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. 

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 area.  As I lay my head on the pillow last night, I could hear the sounds that are only made by Harleys waft through the open window.  We're a couple of miles away from Hwy 41/45 so my joy may well have been another's dismay, but it is a great sound that we last heard some five years ago.

Quite a tribute to the small motorized bicycle shop that started in a shed.

And, quite a bump for the local economy.  I had begun to see out-of-towners in Harley garb already patronizing local stores and hotels and watering holes yesterday. 

MATC Director Response...

I sent an email to the MATC PR person on July 30th seeking information about former superintendent Victor Rossetti's continued membership on the MATC Board of Directors.

I mentioned that I was aware that Mr. Rossetti had vacated his home in Germantown.  I also asked, that since he had moved and since he was no longer the superintendent of Germantown Schools, if he would be removed as a Director.

Kathleen Hohl, MATC Public Relations Director sent her response to me today:

"Mr. Campbell,

Thank you for your July 30, 2008,inquiry.  Milwaukee Area Technical College does not have knowledge that Dr. Rossetti has moved outside the District boundaries, nor has he resigned from the District Board of Directors."

I have since learned that he moved to the Madison area which I know is "outside the District boundaries".  It would seem that MATC could've made that determination by this time, as well, if it were interested.  I wonder if there will be any change in the Directors prior to June, 2009 or if the District and Germantown will remain unrepresented.

~~~~~~~~~~

Change in Village Investment Advisors...

I received an email from a Germantown resident raising several questions about the announced change in investment advisors that saw RBC and its local representative named to replace the existing organization.  The resident was concerned as to whether or not other entities had been interviewed, or whether an RFP had been issued and competing bids received.  His concern was that this might represent too cozy (my words) a relationship.

I emailed Dave Schornack, the Village Administrator and received his response promptly. 

He advised that the local person had made an unsolicited approach to the village through Kim Rath, Village Finance Director/Treasurer.  That led to the proposal he made being reviewed by the General Government and Finance Committee which approved the proposal and submitted it to the full Village Board.  The Board approved the proposal with three dissenting votes.

Mr. Schornack said that the village is not required to go to bid and that this proposal represented better value than was being received.  Apparently the service being received left something to be desired according to Ms. Rath although no formal requests for proposal had been generated.

I feel sure there was nothing untoward involved in this change.  I am concerned, however, that there seems to be some precedent being established that may be difficult to follow in the future. 

Another recent matter involved a Germantown businessman who sought a meeting on the website redesign only to learn, after interest had seemed to wane, that the existing relationship with the Ruekert & Mielke engineering firm had been expanded to encompass this redesign effort without having been put out to bid.  This was done, apparently, in order to consolidate all such activities in one vendor relationship for the Village.

Beyond this, there have been instances where committee efforts with bids taken were superceded by direct action on the part of a village official.  This involved actions where vehicles were purchased by the village for the Police Department and for the Senior Center.  I am not privy to the financial aspect of these arrangements and, again, have no reason to believe anything improper was involved.

I certainly would favor residents and local business owners being favored with village business provided that everything was fully transparent.

My concern is that things handled in this manner can cause consternation that might have otherwise been avoided had they been handled differently.

Karthauser Greenhouse Construction...

I received an email asking what was being built in front of the Karthauser Greenhouse complex along Hwy 145.  I hadn't noticed this and asked Trustee Al Vanderheiden if he could shed light on this for the reader and me.

He responded that it was a berm.  A contractor involved in a DOT project was apparently looking for a site where dirt could be disposed of and thought to ask this firm if it would like a berm.  Unfortunately, apparently nothing was discussed with the Village Planning Commission and a halt has been called until that can be accomplished according to Vanderheiden.

Special Committee of the Whole Meeting Wednesday...

A Committee of the Whole meeting has been called for this coming Wednesday evening and will be conducted behind closed doors.  The indications are that this meeting has been called to review several personnel situations.  Fire Chief Gary Pollpeter's performance is to be discussed as well as that of Village Administrator Dave Schornack.  The inclusion of Mr. Schornack is a bit of a surprise from my perspective.  Chief Pollpeter has come under criticism from Trustee Jim Langer as has been reported.

In terms of unofficial 'buzz', I had thought that Mr. Schornack had been felt to be performing well based on comments, Board meetings, etc.  He had been tasked with a plan of action aimed at curing issues the Board seemed to feel were apparent with the Fire Chief.  I don't know if the two discussions each involve the other or not.

A third agenda item is said to be a discussion of the search for a new Public Works department head. 

No action is able to be taken in such meetings, so it is likely some time will pass before we begin to discern what has taken place and on what, if anything, action will be taken.

