Property-Tax Summit Generates Hope

A 'Regional Attitude'

Letter to the Editor

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Cable Companies, Telecos Gang Up Against Local Govts.

Health Cost Increases Compared

• How can we make health insurance more affordable for government, private industry and the self-employed?
• Can we shake the mentality in state government that led to a decade-long freeze in state shared revenues?
• Is it possible to forge some sort of comprehensive land-use policy for Wisconsin that will rein in the sprawl that increases everyone’s property taxes?
• Can we rewrite a transportation aids formula that subsidizes sprawl?
• Can we eliminate barriers to consolidation of essential services? Do we have the backbone to solve regional problems regionally?
• And can we reform a state transportation program that pays little more than lip service to every form of transportation other than highways?

A property tax summit that brings together legislative leaders of both parties, heads of major state agencies, city leaders, business leaders and labor leaders need not be another Kettl Commission. It could draw on the work of the Kettl Commission, the Sheehy Task Force and the SAVE Commission (remember them?) and give local governments the tools and the options they need to provide services more efficiently.

At least a property tax summit provides us with a chance of success. More political bombast and partisan sniping will only guarantee that we fail.

(A version of the above appeared on the Op-Ed page of the Wisconsin State Journal Oct. 19.)

Regional approach boosted for southeastern Wisconsin

No. That's why we need a 'regional' attitude, the lead item in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Forum section began Oct. 12, the above image above the fold on the cover.

In a series of articles in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Oct. 12, authors asked the rhetorical question of why southeastern Wisconsin hasn't gotten its act together to think and act as the region it is. "Southeastern Wisconsin faces a choice of whether to be a region in decline or a player in the global economy," Jeff Brown, president of the Public Policy Forum, wrote. "Taking responsibility as citizens is not just about good government. It is an economic imperative." "Our lives are defined in terms that differ from the federal-state-county-local framework for political decision making. We think globally and live locally - all within the context of the unique regional characteristics," Rajan Shukla, associate director of policy and programs for the Greater Milwaukee Committee, wrote in an accompanying article. "Our region needs to embrace the changing dynamics of life in a wired, global community," he added. That requires embracing diversity, creativity, innovation and economic vitality, Shukla said, echoing themes that economist Richard Florida sounded to business and government leaders in Green Bay later that week. See our summary of Florida's talk here. What does acting regionally mean?

"Simply put, it means being concerned about the health and vitality of the entire region, not just our individual communities," David W. Cappon, executive director of the Housing Authorities of Waukesha County, wrote in the third piece on regionalism.

He too echoed Florida, saying the seven-county region should welcome diversity, and work together to solve the problems of crime and education, and discrimination in race and employment. Cappon suggested a mechanism similar to Chicago's nonpartisan Chicago Metropolis 2020 to take on the job. That group's motto is "One Region, One Future."

To see Brown's column, look here. To see Shukla's column, click here. And to see Cappon's column, look here.

Their concerns, of course, apply to every region of Wisconsin, not just southeastern Wisconsin, as the Wisconsin Metropatterns report demonstrated.

By Scott Meske Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin Bulletin: SB 272 hearing scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 29 at Noon in Room 201 Southeast of the Capitol in Madison. SB 272, introduced Oct. 8 by Sen. Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield),  and AB 588, introduced Oct. 15 by Rep. Phil Montgomery (R-Green Bay) were circulated by the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association and the Wisconsin Cable Communications Association. These bills are a very blatant attempt to limit, inhibit and outright prevent a local unit of government from providing telecom, cable television or broadband services. They would not provide the "level playing field" that supporters claim, they would give private monopolies the ability to engage in the predatory pricing they love. And they would enable the huge companies to second-guess local officials as they peer over their shoulders. The state of the telecommunications and cable television in Wisconsin is far from what industry experts predicted after the deregulation efforts of the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, which says, "No state or local statute or regulation, or other state or local legal requirement, may prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting the ability of any entity to provide any interstate or intrastate telecommunications service.”

