as to what would constitute sufficient grounds for action against Waste Management went back and forth.  It seemed to be agreed that there was not sufficient cause to proceed at this point.  Trustee Werderman offered a motion, seconded by Trustee Langer, that this topic of discussion be added to the agenda for the regularly scheduled Board meeting to be held on September 15th.  That motion passed unanimously.

President Kempinski gaveled the meeting to adjournment.

Harley 105th Anniversary Impact From The Police' Perspective...

I was curious as to how the police department viewed the 105th anniversary given the thousands of bikes in our area nearly all hours of the day and night.  Chief Pete Hoell indicated that there was one minor injury accident involving a motorcycle.  He mentioned that he had now experienced the 95th, 100th and 105th reunion celebrations and said, "Overall, as far as I'm concerned, this was a great event and we'll be looking forward to the 110th."

He also provided an anecdote that I think provides a great overview of the typical attendees:

"I was off duty with my kids driving east on Holy Hill Rd. in Richfield on Friday.  I was following a couple of Harley bikes eastbound when a high performance bike (crotch rocket) came from the other direction (westbound) and did a short wheelie from the stop sign.  The biker in front of me was wearing colors, long grey curly hair; typical stereotype of a biker one may think of from earlier years.  When he saw the wheelie and as the high performance bike drove by, the Harley biker made his displeasure of this act very clear and scolded him by shaking his arm and pointer finger at him.  It was a really good example how ethical most Harley bikers are, how willing they are to step up regarding the issue of safety and good behavior."

Nuff said!

Special Board Meeting Follow-Up...

The special board meeting to be convened at 5:30PM tonight deals, in part, with the Waste Management strike and garbage pick-up delays.  I received an email from President Kempinski over the week-end discussing my Village Buzz piece of late last week.

He indicated that the Waste Management topic had been added to the special meeting agenda to "keep the Board apprised as to the status of collection, and determine if the Board wishes to change companies should the company fall even further behind".  He went on to state that he didn't want to change companies but that he felt compelled to explore alternatives in case service should drop to even lower levels.

I had indicated that our personal experience was that Friday's pick-up was made on Friday.  He mentioned that the village had received calls indicating that pick-ups had been delayed two days in some instances.

President Kempinski also discussed the eventuality of switching to Veolia if Waste Management's service degraded to the point where that would be necessary.  His reasoning seemed to be that, if this went on for some time, and if many communities had similar experiences, there could be a wholesale departure from Waste Management that would overwhelm Veolia's capabilities.

He believes that, if Veolia comes back to the village indicating that it would be willing to accept the terms of the Waste Management agreement, the Board would be willing to switch.

A couple of thoughts come to mind:

If the current agreement has a five-day clause and if Waste Management continues to pick up garbage within that time span, does the village have any real recourse?

Even if there is a wholesale move away from Waste Management, maybe Germantown would, by staying with Waste Management after some agreement renegotiation actually see improved service since Waste Management would have less business and would likely be trying very diligently to repair the image damage it would've suffered.

