Top Stories April 17th

BD School Board Approves Borrowing

4/17/12 - The Beaver Dam School Board approved a resolution authorizing the borrowing of up to $6-million to use for maintenance and construction projects. The approval doesn’t commit them to borrowing the money and each project using the money would have to be approved by the board. The projects could include an expansion of Prairie View Elementary to handle the students coming from Trenton Elementary, which could be closed as early as after the 2012-2013 school year. Superintendent Steve Vessey says the borrowing won’t impact resident’s tax rates and that the money is all within the district’s budget.

Lehman Named Lincoln Elementary Principal

4/17/12 - There is a new principal at Lincoln Elementary in Beaver Dam and it’s a familiar face. The school board approved Kathy Lehman last night as the school’s new leader. Lehman has been the principal at South Beaver Dam Elementary for the past three years, but before that, she spent 15-years as a teacher at Lincoln. She’ll replace Tonya Gubin, who is taking over as Superintendent in the Waupun School District on July 1st. Superintendent Steve Vessey says they’ll begin looking to fill Lehman’s position at South Beaver Dam next month.

Darst Resigns from BD School Board

4/17/12 - There is an opening on the Beaver Dam School Board. Two weeks after John Kraus Jr. won a seat on the board as a write-in candidate, replacing Dan Feuling, who decided not to run, another vacancy has popped up. Superintendent Steve Vessey announced last night that Kim Darst, who had two years left on her term, has resigned. The board will be taking applications for those interested in filling the position. They will interview and then appoint someone to the seat, who will serve until next April, when the spot will be put up for election. Anyone interested in running can contact the district office.

Collective Bargaining Changes Drive BD Dental Debate

4/17/12 - Records Clerks in the Beaver Dam Police Department are now able to take advantage of the city’s dental plan, under action that was approved by the Common Council last night. Council president Jon Litscher says statewide legislation that prohibits collective bargaining puts the decisions of benefits for non-represented employees in the hands of elected officials. Litscher says the city did not wait for another budget cycle to start taking more retirement contributions from paychecks and they should not wait to implement benefits. The clerks had brought the matter to the attention of city officials through a series of emails. Four alderpersons voted against the request because the employees did not follow the proper chain of command. The records clerks in the police department can sign-up for dental benefits beginning next month.

BD Hires Second Lowest Bidder For Lawn Contract

4/17/12 - On a split vote last night, the Beaver Dam Common Council opted to hire the second-lowest bidder to perform grass cutting services on delinquent properties. For the second year in a row, Anderson Landscaping of South Milwaukee will cut tall grass and weeds – after homeowners have been warned – for $38 an hour. Anderson came in under bid by $1 last year but was $2 higher than this year’s low-bidder: Jim’s Lawn Service of Beaver Dam, who had the job the two years prior to Anderson. Those voting against the Milwaukee lawn service were mostly from the city’s Administrative Committee and said it was important to support local taxpayers, especially if they are the low-bidder. The Operations Committee voted in favor of the higher cost plan earlier this month and its members supported the Milwaukee company last night. They cited the owner’s attendance at the committee meetings and the company’s GPS and time-stamp inscribed photos of properties before and after the cut. General property tax payers will not be paying the services, the lawn service is only for those city residents who fail to mow their lawn in a timely fashion.

Portland Woman Convicted Of Pot Possession

4/17/12 - A Portland, Oregon woman found with 40 pounds of marijuana pled “guilty” yesterday to felony Possession charges. 30-year-old Elizabeth Lapple was stopped in December on Highway 33 in the Town of Herman by a deputy on routine patrol because her RV reportedly had a broken traffic light. According to the criminal complaint, the deputy asked her a few questions and became suspicious when her answers did not make sense. A search by the department’s new K9 unit allegedly uncovered the high grade marijuana inside the RV under a bed. Authorities called it the largest marijuana seizure as a result of a traffic stop in Dodge County, with a reported street value of between $120,000 and $160,000. A pre-sentencing investigation was ordered and Lapple will be sentenced in July.

Another Weekend Vandalism Spree In Beaver Dam

4/17/12 - There were five more reports in Beaver Dam this weekend of car windows and mirrors being smashed. On Saturday morning, there were two reports of rocks being smashed through car windows and three reports of vehicle mirrors being damaged on Judson Drive, West Mackie, West Third and West Maple. Earlier this month, ten vehicles were vandalized in the city in one night. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Beaver Dam Police Department.

DC Board Holding Reorganizational Meeting

4/17/12 - The Dodge County Board is slated to get their reorganizational meeting underway in Juneau this morning. On the agenda includes the swearing in of five new, and 28-returning, supervisors as the board meets for the first time since reducing its size from 37 to 33. The board will also elect a new chairman. Russ Kottke, who’s held the spot since 2004, could face a challenge in his bid to remain in the chair. Donna Maly, who represents the city of Beaver Dam on the board and on the city council, has said she’d like to replace Kottke. The meeting will also see a resolution that would change the time of the regular monthly meeting. Currently it starts at 7:30pm, but supervisors are expected to vote on changing that to 7pm. Today’s meeting begins at 9am at the Administration Building in Juneau.

Utility Moratorium Lifted

4/17/12 - Wisconsin utilities can now start cutting off electric service to those behind on their bills. The state’s winter moratorium on disconnections ended Sunday. Alliant Energy, which serves the northwestern portion of Dodge County, says there were nearly 27,000 customers who were 90 days or more in arrears. That number is up, from just under 26,000 in 2011. The total dollar amount owed by those customers is about $8.7 million, up slightly from $8.5 million last year. If customers make no attempt to pay their bills or set up a payment plan, they may now be subject to disconnection.

Westford Town Board Meeting Tonight

4/17/12 - The Town of Westford Board will hold an informational meeting tonight (Tue) on the Farmland Preservation Program along with County and Town zoning matters. Joe Giebel and Dean Perlick from the Dodge County Land Resources and Parks Department will be on hand to provide information and answer questions. The Town of Westford meeting will be held at the Town Hall on County Road G in the Town of Beaver Dam at 7pm tonight.