I don't know if the MATC has a public relations agency under contract but, if it does, they deserve a raise..more than the president of MATC deserves the one he just received!  It is impossible for any PR firm to cover the smell of this institution.

That's right.  The president of MATC, Darnell Cole, just received a pay increase of 5.2%.  This is the same Darnell Cole that was trying to get out of MATC by applying for a position with Lansing Community College in Michigan.  This is the same Darnell Cole that thumbs his nose at the constituency and gets higher and higher budgets passed that take more and more of our money in property taxes.

This almost seems like the college basketball coaches and football coaches who apply for other jobs simply to 'justify' increased compensation when they change their minds and stay in their already over-paid positions.  Maybe this is the way of the world of academia.  Maybe I simply am so out of touch that I can't comprehend that fact.

Cole now receives, effective today, $223,675 in base salary.  That's not all, of course.  He gets a total of $259,131 which includes retirement plan contributions and travel allowance.  The base pay increase was 3.25%.  The retirement supplement increase was 6.7%, and the travel allowance increase was some 44%.  His travel allowance doesn't cover the trips he takes by plane, etc.; it covers the cost of him driving around the MATC world in his automobile.  The retirement supplement is in addition to his already very attractive retirement under the Wisconsin Retirement System.  A little gravy for the gravy, as it were.

Even worse, if that is possible, is the fact that three of the nine members of the MATC Board didn't think it worth their while to be in attendance at the meeting where this was approved.  The remaining six voted, 5-1, in favor.  The sole dissenting vote was from Rep. Pedro Colon (D-Milwaukee) who felt Cole's long-term commitment to MATC was called into question by the recent attempt to leave the college for a better-paying job. 

Kudos to Rep. Colon!  Was his decision prompted by the fact that he must face the electorate?  Obviously, if the full MATC board were comprised of people who were forced to face the electorate, we would very likely see a much different MATC. 

There is but one conclusion.  MATC simply rubs our noses in it every chance it gets.  MATC is impervious to our scolding.  It never has to face the music.  It simply goes on its merry way increasing programs whether or not there is a return on that investment.  It simply goes on providing largess for its own.

This is an example of why the overall tax increase caused by the recently approved MATC budget was 4.9%.  Of course, we weren't told, before the budget was cast in stone, that Darnell Cole had yet to get his.  That might have been too obvious...even for we members of the great unwashed who only pay the toll on this road to nowhere!

Where does the secession petition stand?  Will it be filed on time?  Will the school board and the village board see eye-to-eye on the desired district?  Will our elected officials, both local, county and state, get behind this is a vocal and meaningful way? 

Former Village President, Charlie Hargan, responded in a comment to the Village Buzz published on Friday with this:

"The trees on Mequon Road in front of Pick 'n Save were diseased and will be replaced in the same locations. The trees in front of Sendik's were healthy ash trees that, as you indicated, had the misfortune to be in front of Sendik's over-sized sign. Sendik's asked Pres. Kempinski to have them removed, who told Adm. Schornack to have them removed, who told the Village Parks & Grounds Sup. to remove them. These were planted in accordance with the Village Street Tree Program, part of the reason we were voted as a Tree City USA community, and the only authorization for this had to come from the Village Board, after a recommendation from the Public Works Committee. It was never brought in front of either of them. They should be replaced in the same location. I think Sendik's will be a great asset to the Village but the trees were also and they were "grandfathered in" (here first)."

I am assuming that Mr. Hargan has his facts correct; if others wish to comment, please take the opportunity.

It seems that, more and more often, the President is making himself a committee of one and determining resolution of issues, and then implementing those resolutions by direct order to village administration and staff.  In my opinion, those kinds of actions can be seen as undercutting the staff and committee members, certainly can adversely impact morale, would appear to be contrary to established protocol and limiting of the proper public discussion that should precede such actions being taken.  There is no public meeting involved if that should've been taken prior to this action.  There is no audit trail available to the public to enable a review process.

If there were diseased trees, it is possible that there could be a reason to circumvent protocol, but the trees that affected the Sendik's signage certainly were a worthy subject of debate before precipitous action (such as destroying them) was taken.

I cannot help but feel that this is unhealthy in any government, even that of a village.  What decision-making will be next in line to be short-circuited if that is what has happened?  

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.

MATC has now ended the suspense.  Whew!  It has officially increased its tax take by the 4.9% that it miraculously managed to get down to from the original 'straw man' of 6.4%.  This codifies the fact that MATC's appetite for tax dollars has risen by some 30% over the past five years.  MATC's leadership, if it can be called that without demeaning the word, just can't seem to understand that, while it is impervious to the wants and needs of the citizenry it serves, it really has permitted its reach to exceed our grasp.

MATC strikes me as an iceberg looking for a ship to sink.  It is floating along with the tip showing while the bulk of the 'bloat' lies just under the waterline, out of sight and, too often, out of mind.  Until it hits the ship of taxpayers yet again.  The taxpayers on this 'ship of fools' have finally come to understand, at least in Germantown, that they would be better-served if they were permitted to disembark from the current ship that continues to be victimized by the MATC iceberg...year after year after year after year!