I'll report on the discussion from today's special meeting in a 'Village Buzz' item tomorrow, if not before.

~~~~~~~~~~

School District Budget Deliberations...

An earlier segment on the current budget debate within the Germantown School District referred to some debate as to the size and configuration of the budget for the coming year.

It appears that this debate continues and centers on the draft prepared by the Administration which does not yet meet the constraints that at least some Board members feel necessary.  A target amount of $39,495,814 had been established last spring.  The administration has continued to stand behind a proposed budget that is some $650,000 higher.

Obviously, the school district has a relatively new business manager although he did have experience gained as a member of the school board when assuming that position.  There was over-spending in several accounts that were discretionary in nature as opposed to accounts that are relatively 'locked in'.  This apparently has caused some concern as to fiscal constraint. 

We also have a new superintendent who certainly has been working hard to learn his new district's idiosyncrasies and needs while also working to build his board and staff relationships.  That may be at work to some degree but it seems that staff would be anxious to follow its new leader rather than 'stand in the doorway'.

I suppose that staff might be expected to seek more money than the board is willing to provide, but, at some point, posturing has to give ground to reality.

Traffic Signals...

It looks as though the traffic signals in front of the new Sendik's Food Market should be in operation by the time of the store's Grand Opening on September 4th at 10:00AM.  The work seems to have been progressing very nicely.

That intersection appears to have become more dangerous even though the store is not yet open.  Likely the construction itself has caused much of that with restricted visibility once in awhile coupled with gawkers looking at the new lights, etc.

Having seen their advertisements for some of their other locations, I confess that I'm really excited to see our new shopping venue!  Of course, Pick 'n Save will get better, too, or it'll begin to slip in volume.

River Lane...

Similarly, it looks as though River Lane is about to be opened with the second layer of bituminous topping having gone down and the paint striping being completed.  If the traffic light work involved with that reconstruction is progressing at similar or faster rates, then opening day on Tuesday should be fine.

Hats off to the contractors and village officials for pushing both projects along so nicely.  Weather has certainly cooperated.

Waste Management...

I note that our garbage, normally picked up on Friday of each week has been picked up.  That would appear to indicate that the company has recovered, at least so far as Germantown is concerned, since it seemed to be at least a day or more behind as of yesterday afternoon.

On that same note, a special Village Board meeting has been called for Tuesday afternoon at 5:30PM with one of the latest agenda items to be added that of a discussion about the termination of the Waste Management contract which would permit retaining of Veolia as the replacement firm for Germantown.  I understand this was added at the direction of President Kempinski.

I detected no hint of this during my visit yesterday with President Kempinski who told me that he had talked with Veolia but mentioned nothing of any intent to pursue this action in that conversation.

I may have my facts incorrect, and trust that I'll be corrected if that is the case, but I believe the village's agreement with Waste Management requires a period of five days during which garbage hasn't been picked up before the village has the ability to terminate the agreement.

Harley Visitors...

Our guests from all over the globe seem to be having a great time, and have been very nice visitors.  Fortunately it seems that most drivers have adopted extra courtesies and vigilence...and maybe just a little more patience.

All in all, we seem to be headed for another tremendously successful Harley Davidson Anniversary celebration.  I've not seen any estimates of the economic impact for the area but it has to be in the multiple millions of dollars.

I had the opportunity to enjoy a cup of coffee (tea in his case) with our Village President Tom Kempinski this morning.  He extended the invitation and this was actually the second time he had done so.  I appreciated his time and our visit feeling that I had come to better understand the man than before.

We have had some brief conversations as the result of things I've written, but this was the first chance I've had to visit over an hour or so with Mr. Kempinski on a broad range of subjects.  He strikes me as a decent person who wants the best for Germantown.  I never really doubted that but it bears saying anyway.  He is willing to listen to various sides of the discussion but my sense is that he'll stick with his position more often than not.  I sense that he has thought through most things before he engages in discussion and, consequently, has formed fairly strong opinions.  He has a solid negotiating background and that shows in the way he positions things for discussion, etc.

He is a union member and has worked in trucking and has been a union member for many years.  With that having been said, he professes that this does not cloud his vision for the community.  Our meeting this morning came about as the result of my Blog yesterday concerning the Waste Management situation and my thoughts that he might have been trying to add to the pressure being felt by Waste Management with his statement that was published yesterday.  He reiterated that he was, in fact, trying to bring pressure to bear but that this was being done to make Waste Management more responsive to the needs of the citizens in Germantown.

I mentioned that I had heard from some quarters that he was thought to have usurped some of the powers of various committees in the village.  He took exception to that, feeling this was unfair, but explained that his actions have always resulted in a better deal for the village.  He didn't feel that he had stepped on the toes of committee members.  He also was quick to add that no matter what I might have heard, any deals he had done were always done with the best interests of the village uppermost in mind.

