As you may have read, the Whitefish Bay School District will have two referendum questions on the Nov. 3rd ballot, which is about 5 weeks away.

I have yet to take a position on the votes, although I will pass along some of the information I've received:

Two questions will appear on the referendum ballot:

• A yes vote on Question One would authorize the district to borrow up to $9 million for essential infrastructure improvements as well as safety and security upgrades.
• A yes vote on Question Two would authorize the district to borrow up to $13.6 million for renovations at each school, including improved science and music instructional space at the High School, a new gym floor and orchestra room at the Middle School and remodeled cafeterias and multipurpose space at the elementary schools.

Important clarification: The projects contained in Question One do not require a yes vote on Question Two.  The projects outlined in Question Two, however, require approval of both questions.  In other words, a yes vote on Question One is a prerequisite for the improvements outlined in Question Two.  State law prohibits an explanation of this linkage on the ballot.

(I will also add, that a YES vote on both questions results in $22.6m in expenditures.)

Numerous tours, meetings and forums are scheduled between now and Nov. 3 will enable you to see the proposed areas of improvement and ask questions. 

Tours, briefings, forums:

• Cumberland School - Wed., Sept. 30, 7pm (Gymnasium)
• Richards School - Mon., Oct. 12, 7pm (Cafeteria)
• High School - Thurs., Oct. 22, 7pm (Room 47)
• Middle School - Tues., Oct. 27, 7pm (Media Center)
• School Facilities Referendum Open House aimed at "Parents of 20-Somethings" - Sunday, October 4th from 3-5:30pm at the WFB Library
• Community Forum sponsored by Advocates for Education: Thurs., Oct. 15 and Mon., Oct. 19, 7pm, Public Library.

There is also a referendum website with lots of information  : www.YesYesNov3.com

Here's the run-down of the October 5th Trustee Meeting:

• Former WFB Trustee, current Milwaukee County Supervisor Joe Rice gave us a County Budget update.  To summarize: It's gone to hell in a handbasket.  It's a little premature to discuss, since County Exec Scott Walker just created Budget 1.0, and we've seen this movie before.  The County Supervisors will severely alter the budget in the next month.
   
• Also former WFB Trustee John Kearns dropped by to give an update on the Armory Park Memorial project. 
  
  The project has raised enough money to put shovels in the ground, and will complete significant parts before the ground freezes.
  
  Funds are still needed for example, for water access, to allow gardens .. so take a moment and consider a donation.  Click here for their donation form.
   
• We approved a contract for study of a Lake Drive Traffic Calming / Pedestrian Enhancement project.  The project will look at Lake Drive in its entirety as it runs through WFB, and suggest enhancements.  However -- since Lake is State trunk Highway 32, there are a number of typical traffic calming features that might not be approved by the State DOT.
   
• We were presented with 3 bids to tear down the Klode Park play structure and replace it with something from the same company that manufactured the Cahill structure.   The reason for this change is to comply with ADA regulations to make playgrounds more handicapped accessible.  -- Most of the funds for this comes from CDBG grants.
  
  However.   A number of Trustees, myself included, were hoping for a better option, whereby the playground would be added to, instead of replaced.  The current structure is less than 15 years old, and was donated by many generous families, as memorial plaques attest.   It would be a shame if we tore it all down, and I assume some or all who donated would be displeased.
  
  One aspect of the new playground is that the wood chips would be removed, to be replaced by rubber mats, which are more wheelchair friendly.  This complicates the possibility of keeping the old structure, since significant ground prep is needed to install the mats.
  
  In the end, the project was tabled, and we'll give Village staff a week to rethink, and hopefully propose something with a middle ground.  (Villager thoughts?)
   
• We spent several hours combing through the Village's Comprehensive Plan.  Take a look at it, it's quite impressive, documenting WFB's characteristics, yielding recommendations for the future.  Public input for the plan has been ongoing, and a Public Hearing is scheduled in two weeks.

Another week, another 4+ hour Trustee meeting.

What did we do?

First up, we were met by the largest audience in 2009, namely, the the dozens of young and old who want to keep ice skating rinks in Whitefish Bay.    While many Villagers have offered to volunteer to build and maintain the rinks, work like this is squarely owned by the DPW's union, which means delicious overtime for the over-night flooding process.