That disembarkation is, however, contingent on so many disparate factors as to seem nearly unachievable.  First and foremost is that failure to make the petition to the state technical college board seeking a move from MATC to another contiguous tech college district renders all the other points moot.  If that is filed, then we wait and see what the august state tech college board members decide is to be our fate.  The last such application was made in 2004 and was denied.  That doesn't necessarily mean that this petition would suffer the same fate...but it is probably a decent precursor.  The only other successful action of this nature involved Germantown's petition to be moved into the MATC district back in the early 1970s.  (Ironic, isn't it?)

Back to the basics, however.  This rate of increase could've been far better controlled if the governing board for MATC were subject to re-election.  It isn't.  It is subject only to the parochial appointment desires of MATC.  Talk about a great deal, huh?  If I'm going to be governed by someone, I'd love the opportunity to pick the person without any outside interference over things such as how effective they'd be in administering their responsibilities.  If I 'accidentally' picked someone that was in lock-step with my positions and goals, could I possibly be faulted?  Sure, but it would be meaningless because no one could do anything about it except maybe move away to escape.

Maybe more to the point, I could've used the euphemism of a polar ice mass, a glacier, grinding everything in its path into submission.  Pretty soon there'll be nothing left here to tax.  It'll have been destroyed by the taxes rendered.

I guess the good news is that you can't tax the same dollar for more than 100 cents, so there is some ultimate end point.  Yet, there are so many taxes being levied against each of our dollars that we get less and less while everything costs us more and more.

Maybe, IF we pursue the change in tech college districts, and IF the state tech college board approves, we can rid ourselves of MATC President Cole, his board and his kingdom of fire-breathing dragons that burn everything of value they can identify in their domain.

I believe a full scale audit of that institution is called for and I believe one or more of our elected officials at the state level needs to pick up that banner and carry it high for all to see.  This is way past the point of being mere Blog fodder, although it sure has been good for that!

There are apparently some rules regarding the conduct of exit interviews when an employee (or volunteer in the case of firefighters/EMTs) leaves the position.  Those don't always occur and, in some cases, could become an adversarial encounter depending upon circumstances involved.

Trustee Jim Langer has, I think, an excellent idea and that is requiring exit interviews and requiring that those be done by the human resource director.

I'd hope for there to be some caveats included:

The exit interview would be recorded (audio at least) from start to finish and the tapes would become public records.  The interviews would follow an agreed upon routine with all interview guidelines and questions published as part of the village policy statement concerning employment or volunteer positions such as those in the fire department.  The person being interviewed would have the right to be represented by counsel by providing notice prior to the hearing to that effect.  These new policies and procedures would supersede any and all existing policies and procedures.

All people who leave an organization leave for at least one reason and often more than one reason.  Those retiring may elect to retire early for some reason.  Those being terminated should have the opportunity to state their opinions and vent their grievances.  Those who have found a better job may be able to offer ideas or thoughts that will be helpful to the village in the future.

Exit interviews can be rewarding to both parties, one party or neither party.  That is simply the way it is.  But, there is a certain check and balance process that is triggered through exit interviews.  If, for example, one department loses three people in short order and if each has similar complaints that they claim led to their decision to leave, some initial conclusions might be drawn.  Leaders might conclude that there is a need to counsel the department head or to review compensation tables or any of a number of other things.

Exit interviews should be done by a person as disinterested as possible since the immediate superior may be the reason for the departure.  The recordings will, ideally, establish the full story of the departing person.  That story may be simple 'sour grapes', or it may point to very real issues needing resolution.  The weight of multiple departures with the same 'sour grapes' reason(s) claimed as part of the cause should serve to point to a possible problem even though it sounds like 'sour grapes'. 

Our village relies on relatively few people to make it work.  The loss of a key person can be problematic.  The loss of several people at the lower rungs can be problematic.  The loss of volunteers can be problematic.  The loss of anyone should give leadership the reason to pause and reflect.  Was there some underlying issue that could've caused the loss to be avoided?  If pay scales are the issue, then there may be a need to review that structure if we expect to be able to continue to attract solid performers.  If management styles are the issue, then village leaders need to reflect on those and make adjustments to avoid that becoming a continuing issue.  Managers can be 'in the dark' about their personal management styles, and exit interviews can help focus their own attention on personal shortcomings.

There is, inherently, relatively lower turn-over in villages and cities than in the private sector workplace.  Once one is employed by the Village of Germantown, for example, there is a clear set of expectations, there is a decent income, there are good benefit programs, there is stability of employment, and there is a decent working environment.  Turn-over rates of 15% to 20% are not at all unusual in the private sector, and yet those rates are unheard of in the public sector where 5% to 7% or even less might be closer to the norm.

We all want Germantown to be a good place in which to live and work, and we cannot reach and maintain that 'nirvana' unless those who help keep everything working as we expect also see Germantown as being a good place to live and work.

Exit interviews such as described above will certainly help us get to and stay at that point.

