Just got back from the Oak Creek Council adoption (6-0) of the budget. They think they’re soooo good for “limiting” the levy increase to 3.97% (or $692,742 on a budget that was just shy of $17.5 million last year) and the rate increase to $0.05/$1,000 of assessed value (0.70%). Before I get to just how unprepared Mayor Dick Bolender and company were for the public hearing held just before the adoption of the project, there are a few items from the memo from the preparers of the budget (Finance Manager RoseAnn Underberg, City Clerk/Comptroller Beverly Buretta and Administrator Patrick DeGrave) to the mayor, common council and the taxpayers (yes, they were listed in that order):
- They whine, whine, whine again about the soon-to-expire revenue limits, then proceed to bust them. According to the memo, because of new construction, the levy could go up 3.956%, or $684,631 instead of the 2% base limit. They’re all older than me, and I came out of the Oak Creek/Franklin system, so I don’t know if I can blame public education for the failure of math here. Then again, I taught myself math before I made it to kindergarten, so I’m not the best judge of that.
- That
$12 million$15+ million after interest Taj Mahal police station pushed by my former alderman, Al Foeckler, continues to bite the taxpayers. Because the residual funds from the construction project and the funds from the sale of the old police station ran out this year, $190,000 of that levy increase is going to the mortgage (it would have been $390,000, but they found an extra $200,000 from this year’s ending fund balance from the closing of a pair of TIF Districts). It just gets worse; next year’s increase to cover the Taj Mahal mortgage will need to be $310,000 because the mortgage is just over $1 million annually, and we’re stuck with that bill until 2017. And Hizzoner and company are wondering why we’re wary about their call to replace city hall, one of the fire stations, the library, and a pair of city garages. - Despite an increase of total revenues, including state shared revenue, of only $286,800 (or 1.6%) to $18,182,674, spending is going up 5.7% to $21,441,360. Here’s the funny thing; that 5.7% expenditure increase still qualifies for the state’s “Expenditure Restraint Program”. Well, it would be funny if I didn’t have to pay the bill.
- Reassessments will be coming in either 2007 or 2008; the assessed value is down to 86% of the equalized value.
Now, onto the public hearing (for which I was a wee bit tardy):
– The person at the podium when I got there was Arlen Degner, the old guard in the anti-tax movement here in Oak Creek. He kept hammering home that the taxes are going up faster than our ability to pay them and lambasted the mayor and company for not trying to make the hard choices we who pay their salaries have to make. Like clueless dolts, they didn’t understand.
They also don’t understand that it’s a combination of the tax rate and the assessed value that determines the bottom line; the city administrator (I think; there wasn’t a placard in front of him saying who he was) tried to spin the very-visible increase by saying if Oak Creek had reassessed this year, the rate would “only” have been $6.22/$1,000 of assessed value. Only one problem; the average assessment would have gone up the equal amount to keep the bottom line at the same increase.
– Next up, Mark Verhalen, the new guard in said anti-tax movement. He pointed out that Oak Creek’s government is so much less efficient than Franklin’s. Hizzoner appeared to never have heard of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, Foeckler trotted out some meaningless bit about taxes being higher in Franklin (attributable to less industry/commerce, a situation that is changing rapidly), and my new alderwoman Ann Lampe huffed and puffed that because Franklin doesn’t have a freeway running through it, they don’t have the safety needs of Oak Creek (funny, last time I checked, the OCPD didn’t patrol I-94, and Franklin had more land area and people).
– Last up, one of my old neighbors, who got confused by a part that was added to the memo referenced above, namely the levy increase for the Taj Mahal police station mortgage and the add-on part about the levy increase being a bit less than expected because of the closing of a pair of TIF Districts. Hizzoner and company didn’t offer any sort of explanation.
Say Doyle, can I get my $5 directly from you because I sure as hell am not getting it from the city of Oak Creek, the Oak Creek/Franklin School District, MMSD or MATC? The only hope left is the county. Scott Walker is going to try to deliver a levy freeze (be there at KEI tomorrow at noon for the veto party), but we need 2 supervisors (neither of them mine) to remember who pays their salaries and not who pays their campaign bills; Lynne DeBruin and Ryan McCue.
I’m not surprised at the budget increases. City worker’s need to continue to earn more than the constitutients and must have better benefits. {When are the residents going to get it together and mandate tax paid officials and employees not earn more than the mean constitutient Wage?}You didn’t mention the failing Mahn Tiff district’s first payment due this year to the tune of $360,000 which isn’t available from revenues generated from this already refinanced tiff, or the empty solid waste fund. Will we see another FEE? This council wants more tiffs that are not well thought out but are just more get rich development lures. Oak Creek, historically has suffered administration by persons not competent to financially administer. NONE of the current reps have a clue on how to manage and forecast future spending. It’s like the guy up in Rowan’s estates subdivision said,”I kinda like having a dick for a mayor.” Says alot about the quality of our elected reps. They don’t listen as each has a secret for self gain agenda. Can you imagine an alderwoman with Manufacturing property on Howell Ave? WHY? How about a mayor with an interest in 50 acres of farmland under the nation’s 6th largest coal producing power plant? Whats he got up his sleve with Ald. Toman, The Lake Bluff development? (Any one seen Dick Platt Lately?) Why is the intersection on 32 and Oakwood starting to look like the design of 32 and Fitzsimmons? Is this the new unannounced entrance to Bender Park? What about the 20 million in WIS PARK Funding? Whats going on behind closed doors on these projects that we don’t know about? City officials appear hell bent on developing now before the plant is up and running in 2010 spewing even more pollution into So. Eastern WI dirtest nonattainment air zone. People are just stupid to think they are going to live here and maintain their health and property values with a very high tax base on the basis of old debt and depleted reserve funding. Oak Creek is doomed to become Franklin’s warehouse district. Many will be trapped unable to sell even at less than fair market value as no one is going to want to live here. To make matters worse, MMSD has to expand the south shore treatment plant. Out the window goes the expensive Lakeview/Carrollville redevelopment plan. Oak Creek, like most US suburbanite cities located on the south side of a major city is doomed to become a slum. In this case we are not a bedroom community we are THE BATHROOM COMMUNITY of Milwaukee. We probably should have accepted Billy Lee Munford and all the rest of the Dept. of Corrections Sexual Predators and at least be guaranteed a steady and increasing revenue flow.