Open Seats...

Dave Magill has confirmed that he has filed papers indicating he would not be standing for re-election to the Germantown School Board's At Large Seat #1.  His term expires in April, 2009.  So far, I am unaware of any person filing to run for that open seat, but there is still plenty of time for that to happen.

Michael Bech has also filed papers indicating that he will not be a candidate for Trustee in District 1 of the Village of Germantown.  The rumor mill has it that Bill Steitz, a former trustee, will be filing papers soon.

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Officer Bosco Update...

Chief Pete Hoell provided the following information today:

On Tuesday, December 2nd, our K-9 Officer Bosco had been placed on a light anesthetic for the first procedure.  When the doctor increased the anesthetic for the biopsy procedure, Bosco's heart rate elevated.  Additional anesthetic would have caused Bosco to go into cardiac arrest so they stopped the biopsy procedure.  It is unknown why his heart rate would have increased while on the anesthetic.  Due to the three doctors' previous examinations, they are confident and concur that it is not a cancerous mass; however, the mass will have to be watched very closely.  The doctors believe Bosco can be treated with medication without having to undergo surgery at this time.

To date, we have incurred $1,300 in medical bills.  The monthly costs for the medication could be as high as $500 a month.  We have at least a $4,000 fund raising goal in mind to pay for the medical bills and future medication(s).

On the whole, we are optimistic that Bosco will recover, however we will have to monitor the mass and hope the medication works.  We are in a day by day situation to see how things work out.  The way it stands now, we believe Bosco will be back to work on Monday, December 8th.

I'll continue to keep you posted on his status.

I would also like to thank every one for their support and kind words and thoughts.  It means a lot to us here at GPD but it is especially meaningful to PO Jeff Schnell and Bosco.

K-9 Officer Bosco is supported by contributions from the community without tax money involved.  This occurrence has obviously started the run-up of medical bills that will need to be paid from the Germantown Police Department K-9 Fund.  If you can find it in your heart to help Bosco with a contribution of a dollar or ten dollars or a hundred dollars, that can be made by mailing a check as indicated below or by simply stopping at the Germantown Police Department and walking into the lobby to make the contribution.

Remember that you can make a contribution by mailing a check made out to Germantown Police Department K-9 Fund to the department at P.O. Box 96 , Germantown, WI 53022 or by stopping at the Police Department building at N112 W16877 Mequon Road to drop off any contributions. 

Thanks in advance for your help! 

Sendik's Food Market 60 Days Later...

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

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

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

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Veterans Day 2008...

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

A little history...

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

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

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County Supervisors Cut Property Tax Levy...

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

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

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

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SRO Officer In Schools...

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

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

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