The morning Journal Sentinel talks about a petition being presented to the Milwaukee Common Council today that would require all Milwaukee private employers to provide paid sick days.  Employers with ten or fewer employees would be required to provide 1 hour for every 30 hours worked to a maximum of 40 hours of paid sick time per year.  Employers with more than ten employees would be required to provide 1 hour for every 30 hours worked up to a maximum of 72 hours per year.  Unused sick days would roll over from year to year.

This petition has been pushed by "labor, educational and community organizations" according to the article with the lead organization being 9 to 5, the National Association of Working Women.  It uses a state statute that provides for what is known as 'direct legislation', and requires the petitioner to present petitions signed by 15% of the total residents of the city or village involved that voted for governor in the most recent election.

Presuming all is in order with the petitions and signatures, the city council or village board would then be required to pass it or to put it on the ballot in the next election for a binding decision by the electorate.

I do not believe that a mandated employer sick pay law is appropriate anywhere, and am not suggesting that it ought be tried in Germantown.  The article cites the food service industry, for example; can you imagine how that would affect that industry?  Can you imagine how the costs would escalate if this were to occur?  Can you think of a more 'anti-business' proposition?

* * * * * * * * * *

It is interesting, however, that such direct action is available to citizens in cities and villages in Wisconsin.  Someone at sometime thought this was a good approach, and it found its way into law.  It obviously has a double edge to it.  It could be employed for good things or not so good things.  What it does do, however, is place the ultimate decision in the hands of the electorate if the city or village officials chose to ignore the petitioners' demands.

Is this a necessary 'check and balance' functionality or is it simply a tool that can be misused by the few taking advantage of emotional responses from the many?  Do we destroy the concept of representative government?  Do we permit populism to run rampant?

Barley Pop Pub closing?  Say it ain't so! 

I had the opportunity to get clarification on the story below from the Village Clerk several hours after posting the blog below.  She advised that the license for the Barley Pop Pub had been renewed earlier this month along with all the other establishments' licenses.  The issue concerning taxes owed must be resolved by the owners not later than June 30th according to Village Ordinance to prevent the loss of the current license.  Any establishment that has a liquor license must remain in good standing so far as building codes, taxes and fees and so on in order to avoid the suspension or loss of the license.  Village officials are powerless to make any concessions since the ordinance governs the situation.  Discussion did occur on the subject of amending the ordinance, however that did not result in any action being taken. 

My thanks to the Village Clerk for her clarification.

* * * * * * * * * * 

The liquor license of the Barley Pop is being threatened with non-renewal by the village unless back property taxes are paid by the end of June, and the owners say the Barley Pop may close if that happens.

The Barley Pop has been a fixture for nearly as long as I can remember.  I wonder how many of G'town's citizens have been in the Barley Pop at one time or another?  Probably a significant percentage and probably more than just once in awhile.

I don't recall hearing or reading of the occasional bar fight that I see reported every so often for other G'town establishments.  My food has always tasted fine; the portions are good; it isn't a gourmet stop, but it is a really good pub.  The non-smoking accommodations certainly point the way for an alternative to banning all smoking and the owners did that because they knew it would cater to most all the public.  I've always thought of the Barley Pop as being a well run business.

This business has been around for more than two decades.  I've not heard of this type of situation (unpaid taxes) regarding this business before.  I wonder just what the problem could be?  Could it be that the rising cost of food has slowed the business?  Could the cost of gasoline have depressed the business?  Every time I go into a grocery store, I'm reminded that food costs are rising regularly, and I know this has hit restaurants, as well.  It is not at all unusual to sit down and to be handed a freshly printed menu...with new higher prices.

We don't eat out as often as we did because the costs are going up and our budget is squeezed by other needs.  Maybe that has been the primary cause, or a major part of the problem, at least.

I hope that the owners and the village trustees can resolve this issue before we lose the Barley Pop.  It has become one of the icons of Germantown.  Our 'downtown' area doesn't need more empty store fronts.  Blight tends to lead to more blight and that isn't the mark of one of the thirty best places to live.

The move toward filing the documents necessary to seek secession from the Milwaukee Area Technical College tax district has begun to draw some debate amongst the politicos in Germantown.

Village President Kempinski has been quoted as being concerned with the seemingly slow movement in this process, and School Board President Erdmann says that we shouldn't worry because it is being taken up in July for ultimate filing in August.

Some have pointed to the earlier appointment of Superintendent Victor Rossetti as the death blow to any secession movement since Germantown is now directly represented on the MATC Board.

Mr. Rossetti will serve his last day as superintendent on June 30th.  What happens then?  Does he have to step down or is he permitted to serve out his term since he is then a 'former' superintendent.  What happens if he moves from the MATC district?  Is he immediately susceptible to removal if he doesn't resign?

Interesting questions all.  I have written earlier of some concern since the MATC discussion had been quiet for a seemingly long period of time.  Then we were advised that we shouldn't worry since the school board would resume its discussion in July. 

We are still a long way from the actual filing of documents and then we must await the decision of the state technical college board that is due within ninety days of the filing.  Then, even if we were to be successful...and that is far from a certainty...the actual secession wouldn't occur until the start of a new fiscal period for technical colleges.

And, of course, while this all plays out, we are being over-taxed and under-served by the money-eating monster that we know as MATC.

What we don't need are any artificial obstacles cropping up along the pathway to change.