His is a much more 'hands on' approach to the position of Village President and he seemed to accept my comment to that effect as a compliment.  In fact, he felt that this set him apart from predecessors and worked to the good of the community.  I suggested that there were some 'rumbles' to the effect that he was sort of a dominating person.  He seemed taken aback by that thought and asked why I would say that.  I mentioned that probably the combination of his deep voice, demeanor and stature in addition to the power of his position could have contributed to that if, in fact, there was more to that than simply 'coffee talk'.  He was a bit concerned with the possibility that people could equate his being a 'teamster' to meaning that he was willing to step on toes.  I suggested that, while the teamster organization had changed considerably, there was certainly the historic view that some teamster activities had relied upon heavy-handed tactics.  He accepted that but hastened to remind me that those where things of long ago and had no place in the modern movement.  He was a 'change agent' in Local 200 and was proud of the accomplishments.

He plans to run for another term as President and expects that he'll have competition.  He mentioned 'sister city' relationships that may be possible with communities in Poland and Germany.  His feeling is that these types of things can only be helpful to Germantown through business relationships, etc. 

We agreed that I would feel free to contact him whenever I had questions, and I suspect that he'll feel free to let me know what he is thinking.  He does not want to get involved in the give and take of the Blog world but I did offer to publish any comments on his behalf as I had done yesterday following our telephone conversation.  In this way, he will be able to be sure that his viewpoint is stated.

We both agreed that we were not anxious to be labeled as anything in particular so far as a political persuasion.  I simply restated that I am conservative both from a social and a fiscal perspective. 

That was the title of an editorial appearing this morning in the Journal Sentinel.  It went on with a header that read: "Germantown officials should drop the effort to secede from the Milwaukee Area Technical College.  The savings aren't worth the cost."

I was quite interested to see what logic had led the editorial group to reach this conclusion.  Even though the petition cannot be about money, they admit that this would probably save the Germantown taxpayer with a home valued at $300,000 about $129 per year, or a little more if the change requested led to a slight decrease in the tax rate for the new district, MPTC.

They opined that this was simply not worth the cost...not to those of us in Germantown necessarily, but to the seven county metropolitan area.  It would "deprive" MATC of some $5.5 million in revenue.  They talk about this being harmful to the students of MATC including those from Germantown.  If there are 100 students from our area attending MATC, the cost to the Germantown School District taxpayer has to be in the range of $55,000 per student per year.  If there are 200, then we drop all the way down to an average of $27,500 per student per year.  That is an over-simplification but it helps put all this into perspective.

They discuss what they see as the poor timing of this and, in essence, lay blame for whatever happens to the seven county area economic development efforts at our feet if the petition is approved.  Wow!  If only we'd known what power we had before this, we could've really gone for something big!

We now become an integral part of the Milwaukee metropolitan region.  Funny how that is always the case when they seek our money, but is never the case when they're formulating some master plan.

The editorial does finally admit that MATC's taxes are too high, and they say that officials there need to place "some restraint" on expenditures.  That message doesn't seem to get through, however, to an appointed (unelected) board that rolls over every time MATC President Darnell Cole says "roll over".

Now, back to that $129 that we're not supposed to be concerned about.   For the Germantown School District, that could easily have been converted to a new elementary school.  That would've taken some $84 of the tax relief had this been available when we all voted on that issue...before prices climbed.  It could've likely funded our village road repair coffers very nicely on the balance of $45 per $300,000 of home value.

$129 isn't 'chump change' as so many would try to shame us into believing. 

And why is it our responsibility to pump more and more money into MATC so that it can try, unsuccessfully, to repair some of the MPS damage?  Why is it our responsibility to sit out here in 'the boonies' (from the perspective of the decision-makers in Milwaukee) and continually cough up more money for their needs.  When do they reciprocate? 

MATC Secession...

It appears that we're finally moving ahead in the effort to have ourselves removed from the MATC district and moved into the Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC) district.  In spite of some village officials' assertions, the timing of this filing and its date of effect wouldn't have changed by filing three months earlier.  That complaint is a 'straw man' from my perspective.

I would suspect that a filing made on behalf of a school district would receive more consideration than had the village filed its own petition.  The school district speaks on behalf of the area while the village would speak on behalf of only the Village of Germantown.  While we're a significant part of the school district, we're not all of it by any means.

Can we make history and become only the second such petition to be successfully brought?  Wouldn't it be interesting since the first and only successful petition was that filed by our area to be removed from the MPTC area and realigned with the MATC area in 1971, if memory serves?

What goes around, comes around...maybe!

~~~~~~~~~~

Waste Management Strike...

The village is, of course, served by Waste Management.  The Local 200 teamster members who are employees of Waste Management went out on strike, as you've probably heard, after some four months of trying to resolve issues on behalf of those members.

Village President Tom Kempinski has reportedly threatened to terminate the village's contract with Waste Management apparently to protest the company's inaction, and has supposedly sought an opinion from the village attorney as to whether or not this is possible.  Kempinski is affiliated with Local 200 although he denies that has any direct involvement in this action.

Two things: 

Our service with Waste Management is much improved over that we received from the former servicing company.  I presume that many of those current teamster members were probably also former employees of the last firm that had the Germantown contract.

This seems a very convenient time for Kempinski to be pushing a termination; he appears to be using the village's business to bring even more heat on the Waste Management negotiating team in favor of his fellow teamsters.  That is inappropriate if true, and an unfortunate confluence of events if simply coincidence.

His two lives must be kept separate and distinct.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Harley Rumble...

The "Harley Rumble", as I'll call it, has returned to our ar