Disclosure 

I am a guest blogger for this posting.  I have contacted The Vanguard and have received their permission to do so.

I watched the Village President Debate on March 30th and heard Randy Newman promise to resign over his tax bill increases if he were wrong. 

I have looked at my property tax bills from the last 3 years and they have gone up 10% when the new garbage tax is included that Randy Newman has voted for since 2006 that our community was promised was going to be temporary.

I don't know Randy Newman, but I hope he will follow through with his promise because I'm tired of my taxes going up so much and I don't want to see any more fees added to my tax bill. 


I moved to Menomonee Falls from Milwaukee to get away from what they were doing with new fees and high taxes.

I am posting this communication that I received from the Davis for President group this morning.

I believe the voters need to know this because it is not being covered in the newspapers.

Davis Accepts Challenger's Resignation From Office over 10% Tax Bill Increases in Falls Race

Menomonee Falls - In a startling and encouraging development in the race for Menomonee Falls Village President, the challenger to Jefferson E. Davis (Randy Newman) has said he will resign from office over his 10% + tax bill increases of the last 3 years if he is wrong about the amount of the tax bill increases while being a member of the Village Board (click here for coverage of resignation http://www.menomoneefallsnow.com/news/42188172.html). 

Newman made the promise during the Chamber sponsored Village President Forum on Monday, March 30th that was broadcast live on Cable Access Channel 14 and is being rebroadcast a number of times between now and the April 7th Election.

The Cable Access Channel's schedule is attached (http://fallscableaccess.com/) and the Chamber sponsored Village President Forum is confusingly titled, "2009 Voter Forum".

  The scheduled times are unfortunately either very early in the morning, mid-afternoon or very late at night preventing the optimum time for the maximum number of people to view the forum.  It is also unfortunate that the Cable Access Director will not have the event as a streaming video available for those who would like to watch the forum, but have to work during the day and or are asleep for the late night rebroadcasts on the cable channel. 

The Menomonee Falls Village President Race will conclude with the election on Tuesday, April 7th.

In accepting Newman as a man of his word and his statement of resigning from office over his 10% + tax bill increases from the last 3 years, Davis said today:

"I have known Randy for probably 20 years now and consider him a friend and a man of his word.

I can only hope Randy will follow through with his public promise to resign from office because the facts are in the numbers that appear on the average homeowner's tax bill which have increased annually over 10% during the last 3 years due to his votes on the Village Board.

I will accept his resignation and I think the voters will too for lower taxes and free garbage pick up.

The overwhelming majority of homeowners in Menomonee Falls own a home in the $200,000 - $225,000 price range even with the recent pullback in home values.

To skirt the Governor's Tax Levy Freeze, which I wholeheartedly support and only wish that it were a true tax freeze instead of the window dressing that it is, my opponent voted in 2006 to legally do an end around the Governor's Tax Levy Freeze by raising the Menomonee Falls tax levy as much as possible and moved the garbage service pick up to a brand new fee of $85 per household.

The fee is scheduled to go up 3% a year without a vote by the Village Board, which is now $90 a year just 2 years later and has lead to his 10% + tax bill increases over the last 3 years with his votes on the Village Board.

My opponent's end around votes on property tax levy increases and switching basic garbage service to a new fee outside of what taxpayers expect will be included in their property tax levy, reminds me of the Minimum Mark Up Gasoline Law and the State Indexed Gasoline Tax that were both recently defeated and rightly so.

The taxpayers of Menomonee Falls overwhelmingly stated in the taxpayer funded 2006 Community Survey that they felt their taxes were way too high and want them to be lowered immediately.  I agree.

My opponent has done just the opposite of what the taxpayers have said what they want with his 10% + tax bill increases over the last 3 years with his votes on the Village Board.

My tax bill is an example of what the overwhelming majority of homeowners in Menomonee Falls have seen every December when they open their mailbox only to find my opponent's 10% + tax bill increases for the Village portion of the bill over the last 3 years:

2005     $861.36     no garbage tax as it was always included in the tax levy

2006     $869.70  + $85 garbage tax = $954.70   11% tax bill increase with new  
                                                                         garbage tax

2007     $865.22  + $85 garbage tax = $950.22    9% tax bill increase with new 
                                                                          garbage tax              

2008     $882.23  + $90 garbage tax = $972.23    12% tax bill increase with new 

                                                                          garbage tax

It is clear that homeowners have had to bear the burden of higher taxes and new fees over the last 3 years with my opponent shifting basic services from the tax levy to new fees when those fees were never there before until my opponent joined the Village Board in 2005.