Communities are fragile.  They are interdependent on so many disparate pieces as to be capable of being degraded quickly.  Maybe we can learn something from this morning's General Motors announcement concerning Janesville.

General Motors is closing the Janesville GM plant and that will put something in the range of 2,600 to 2,800 employees out of work.  This could happen as late as 2010 or as soon as next week, dependent only upon the marketplace.  There have already been over 2,000 jobs lost simply as the result of GM's slowdown in production.  This announcement will, unfortunately, cause many, many more announcements over the next months.

The economy of South Central Wisconsin is at risk.  Chrysler operates a similar facility in Belvidere, IL and many Wisconsinites work at that facility, too.

Communities either have or do not have spirit and vitality about them.  Those that do not seem to fit into one or the other categories are simply in transit from one to the other.  There can be no indefinite in-between in the life of communities.

Communities can move all too quickly from vitality to despair.  The trip back to vitality from despair takes much longer...often several decades if that quickly.

Germantown is not immune.  No matter that it was determined one of the thirty best places to live.  That distinction is solely in the eye of the beholder.  If the spirit of a community is broken, you can see that by simply driving through.  And, driving through is what prospective new inhabitants and prospective new employers do in communities without vitality.

I had the opportunity to drive into Beloit several weeks ago.  It had been years since I drove into Beloit; it was always easier and, frankly, more pleasant to drive around Beloit.  But this time, I had to go to the heart of the community...and I was amazed at what I saw and what I felt.  Beloit had re-captured the spirit that had eluded it most of my adult lifetime, and it was palpable.  It was present where ever I looked.  It was present in the lively steps of its citizens.  It was present in the well-kept boulevards, and in the pride taken by its residents in their homes.

If you can imagine a brightly colored balloon that is full of air, and then picture that same balloon as it has lost some of its air pressure, that might be the exercise we need to take daily as we think about our own community.  Those full, bright balloons exude their own sense of well-being.  And the half-full balloons send out their message, as well.

I hope that Germantown hasn't started losing air.  If I missed it and the air is already beginning to leave our balloon, then I hope we'll realize that something needs to change so that we can restore our fullness and brightness before we've lost too much air pressure. 

It is not possible to touch politics, but it is possible to sense ebbs and flows caused by changing political scenes.  It is the addition or subtraction of spirit.  It is the spirit of the community that determines its future.  Communities with spirit just seem to overcome the obstacles put in their way, while those that lose their spirit go into nearly perpetual decline.

I hope that our spirit isn't being eroded with the political in-fighting that seems to be flourishing today.

It has just dawned on me that the 'something' that seemed to be missing from the Memorial Day tableau was the American Flags that used to fly for this holiday/day of remembrance on the village light poles and utility poles.

My recollection is that they used to be in place for Memorial Day and flew through the July 4th holiday period before being taken down and stored away for the next year.

What happened to our flags?  Is this being done as a cost-cutting move?  Is this simply being done because someone thought it unnecessary?  Are the flags in such a state of disrepair that they can't be flown?

A few days ago I asked the rhetorical question about Germantown changing.

This seems another example of the subtle changes going on in the village.  I don't remember seeing or hearing anything about this change.  I confess that I cannot remember if this same thing happened last year.

We are supposedly one of the best thirty places places to live, but this kind of oversight, whether intentional or unintentional, seems to belie that honor. 

Our flag has been sufficiently desecrated by those who do not see the need to honor it as was always the case in our earlier years.  To miss or avoid the opportunity to fly flags on such holidays seems wrong to me.

We are, by all signs, involved in an oil cost run-up driven by demand being greater than supply.  It is exacerbated for us Americans because our monetary policy has seen an intentional softening of the dollar (our money is worth less than other peoples' money, so it takes more of it to buy a barrel of crude oil).  I paid $4.20 per gallon yesterday with the price of crude oil standing at about $130 +/- per barrel.  Predictions of crude oil prices of $150 per barrel or more are seen or heard regularly now.  And, the cost of oil could well be higher than that by year-end.

How did we get to this point?  We got there by congressional law making, by presidents rolling over and signing those bills, and by our country's increasing needs/demand for gasoline and diesel fuel.  Why would we permit ourselves to become part of such a quagmire?

Politics!  Politics played by those on both sides of the aisle.  Conservatives seem to have lost their voices.  Liberals never seem to lose their voices.

Laws were re-written more than thirty years ago to make it nearly impossible for a new refinery to be built.  Those were the result of congress being rolled by the environmentalists and presidents either believing the rhetoric of the day or fearing the backlash should they stand up to the rhetoric.  This has continued to this very day.  We are forbidden from drilling within 200 miles of the California and Florida coastlines but the Chinese are already doing so as we sit on our thumbs.  We are unable to pursue the shale oil deposits that span our northern plains and southwestern states.  We have ample untapped resources that are readily available but our laws don't permit us to make use of those resources.

