Fire Department Discussion...

The Village Buzz of January 6th concerning the Christmas day fire has drawn some intense response.  There is more to the story and I learned that from others yesterday.  I have agreed with village officials to wait until later today to post that information.

It will most likely be somewhat in conflict with the original information I received from another individual and I believe it important to print the 'official' version of this incident.

Please stay tuned.

Village Board Races...

The trustee positions that are up for election in the spring (Tuesday, April 7th) and the people who are candidates are as follow:

District 1:  Incumbent Michael Bech not running.

Bill Steitz vs. Terry Kaminski

District 2:  

Jim Langer (Inc.) vs. Dan Wing

District 3: 

Al Vanderheiden (Inc.) vs. Dennis Meiers

District 4:  Incumbent Art Zabel is unopposed.

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School Board Races...

The board positions that are up in the spring and those who are declared candidates include:

At-large Seat 1:

Jayson Stemo, Shad Young and Kim Fischer

At-large Seat 7:

Tom Bowe (Inc.), Robert Banner III, Brian Palzkill and Erin Jex

A primary election will be held on Tuesday, February 17th with the top two vote getters in each race moving on to the spring election to be held on Tuesday, April 7th.

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We will see new faces on both the Germantown Village Board as well as on the Germantown School Board.  It is good to see that only a single seat is uncontested.  Obviously Art Zabel must be seen as unbeatable and that is fine, but it is good to see fresh blood in the game every so often.  That tends to keep everyone a bit more on their toes than might otherwise be the case.

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Finally, if you've not visited the Village of Germantown website recently, take a look at the newly refreshed site.

Fire Department Staffing Question...

I received an e-mail from a concerned citizen (whom I know, who has no axe to grind and who isn't a 'crackpot' in any way) yesterday who raised the question as to whether we might be at the point where we needed to add to our full-time firefighter staffing numbers.  He was talking about the Christmas day fire and his e-mail read like this:

"I can't believe that our Village leaders will not provide us with full-time fire protection.  We have many dedicated on-call firefighters upon whom we rely for protection, however, on that Christmas day fire were 3 people who showed up on the 1st truck that went out, and they had to pull an EMT person from the ambulance to be the 2nd person on the other truck that went to the fire.  So Germantown had 4 firefighters at the fire and had to rely on mutual aid from surrounding communities.  As a result, the home sustained a lot of damage.

I think its time to really push the Village to upgrade the paid fulltime fire positions.  As our community has grown, we have seen the increased tax dollars gladly taken in, but not spent on the essential services like fire and police protection, and improved roads."

I recall having broached this subject some months ago with nothing much coming from it at that time.

What are the thoughts from those in the community?  Is it time for this subject to be aired fully?  Are you willing to see some of your tax dollars put to this use?

Wow!  It's Snowing Again (Still)...

The last prognostication I heard from the weather professionals this morning indicated that we could have another foot of snow between now and Christmas.

I visited with Dave Schornack, Village Administrator, yesterday on another subject and he mentioned that Germantown had burned 1,200 gallons of fuel just on snow clearing over the past week-end.  That also required that our village crew members were on the job for sixteen straight hours at one point.

Dave did mention that as soon as there was a sufficient break in snow falling, the village will begin to haul the accumulated snow banks away to make room for more.  It doesn't sound very promising for that activity in the next few days.

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Property Tax Bills...

That reminded me that I had planned to mention our community tax bills.

My property taxes, in total, increased $5 year over year.  I can live with that quite nicely, thank you!  There is a growing interest within Wisconsin to see the property tax system relieved of the ever-increasing pressure felt by property owners.  Among other things, that would see increases in sales taxes and in numerous fees.

An organization called Wisconsin Way has presented its plan for accomplishing this and we'll likely write about that plan in coming weeks.

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Winter Safety...

The snow that is costing us all money for road maintenance has more serious effects.

First, the rate of accidents, most relatively minor thank goodness, has increased even after we've gotten the 'hang' of winter driving.  The powdery dry snow falling this morning on top of snow-packed streets has certainly made for slick streets.

The huge piles of snow that have accumulated are making our intersections more hazardous and causing youngsters out enjoying winter to be more difficult to see.  We really need to adjust our driving habits and our driving speeds around the community to preclude loss of life in addition to damage to and loss of property.

Officer Bosco Fund Well-Supported...

A morning press release from Chief Pete Hoell brought good news.

Officer Bosco is back to work and doing well.  And, the fund raising effort has met with success.  The goal of $4,000 has been surpassed although the department will happily continue to accept your donations if you desire and add that to the K-9 Fund for future Bosco needs.

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Village Races Shaping Up...