There are more proposals floating around Village Hall for even more new fees to raise revenue and skirt the Governor's Tax Levy Freeze with a fire hydrant rental fee and an impervious surface fee including non-profits.

High taxes are not a result of the tax levy, tax assessment or tax rates.  High taxes are a result of too much government spending. 

I have called for an immediate Board Policy that will eliminate the shifting of basic Village Services from the tax levy to "fees".  No matter what you call it, it still comes from the pocket of the taxpayer.

Let's keep as much money in the pocket of the taxpayer and the local economy as possible.

 Menomonee Falls is the 7th worst taxed community in Waukesha County according to the 2008 Journal Sentinel Survey (http://www.jsonline.com/realestate/39528637.html) and when my opponent's $90 per household garbage tax is included, Menomonee Falls is the 5th worst taxed community in Waukesha County. 

When I served as Village President, we were able to pass a 3 year tax levy freeze that resulted in homeowners and businesses seeing their taxes actually go down.

This resulted in Menomonee Falls nearly making its way out of the Top 10 Worst Taxed Communities in Waukesha County, but unfortunately with my opponent's 3 year voting record, Menomonee Falls is making its way back up the list.  

During these severe recessionary times, I believe homeowners and businesses need tax relief not more taxes and fees for services otherwise we will morph into a Milwaukee with their constant transferring of basic services to fees (click here for a copy of the average Milwaukee Water Bill with numerous new fees that used to be included in their tax levy http://media.menomoneefallsnow.com/images/the_vanguard_703020_Misc-Info-10-pgs01.png).

I believe homeowners need to have their garbage picked up for free by Waste Management instead of being charged $90 a year by the Village Board because this is a company that has grossed $13.2 billion a year and netted $1.2 billion a year for the last 3 years while making millions of dollars a year off the backs of the taxpayers in Menomonee Falls.

This is a company that also sells methane gas from the Menomonee Falls Landfill to We Energies and provides energy to 15,000 area homes without the taxpayers of Menomonee Falls getting any royalties or dividends from these sales of which hundreds of examples exist throughout America where companies pay local governments hundreds of millions of dollars each year to domicile their operations in that community.

Unfortunately, my opponent has voted to "seal and keep secret" Waste Management's Financials for their Menomonee Falls Operations and we may never know how much money is being made off the backs of the taxpayers in Menomonee Falls.

My opponent also voted to not ask for free garbage pick up and to not get any royalties or dividends from the methane gas selling rights on December 15, 2008.

The taxpayers are missing out on major property tax relief and an income stream for many years to come from the methane gas selling rights because of my opponent's voting record.

As Village President, I will immediately ask the Village Board to vote on free garbage pick up, make sure the $42 million Municipal Facilities Fund is paid for without taxpayer's money as was promised by the Village Board in 2000, open the books for Waste Management's Financials and for royalties and dividends from the methane gas selling rights.   

The voters deserve no less than to have a Village Board that will work for the best interests of homeowners and businesses."

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

April 2, 2009

www.jefferson-davis.info

davisforpresident@yahoo.com

414-750-6785

Disclosure

I am a guest blogger for this posting with The Vanguard.  

If this information that I received this morning from the Davis for President people is true, then Menomonee Falls has more serious problems than has ever been imagined.

The newpapers don't cover this stuff and Cable Access certainly won't broadcast any of this on the public channel.



I hope as many voters as possible will read this stuff before tomorrow's election for Village President.



Randy Newman is on the Village Board and appears to be part of the stuff in the attached communication.



Please contact the Village Board (http://www.menomonee-falls.org/index.asp?nid=292) if you want this stuff to stop and that you want Woodman's to come to Menomonee Falls.  Randy Newman does not list a phone number on the Village Website and can only be contacted by email.  

Falls Village Attorney Bars Woodman's from Speaking with Board Trustees on Project

Menomonee Falls - In a bizarre and last minute twist in the April 7th Menomonee Falls Village President Race, it has been learned that the Village Attorney has ordered or strongly suggested that Woodman's Corporation can not have contact with Village Trustees because, in the attorney's opinion, that would constitute a "rolling quorum".

When learning of this development, Jefferson E. Davis said today,

"This is one more example of the Menomonee Falls Village Board chasing away good business because that business may not "play by the rules".

Woodman's wants to build a 250,000 square foot facility that will expand our tax base, increase revenues, create jobs and not require any Village Services to speak of.