We see the 'global warming' group and the 'environmentalist group' driving our economy into the ground...and we have not found the moral outrage/courage to stand up to them and say "no more"!  We could easily build new refineries in any number of locations around our country but we're not permitted to do so.  We know how to drill and refine today without ruining our world.  It takes from 6 to 10 years to bring a new refinery on-line so the time to have declared a moratorium on the rules that made it impossible to build new refining capacity has come and gone.  But, the typical congressional response of "that will take ten years" should remind us that if we don't roll back those silly laws today, it'll take ten years from whenever we do roll back those silly laws.  The time to begin is now, not next week or next month.

We witnessed the ridiculous 'hearings' held by congress in the past few weeks.  We watched as Sen. Herb Kohl embarrassed himself by chiding the 'big bad oil companies' for making a profit.  He is a former businessman who certainly understands that profit must be derived in order for businesses to exist and grow.  He knew how that worked when he ran Kohl's Food Stores.  He certainly must have some comprehension as the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.  His statement to the oil company executives that their profits didn't seem fair gives one a lot of insight.  He knows better but he will play/pander to the crowd he favors.  He 'feels' as do most liberals.  He doesn't necessarily reason.  He has his millions, so he can set out to control everyone else who aspires to similar success.

Sen. Kohl is but one of the 535 members of congress.  Too many of those men and women are too intent on keeping their offices to actually vote the way they probably know they should.  You have probably heard the old phrase that states you must "go along to get along".  That should be inscribed over the doorways leading to the House and the Senate chambers since it is the rule that is followed by the vast majority of people who walk through those portals.  That is true on the national stage, the state stage and the local stage.

The people who go to Washington and who do not give in and play by the Washingtonian rules are few and very far between.

Whose fault is this dilemma in the final analysis?  Yours and mine. 

We're the men and women who have permitted this to happen.  We don't vote in the House or the Senate, but we do elect those who do...and we do not seem to unelect people very often once they've gotten into office.  Rep. Steve Kagen (D) from the Appleton area stands for re-election this November.  He is at his most defeatable point historically.  If he survives the first re-election campaign and keeps his seat, he is likely to be in that seat for so long as he desires without regard to how he votes or doesn't vote.

We're so unconcerned about our vote, it seems, that we don't even think voting is sacrosanct enough to require valid photo identification before we're permitted to cast a ballot. 

So, all this angst has been brought to us by us.  Remember that the next time you buy gasoline or diesel fuel.  Remember that the next time you go to the grocery store and try to make your food budget stretch.  Remember that when you ponder whether or not you'll be able to take a vacation this year, or buy new school clothing for your children, or go out for a fish fry.  Remember that when you try to stretch your retirement income to cover your basic needs.

And, when you've gotten yourself all 'cranked up', if that happens, make a resolution to get involved and stay involved and to talk with your elected representatives at every level of government and let them know what you think and what you want them to do on your behalf.  And, if they fail you, fire them with your vote at the polling place.

Had you and I done that two decades ago instead of simply going with the flow, maybe we'd not be in the situation we find ourselves in today.

The MATC has developed yet another draft budget after the first such exercise produced the need for a 6.4% property tax increase (see Blog of April 23rd).  At the time of that budget draft, the governor apparently said he would not countenance such an increase.  MATC announced then that it would go back to the old drawing board and see what could be done to get down into the range of 'as little' as a 5.0% to 5.5% property tax increase.

Guess what?  They can now apparently declare victory in this onerous task since the finance committee is only proposing a revised draft budget that would consume another 4.9% increase in property taxes.  The proposed draft will come to a vote by the full board on May 27th.

MATC has developed budgets since 2004 that will have caused property tax increases of more than 30% if this draft is ultimately approved.

Has your personal income increased by 30% in the past four years?  Has your savings account grown by 30% in the past four years?  Has yours become a single income family instead of a dual income family in the past four years?  I doubt it.  But, if so, congratulations!  Even with such an increase, if that has happened for you, I'll wager that you have better places to put your hard-earned money.

The MATC finance committee says it has cut all it could cut from the budget.  Jeannette Bell, committee member and former West Allis mayor, was in favor of not only this 4.9% property tax increase, but also favors reducing the reserve account held by MATC which has been done as part of this draft. 

People costs are budgeted to increase significantly.  Wages and salaries will go up about $1.5 million.  Health care costs will rise by some $2 million.  Other 'fringe' benefits will add another $4.5 million, including  $2 million required to bring the recognition of accrued benefits onto the MATC books like any other 'business' must do today.  That is $2 million of 'funny money'; where else would we find accounting tricks employed if we were to subject this institution to the standards maintained by businesses?

I cannot accept the statement that MATC has cut 'everything possible' and still needs this kind of increase budget over budget.  The paragraph above suggests to me that people costs are way too high, and a very quick way to achieve reductions there is to have fewer people.  Maybe MATC should think about outsourcing certain functions.  Maybe they should think about 'tough love' negotiations with union representatives.  There are or ought to be limits even for tax-funded entities.

Maybe MATC needs to review its class demand and determine the bottom third by attendance and end those classes.  If there is insufficient demand, there is apparently not an identifiable 'significant' need.  MATC cannot be providing services to a market that doesn't exist in sufficient numbers to show demand.  That would free up space for other uses, and it would, or should, enable staff cuts that will reduce costs.