There can certainly be intrigue and infighting even at the village level.  Although few will ever admit this.

The Citizen Input agenda item of the Village Board's meeting last evening saw Trustee Jim Langer state his request that Fire Chief Gary Pollpeter resign from his position.  Langer stated that the Fire Chief is lacking in management skills and has been a poor administrator for the department.

No action is taken under this agenda item, so there was no discussion following Langer's statement.

* * * * * * * * * *

The Trustees met as the Committee of the Whole following the Board meeting last evening and the agenda item discussed was that of a possible referendum for Road Repairs that would be on the November ballot if it were to be approved.

President Kempinski stated that he felt this needed to be addressed given the state of road repair in the village and given that there had been fewer road repairs over the past few years as budgets were squeezed and costs increased across the board.  Village staff had prepared an analysis that suggested something in the range of $1 million per year would be required to keep village roads in a good state of repair.  (This was half of the amount originally talked about when this news broke.)  The study concluded that nearly 30% of village streets were in need of structural repair.

Village Administrator Dave Schornack reminded everyone of just how difficult the coming budget was going to be based on the process of last year that would be compounded by increased personnel costs, increased fuel costs and increased salt costs among other things.

Village Clerk Knaack stated that September 19th was the deadline for filing the question with the County Clerk so as to have it placed on the November ballot.

Trustee Langer stated his opposition to the referendum, feeling that the Board needed to work through the issues and that a pay as you go plan was to be preferred over borrowing funds.  Trustee Ewert was adamant that expenses needed to be cut.  Trustee Zabel reminded the others that year-end spending needed to be carefully controlled and that this might generate a surplus that could be used for some repairs.

Trustee Wolter said he favored a three-pronged approach:  Reduce expense costs; then increase taxes; and, finally consider a referendum.  Several other discussion points centering on expense reduction possibilities were made by others.  President Kempinski discussed several points including the decision to replace the Village Engineer that would carry a cost in excess of $100,000 per year, overtime issues in various departments in the village, limited increases in state shared revenue over the past five years and stated that he would be proposing a hiring freeze for the village that would be in place for the next five years.

The question has been referred to the General Government and Finance Committee which meets tonight at 7:00PM to consider the issues. 

I may be in the minority on this, but I haven't had the thought that our roads were terrible.  Maybe I am not driving where there are real problems or maybe I'm just oblivious...many would say it is the latter reason.  I guess I have to presume that the staff-prepared analysis for the Board was on the mark;  I'll try to stay tuned into street conditions more over the next few days and weeks.

News reports indicate that Village President Tom Kempinski is considering asking the Board to approve a referendum that would appear on either the September ballot or the November ballot.  This referendum would deal with just how Germantown voters desire to fund some $2,000,000 per year in road repairs, if they desire to do so.  The choices apparently would be borrowing, increasing property taxes or a combination of both or none.

The referendum could be advisory or binding in nature.  Obviously, if advisory, the Board would then decide what, if any action it would take, but it would do so with some idea of the public's mood.  If binding, the results would stand as the electorate decided at least until the Board was reconstituted or until the Board found some other approach to achieve the end if that were possible.

If property taxes were increased by $2,000,000 annually, the increase in village taxes over 2008 would be some 20.5% without consideration for any other line item increases in the village budget. It is unrealistic to assume that all other expenses will remain constant.  If the amount were to be borrowed, the debt service would be part of the tax increase each year so that both the amount spent each year plus interest would be added to the tax bills over a number of years.

The village's portion of our total tax bill in 2008 was 24.52%; that share would climb to 30.67% if all other taxing units remained at 2008 levels which, unfortunately, is very unlikely.  The actual increase in total property taxes due to the village's portion of the total could be something in the range of 1% to 2% I would suspect.

Use of a referendum will please some people and anger others.  Some will say that this gives the voter the direct voice on specific items that they otherwise lack in representative government.  Others will say the referendum gives the Board a place to hide; still others will say that there should be no referendum.

There are several questions that come to mind about which you may wish to make your views known:

1.  Do we need $2 million worth of road repair every year?  For how many years?

2.  What portion of the village's road surfaces need to be repaired today? 

3.  Have past Boards avoided their responsibilities and not funded road repairs properly?

4.  Is a referendum a good idea or is it a convenient tool for a Board that doesn't wish to stake out a position that may be very unpopular?

5.  If this referendum appears on the ballot, what impact will that have on any issue the School Board may advance at the same time?

