County
|
Our Costs Have Gone Up TOO |
|
|
|
|
Thursday, 15 May 2008 |
|
WCTC has given its blessings on a 3.8% tax increase for this upcoming year citing increases in costs--utility, gas, staffing, benefits, etc. Not to repeat an old but true thing, just what are we taxpayers supposed to do? Personally speaking, my morgage payment went up $60 a month due to increased taxes, my utility bill went up $70 a month, my grocery bill went up substantially (even shopping at Aldi and other discount stores), gas is breaking the piggy bank, but you know what? I CANNOT GO RUNNING TO THE TAXPAYER FOR MORE MONEY and my boss gave me 2% because he is affected by the same increases. (And any increase my spouse gets will not make up the difference.) Taxpayers wake up and taxers get real.
|
|
Rodell Singert-The Right Man for the Job |
|
|
|
|
Thursday, 14 February 2008 |
Read all about the candidates in the 24th County Board District.
By the way, vote for whoever in the presidential primary. This is shaping up to a "plug your nose", a 'lesser of all evils' , etc. election. We wouldn't be suprised if many known conservatives strategically vote for Hillary this time around. 
|
|
Is 2% Better Than A Freeze? |
|
|
|
|
Saturday, 22 September 2007 |
|
County Executive Dan Vrakas will unveil his budget on Tuesday.
|
|
Thursday, 13 September 2007 |
|
The Waukesha County Board will be faced with the decision of whether to eliminate one of the most expensive and uneffienct and underutilized bus routes. Businesses in the area where this bus route goes have already stated they are unwilling to save this route and take this route off of the backs of county taxpayers. This one will be interesting to watch and to see if the Waukesha County Board is able to make an easy decision to efficiently use taxpayer dollars just as it will be interesting to watch and see what the budget proposals will be. Will County Executive Vrakas come in with a 0% increase as Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has done for years? or a 2% as in the last two years? or 4% as the proposed state budget allows? And what will the board's budget look like? Only time will tell just how much taxes will go up this December.
|
|
Our Government Representatives At Their Best |
|
|
|
|
Thursday, 26 July 2007 |
 We pay these guys?
As a side note, we support County Executive Dan Vrakas as he vetos the new library tax for two reasons: It is just another new tax and it is taxation without representation.
|
|
The County Board and The Board Chair Position |
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, 22 May 2007 |
The debate is focusing on the tax rate in Waukesha County and the Bond rating as a rationalization to give the Board Chair a raise. Sorry guys, that doesn't work with us. Waukesha County has high property value thus a lower property tax rate. If the County Board and County Executive cannot maintain the Bond rating with the property tax base Waukesha County has, they should all be replaced. Supervisor Singert has just made the motion, Harenda seconded, to reduce the Board Chair to parttime with a salary of $25,000--double the statewide figure of other boards statewide.
Live Updates:
Gundrum just verified the above statement. When you downsize in private business there are less people to manage.
Marchese won't support the raise unless he knows who is in that position.
Vitale says that cheep government isn't good government. Why screw around with Waukesha when it comes to saving taxes. (From the WTL-haven't you heard where Waukesha rates in taxes?)
Cummings will not support the downsizing of the board chairman position. The board chairman fills in on committees when other committee members with 44% attendance don't show up. The Board still giving $200K in incentive pay to county employees.
Houkel stated that the effort to downsize the county board, salaries, chairman position is a devaluing of the Legislative Branch of the County Board.
Bullerman questions what the savings are beyond the salary savings.
Kolb believes a raise in order and does not support a parttime chair. To make a political game out of this is the wrong thing to do.
Harenda will vote for the parttime chair and against a raise for the chair.
Vote on the amendment failed 5-28 to make the chair parttime at $25,000.
Vote on the motion to give a 3% raise to the board chair for each of the next two years passes 28-5.
|
|
County Board Freezes It's Pay |
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, 22 May 2007 |
|
The Waukesha County Board has just voted to freeze it's salary for the next 2 years on a vote of 22-11.