It is impossible to forget, in this debate over MATC, that there is a very real problem with the Milwaukee schools system and we must recognize that some of MATC's costs should rightfully be paid for by the Milwaukee school system since MATC is mopping up after that dismal performance.  Adult high school education classes and GED classes are an example of how the public education structure in Milwaukee fails its students and the residents of the community.  Interestingly enough, this may well be an intended consequence rather than an unintended consequence.  It gets non-Milwaukee taxpayers to pay more of the Milwaukee education costs than is already done through state tax distribution formula.

Finally, I suggest once again that MATC needs to clean up its many acts.  It needs to get out of the failed business incubator function.  It needs to quit building physical monuments to itself and its leaders.  It needs to look at sale and lease-back arrangements.  It needs to reduce staff. 

Frankly, it is becoming more and more apparent that significant leadership changes may be required, as well.  MATC leadership seems to be ignorant of the public's needs.  This is an institution answerable to no one other than the governor through his ability to appoint members to the state technical college board.  The state legislature and the governor must act to bring this renegade system under absolute control.  There must be a change in the manner in which the state board and the district boards are created; voters need to determine who sits on those boards.  The current incestuous approach simply doesn't work...for anyone other than the leaders and those who sit on the rubber stamp boards.

All this brings me to the next obvious question:  Where do we stand in the quest for permission to move to another technical college district?  There seems to have been a long delay in the process; maybe it is justified.  I hope it doesn't mean that the movement has been quietly put to sleep.

It is difficult, at best, to process information and understand whatever bias one might've injected.  There may be bias or it might be imagined.  The bias, if present, could be caused by the processor or it could have been injected into the process itself through the data gathering effort.

There is a certain tone, a certain something that seems to be going on in our fair community.  We have had political change, but it is hard to determine if that was a cause or an effect, or maybe a combination of those drivers.  We have an aging volunteer community that may foretell of more changes.  For example, will there cease to be a Mai Fest in a year or two or three given the fact that many of the organizers and behind-the-scenes drivers are getting almost too old to continue on their chosen pathways.

There are the rumors that one hears and there may or may not be truth, to whatever degree hindsight will prove, but those rumors have gained in intensity and show no signs of diminishing.  Again, that may be a bias that I've injected or that has been provided knowingly or unknowingly by the people involved in the process.

There is the sense that the school bonding issue, if brought back with no change, and if not thoroughly 'vetted' in public, will be a disaster.

There is the presidential race that will continue to confuse and confound us all until November.  There is the state senate race that will continue to elicit feelings, pro and con, about each candidate.  There is the assembly vacancy that will likely have candidates from both major parties, but that is yet to unfold.

My sense is that we are witnesses to something that will unfold over the course of months and, maybe, years.  I sense what some might refer to as a watershed.  But I have not been able to pin down anything of sufficient substance as of yet to begin to draw conclusions.  All I have are feelings and yet those are giving me the sense that there is something on our collective horizon that we'll look back on for years to come.

You know how the hairs on the back of your neck sort of stand up?  What do you think?

One of Germantown's commercial success stories has to be the company known as Cambridge Major Laboratories.  Its CEO is Michael Major and his company has been over-achieving since its founding by Major in 1999.  This company, now international in scope, is on the top of the wave of pharmaceutical company outsourcing.  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel business section discusses the firm and its new expansion plans today.

The ground breaking ceremony will occur on June 5th and will feature a distinguished guest as the result of another Germantown resident's outreach.  Washington County Supervisor Peter Sorce issued an invitation to Governor Doyle asking that he attend this ceremony and has received confirmation from the Governor's office that the Governor will make the trip to Germantown to be present when ground is officially broken for the new Cambridge Major plant expansion.  Sorce has been active in and around Germantown having served as a Village Trustee and now as a County Supervisor.

We are well-served, in my opinion, by Pete Sorce's presence and his representation.  I may not always agree with his position, but I do recognize that he has Germantown's and Washington County's best interests at heart.

The 'Disturbing News' Blog posted on April 24th discussed the newspaper article that highlighted Trustee Langer's resignation as Campaign Finance Director for President Kempinski.  Since that time, I have reviewed the campaign finance reports for both individuals.

Copies of the 'resignation' letter written by Trustee Langer dated April 10th and the 'acknowledgement' letter written by President Kempinski dated April 12th were found in the respective folders.  Mr. Langer refers to "many changes on the forms that were turned in and have numerous changes to them that I have no knowledge of" as his reason for the resignation.  Mr. Kempinski responded in his acknowledgment letter by indicating his surprise that this happened a year after the election (for Village President), referred to the "minor amendment" that "had to be made because you did not fill the form out properly" and his statement that "What is most surprising is your failed memory in regards to your making those many changes you have referred to".  Kempinski went on, in his letter, to say that "the forms were filled out by you and signed by you".

There were two specific changes that had been made and that were acknowledged in the margins of the report.  One was noted as an "improper donation" which could mean that it was done using a corporate check rather than a personal check, for example.  The other was to a union fund that had exceeded the maximum amount permitted at that time by $50.