Woodman's has been trying to locate a store in the Falls for 3 years.

Woodman's has picked a perfect spot based on their business acumen to locate their store at Bradley Road and 124th Street for maximum exposure and return on their capital investment.

This area borders TIF District 5 that is more than half empty and has a remaining debt service of $12 million between now and 2018.

TIF District 5 also has a bond payment due of $2.5 million in 2009 with only $595,000 coming in from existing tenants to make that payment.  The taxpayers will be asked to make up the difference.

Woodman's has been incredibly successful with their business model because of their background and experience in the marketplace not because government has told them how to run their business.

Wherever Woodman's has gone, more businesses follow because of their magnetic effect for ancillary economic growth.

Woodman's does not want a handout from the taxpayers.

Woodman's is not building their store in a TID (Tax Incremental District) District.

Why would the Village Board look a gift horse in the mouth by having the Village Attorney purposely shield them from Woodman's unless there is something else going on which we have learned is often the case in Menomonee Falls unless you play the game of giving Board Members cash, bartering agreements, referrals, campaign contributions or real estate deals in exchange for votes. 

The taxpayers have graciously funded nearly $1 million for studies, surveys, consultants and legal fees for Main Street redevelopment since 2004.

The taxpayers have also funded a bond for $1.25 million for the hotel on Main Street for redevelopment in 2008 that has an interest payment of $50,000 due in 2009 with very little money coming in to make that payment.  The taxpayers will undoubtedly be asked to make up for this shortfall as well. 

The hotel on Main Street was supposed to be completed and opened on January 1, 2009.

The Village Manager budgeted nearly $50,000 in 2009 for hotel tax revenue that is now lost.

The Planning Commission and Village Board want Woodman's to put their store on Main Street or at the Stolper Foundry Site on Pilgrim Road and the freeway.

That would be the equivalent of putting the USS Ronald Reagan on Main Street and Pilgrim Road and having it stretch nearly to the freeway in heavy residential areas.

I believe the Village Board's actions toward Woodman's are inappropriate because Woodman's should not have to be held hostage because of the failures of the Village Board for their poor planning and waste of nearly $2.25 million of the taxpayer's money for Main Street.

I also believe that Woodman's should not have to pay for the millions of dollars in environmental hazard waste clean up for the Stolper Foundry or be forced to buy the failed theater acquisition by Falls Fest from Marcus Theaters in exchange for votes that has nearly bankrupted Falls Fest, which is made up of some of the Village Board Members.

I believe Woodman's should be allowed to talk to or meet with any Village Officials they want in order to explain their project in hopes of getting it approved.

I have submitted an Open Records Request of the Village Attorney's Office to see what it is he has specifically done to thwart the efforts of Woodman's to explain their project to the Village Board in hopes of bringing their store to the Falls.

The taxpayers deserve better than this from their elected officials."

Jefferson E. Davis is opposed by Randy Newman who is currently part of the Menomonee Falls Village Board.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{[

www.jefferson-davis.info

davisforpresident@yahoo.com

414-750-6785

hasEML = false;

Kenosha County Town of Paris has a $21 million Budget Surplus due to Waste Management and We Energies 

There has been widespread news coverage recently, except for the 4 local Menomonee Falls newspapers, of The Town of Paris (population 1,500) in Kenosha County and their burgeoning budget surplus of $21 million as a result of landfill and power plant payments from Waste Management and We Energies in a time when other governmental entities are cashed strapped and looking for ways to raise taxes and fees to meet their endless spending habits instead of reducing costs to lower taxes in severe recessionary times. 

The coverage goes all the way from Chicago to Minneapolis/St. Paul to Green Bay about this stash for cash phenomona with the following links:

Chicago - http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-townsurplus,0,6454898.story

Minneapolis/St. Paul - http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-townsurplus,0,6454898.story



Appleton - http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=postcrescent&sParam=30550697.story

Madison - http://www.channel3000.com/news/19178726/detail.html



Green Bay - http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=10180426&nav=menu24_2 and http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090414/GPG0101/90414072/1207/GPG01



WISN TV - http://www.wisn.com/money/19179653/detail.html



WTMJ TV - http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/43012192.html



History of Landfill and Power Plant Revealed



The landfill was started in

The power plant was started in

List of power plants in Wisconsin http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/teacher/Climateguide/pdf/PowerGenerationWisconsin.pdf

Landfill Expansion Talks are Ongoing

http://www.co.kenosha.wi.us/plandev/smart_growth/documents/TParisUtilities.pdf

Free Garbage Service

Town of Paris residents have free garbage and recyclable service from Waste Management at the landfill (http://www.co.kenosha.wi.us/plandev/smart_growth/documents/TParisUtilities.pdf) 

Town of Paris residents do not pay local property taxes or county taxes

Because of the agreements negotiated by the Town of Paris with Waste Management and We Energies, residents do not pay local or county property taxes.  This arrangement has been in place for

.  They do pay school taxes.