Trustee Fehring suggested we dispense with this annual budget request, and make it a regular item that did not need examination each year, however, other Trustees disagreed.  -- Personally, while not a skater, I believe the rinks should be built every year without question.  They are clearly a beloved attraction that draws people to our parks in the deepest of winter.

In any event, the Trustees voted 7-0 to create ice rinks in 2010.

Next, we passed Whitefish Bay's "Comprehensive Plan".   It's actually quite interesting reading, if you haven't had the chance.  120+ pages of detailed information about the Bay, its history, and future.  Click here to read.

We also addressed the roof-mounted HVAC building code question that was first debated on September 14th.  (Click here to read.)

In September, the Trustees voted (5-1, as I dissented) to allow HVAC units on the roofs of municipal buildings -- and Public school buildings, with the approval of the School Board.

The relevant quote from what I wrote last month was:

.. not only did the vote change the rules in favor of the Village & District Schools alone, it did so while discriminating against private schools, institutional buildings, not to mention homeowners.  I am hopeful this is rectified ... when we take it up again.

When we took this up last night, in short, the Trustees did not rectify, what I consider an unfair double standard, whereby the municipal buildings and public schools (only) get to play by relaxed rules.

During casual straw polling, Trustees Siegel, Roemer, Foster and President Pritchard believed the status quo should stand, while Trustees Miller, Fehring, and myself believed all of these buildings, including private schools (Dominican, Holy Family, etc) churches (United Methodist, Bayshore Lutheran, etc) and community facilities (WFB Women's Club) and should be under a consistent rule instead of favoring just the public buildings.

This outcome disappointed me greatly.  Good luck to everyone who will need to pay for, and beg the Board of Appeals for an exception.

--

Finally, we had a discussion about the 2010 municipal budget.   Part 1 of the Budget process began last Monday, as Trustees were presented with the draft containing the figures for many departments:  The library, police department, Village Hall, etc.

In the current working draft, Village staff had suggested a 2.8% tax levy increase with nearly identical increase in expenses.  2.8% is about $350,000 of our village budget.  For the record, the biggest category of increase is for Wages & Benefits, which are projected to increase 5.98%, most of which is for rising health insurance.

Trustee Fehring suggested the Village keep the tax levy increase to zero percent by using prior years' surplus.

In 2009, the Village will have collected a projected $849k in excess of expenses from homeowners.  Over the past 5 years, the Village has collected $2.8 million in excess, for a variety of reasons.

It is important to note, surpluses go into the Village's "General Fund balance" and that a healthy fund balance is vital for many reasons, especially for bond rating purposes.  If the General Fund is kept above 20% of budget, a municipality is usually in good graces.  By the end of 2009, our Fund Balance will have increased to 34% of budget. -- As an aside, the WFB School District keeps their fund balance between 15-18%.

I support Trustee Fehring's idea.  This year especially, as 2009 has been one of the worst economic periods in decades, we should be sensitive to the property tax we ask Villagers to pay. 

A zero percent levy increase should be the goal .. as well as keeping the increase in expense to a minimum.   It should be noted, due to a huge loss of State Aid, the WFB School District has actually cut expenses 3.37% for 2010.

Whether the idea of a zero percent tax levy increase will prevail is another matter.  There is the concept of "protecting the increase for the future" that may sway enough of the Trustees. 

Additionally, we are discussing paying a 5.5% loan off early, which could use $500k of the general fund, which would save the Village $25k/year in interest.  Doing both, paying down this loan, and keeping the tax levy increase at zero, would still keep the fund balance %age above the golden number of 20%.

We will (probably) finalize the budget next Monday, October 26th.   The public is welcome, as always.

Standard Disclaimer:  The commentary above does not represent the official position(s) of the Board. The above certainly shouldn't be considered official minutes, which will be eventually published.  This blog entry is your peek into one Village Board meeting from my perspective.

Did you receive a "Vote NO" referendum flyer this week? I did.

The group "Concerned WFB Voters 2009" (hereafter called CWFB) is suggesting that the School District is, well, trying to bamboozle voters by claiming the cost of the referendums are actually much higher than written.

This accounting piques my interest, so I decided to investigate and write.

I am not associated with either the "YesYes" group, the Advocates for Education, nor the CWFB group. I have, however, lived in Whitefish Bay 12 years, all the while paying into the School District while not having children attend.

What I've found is that .. CWFB gets credit for raising some issues, although the presentation tends to scare more than inform.