Of more interest were the half-dozen or more that were obliterated by the use of what I would call 'white out fluid'.  Those items are no longer legible and there are no indications present that I could see which would describe the changes made and the reasons for the changes.  The totals on the report were also changed with the use of the 'white out fluid' and there is no indication I saw as to what those changes entailed.  I have to assume that the totals were corrected to reflect the two visible changes as well as the other non-visible changes.

There is probably never going to be an answer to this puzzlement, but it all, once again, leaves me wondering what and why?

Back on March 25th, we discussed the first story that centered on the Wellness Committee within the Germantown employee ranks.  The committee was about to make a request for up to $20,000 to be used in a wellness program for village employees.  This proposal was sent back by the General Government and Finance Committee at that time for more work by the group.  I had mentioned at the time that there seemed little enthusiasm for a $20,000 expenditure but that the committee had been encouraged to formulate more detailed plans and return.

That return visit is scheduled for tonight according to a Journal Sentinel article this morning.  That article stated that the committee will be returning with a proposal for the expenditure of $14,495 this year on wellness activities.  The key here will be the plan of action that they present.

Wellness programs can be very good for employees and their dependents if managed correctly.  Many private sector employers use them and have had good results.  Among the keys is that employees have to be engaged.  They have to be challenged.  Some private sector employers have used incentives to get the employee's buy-in.  The incentives are legal if put together correctly.

In other instances, smaller groups have managed to create sound wellness programs with the expenditure of relatively few dollars.  By few dollars, I am talking about a few hundred dollars that is leveraged using the resources already available within the community.  Many wellness programs have begun on a smaller scale and then expanded as ideas were proved to work.

Other wellness programs see the gradual decline of participation by employees.  That seems to happen when the programs become old and stale; when there are no new ideas or approaches being developed year after year.

And, it is very important that wellness programs are available to dependents of the village employees.  Dependents typically outnumber employees especially in a more mature workforce such as seems evident in Germantown.

Finally, negotiated agreements may need to be revisited should the village decide to proceed with a wellness program.

I hope that we do not see blanket approval without some in-depth study and analysis.  These programs can be good or bad; they are never guaranteed to work.

In the final analysis, the purposes of wellness programs also include a return on investment.  What will the investment of $14,495 this year do, if anything, to reduce costs in the health care programs next year or in the next five years?  Who has put the plan together?  Are they qualified to do so?  If a professional group, does it have a track record that can be reviewed by the Board before moving ahead?

I received several emails that provided some additional information and thoughts on the subject of the intersection at Mequon and Wausaukee Roads at the very east edge of the village.

Trustee Wolter was kind enough to send an email covering a meeting held at the Germantown Library on Thursday afternoon, April 24th.  The City of Mequon and Village of Germantown were represented, Senator Darling and Representatives Ott and Jeskewitz attended and several Department of Transportation representatives were present.

The topic was the intersection in question and DOT was seeking a 'compromise' for the signalization of the intersection.  The plan that was in process of implementation at that time was for two straight through lanes, dedicated left turn lanes with islands, and dedicated right turn lanes on Mequon with a single straight through lane traveling north and south on Wausaukee Road.

City of Mequon officials thought this was 'overkill' since they consider the area to be rural, and their planning supports that it will remain rural in their eyes.  They preferred the roundabout solution and were pushing for that as the outcome of this meeting.  Germantown officials wanted the intersection to stay as the DOT had designed and based this on the increased traffic due to Waste Management trucks and the increase in auto traffic east and west during weekday commute periods.  They also foresaw an increase in traffic as building in TIF 4 increased.  The DOT was looking out 20 years so far as design and capacity.

The 'compromise' that came from this meeting was this: a single straight through lane east and west on Mequon along with dedicated left hand and right hand turn lanes while Wausaukee stayed as designed with a single lane in both directions.  The provision was that something might need to be rebuilt if traffic projections were to be reached in the next ten years.

Conversations I have had indicate that some are concerned about the village being required to pick up the future cost while the DOT is now paying 100% of the costs for the construction.  Others have voiced the opinion that a roundabout was their preference, as well, and cited the thought that we may have been able to forego all construction if enforcement were to be stepped up in that area.  Still others questioned the need for any change suggesting that there were single digit accidents per year from their observations.

So, there is apparently a compromise in place. Maybe this will stay in place since all the 'official' parties were at this table.  As is customary, some of the 'unofficial' parties will continue to disagree.  That is among the reasons we hold elections every few years.

The intersection of Wausaukee and Mequon Roads has been accident prone for some time with the increased traffic loads that have developed.  The state Department of Transportation had originally indicated that it intended to place a 'round-about' at this intersection to slow traffic and control the flow through the intersection.  Seemingly the fact that this involved a state highway with relatively high speeds hadn't crossed the state's institutional mind.  Long story short, a couple of Germantown people who are no longer in office worked diligently to get this intended action changed and succeeded.

The state recently announced that a traffic light intersection would be created at that location and that the state would fully fund the work with the proviso that Germantown maintain the intersection.  Part of this intersection is in Ozaukee County and Mequon.

