Shared Services Work, Our Public Health Department Continues to Earn Recognition

Today our County announced that our combined Ozaukee County & Washington County Health Department achieved level III designation.  This is a higher designation than either county's department had ever achieved on their own, and a recognition of the outstanding work our combined health department is doing.  It is also proof that we can combine government services to be both more effective and efficient while saving costs.  Consolidation if done correctly does not mean a diminishment of services, it means better service.

There are a lot more opportunities for our County government to consolidate services with local governments and nearby counties, and I will continue to push for us to explore those opportunities.  While the health department merger happened shortly before I was originally elected, I immediately recognized the benefits of this opportunity and fully supported it.

Read more about this news here: http://www.co.washington.wi.us/inner.iml?mdl=news.mdl&ID=252

School Referendum (West Bend School Board)

While the County Board has no jurisdiction over the West Bend School Board, I am a West Bend taxpayer.  I thought Owen Robinson's analysis of the school board's proposed $50 million referendum to increase taxes was spot on, especially when contrasted with the County's decision to borrow $10 million without raising the tax levy.  To add to that contrast, Washington County's total debt before borrowing $10 million was only $8 million, compared to the $130 million in debt the West Bend School Board currently has.


Here is Owen's article: https://www.bootsandsabers.com/2018/08/21/west-bend-referendum-fight-is-not-over/


The key takeaway is summed up by Owen best:

"It has been proven time and time again that once the basic safety and space needs for school buildings are met, spending more on buildings does not result in better education."

This Week's County Board Meeting.

Refused to raise the tax levy

This week we held to our fiscally conservative values and refused to raise the tax levy. 

We made a responsible decision to borrow $10 million dollars.  Many municipalities and counties use borrowing as an avenue to raise taxes without a referendum.  Our County Controller calculated that, if we chose to raise the levy, tax rates would go up by $.12 per thousand dollars in home value for 2019, instead of decreasing by $.09 per thousand dollars, a swing of $.21 per thousand. 

An amendment was put forward to raise the levy, instead of making our debt payments out of existing funds.  Only 6 supervisors voted for that amendment, while I was one of 18 Supervisors who banded together to vote no to increasing taxes.  While some of my neighbors would prefer that we begin to raise the tax levy, more of them have expressed a desire for fiscal restraint and discipline.

Why is this borrowing decision good?

The simple answer is, we save taxpayers money while fixing our County highways quicker. 

I am cautious about borrowing, and certainly don’t want to engage in massive borrowing sprees.  I recognize that responsible borrowing has its place in funding capital projects like our County highways.  After researching this extensively, and asking County Administration to prepare estimates on what costs we would incur if we delayed construction and saved money under a “pay as you go” plan, some key facts that stood out to me:

·         Our County has a very low debt, currently only about $8 million.

·         Our County’s legal debt capacity is $730,717,405 ($730 million), a limit I never, ever, ever want to get anywhere close to approaching.

·         We will pay about $4.5 million in interest over the life of the loan.  This compares to an estimate of about $5.7 million in deferred maintenance costs if we delay reconstruction to do a “pay as you go” approach.  We save $1.2 million by borrowing money now.

·         The loan is for the minimum allowable time period, 10 years.

·         The loan is part of a 2 step plan, with a second loan of $12 million in 2023. 

·         We will have the option to pay off each loan up to 3 years early, and potentially save taxpayers another $700,000 dollars.

·         The 5 County Highways being reconstructed will be good for 50 years (with resurfacing after 25 years).

·         Per Administrator Schoemann, this plan will fund all needed road reconstructions through 2050.

·         We are not increasing taxes in any way to pay for this borrowing.

Simply put, we are doing $22 million in highway reconstruction without raising taxes.

Audit

Baker Tilley reported on their audit of our financial statements.  They were extremely impressed with the County’s fiscal health, including our spending restraint, low debt, and ample financial reserves.  When I add in that our County has the lowest County tax rate (the County portion of your property tax bill) in over 100 years, and has the 4^th lowest County tax rate in the state at $2.70 (per thousand dollars of home value) it is clear that we are living out our conservative values.

The counties that are lower than us are Waukesha ($2.07), Ozaukee ($1.86), and Vilas ($2.28).  The highest was Menomonee at $9.07.  Milwaukee County is at $5.10, which is above the statewide average of $4.40. (WCA Green book, based on taxes levied for 2016)

Consolidations

I am guessing we all read the editorial on social media from Sheriff Schmidt.  While I respect him tremendously, I was disappointed by the misportrayal of our efforts.  It almost seems like he is using scare tactics to pit the public against the County Board.

We as a County Board have been pretty clear about our willingness to work collaboratively with other nearby governments to consolidate services and save tax payers money while preserving service quality and accountability.  I have often wondered why Washington County has a shared-ride taxi service that is largely redundant with the shared-ride services of West Bend, Hartford, Ozaukee County, and others.  One of my neighbors who does not own a car specifically talked about the hassle in coordinating a shared-ride trip to Port Washington, and the long wait at the Newburg gas station.  This is one of many examples where I am sure that we could find a way to consolidate services for the benefit of taxpayers, without reducing the level of service we provide (we might even be able to increase it).

