Fox Point Village Board Holding Special Footbridge Meeting Monday

The board will potentially vote on providing the initial funding for the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge, a hot topic in Fox Point that's garnered much support for each option - repairing, replacing and removing.

The Fox Point Village Board could vote Monday to issue initial funds to replace the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge.  Those funds would be supplied to Footbridge Friends, Inc. to allow Progress Consulting, LLC. and Clear Verve Marketing, LLC. begin marketing campaigns to solicit donations for the remaining half of the estimated cost to replace the bridge.  In December the board challenged residents to raise $500,000 toward the estimated $1 million replacement cost for the bridge. The Village Board will meet at 4 p.m. Monday to discuss funding and could potentially approve those funds — to the dismay of some residents. "The fundraising group was supposed to raise funds on their own," Fox Point resident Bob Cory told Patch in an e-mail. "A …

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Fox Point and Bayside Escape Ballot Errors Unscathed

Testing done in advance of the April 3 General Election has discovered a flaw in the election ballots sent to many cities and municipalities in Milwaukee County, but Fox Point and Bayside hadn't received theirs yet so they remain unaffected.

As if city clerks didn’t already have enough on their plates, along comes the case of the misprinted ballots. Luckily, Fox Point and Bayside missed that bullet. Testing done in advance of the April 3 General Election has discovered a flaw in the election ballots sent to many cities and municipalities in Milwaukee County. "The error with the ballots was discovered before Fox Point’s ballots had been delivered so we do not have any flawed ballots," Tanya O'Malley, Fox Point Village Clerk said. Bayside's Director of Finance and Administration Lynn Galyardt said said she was scheduled to test the ballots Tuesday for both Milwaukee and Ozaukee Counties, however, she will now have to reschedule the Milwaukee County test. "It is an inconvenience…

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Sarah Worthman

2:24 pm on Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Are you ready for election day on April 3?   more ›

Sunshine Week: Shining Light Onto Public Governance

In observance of Sunshine Week, Patch is providing some information on your rights to observe your government in action, and some resources for you to explore open records yourself.

Want to know how much the superintendent makes? That's an open record. Want to watch Fox Point and Bayside officials deliberate and decide what to do about a proposed development? That's an open meeting.  Wisconsin has a long history of open government, and strong laws that support it. Fox Point-Bayside Patch is observing Sunshine Week 2012, which begins today. As part of that observation, we want to share with you some of the open government resources available to anyone.  You have the right to see the records the government keeps — from health inspection reports to employee salaries to the entire municipal or school district budget — and to be present at the meetings where governmental business gets done. The expectation is that …

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Primary Preview: New Voting Wards, Voter ID Active, Sample Ballot

Double check the map before you head out to vote.

With the Milwaukee County Board redrawing district boundaries, voters participating in Tuesday's spring primary election might want to check to see if their ward has changed. Bayside residents can check out the new wards here, and Fox Point residents can find their wards here. For both Fox Point and Bayside residents, there are no contested elections for the spring primary, except for Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge. Nelson Wesley Phillips III, Christopher Lipscomb and Carolina Maria Stark are running for the position. Here are the official websites for Stark, Lipscomb and Phillips, and here is Patch's story on the race. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.. Here are the polling places in Fox Point and Bayside: Bayside residents can …

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Last Call to Pay Taxes for 2011 Deduction

Online payments can be made as well, for a fee.

Property owners have until Jan. 31 to make whole, or partial, payments on their 2011 property taxes. However, if you're looking for a deduction on your 2011 income taxes, those payments must be in by the end of the day today. Fox Point residents can make payments at Village Hall, however they closed at noon today. Payments can still be left in the locked, tan-colored box in the Village Hall parking lot. You need to include a stamped, self-addressed envelope for the return of the receipt. For Bayside residents, Village Hall is closed today, however residents can still make their payment at M&I Bank, 8740 N. Port Washington Rd. Payments for residents in either village can also be made via credit card through the Official Payments Corporation…

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Village Tax Levy Rises 2.2 Percent in Fox Point

An owner of a $250,000 house can expect to pay an extra $32 next year.