. More than 500 local governmental entities across the country have stopped waiting for advanced telecom services and begun to take the issue into their own hands. In a white paper on the issue, Attorney Anita Gallucci of Madison said municipal high-speed Internet service has been crucial to companies like Centerline Machine in Waupaca, and could be crucial to bringing new businesses to an industrial park in Oconomowoc. Educators, economic developers, county boards, city councils, village boards, school boards, and others are convinced local government must provide the competition where the private sector has failed miserably. We should not let them down.  Now is the time to contact your legislator and ask him or her to vote NO on SB 272 and AB 588. Call, email, fax, letter, whatever you have to do to get a message that this is very bad public policy and is not needed. Here are links to the State Senate and Assembly office information: http://thewheelerreport.com/xgr03/senatembrs.htm http://thewheelerreport.com/xgr03/asmmbrs.htm Thanks!

2003-04 Blue Book: available from your legislator!

Letter to the Editor Property Tax Summit a Good Idea "Good guest column. I agree Wisconsin needs a property tax summit. I think, in addition, to those you mentioned as members, it should also have a generic interested citizen. "Keep up the advocacy to make our cities better places -- hopefully Wisconsin will have cities that are not "anywhere, USAs" but rather have a sense of place, links to their historic past and beautiful new architecture. Ledell Zellers, Madison

	Expected 2004 Health Insurance Increases City Ashland 15-20% Baraboo 18% Beaver Dam 14.7% Beloit 10% Eau Claire 6%1 Green Bay 15+% Greenfield about 15% Kaukauna 32% Manitowoc 20-25% Marinette 12-15% Marshfield 1.7-3.7%2 Menasha 16%3 Milwaukee 2%4 Oak Creek 0%5 Oshkosh 10% Stevens Pt 15% Superior 20% Watertown 20.3% West Bend 15% Whitewater 20.5% Wis. Rapids 10.7%6
	Notes: 1 would be 25%, but employees assumed deductibles' cost 2 depends on whether CDA remains in plan 3 less if they can negotiate higher drug co-pays 4 health costs came in >$9 million under projections 5 third year in a row of 0% increase 6 beginning 7/01/04

Mayor Gary Becker of Racine hired Steve Nenonen to be the new city administrator, but hours after the mayor's announcement, the city council voted not to fund the new job. Nenonen, city manager of Fond du Lac since 1995, was among 70 candidates for the job, but Mayor Becker said the final choice was among two candidates. "Steve's ability to understand how to tie a budget to your long-range planning swung it for him," the mayor told the Racine Journal Times. Mayor Becker called the city council's action "petty and vindictive." The newspaper said the council could reverse its funding decision before Nenonen assumes his duties.

Twelve employees in Wisconsin Rapids accepted the city's offer of a $5,000 severance package as part of  efforts to close a $900,000 budget gap, the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune reported. The city council agreed to fill five of 15 vacant city jobs, and Mayor Jerry Bach is optimistic that reduced personnel costs, higher ambulance fees and fire protection fees will enable the city to balance its budget. Story here.

Milwaukee has reached new 10-year agreements to continue selling Lake Michigan water to Wauwatosa and We Energies, which serves parts of Mequon and Thiensville. The city has sold water to Wauwatosa since 1958.

The nation's most ambitious war against sprawl has resulted in defeat for New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey, who received so much opposition from builders that he decided not even to introduce the package he outlined in January, the New York Times reported. Story here. (You may have to sign in.)

Mayor John Lambie unveiled a 2004 city budget for Kaukauna providing for a 0% levy increase and a tax rate of $7.72 per $1,000 of assessed value, down from this year's $9.80 rate, the Appleton Post-Crescent reported. Story here.

Also, Calpine Corp. has begun construction of the Fox Energy Center in Kaukauna. The new $230 million generating plant will sell its power to Wisconsin Public Service Corp., the Milwaukee Business Journal reported. Story here.

Federal transportation law needs to expand existing funding sources and decision making to allow metropolitan areas to fulfill the promises of previous reform efforts and to maintain a transportation system that works for 21st century metropolitan America, the Brookings Institution says in a new report. Find it here.