Waste Management (landfill) and We Energies (power plant) pay about $3 million a year to the Town of Paris for the privilege of domiciling their businesses in the community.

The breakdown of the $3 million annual payments from Waste Management and We Energies is as follows:

Rather than spend the money from Waste Management and We Energies before they actually get it like Menomonee Falls has done for the last 16 years, the Town of Paris has saved it for tax relief and other obligations such as when the landfill is eventually closed and the $3 million revenue stream stops.

Non-Competitive, No-Bid 10 Year Contract of Nearly $1,000,000 is Unanimously Awarded by Village Board at Taxpayer Expense for Falls Cable Operations with Village Manager's Recommendation

Like the popular 70's cartoon character Alfred Newman who always seemed to be oblivious to those things around him that didn't seem just right with his "hear no evil, speak no evil and see no evil" attitude,  Village Board Policy was adopted this past week at the Village Board Meeting of April 20th with the awarding of a nearly $1,000,000 non-competitive, no-bid 10 year contract to Falls Cable Access Corporation for Management Services of the Falls Cable Access Channel(http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/43400587.html) without any substantive questions or debate by the Village Board.

All of the preliminary work for the contract was once again done in Closed Session between the Village Manager and Village Board without any taxpayer input, review or inspection of any documents before the Village Board unanimously awarded the contract at the April 20th Meeting.

A contract award of this size (nearly $1,000,000) and magnitude is typically required by Village Ordinance and Village Board Policy and under normal circumstances is put out for competitive bids and often times public input is encouraged prior to any decisions being made by the Village Board as was done with the new library in 1999-2000 and the 2005-06 Cable Access Consultant's Report that taxpayers funded. 



This is also done for sidewalk installations, curb and gutter replacements, equipment purchases, well drilling, road repair, tree plantings, computer software purchases, ambulances, street sweepers, squad cars, fire department vehicles, snowplow trucks, firearm purchases and park shelters to mention a few of the many Village Departments that are required to go through a competitive bidding process every time a purchase is made or contract is awarded on much smaller amounts than $1,000,000 involving taxpayer money. 



The Village Board also used the competitive bidding process to privatize the operations of the Assessor's Office in 2005 that was promised by the Village Board to save the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars with the awarding of a contract to a private firm for assessment operations in the village.

The Village Board also used the competitive bidding process in 2006 to, in the words of the former Village Manager "...fire the benefits analyst for pure political reasons", award the benefit analyst contract to a new firm that has unfortunately resulted in nearly 12% annual increases in health care premiums for taxpayers over the last 4 years when the previous benefit analyst had a 2 year track record (2004-05) of lowering health care premiums by an annual average of 1.7% saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

The public was not notified of any pending Village Board action on Falls Cable Access until the April 20th Village Board Agenda came out at the last minute late in the day on Thursday April 16th or Friday April 17th buried on the Village's Website or posted on the Public Notice Board just outside the front door of Village Hall giving taxpayers no time to contact Village Board Trustees with concerns or suggestions about the questionable and controversial operations of Falls Cable Access over the last 17 years.



History of Falls Cable Access Revisited



The Vanguard has written extensively about the troubled past of Falls Cable Access (http://blogs.menomoneefallsnow.com/the_vanguard/archive/2008/08/01/falls-cable-access-whatever-happened.aspx) and will simply summarize their many questionable operation decisions and bully tactics here:

• didn't file federal income taxes on over $1,000,000 in income for nearly 15 years
• wasted some $7,500 of the taxpayer's money trying to convince the IRS Tax Exempt Division they were part of Village Government when they weren't 
• used bullying and intimidation tactics toward those who dared to raise questions about their operations
• threatened lawsuits to those who had legal concerns about their operations
• were part of a smear website campaign that depicted an African American as a slave to be used against elected officials that asked questions about their operations
• probably didn't report thousands of dollars in personal income to the State of Wisconsin and IRS
• probably used government facilities for personal or business gain 
• publicly physically accosted individual(s) who challenged the legality of their operations
• threatened to "get you" in an email for those who questioned them
• admitted to severe personal "debt" and "health" problems in an email
• Board of Directors hadn't met in many years while business was being conducted without any oversight, accountability or legal decisions for the benefit of just a couple of people
• threatened to shut the cable access channel down in protest to the questions being asked