6.  If we are to see a referendum, should it be simply an advisory referendum or should it bind the Board to a specific direction?

What think you G'town?

I have been on a brief vacation and, due to my own short-sightedness, was unable to publish new Blogs during that week.  I have received several emails during that period offering further comments or chastising for things said by me or some of those who have commented.  I'll set the essence of those thoughts forward in this piece.

* * * * * * * * * *

Trustee Dean Wolter has called into question several of the items in the first two Village Buzz Blogs:

He has indicated that he believes that the opinions I advanced as to my feeling that President Kempinski might be making himself a committee of one "is uncalled for, unsubstantiated by any facts, and made simply for the purpose and effect of comments to your Blog".  I have, unfortunately, come to have those feelings as I alluded.  It may well be that I'll change my feelings over the course of time, and I'll probably mention that if that happens.

I wondered if the signage in the front of Sendik's was of proper size.  Trustee Wolter advised that my "Statements to the signage of Sendik's ..being oversized is not accurate.  The Germantown Village Board has passed several changes to the sign section of the Municipal Code, allowing for taller and bigger signs to be placed at business entrances."

He has also criticized a comment that was offered by former President Charlie Hargan where he wrote that "The Village code state that the Planner has jurisdiction over the trees in Germantown, planting and removal.  He found out about them being removed only after it was done."

Trustee Wolter wrote: "Charlie Hargan's comment following your notes again is left to stand unabated and is in-correct.  I re-read the Germantown Municipal code, section 17.60 on Trees, and it does not state that the Village Planner has jurisdiction over the trees on public property.  I would like to have past president Hargan state which section of the code he is getting his information.  His statements are baseless, and incorrect."

* * * * * * * * * *

I appreciate the emails from Trustee Wolter and invited him to exercise his option to write comments if he wished to do so.  I do express my opinions often and I recognize that some may be polarizing.  Those who agree or disagree are free to post their comments.  I am forbidden from editing any comment.  I can remove a comment in full if I believe it is in poor taste, but those decisions are subject to review by the editors of the Community Now organization.

My opinions are obviously based on something or I wouldn't have them.  As with most everybody, I interact with a wide range of people and read and hear a wide range of information.  All this goes into the development of an opinion.  I cannot point to a specific 'fact' that caused an opinion to crystallize.  There may not be any 'facts' to which I could point, but I still have opinions.  My opinions may be out in left field; if that is the case from your perspective, so be it.  Help me change my opinion with more/better information or comment with your counter-opinion.

People in public office are in the public eye; that is simply the way it is.  We each will have varying opinions concerning those folks.  We'll probably agree with some actions and disagree with other actions.  I've often found that an initial opinion altered over time.  Similarly, I've also found that an initial opinion was proved to have been warranted. 

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Finally, there may be some who might believe I'm anti-Sendik's.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  I am very excited about more competition in our community.  I will be a regular shopper when the new store opens.  I've not picked on our other grocery establishments lately but certainly could've since there is much to be desired.  The opening of a tough competitor will be the best cure for poor selection and/or poor service elsewhere.

This marks the first of a new class of Blogs that will be labeled 'Village Buzz'.  We'll discuss things that are gathered from what I consider to be reliable sources.  I'll sometimes share the source' names and other times will avoid doing so for obvious reasons.

Barley Pop Update...

I am hearing that the Barley Pop Pub will be able to handle its tax obligation and continue to maintain its liquor license.  Employees have apparently been told that mortgage refinancing or something along those lines will make this possible and they are very upbeat about their futures as employees.

We'll see if this was a reliable barometer.

Mequon Road Trees Cut...

I watched as the new Sendik's Village Center signage was being put into place and thought about the change that seemed to have taken place when the new replaced the old.  It finally dawned on me that this new sign was quite a bit taller than the old and that had caused visibility to be hampered because of trees that had been planted as part of the Village Street Tree program of some years ago.

Now I see that three trees have been removed and the former spots are landscaped over probably indicating that nothing will be there to replace those removed.  I don't know when that happened but it must've been within the past two or three days.

And then, I noted that ten trees had been cut down in the Pick 'n Save area although those stumps are still there.

What is going on?  Does the new sign exceed the height limits that the village has in place?  Why were those beautiful trees removed?  Who made this decision?  Did this go through an appropriate committee?  Is there a public record to be seen?

Why did ten trees need to be cut down a bit further west on Mequon Road?  Were those interfering with sight lines or was there some other reason?

I guess I need to visit with village officials to determine why this all was necessary, unless some of the readers already know the answers.