A committee created to research the size and possible reduction of the Dodge County Board held their first meeting yesterday. Currently the board has 37 supervisors, which makes it the third largest in the state. In advance of the census numbers coming out next spring, which is when political redistricting will start, the committee’s goal is to see if a cutback in the number of members makes the board more efficient and/or cuts costs. Committee Chairman Dave Frohling says the first step is to look at how other counties fared when they reduced their numbers. At their meeting yesterday it was reveled the board had already cut its budget nearly $30,000 from where it was in 2005, which was the direct result of having 782-fewer committee meetings. Frohling says the committee will research whether it’s feasible and cost effective to cut or combine a number of the 33-current committees, of which 20 are required by the state. Jeff Hoffmann, who is with the UW-Extension, says a survey will be sent out to other counties that have recently resized their county boards with that information then coming back to the committee later this month. Anyone who wants to give their input or has questions is encouraged to contact Hoffmann. Email jeff.hoffman@ces.uwex.edu or phone 920-386-3790
Columbia County Village Battles Federal Government
Wyocena is in a battle with the federal government over who should pay to fix a crack in a dam. Officials say the crack was most likely caused by the big Flood-of-2008. But because the crack wasn’t found until last fall, the Federal Emergency Management Agency refuses to grant emergency aid to fix it. FEMA said the damage was outside the scope of the original repairs after the flood – and the crack should have been found within 60 days of Wyocena’s original contact with the agency. But engineer Kory Anderson of Portage said it would have been impossible to find the crack back then – because it was only noticed when Lake Wyona was being re-filled last November. Meanwhile, the Village Board is not taking FEMA’s rejection lying down. They’ve asked Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin and U-S Senator Russ Feingold to go to bat for them. In the meantime, the board must decide whether to have a contractor fix the crack. It would cost 100-thousand dollars – and the board says Wyocena cannot afford it on its own. If the dam is not fixed, officials say the lake won’t be re-filled.
Raw Milk Debate Heats Up in Eau Claire
Wisconsin legislators heard over 10 hours of testimony in Eau Claire yesterday on bills to allow the sale of raw milk. About 450 people attended, including busloads of supporters. Scientists, government officials, consumers, and farmers were among those testifying. Raw milk advocates said they should have the freedom to drink a product which boosts the body’s immune system and prevents allergies and diseases. But health officials say raw milk carries dangerous micro-organisms that can only be eliminated by pasteurizing – something Wisconsin has required for over a half-century. Twenty-five states allow sales of raw milk in some form. And one supporter, Kimberly Hartke of the Weston Price Foundation, says what happens in Wisconsin will send a message to the rest of the nation. But the state’s Farm Bureau Federation says any illnesses from raw milk would hurt the entire dairy industry, and perhaps cause panic among shoppers. The Senate and Assembly bills would also protect producers from liability – and state food safety administrator Steve Ingham calls that a dangerous precedent.
Pollution Stalls Over Wisconsin
Wisconsin is going through its longest stretch of soot pollution since February of 2005. That’s according to the D-N-R, which extended an air quality watch until 11 o’clock tonight for 54-of-the-72 counties. The only ones not covered are in the far north and northeast parts of the state. The air has not been moving very much since last Sunday. And according to the E-P-A, Wisconsin currently has the largest mass area of particle pollution in the country from things like vehicles and smoke-stacks. The D-N-R’s Bart Sponseller says the current weather pattern does not have enough wind to blow away the soot that gets trapped in the atmosphere. Most of the state had light rain yesterday, but that didn’t clean up the air.
No Powerball Winner
Nobody won the big Powerball jackpot last night, so it goes up to 200-million dollars for the next drawing on Saturday. The last time the jackpot hit 200-million was last August 19th, when a ticket in South Carolina won just under 260-million-dollars. Saturday’s cash option is 96-million.
Wisconsin’s First Lady Visits Middle School
3/11/10 - A student at the Beaver Dam Middle School received a special visit from the First Lady of Wisconsin during her Social Studies class yesterday. Cassie Flouro correctly answered the “Where In Wisconsin Is Jessica Doyle?” geography contest last week. The eight-grader used the internet to determine the location in question was Florence in the far northern part of the state. Doyle says Cassie was the winner during a very challenging week and commended her for her perseverance. Cassie has submitted an answer every week of the contest for the entire school year. Doyle presented her with gift bag that included a t-shirt from Florence, Wisconsin candy treats, a one-year family pass to the state’s ten historical sites, a 2010 passport to all state parks and forests, and tickets and a parking pass to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
Dodge County Well Represented With Weather Spotters
3/11/10 - Dodge County is well represented by weather spotters. That’s according to Rusty Kapela with National Weather Service who last night taught an advanced weather spotter class to about 150 first responders, law enforcement officials and members of the general public. Kapela says classes like the one last night are designed to take a weather spotter to the next step. There are around 15,000 weather spotters in the 20-county area that Kapela oversees but he says they can always use more. He encourages those interested in becoming a weather spotter to do their homework. The best learning resources are online; Kapela says a good way to get started is to click on the “SkyWarn” tab on the National Weather Service website.
Vacated Plant To Open In Fond du Lac
3/11/10 - A company that makes steel wires will get 163-thousand-dollars in state tax credits to run a vacated plant in Fond du Lac. Governor Jim Doyle’s office announced a three-point-three million-dollar project Wednesday for Central Wire Industries, which is based in Canada. The firm plans to buy and equip an existing building, and create about 30 jobs. Central Wire makes stainless steel and nickel-alloy wires which are used in the aerospace and auto industries, and various other firms.
BBB Complaints Down Statewide
3/11/10 - Wisconsin companies fared much better than the national average last year when it comes to the number of complaints to the Better Business Bureau. State director Ran Hoth says her office saw nearly eight percent fewer complaints, while the national average was up almost nine percent. Complaints about new car dealers were the most common to come into the state’s office last year. Nationally cell phone companies topped the list.
Retired Public Employee Payments Cut
3/11/10 - About 150-thousand of Wisconsin’s retired public employees will again have their monthly core payments cut. Last spring, those in the State Retirement System’s Core Fund had their payments cut for the first time ever, at just over two-percent. And for the year starting May first, those payments will be cut another one-point-three percent. State employee trust funds’ secretary David Stella said it reflects the severity of the investment declines from 2008. The Core Fund is the more conservative of two funds operated by the state. It had a 22-percent total return on its investments in 2009. It was the third-highest gain in history, but it did not offset a 26-percent drop in ’08. And Stella says benefits are based on a five-year average of returns so there’s not as much viability in the retirees’ checks. All retirement fund members must have at least half the pensions from the Core Fund. The other account is the Variable Fund, and that got a return of almost 23-percent last year – the highest in history. The State Retirement System covers state-and-local government and school employees outside of the Milwaukee city and county, which have their own system.
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