District 1 - Michael Bech has indicated he will not seek re-election and former trustee Bill Steitz is planning to run for that seat according to reports.  Rumors indicate that he may have a challenger in that race.

District 2 - Incumbent Jim Langer will run again for a third term and will be opposed by Dan Wing, a Plan Commission member, who has run before.

District 3 - Incumbent Al Vanderheiden will run for a third term and will be opposed by Dennis Meyers, a member of the Police and Fire Commission.

District 4 - Incumbent Art Zabel is running for a seventh term and is, so far at least, unopposed.

Nomination papers must by filed by 5PM on Tuesday, January 6th.  Primary elections will be held on Tuesday, February 17th, with the general election set for Tuesday, April 7th.

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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! 

Police dog Bosco undergoing surgery

The health of a beloved canine contributor to the community could be at risk.

Germantown Police Department police dog Bosco is having surgery this afternoon to remove a mass that may be cancerous.

Officer Bosco, used by the department for the last four years to detect a variety of drugs and search for suspects and endangered people, has been experiencing health problems, and doctors discovered the mass during an examination Nov. 26.

Germantown Police Chief Peter Hoell said the surgery, at an estimated cost of $2,000 to $3,000, could be the first step in saving the 6-year-old dog.

"We are going to hope for the best and prepare for the worst," Hoell said.

It is unknown whether additional treatment will be necessary, so the department is seeking any help the public is willing to offer to offset the cost of Bosco's medical bills. Checks made payable to the Germantown Police Department K-9 Fund can be mailed to the department, N112 W16877 Mequon Road, Germantown, WI 53022, or dropped off in person.

"At this point we'll take things day by day," Hoell said, adding that the department is committed to doing everything it can to cure Bosco.

For information, call the department at (262) 253-7788.

(Article courtesy of Ty Finke)

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Winter Wonderland...

Germantown has taken on the look of Christmas with the eight or so inches of snow that fell on us overnight.

Our snow plowers and salters appear to have been on the ball given the state of our roadways this morning.  I've heard the sirens that always seem to announce the first major snowfall of each season.  We can hope that the only injuries suffered were by fenders and bumpers.

Isn't global warming an amazing phenomenon?

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Village Board Reconsiders Hotel Tax...

The Village Board meets tonight and among the agenda items is the possible reconsideration of the 2% bump (a 33% increase from 6% to 8%) in the hotel room tax in Germantown.

Public comments had indicated that all the hotels in Germantown were in support when this was originally passed, however a storm of criticism erupted following the vote.  Apparently there wasn't the support thought at the time.

Sheriff's Department Gathers Kempinski Records... 

JSOnline and the print edition of the Journal Sentinel have an article by Don Behm discussing a search warrant that was used to pick up records that included campaign finance reports and receipts.  According to that article, some 30 documents were removed from the Village Hall on Friday, November 7th.

A search of the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access site shows that Case Number 2008GF000978 was filed against Thomas Kempinski on November 7th in Branch 3 of the Washington County Circuit Court with Judge David Resheske named as the Responsible Official.

The affidavit requesting the search warrant alleged that some of the campaign documents had been altered.

I had looked at the campaign finance file of President Kempinski some time ago, following the resignation of Trustee James Langer from his position on the Kempinski campaign, and noted that pages had been altered using correction fluid and questioned whether or not this was permissible given that the original documents didn't appear in the file at that time.

It is unfortunate that innocent parties will likely be involved as this is unraveled, but that appears to have been felt to be necessary by officials in order to get to the truth.

I suspect that involved parties may be unable to comment, but, if that is not the case, we would welcome any 'guest blogs' on this subject so long as the individual(s) is/are willing to identify themselves.

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.

Trick or Treat from 5:30PM to 7:30PM...

Please remember that the little witches, ghosts and goblins will be out and about throughout the village tonight and that they cannot always see well through their masks or costumes.

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MATC Secession Public Hearings Set...

The Wisconsin Technical College Board has two meetings set for the near future at which citizens can testify for or against the petition filed earlier by the Germantown School District to be permitted to move from the MATC district into the Moraine Park district.

Those meetings are to be held on Tuesday, November 11th at two different times in two different Menomonee Falls locations.  The first is from 2PM to 5PM and is to be convened at the Menomonee Falls Public Library; the second is from 6PM to 8PM and will be held at the Menomonee Falls Community Center.

The chances for a favorable ruling are likely slim already given the history that prevails.  Public testimony on issues regarding access and class selection, for example, might help tip the balance.  Remember that tax rates are not something the Board will take into account in reaching its conclusion.

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Special Board Meeting Results Unknown...