With an audience of only one resident at the special public meeting, the Fox Point Village Board Wednesday approved a $6.8 million budget for 2012 that's up by 0.19 percent from 2011. The village also approved the $6.95 million tax levy, up 2.22 percent over last year. This breaks down to a tax rate of $6.55 per $1,000 of assessed value, which is up from $6.42 one year ago. An owner of a $250,000 house can expect a $32 increase on the tax bill, bringing the total to roughly $1,637. In addition to the levy, sewer rates are going up. A typical resident will see the quarterly sewer bill go from $84.30 to $87.81, about 4 percent. While the meeting was open to the public, only one resident showed up to voice his concerns about the overall tax …

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The Editor's Notebook

Week Ahead: Board Meetings, Tree Commission and Grief Counseling

A roundup of places to be and people to meet in Fox Point and Bayside.

Who said nothing ever happens in Fox Point or Bayside — Patch certainly doesn't think so! Check out all the places to be, things to do and people to see as we look at the week ahead. Nicolet School Board Meeting This Nicolet School Board will meet at 7 p.m. Monday in the Community Room at Nicolet for their monthly meeting. In addition to other agenda items, the board will vote on approving six volunteer sports coaches, the 2012-13 school calendar and the recommendation a health care provider for Nicolet District staff. Bayside Village Board Meeting: The Bayside Village Board will hold their Board of Trustees meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at Village Hall, immediately followed by the Committee of the Whole meeting.  In addition to other agenda …

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Poll: Should Chickens Be Allowed in Fox Point?

One family wants to change the local ordinance to allow some self-sustaining options like raising chickens in Fox Point.

Controversy recently struck Fox Point when a local family decided it wanted to raise four chickens within the village limits. However, this would violate village ordinances because Fox Point residents are not allowed to have critters besides cats and dogs on residential property for longer than 24 hours. The ordinance reads: 27.14 KEEPING ANIMALS. The maintenance of one or more horses, cattle, fowl, swine or goats in the village is hereby declared to be a nuisance and possession or maintenance thereof in the village is hereby prohibited, except the possession within the village of one of any said classes of animals for 24 hours or less at intervals of not less than eight days is permitted. At the September board meeting, a local family …

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Halloween Gets Too Big for Residents on 'Trick-or-Treat Street'

Whitney Road residents say more than 500 kids came to their homes last year for Halloween.

Halloween is traditionally a family event — parents taking their kids for a stroll for a couple of blocks as the youngsters fill their bags with candy. But in Fox Point, what began as a small neighborhood get-together on Whitney Road has exploded into a trick-or-treat experience that draws hundreds of kids — many of whom don't live in the neighborhood, let alone the village. "It's like State Street on Halloween," said Whitney Road resident Tyler Rudkin, referring to the annual celebration in Madison. "Just swarms of people." In past years, the village put up barricades to close off Whitney Road so children could safely go through the neighborhood and collect their goodies. Last year, the street was closed as the village considered the …

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Nurturing Nook to Replace Columbia St. Mary’s Child Care Center in January

New child services center to retain services and flexible scheduling at the RiverPoint shopping center on Port Washington Road.

Fox Point won't be losing one of the few remaining child care centers left in the village when Columbia St. Mary's leaves in January, because Nurturing Nook will fill its place. The Fox Point Village Board approved plans for The Nurturing Nook child care services to take over the building currently occupied by Columbia St. Mary’s RiverPoint Children’s School, 8647 N. Port Washington Road. “We’re just taking over the Columbia St. Mary’s operation because they were going to close,” said Nurturing Nook co-owner Therese Ciofani. “We will be providing child care services just like they are with the same clients and the same staff.” The Nurturing Nook has been around since 1989 with a child care services center at 575 West River Woods Parkway in…

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