Nicolet Begins Budget Process with Flat Revenue, Swelling Expenses

With a frozen revenue limit from the state, the school district has a lot to do as it shapes the 2013-14 budget.

Belt-tightening will be the name of the game over the next few months for Nicolet school officials as they begin to tackle the 2013-2014 budget with flat revenue and swelling expenses. Gov. Scott Walker’s 2013-15 biennial budget proposal, presented last week, outlines a freeze of the revenue limit for school districts across the state. Nicolet is one of many districts that expected an increase, Jeff Dellutri, Nicolet Director of Business Services said. “We never imagined this,” said Dellutri, who noted he expected a $200 per student increase. “We lost 5 percent of the revenue limit two years ago… last year we gained $50,” he said. "We have seen big declines followed by a minimal increase.” Dellutri said there are far too many moving pieces…

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Bayside Village Taxes Dropping Just in Time for The Holidays

For second year in a row, village holds the line on property tax levy.

A typical Bayside homeowner should see a slight drop in village property taxes this year because of a zero-increase tax levy and a decline in property values. The Village Board approved a $9.2 million budget for 2013, which is a 4.8 percent decrease over last year's $9.7 million budget. Village Manager Andy Pederson attributes the decrease to negotiations with the police and Department of Public Works unions. "With the tools that we were given in the budget-repair bill, or Act 10, the non-represented employees were already paying their pensions," Pederson said. "When we had a 30-day window to negotiate with our unions, we negotiated a clause that they would contribute 67 percent of their portion of the retirement contribution portion in …

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Referendum: Fox Point-Bayside School District Looks to Fill State Aid Deficit

The School Board has agreed to look into how a referendum would impact the tax levy and mill rate. Superintendent Rachel Boechler said if there is a referendum, the district need around $6.5 million over 10 years.

As parents pick up school supplies and kids pack everything up for the fast approaching first day of school, administrators in the Fox Point-Bayside School District are beginning to research a possible operational referendum to fill the void left by state budget cuts.  "We lost $750 per student in 2011-12, and now this year, (the state) gave us $50 back," Superintendent Rachel Boechler said. "But basically, we’re $700 down per student and that’s our operational income." Like many of the other local referendums, such as the $10 million referendum that passed last year at Nicolet High School, this would allow the FPBS District to exceed the revenue limit and avoid additional cuts to staff salary and budgets in areas desprately in need of …

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Dave Koven

12:52 pm on Saturday, August 18, 2012

Sarah Worthman...There are a lot of possibilities for problems (unintended consequences). e.g. Unfair treatment of teachers since they no longer have union protections. Lower quality people will be hired once the economy improves. Very few people will want to be teachers with no protections or respect for them. There will be more lawsuits, probably, due to "fairness" issues. There will be …   more ›

Abele Vetoes Milwaukee County Board's $6.25 Million Tax Levy Increase

County Executive trims board's EMS funding plan, sheriff deputy funding and other measures to fulfill "no tax increase" pledge.

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele released his budget vetoes early Tuesday morning, removing the $6.25 million in additional levy spending the County Board added to his proposed 2012 budget. Abele's proposed 2012 budget froze the tax levy at 2011 levels, fulfilling his campaign pledge that he would not increase taxes in his first budget. Abele cut $722,527 from the board’s proposed $1.5 million subsidy to the Emergency Medical Services subsidy to the county municipalities. He had originally proposed to completely cut the $3 million payment to communities to cover training and personnel costs for paramedic services, but the board restored $1.5 million to the program during last week’s hearing. “The municipalities have raised concerns …

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Bob McBride

9:59 am on Thursday, November 17, 2011

Doyle brings out as many crickets as does Abele. Hard to make the points about Walker if they have to acknowledge similar stuff done by the clowns they elected. They still can't make up their minds if the recall is about the collective bargaining issue or not. Depends on whether or not they run up against a logical argument or not. The real problem is Walker wasn't tough enough. He should have …   more ›

Abele's Proposed County Budget Calls for No Hike in Property Taxes

However, County Executive's proposal for 2012 would cut Sheriff's Department spending by $14 million.

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele Thursday presented a $1.2 billion budget for 2012 that freezes the property tax levy at last year's level and cuts spending by 5.6 percent. In unveiling the plan, Abele described the budget as an “honest” document that does not include any revenue from potential land sales or overly optimistic projections about earning or expenses. While he didn’t go into every detail, Abele focused on four major budget areas in county government. While the 2012 budget proposal still devotes 49 percent of spending to public safety, Abele said it’s time for the Sheriff's Department, which has seen a 62 percent funding increase since 2001, to tighten its belt. He's calling for a $14 million cut on spending in the …

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TOTAL RECALL: State Senate Showdown

Recall Tracker: Unusual Protest, Firefighters Back Pasch and More

A recap of news and events surrounding the Alberta Darling and Sandy Pasch race for Wisconsin's 8th Senate District, and other recall news.