The village trustees met behind closed doors last evening for the following stated purpose:

Adjourn into closed session under Wis. Stats. 19.85 (1)(c) considering employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility; (f) considering financial, medical, social or personal histories or disciplinary data of specific persons, preliminary consideration of specific personnel problems or the investigation of charges against specific persons except where para. (b) applies, which, if discussed in public, would be likely to have a substantial adverse effect upon the reputation of any person referred to in such histories or data, or involved in such problems or investigations; or (g) conferring with legal counsel for the governmental body who is rendering oral or written advice concerning strategy to be adopted by the body with respect to litigation in which it is or is likely to become involved

A deductive process would reasonably suggest that this closed door meeting pertained to the issue of the alleged sexual harassment recently brought to light.  I know of nothing else that would seem to fit the descriptions provided in the Wis. Stats. section above.  There were allegations that could be damaging.  There is an employee involved.  The employee apparently had threatened legal action if she felt wronged by actions of the Board so far as her position was concerned.

Some three weeks have passed since the story broke, the citizens have no more information than at that time, and don't yet know what is going on.  It seems that there must be something happening, since the Village Board passed its unanimous statement of support for President Kempinski.  It looks as though the Village Attorney was likely in attendance, as one would expect. 

Village Administrator Schornack stated, according to a small piece by Tom Kertscher on the GermantownNOW site, that he would be informing trustees about a personnel issue and that the trustees would not be taking any action.

I certainly hope that we'll all be privy to what has been going on and what may be expected in the future before too much more time has passed.

Remodeled & Expanded Senior Center...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Perplexing Situation...

I have been struggling over the issues involved in the case of the alleged sexual harassment that was reported by Tom Kertscher, the resolution passed by the Village Board in unanimous support of Village President Kempinski, the budgeting process and the general cloud that hovers over some village workers.

It is true that the woman who made the accusations has not filed a formal complaint, at least so far as the public knows, and that may well be a necessary precursor before any other action could be considered.  I am not an attorney and do not profess to know the answer to my question.  If someone does, please comment.

It is true that the board has publicly resolved that it supports the president.

It is true, if the memo is to be believed, that the woman involved has stated that she simply wants to be left alone to do her job.

It is true that the village is involved in developing its budget for the coming year.

My problems are these:

Would the village and the president be sued by the woman who made the allegations if her position were to be adversely affected by the budget process as she has stated would be the case?  If so, is she, in effect, holding the budgetary process hostage?  Does that also transfer over to her job performance?  If so, is she now assured a position no matter the financial or performance questions that may exist?  If performance questions were to be raised, can she legitimately claim that her performance has been adversely affected by the harassment that she alleged? 

The identity of the woman has not been made public.  How do the other women working for the village feel about the notoriety that has been brought on them because they are women and might be viewed by some in the general public as possibly being the person who made the allegations? 

We have a 'she said' - 'he said' - 'they said' conundrum going on and it seems that simply hoping it will go away is fraught with problems.

Does that approach deal with the problem or simply delay the fact that it may have to be dealt with?

Do the citizens simply ignore the allegations and trust that the 'solution' so far revealed has been sufficient in this case?  Again, we are not privy to whatever process may have been used behind closed doors to bring this situation to the point it has reached. 

If there is no truth to the allegations, will the person making the complaint still be able to work in the same environment and be effective.  If there is no truth to the allegations, will the president still be an effective representative of the people or does he risk having been somehow compromised in this process?

I do not know if there is a good answer to all the questions.  I do think the questions are valid.

No matter how long nor how often I've pondered this set of questions, I have continued to arrive at the same position.

Toothpaste cannot be put back into the tube no matter if the squeezing of the tube was an accident or was intentional.  There may be no truth to the allegations made by this woman, as the board seems to believe, but the allegations were made nonetheless.  That toothpaste is out of the tube.  I cannot help but believe that her relationship with other employees has been affected whether rightly or wrongly, and I cannot help but presume this will never be something that doesn't have an effect on relationships.

For example, a male employee would have to think that he might be putting himself at risk if he were to meet alone with this woman if that were ever required.  Female employees could harbor a grudge as the result that would threaten to affect the overall harmonious environment in the building.

I believe that the village should be looking at some kind of termination buy-out that would help the woman through the process of finding other employment and that would bind the woman to making no other allegations or threats of suits against the village. 

I understand that this Blog will probably be something akin to a 'lightening rod' but I believe there is a very real problem needing resolution without any profession of guilt or innocence.  At this point, I don't care about innocence or guilt; I do care about the tenuous position the village could find itself occupying if something such as this isn't done.