First up, the "Concerned WFB" group suggests the Referendum questions are somehow falsely suggesting pricetags of $9m and $13.6m because of the cost of interest on the borrowed money.

The referendum on the ballot grants the District the ability to issue "general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $9m.." and $13.6 for the second item.

Question:  Did anyone think those bonds wouldn't have an interest cost?

School District estimations assumed a worst-case scenario of 5.5% bond interest.  -- Notice how mortgage rates are at historic lows? Guess what .. so are municipal bond rates. You can see the recent bond trades for the WFB District here.

Actually, if you ever wanted to borrow money for public improvements, now would be that time.

And here's an unmentioned bit: There is a decent chance the WFB District will luck out with a zero interest loan from the US Government, thanks to stimulus packages. 

Back to the flyer:

This is true and false. It is absolutely not "unforeseen." It is a given fact that the School District knows full well about, and has included in all calculations.  Property "rich" districts lose aid when they raise money through referendum, and for Q2, the District has calculated that they will lose $5m of aid over time.

(There is some irony that the CWFB flyer uses a figure calculated by the School District, yet calls it an "unforeseen consequence.")

Here are the facts:

In the next year, District debt is retiring that costs taxpayers about $125/year in taxes on a $350k house.  For question 1, the District is asking for $9m in new debt for maintenance projects to replace that debt.

• If Q1 is voted down, and you own a $350k house, your property tax will decrease $125/year.  Yes, you can vote yourself a tax cut, plain and simple.
• If Q1 is passed, your property tax for schools will remain unchanged, as it will go down $125, then up $125, which is a wash.  That's the way Q1 was designed.

The CWFB group suggests the above is "misleading."   Personally, I don't find it complicated.

---

For question 2, the District is asking for $13.9m in new debt for maintenance projects.

• If Q2 is passed, your property tax for schools will increase $248/year on a $350k house.

It's important to note that is a WORST-CASE scenario, since the School District used 5.5% as their bond interest rate, which is literally a maximum.   Could be 4%, could be 2.5%, could be 0%.

In these estimates, the District has INCLUDED the cost of the project, the debt, the interest, AND the lost state aid.   -- Suggesting otherwise is disappointing political fluffery.

--

There are indeed good reasons to vote for and against the referendums.  You might consider it too personally costly, or too risky, or unnecessary. You might not have children in the public school system.  

My advice is to read and understand, get the facts online or in person, and make your own judgment call, based on your own political and financial position.   Decide whether you want maintenance performed on the schools for Q1, the improvements in Q2, and how that fits in with your pocketbook and personal outlook concerning our schools.

Seek out your own answers by going to the official School District referendum site, the YesYes group's site, and the CWFB Voters site.  Compare and contrast.

Or you can find out in person .. there've been almost a dozen public forums and there's one more: October 27th, 7pm, in the Middle School Media Center.

The Great Pumpkin Festival is going on this week, with two days left.

If you haven't stopped by, make sure you hit Schoolhouse Park (across from the Library) Friday or Saturday.

Where else can you bring your family and get free pumpkins to carve?    Gut scooping and carving utensils are provided.  Open Carving goes from 6-9pm.

3:30-5:30 Little Boos and Ghouls Party for toddlers and preschoolers

5:45 - Dog Parade - Howling Howl
(Dress up your dog .. Meet at the northeast corner of Birch & Marlborough. Parade will end at Hounds Around Town.)

Live Music by      Dante's Bop

4:30-6:30 - Casey Frensz

6:30-8:30 -Lil Rev

Full details about the Pumpkin Festival can be found by clicking here.

Also, an obligatory request:  The WFB Civic Foundation puts on a great show here, and there are a few dozen volunteers who give up their days (and nights) to staff the festival.   The Civic Foundation, with their Ice Cream Socials, 4th of July festival, Sounds of Summer, and Pumpkin Festival are a part of what makes Whitefish Bay special.

*** How about stepping up to the plate, and giving a tax deductible donation to the Foundation.  You can donate online by clicking here.  Consider it your Whitefish Bay Party tax.

The CF is funded entirely by donations from the community. 

There's one other haunted event going on Friday and Saturday in Whitefish Bay.

"HauntedCramer" at 4739 N. Cramer St. just south of Hampton from 6:45pm-10pm.

It's a charity Haunted House, put on by some enterprising Whitefish Bay students.    $1 buck gets you in the door.

Click here for the HauntedCramer website.