Protesters Stage 'Funeral' Outside Darling's HQ On Thursday, We Are Wisconsin members staged a funeral outside the Darling campaign office in Glendale, complete with a hearse, coffins and pallbearers. The group said the ceremony was done to shed light on the future of  Medicare and Medicaid, which are "deeply threatened by Paul Ryan’s budget plan, which Senator Darling supports." However, Darling's campaign office said the protesters were barking up the wrong tree. “Either today’s protesters are trying to mislead and confuse the voters, or they don’t know what a state senator does,” campaign manager Andrew Davis said. “Medicare is a federal issue. Senator Darling’s focus has always been on and will continue to be getting Wisconsinites back…

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Craig

8:53 pm on Sunday, July 31, 2011

Linea said: Sometimes the willful ignorance of folks on this site is simply astonishing. My point Linea, after years of working in that area of business- MOST people do not fully understand a mutual fund. BIg OIL and Big Tobacco are a part of many funds, and there are many treehugging Liberals who have told me they would never invest in those businesses. Then they were enlightened- read your …   more ›

Nicolet School District Residents Can Expect Property Tax Hike

Early numbers show district's levy to jump by 6.6 percent this fall.

After going through a year in which the Nicolet School District spent millions to repair flood damage and had to quickly react to a state budget that cut aid, officials are now looking at a property tax increase this year. Jeff Dellutri, director of business services, said Monday the projected tax rate for the district is $4.19 per $1,000 of equalized value, which would be a 26-cent increase from last year. The total tax levy would be set at $17.3 million, which is a 6.6 percent increase from last year's $16.2 million levy. But these projections are just that — projections. And a lot can happen between now and the time the 2011-12 budget and levy gets final approval this fall. For example, district officials project enrollment this fall …

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A Race to the Top: Which North Shore Community Recycles the Most?

Bayside is very vocal about their efforts, but they fall second to Fox Point for 2010 recycling.

Bayside has been very vocal about recycling efforts, but in 2010, Fox Point was the clear winner in the recycling race between the North Shore communities.  Based on population size and the amount of tons recycled, Fox Point collected 293 pounds per resident.  This is only accounting for traditional recyclables like glass, plastics and aluminum.  The North Shore communities rank as follows: "We recycle about 1,000 tons a year of traditional recyclables like glass, tin, etcetera," said Scott Brandmeier, the Director of Public Works in Fox Point.  "But the tricky part is population size.  The population of Bayside is way smaller than Shorewood, so you'd have to look at the per-capita recycling rate.  For example, how much does a person or …

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Glendaler

12:29 pm on Thursday, May 12, 2011

Yes, this is the Whitefish Bay Patch. Which is why it's so interesting that there are so many mentions of the "North Shore" (excluding Glendale). It's clearly covering more than just WFB. In fact, they've advertised for a "mom's panel" and for bloggers from the "North Shore," with a list of communities that does NOT include Glendale. I'm fine with a site that covers just WFB, but since the …   more ›

Washington Report

'Path to Prosperity' A Long Road; Budget is First Step

U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner votes for 2012 budget that dramatically curtails spending.

This opinion column is written by U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Menomonee Falls). It was April 15, 1912 when the “unsinkable” Titanic sank.  As it stands, our growing debt and deficit continue to make our own nation more vulnerable to sinking.  In an effort to better prevent our own Titanic, Friday afternoon, I was proud to vote in favor of Congressman Paul Ryan’s Path to Prosperity budget proposal for fiscal year (FY) 2012.  His plan takes the bold and necessary steps to shift our government’s spending priorities.      For the first time in a long time, Congress is now deciding what spending to cut, not whether to cut spending.  This is a huge and important step in getting our debt and deficit under control, and I’m proud that House …

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Lyle Ruble

7:03 pm on Thursday, April 28, 2011

@tbs... Your memory is very convenient. Under whose administration did the economy go to hell in a hand basket? It was Alan Greenspan and his libertarian Rand economic theories that blew up beginning in 2007 and was in full crisis in 2008. Not all Keynesian Economics works and it is obvious that we can't spend our way out of this recession. I don't see how you think Obama got us into a couple …   more ›

School Board Considers Nicolet's Post-Referendum World

Some cuts still recommended, but others no longer necessary.

After voters passed the $10 million referendum for Nicolet High School last Tuesday, many have begun to ask, "What happens next?" And that's exactly what administrators and School Board members considered Monday night. At a Budget and Finance Committee meeting Monday, committee members collectively brainstormed a vision for the school's future now that the referendum has passed. While nothing was decided or voted on, many ideas were brought to the table. Despite the additional funding, budget cuts will still be required. One option raised by District Administrator Rick Monroe was elimination of the Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, program due to low enrollment. AVID students are considered "middle" students — not failing…

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