I do not believe the current 'fix' is a lasting fix for the reasons I've discussed earlier in this piece. 

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

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

• Democratic
• Republican
• Wisconsin Green
• Libertarian

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

District Attorney:

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

County Clerk:

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

Treasurer:

• Janice Gettelman (Republican)
• Write-in_________________

Register of Deeds:

• Sharon Martin (Republican)
• Write-in_________________

Referendum - Germantown School District

Question #1:

Shall the following Initial Resolution be approved?

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

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

Yes ____

No   ____

Question #2

Shall the following Resolution be approved?

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

FOR RECURRING PURPOSES

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

Yes ____

No   ____

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

SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS...

JSOnline today carries an article by Tom Kertscher that begins, at least, to answer some questions that have been swirling in my mind for several weeks.  Rumors have been 'on the streets' since early-September to the effect that there had been turmoil within Village Hall.  This article points to a memorandum, written by Village Administrator Dave Schornack, that points to allegations by a village employee concerning sexual harassment supposedly involving Village President Tom Kempinski.

It seems there was sufficient impact in the allegations to warrant a special meeting of the Village Board on September 22nd, although that is supposition based on timing and the purpose declared for the 'closed meeting' being matters involving personnel.

The memo apparently indicates that the employee alleges her being tasked with personal work for Mr. Kempinski that included helping him apply for jobs.  All this supposedly happened on village time using village assets.

Forget, for the moment, that there were also supposedly sexual harassment elements included in the complaints made by the employee.  The simple accusation of the use of village employees for personal services on village time is sufficiently serious so as to warrant an open investigation.

There have been other suggestions of personal and/or non-village activities performed by staff on behalf of Mr. Kempinski.  One of these allegations centered on the Leadership Germantown project of Kempinski's that saw the Farmer's Market moved to The Livery in Rockfield.  That supposedly consumed some village employee time and materials.  The metal signage created to point people to The Livery was supposedly made by village employees using village equipment.

Individual allegations can usually be dismissed but the appearance of more than one or two such instances begs a public review.

Among the questions that arise is this:  If there was sufficient apparent substance to warrant the memo from Mr. Schornack, and he apparently felt that to be the case, and if there are other supposed situations where village resources were deployed on behalf of an individual, what else is there to be found in a detailed public audit?

If, as I suspect, some seek the resignation of Mr. Kempinski, the audit should be made anyway.  Citizens have a right to know about these allegations in light of this article and the disclosure of the memorandum that prompted it.

Becca Murray Proclamation...

Germantown's own Gold Medal Olympian, Becca Murray was honored by the Village Board last evening with a Proclamation lauding her accomplishments.  Unfortunately, she was back on campus at Whitewater to get re-oriented and back in that swing after her globe-trotting, but she will cherish this I'm sure.

Super Job, Becca!!

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Robin Norton Commendation...

Robin Norton was awarded a Commendation recognizing her ten years of contributions to our community in her EMT role with the Germantown Fire Department.

We have many unsung heroes and it is nice when one or more can be given a bit of the spotlight.

Thanks Robin!!

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IDL Solutions Lands Huge Contract...

The Small Business Times reported today that Germantown-based IDL Solutions Inc. has been informed that it won a $2.5 billion contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  IDL is the lead partner in a joint venture with another firm, Pragmatics Inc.

The contract involves a 10-year effort in Information & Computing Technologies for the 21st Century.  The team will provide a broad range of IT infrastructure management and support services.  IDL has fewer than 50 employees in its Germantown headquarters and will be hiring although the exact location of those new hires is unknown at this time.  IDL also has offices in Vienna, VA.

The IDL-Pragmatics team has numerous sub-contractors in the joint venture company called IDL-Pragmatics Innovation Partners JV.

Let's hope that a large number of the new hires come to Germantown!

Germantown Police Department Building Follow-Up...

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

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

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

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

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

1998:  Garage addition proposal submitted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Air quality due to electronics needs to be improved. 

Men and Women’s lockers are over capacity.

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

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

No room to function as an Emergency Operations Center.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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July 11, 2007 Public Safety Committee Meeting:

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

August 7, 2007 Public Works and Highway Committee Meeting:

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

Village Board Meeting September 17, 2007

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

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

October 2, 2007 Public Works Committee Meeting

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

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

October 15, 2007 Village Board Meeting

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

October, 2007

Construction occurs.

December, 2007

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

May 5, 2008 Special Meeting of Public Works Committee

River Lane project was approved

May 5, 2008 Village Board Meeting

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

June 3, 2008 Public Works Committee Meeting

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

August/September 2008

Construction commences on the sidewalk.

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

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

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Germantown Police Department Budget...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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