It seems that Mequon has made a 'stink' with very little in the way of rational reason, and this has apparently caused the state to threaten to renege on its written intention earlier provided to Germantown.  This situation has degenerated to the point where the 'round-about' solution was back on the table, and the ultimate outcome is very much in doubt.  In the meantime, accidents continue to occur and will continue to occur until something is done to eliminate the danger.

If you have strong feelings about this, it is the time to voice those to your elected representatives who serve in Madison.   When the state makes a decision and then rescinds that decision, someone somewhere must've done some tail-twisting.  You might also want to let your Trustees and Village President know just how strongly you feel about this so they can add the weight of your comments to their own.  The appropriate addresses are to found on the Village website link that is located at the very bottom of the GermantownNOW site you're on now.

Ty Finke wrote an article titled "Village president's campaign finance manager resigns" that appears both on the GermantownNOW site as well as in today's print edition.

The article is disturbing to me on several counts.  It seems to point up a schism between President Kempinski and Trustee Langer.  Mr. Langer was the 'campaign finance manager' referred to in the headline.  He reportedly resigned as the result of changes made to the campaign finance reports that he had helped Mr. Kempinski prepare a year ago.  I presume that one would not retain the services of anyone other than a trusted friend/acquaintance for such a sensitive role.  And such a seemingly abrupt end to the relationship raises questions for me.

We must remember that this is surfacing a short time after the changes in committee assignments made by President Kempinski that cost Trustee Langer his chairmanship of the Public Safety Committee.  Both men claim that one had nothing to do with the other.

We might simply be seeing some of those 'sour grapes' that have been referenced before following the recent election.  We might be seeing something that is symptomatic of deeper divisions between these two elected representatives.

It is disconcerting to think that two people who seemed to share common political positions and goals so closely could have such an apparent 'falling out' as this.  There has been little secret that both were closely aligned.  That suggests one or more of several things:

• Might neither person have ever had such a close affiliation as seemed the case to most observers?
• Might there have been something more that triggered the abrupt end of the campaign finance manager relationship?
• Might we be seeing the tip of some other iceberg?

Maybe we'll learn more as time passes.  Or, maybe this will get buttoned up and we'll learn nothing more.

This is one more in a series of things that raise questions in my mind.  There seems an arrogance permeating the leadership levels of our community that I find troubling.  I have to wonder what comes next as I mentioned a few days ago.

We've gone a long time between Blogs centering on MATC, but it is again time to take a critical look.  A 'headline' from some time ago suggested that MATC just can't help itself.  That seems to be the case.  They certainly don't seek out the kind of news coverage they tend to generate.  No organization would want to be in this type of 'limelight' and yet they do it to themselves over and over and over again.

Yesterday we learned that poor old MATC was being chastised by the 'state' for having proposed a budget that would require a property tax increase of some 6.4%.  It seems that even Governor Doyle thought that was too high, and that is going some when you think about all the tax increases and fee increases he has dumped in our laps.

So, having had their knuckles rapped with a ruler, they are being forced to the unthinkable...they may have to make some cuts in their expenses!!

They are now talking about cuts that will get the property tax increase down to as little as 5% to 5.5%.  These people do not live in the world that you and I populate.  They must breath some other life giving gas other than oxygen.  Maybe they're actually in a different orbit.  It seems obvious that they are not bound by the same life rules that we, the taxpayers, are bound to follow.

Hammering at an old theme again, if you and I have too little income for our expense load, we usually will look at our expense first and make the necessary adjustments.  In the world occupied by MATC, it seems that you first look at raising your revenue before you even give any thought to reductions in budget.

An article today centers upon the 'incubator boondoggle' that MATC created for itself many years ago.  We've Blogged about that before, as well.  Some of the businesses aren't real businesses with any hope of survival in the real world.  Many are considerably behind in their rent payments.  Now MATC is looking at actually closing or modifying the two incubators but it may have to give some money to those businesses that are to be displaced apparently according to some language in their agreement with each.  I've not seen those agreements, but I can't imagine that even MATC would give money away, much of it probably to those same businesses that are behind in their rent payments, if it were not bound to do so by the agreements.  Let's hope that MATC is sharp enough to hold back funds from this payment to at least recover the rental payments owed to it and to us taxpayers.

I have a high degree of difficulty in imagining that there is nothing else that can be cut out of the MATC budget.  How is it that MATC will cut expenses and still have to take us taxpayers to the cleaners for 5% to 5.5% more property taxes than we paid last time?  There are things that can be cut.  Let's talk about staff positions to begin with.  Let's look at the benefits next.  Let's review the travel expenses; it seems to me that was sort of a bloated area the last time we went down this pathway.  Maybe they need to sell off property and lease back the portions they actually need.  Maybe they need to shake up the status quo and actually take some real action like ending the deal with the current 'King' and getting a replacement that doesn't suffer from such egotism and illogical sense of institutional direction.  The Board should be capable of changing this direction unless it also suffers from something similar.

In the meantime, maybe the petitions to be removed from this system should be filed quickly and the case pressed while this iron is still hot enough to burn some sense into the directors of the state technical college system. 

By the way, Waukesha County Technical College has solidified its budget with a 3% increase in property taxes.  It is in the same geographic area, and faces most of the same issues.  What is the difference?  It seems to be leadership from my perspective.