Top Stories January 31st

Community Comment Live From BDACT Today

1/31/12 - There are 13 levels and 300 stairs in the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater building but no ground-floor access. That’s one of the reasons the theater embarked upon a $2.5 million dollar fundraising effort. On Community Comment this afternoon, Craig Warmbold will join board member Annette Kamps, historian Roger Noll and Managing Director David Saniter in touring the century-old-church-turned-theater-space. The plan is to add 10,000 square feet, two smaller theater stages and increased seating in the main theater. There would be a ground-level entrance on the north side of the building and an elevator to allow for handicap access. Plans also call for the addition of an orchestra pit, an expanded backstage area and dressing rooms. The goal is to have ground broken by the theater’s golden anniversary in 2014. Tune in to WBEV’s Community Comment at 12:35pm this afternoon to find out how theater officials plan on pulling that all off.

Privacy Concerns Delay Walker Petitions

1/31/12 - State election officials did not put the recall petitions against Governor Scott Walker on-line yesterday as they had planned. Reid Magney of the Government Accountability Board said the agency held back, after hearing from a stalking victim and others who said they did not want their names and addresses published due to privacy reasons. Magney said the Board needed more time to consider the issue. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel immediately filed a request for the petitions under the state Open Records Law, and the conservative MacIver Institute said it would do the same. The board gave the petitions to the Walker campaign last Friday, and they've got 30 days to challenge what it believes are invalid signatures. 540-thousand valid ones are needed to force a recall election, and petitioners said they submitted a million signatures just to make sure they've got enough. Officials had said that putting the petitions on-line would give others a chance to verify the signatures, and give those who didn't sign a chance to see if somebody forged their names. The American Civil Liberties Union had asked that the names of domestic abuse victims be deleted from public copies of the recall petitions. Bill Lueders of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council said if there are legitimate safety concerns, the board should set up a procedure for blacking out names and addresses instead of keeping all the signatures under wraps. He said the signing of a recall petition is a public act -- and it cannot be done in secret.

Beaver Dam Approves Capital Improvements Program

1/31/12 - There was unanimous approval of Beaver Dam’s five-year CIP by a joint meeting of the city’s Administrative and Operations Committee last night. The Capitol Improvements Program, or CIP, lays out infrastructure improvement needs and major equipment purchases over the next five years while outlining a borrowing plan for the current year. Council President Jon Litscher took it a step further and came up with a three-year plan that would hold borrowing to $1.6 million in each of the next three years. Litscher, who sits on the Administrative Committee which basically holds the purse strings, says the plan gives the Operations Committee some assurance that the multi-year projects they’ve brought forward would be funded.

Projects for 2012 include the reconstruction Prospect Avenue in conjunction with a state Highway 151 project. Two stretches of North Crystal Lake Road will see mill and overlay work along with the city-owned, downtown Center Plaza parking lot. Borrowing is also planned for a dump truck, handicap-accessible playground equipment, and state-mandated repairs to the dam, along with a new ambulance, rescue boat and pumper truck for the fire department. A plan to address asbestos in the fire department was put-off until 2013 so city officials could meet that $1.6 million borrowing target. Fire Chief Alan Mannel says he had a professional assess the situation recently and was told there is no immediate threat…except in the council chamber where last night’s meeting was held and further study would be needed to confirm that. Projects on the wish list for 2013 are tied to the state’s reconstruction of Highway 33, including portions of Front Street and 33 that are not part of the state’s plan. In 2014, the city wants to reconstruct portions of East Davis Street and West Burnett while doing mill and overlay work on parts of Henry, Beaver and Front streets.

BDPD Investigating BB Vandalism Spree

1/31/12 - The Beaver Dam Police Department is investigating a series of property damage reports resulting from a BB gun. The first report came in Sunday afternoon from a residence on the 700 block of Madison reporting that there was a hole in the front door and a smashed window. A few hours later, a caller on the 300 block of West Mackie reported BB gun holes in the driver’s side window of a vehicle. Around 9pm, police fielded a report of a driver’s side window shot out on the 200 block of Beaver Street. Complaints were taken for criminal damage to property in all three cases. Anyone with information should contact the Beaver Dam Police Department.

Alleged Stalker Makes Initial Appearance

1/31/12 - A Mayville man made his initial appearance on Monday after being found inside the home of his ex-girlfriend while she wasn’t there last week. 27-year-old Sean Neitzel is facing burglary charges and disorderly conduct. According to the criminal complaint, authorities stepped up patrols in the area after the woman filed a report saying she started noticing footprints to and from her house in early December. On Friday night, an officer patrolling the woman’s neighborhood found a vehicle parked on a back street with footprints leading to the residence. As the officer was speaking with the upstairs tenants he heard footsteps in the woman's home. He called for more officers, and they eventually took Neitzel into custody without incident. Police say there were some things taken from the residence, and they were working to recover those items. Neitzel was still being held at the Dodge County Jail as of yesterday afternoon.

Unions to Vote on Staying Intact

1/31/12 - One-hundred-60 local government employee unions in Wisconsin will vote this spring on whether to stay in existence. Those without current contracts had until yesterday to file for re-certification votes, which are required once-a-year under the same law which limits collective bargaining privileges. The state will hold the elections in February or March. County, city, town, village, and technical college unions are among those voting in the latest round. Director Jim Scott of the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission said the local groups which filed represent about 49-hundred employees throughout the state. He was not sure how many groups still have existing contracts. Six state employee bargaining units voted last fall to stay organized, even though they can only bargain for wages at-or-below inflation. Public school unions also had their votes late last year -- and 177-of-208 teacher and staff bargaining units agreed to stay in existence. To stay recognized, 51-percent of all members must vote yes. Most of the local groups seeking recertification votes have an average of 30 members each.

Property Taxes Due Today

1/31/12 - Property taxes are due by close of business Tuesday at your local municipal treasurer’s office. The second installment payments are due at the county treasurer’s office by July 31. Taxpayers mailing after today’s deadline are subject to interest and a penalty of one and a half percent (1.5%) of the total amount for the first month, and that increases by 1.5% percent for every month the tax remains unpaid. Also, if you are late the entire tax bill is due immediately. Hilker says Watertown is the only Dodge County community that allows property taxes to be paid in three installments but all three payments have to be made in the city.