|
|
|
County Board Committee Votes 6-1 to Freeze Salaries |
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, 15 May 2007 |
Today, the Personnel Committee of the Waukesha County Board voted in favor of freezing board member salaries 6-1. This was one of the issues that repeatedly came up during the board downsizing movement the WTL led last year. However, in a political move by the chair, the committee also voted to give the County Board Chairman a 3% raise every year. Supervisor Singert had previously requested languague to freeze the board's salary and language to downsize the board chairman's position to parttime with a salary of $25,000. The language for the second proposal was not ready for today's meeting. Singert was in attendance at today's meeting but was not given the floor to speak on the Chairman's salary. Board member Singert will continue to follow through with this initiative at tomorrow's Finance meeting (9:00 a.m. Room 179) by making amendments to what will be presented. Thank you Supervisor Singert for doing the work the citizens of Waukesha requested. We notice!!! Looking for comparisons to other counties? JS Coverage
Update: The Finance Committee voted this morning to freeze the Supervisor's pay on a 5-1 vote. Finance Chair Houlkel voted against the motion because she didn't want to 'diminish the value' of a County Supervisor. She was unsuccessful in her attempt to cloud the issue by proceedural questions and past practice of giving raises. In addition, she stated that all this board bashing (we prefer to call it follow through on questions raised by citizens) was political. Supervisor Paulson, the Personnel Chair that brought the proposals forward, took some offense to this. Chair Houkel clarified her statement wasn't directed at Supervisor Paulson, but the supporters of the ordiance. In simple terms, she was directing her comments to the WTL and not her cronies on the board. Supervisor Hutton appropriately stated that the board spends way too much time discussing their own salaries than they do any other real issues they should be dealing with. The Finance Committee also voted to increase the board chairman's raise by 3% in 2008 and 2009 despite comparisons that show Waukesha County does not need a fulltime chair paid at over $52,000 per year. Supervisors Singert and Hutton voted against the increase.
The Board will meet on May 22, 2007 to approve both ordinances and any amendments that come up.
|
|
|
Reforming the Way the County Board Does Business |
|
|
|
|
Thursday, 29 March 2007 |
|
On Monday, April 2, the Executive Committee will be discussing two new proposals brought forward by Supervisor Singert. The first would allow committee members elect their own leadership. This would give more opporturnity for all board members to participate at different levels. Committee chairs are appointed by the board chairman. The second proposal is to allow the county board as a whole elect the at large members of the Executive Committee. This too would be a change from the the current practice of the board chairman appointing these positions. We certainly hope that the Executive Committee sends these two proposals to the full board for a vote. Here is our letter to all supervisors.
|
|
|
University of Wisconsin-Waukesha Salaries |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, 18 March 2007 |
|
Here is the link to the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha Salaries.
|
|
|
County Board Reduced to 25 |
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, 12 April 2006 |
|
The WTL’s campaign to reduce the size of the Waukesha County Board is nearing a successful end as County Executive Dan Vrakas will sign an ordinance reducing the number of Supervisors from 35 members to 25 members on April 13th. Although we find it unfortunate that the citizens were circumvented from this process, we are pleased that ultimately the board has moved closer to a reasonable size. Stay tuned as we explore other ways to make Waukesha County government more efficient in the future.
The WTL is leaving this content online due to the number of people from other counties who have contacted the WTL via our website to find information on how to reduce their own county boards. As counties have banned together through the Counties Association, we see the need for taxpayers to work together in the same manner. Our information is available for download and fine tuning to meet another county's needs.
|
|
|
Friday, 03 March 2006 |
|
The Waukesha Taxpayers League has initiated a referendum to reduce the size of the Waukesha County Board to a more reasonable numbers than the current 35 supervisors. Governor Doyle recently signed a piece of legislation that allows counties to reduce the size of the board a second time between censuses. County Executive Vrakas has proposed reducing the County Board to either 25 or 19 via a vote by the Waukesha County Board. To date, there are not enough votes within the County Board for either proposal, nor can we confirm enough votes to sustain a veto by County Executive Dan Vrakas.
The new legislation also allows citizens to petition to go to referendum to reduce the county board. We have researched this option because we do not believe that the board will vote to reduce its numbers--other than a token two or four to stop the community from going to referendum. We have contacted current and former county supervisors and it is evident that the board can be reduced substantially. By law and their own policies, the board exists to oversee the budget and to set policy, not micro-manage, and we firmly believe that it doesn't take 35 supervisors to do that.
While state law allows the citizens to petition to go to referendum, it also allows the board to take a vote while signatures are being gathered. This vote can take place at a regularly scheduled meeting or at a special meeting scheduled with minimal notice by the Board Chairman. The only thing that can stop the board from voting to reduce its size marginally is the acceptance and verification of 10,800 signatures by the County Clerk. Time is of essence.
Please support us in our attempt to collect the needed signatures. Only through your effort can we exercise our democracy and have direct input into the future of County Government.
|
|
|
County Board on Reduction to 19 |
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, 14 February 2006 |
|
The WTL recently performed a survey on whether County Supervisors would be interested in reducting the size of the County Board to 19 as proposed by County Executive Dan Vrakas. The results are as follows.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
|