IRS Cites Falls Cable Access for Numerous Federal Tax Law Violations

The Vanguard also learned of the IRS citing Falls Cable Access in 2005-06 for numerous violations in various areas of federal tax law (http://blogs.menomoneefallsnow.com/the_vanguard/archive/2008/12/01/obama-fairness-quot-silence-quot-doctrine-comes-early-to-menomonee-falls-village-board-budget-hearing.aspx).

A partial summary of the IRS findings against Falls Cable Access would be as follows:

• federal tax returns should have been filed for the last 15 years
• Falls Cable Access is not part of the Village Government in total contrast to what Falls Cable Access stipulated with their attorney
• federal tax returns must be filed in the future
• the original IRS Letter Ruling of 1992 should have been followed when for 15 years it had not been
• turn over 2004-06 federal tax returns
  
  

Attorney General's Office Cites Falls Cable Access on Numerous Open Meetings and Public Record Law Violations

The Vanguard also learned of the Attorney General's Office citing Falls Cable Access in 2008 after a 3 year investigation for numerous violations in the areas of Open Meetings and Public Records Law (http://blogs.menomoneefallsnow.com/the_vanguard/archive/2008/12/20/doveryai-no-proveryai-trust-but-verify-village-board-garbage-agreement.aspx) that can partially be summarized as follows:

• improper posting of meeting notices
• insufficiency of public notices
• insufficiency of meeting minutes
• conducting business outside of properly noticed meetings
• insufficient number of Board Meetings
• untimely responses to public records requests
• excessive per page charges for public records
• improper requirements of identification of requestors of public records
• improper requirements of the motive for those requesting public records
  
  

The Attorney General's Office decision was in part due to a 2008 Wisconsin Supreme Court Case (2006AP662) involving similar behavior of a governmental funded unit in the City of Beaver Dam that tried to do the same things to the taxpayers there and lost.

Falls Cable Access is Finally Forced to Disclose their Expenses as a Result of IRS and Attorney General Findings

The Vanguard has also written extensively about the full disclosure of the expenses for Falls Cable Access (http://blogs.menomoneefallsnow.com/the_vanguard/archive/2008/09/23/public-employee-benefit-costs.aspx).         

Taxpayers will now be able to go to the Guidestar Website (www.guidestar.org) to review the Federal Tax Returns of Falls Cable Access without having to be treated the way they have been for the last 6 years and without any fear in learning how taxpayer's money is being spent by this organization.

A Simple Question of the Village Board

Would your business be given a contract with a poor and dismal track record like that of Falls Cable Access of the last 15 years?

Once again it's too late because the Village Board has already made a decision without giving the taxpayers a chance to be heard.  Now they have to live with it unless enough pressure is put on Village Board to do the right thing for taxpayers.

The Vanguard is simply asking the Village Board to do the right thing with the following suggestions:

• return the taxpayer surplus account (over $500,000) at Falls Cable Access to the Village for proper use because the taxpayers gave it to them in the first place
• appropriate only what is necessary to Falls Cable Access for budget purposes on an annual basis
• return any unused funds to the Village like all other non-profits throughout Wisconsin are required to do on an annual basis
• in the future, give taxpayers a voice for a decision of such magnitude as this with a public hearing in light of all of the controversy created by Falls Cable Access
• monitor the purchase of any "digital equipment" by Falls Cable Access in the future because there is serious doubt that Cable Access Channels will even be in existence 5-10 years from now because of the internet and technological advances similar to questions being raised about the future of libraries 
• why invest hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment that may not even be needed 5-10 years from now
• no one thought typewriters would ever be eliminated either
• accept Time Warner Cable's Offer to purchase equipment above and beyond their refunding of the taxpayer's money with their annual $300,000 + payments to the Village unless it's too late because the Village Board didn't accept their offer in contract negotiations     
• follow the recommendations of the taxpayer funded 2005-06 Cable Access Consultant's Report that strongly suggested the Village Board have more oversight and accountability of Falls Cable Access by holding semi-annual meetings
  
  

What do you think?

Let the Village Board know what you think by contacting them at their attached email addresses (http://menomonee-falls.org/index.asp?nid=292).

Have a great week!