When we begin exploring any idea, we recognize that there are benefits, and that there may also be adverse consequences.  Exploring options is in no way a commitment or obligation to enact an option.  Moreover, the portrayal that we are trying to engulf local communities and coercively force them into unwanted consolidation is, to be blunt, a complete load of horse-#$%#%&#$.

I would have an extremely difficult time voting to dissolve the West Bend Police and roll them into our Sheriff’s department.  Law enforcement is usually best when it is local.  I suspect that many other Supervisors would agree with me on that.  If the Mayor of West Bend and Police Chief of West Bend were both saying that this was a great plan, then maybe I could be persuaded, but otherwise I would be pretty reluctant.

I am also not sure that the County would even have the legal ability to consolidate services with a local government against their will.  Maybe we do, but I doubt it.

On the other hand, is it possible that we could consolidate 911 services in a way that improves service while saving the tax-payers money?  Maybe, or maybe not.  Is it possible that 3 or 4 Counties could run a combined jail, again saving the taxpayers money while still running a secure, quality jail?  Again maybe we can.  What about our court systems, could they be combined?  Again, I think it is worth researching and considering.  I think we are always prudent to consider such possibilities, without committing to any of them until we have fully researched them and have all of the facts.

Should our new sheriff be a key part of that conversation?  Absolutely.  Quite frankly, I hope that whoever is elected sheriff will be willing to openly look at these options, without being fearful of seeing his “fiefdom” diminished.  If there are consequences that we need to consider, I encourage our next Sheriff to raise those so that they can be considered.  We want to work collaboratively, because quite frankly, consolidation never works if it is not a collaborative effort.  Solutions to problems can never be overcome if we can’t work together collaboratively.

Administrative Staffing

I voted in support of the staffing change.  It reduced overall staffing by .5 FTE, and puts us in a better position to meet our upcoming challenges and initiatives.  Since we are clearly being so fiscally responsible, I ask you to join me in recognizing how this position can help us further our efforts to remain fiscally responsible.

The position that was created, and I stand by my vote in support of it, will spend a portion (but certainly not all) of their time working to explore these and other possibilities collaboratively with other local governments.  They will also work to support organizations that are being transitioned away from the tax levy, including the History Center and AIS, so that those organizations will be in the best position to sustain themselves as privately-funded entities.  I want to give those organizations the option of having additional county support as they make that transition. 

Most importantly, Administrator Schoemann is promising that he will fire this person if they cannot produce taxpayer savings totaling twice their salary by 2020.  As the Hartford Mayor, Supervisor Michalek, said during our meeting, “If we can spend $2 to save $4, I’ll take that all day long.”  I wholeheartedly agree.

We continue to live out our Conservative values in Washington County.  Our commitment is to continue to explore ways to make government smaller and more effective, to maintain fiscal responsibility and spending restraint, and continue to sustain our County as a great place to live and work.

Upcoming Primary Election (My Thoughts)

For the upcoming primary election, I think we all know that we can only vote in the primary for 1 party (but a reminder doesn’t hurt).  I also think all my neighbors know that I’ll be voting in the Republican primary.  I thought I would quickly highlight a few contested races, and how I intend to vote, as some of these races have candidates who are somewhat obscure.  If you are not sure who you are voting for in one of these races, you are welcome to follow my lead.

Secretary of State---While the job itself is powerless and unneeded, somebody is going to occupy the job.  I recommend voting for Jay Schroeder, as he seems to be the serious candidate in this race.  A few years ago Jay ran for Assembly against an incumbent in his district (the 55^th), and earned 2,487 votes (35%).

We all remember his opponent, Spencer Zimmerman, who moved up here from Janesville for a month to run for Assembly after the death of Bob Ganon.  He ultimately garnered a total of 37 votes out of 3,217 cast.  As soon as he lost, he was gone, only to resurface a few months later to run in the 42nd Assembly District.  There he again came in last in a Republican primary, though he garnered 81 votes there.  His past history includes never winning a contested race despite running in various races in Wisconsin and Nebraska.  You can see it for yourself in my source material here (link here).  I don’t regard him as a serious candidate.

Treasurer---With 2 good candidates here, I lean towards Travis Hartwig.  This is another powerless job that should be eliminated, but somebody is going to occupy the job.  Hartwig has a stronger background in finances, though both candidates seem like good people.

Senate---I am wholeheartedly endorsing Leah Vukmir, as she is so much more experienced than Kevin Nicholson.  I began endorsing her very early, in January or February of this year.  Leah was elected to the Assembly in 2002, to replace Scott Walker.  In 2010 she defeated an incumbent Democrat to earn a seat in the Wisconsin Senate.  Kevin is a good guy, and I am glad he became a Republican, but U.S. Senator is too big of a post to start your political career in, with rare exception.

Governor---Scott Walker

Congress---Jim Sensenbrenner

Sheriff---This is the toughest pick for me, as both of the individuals running are excellent.  It is for that reason that I have waited so long before deciding who I will vote for.  Jason Guslick has a willingness to speak very frankly about the issues we face, which I appreciate and relate to, and which I believe we often need.  He is strong on 2^nd amendment issues and tough on crime.  Marty has the respect of a lot of people who I trust, including several very conservative County Board Supervisors who have served on the Public Safety Committee and worked directly with Marty.  While I will be thrilled to support whoever is elected, and love having 2 great choices for this important office, in 2 weeks I’ll be casting my vote for Marty Shulties.