Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Board President Michael Meier shifts thinking toward rapid replenishment of reserves depleted by payout. Also, board approves two-year contract for superintendent with 4 percent raise this year.
In a surprise move, the Wauwatosa School Board advised administrators Monday to boost the school property tax levy over just two years to recover a $2 million payback made to the city after it lost a major tax lawsuit last year. If the administration heeds the board's wishes, taxes for schools would rise by another $51 a year over the regular levy on a $250,000 home. Two weeks ago, the board considered options of a three-year or five-year special "charge-back" levy increase to recover the money, which was paid to the city out of reserve funds. Board members were split in that discussion, 3-3, with one member absent. But Monday night, School Board President Michael Meier put forward his own proposal to replenish the district's reserves over…
Thursday, August 16, 2012
More than 10,000 applications for wolf hunt permits have been submitted for a season that the Wisconsin Humane Society and others say shouldn't involve hunting dogs without more rules in place.
Concerned for the safety of hunting dogs brought along during Wisconsin's first wolf hunt this fall, the Wisconsin Humane Society has joined other groups in a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resoures and Natural Resources Board. The lawsuit, filed in Dane County Circuit Court, asks the court "to stop the DNR from authorizing the use of dogs for wolf hunting until reasonable rules are established to protect dogs from injury or death, according to a press release from the society. Other plaintiffs include outdoorsmen, hunters, volunteer trackers, and other Wisconsin animal welfare organizations. When the state passed a law permitting the hunt, it included use of dogs for tracking and trailing — and it directed the DNR to …
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
City still looking at options on reinvesting $2 million it borrowed on behalf of the schools that in the end the district declined.
- GOVERNMENT
- Jim Price
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The Wauwatosa School Board on Monday night approved a budget revision to repay just over $2 million as its share of the property tax lawsuit the city lost in July to Wheaton Franciscan Health Care. That leaves the city holding $2 million borrowed last month that was intended to cover the School District's portion of the total $8.5 million repayment to Wheaton. On Dec. 6, the city borrowed $4.5 million through bond sales to cover part of its own debt to Wheaton and all of the schools' portion. Under state law, even though the city collected the taxes from Wheaton wrongly, it can recover the principal it turned over to other taxing entities. The city had already paid back part of its losses out of its Health Life Fund, which was considered …
Friday, December 16, 2011
With election officials saying they wouldn't automatically toss out duplicate or fake names like Mickey Mouse or Adolf Hitler from petitions, GOP says the process of reviewing signatures is unconstitutional.
Gov. Scott Walker and the Friends of Scott Walker have filed suit against the state election board, arguing its process of reviewing petitions circulated in the recall effort against the governor is unconstitutional. Filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court on Thursday, the suit asks the Government Accountability Board, the state agency that oversees elections, to vet and strike duplicate signatures and fake names from petitions submitted in the ongoing recall effort against Walker. The lawsuit was filed after election officials said a few weeks ago, that there’s no prohibition on signing recall petitions more than once and the agency would not automatically strike names like Mickey Mouse and Adolf Hitler from the petitions — as long as …
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
State Revenue Department approved recovery of taxes collected for schools and other entities.
- GOVERNMENT
- Jim Price
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Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Facing a looming year-end deadliine, the City of Wauwatosa was set to conduct a sale Tuesday of $4.3 million in bonds to pay off its losses in a lawsuit covering eight years in wrongly collected taxes. The terms of the sale will be approved Tuesday evening in a special meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee. There is no way to really sugar-coat the loss of an $8.5 million lawsuit. But city Finance Director John Ruggini seemed nearly giddy last week when he announced to the committee how much the direct damage to Wauwatosa and its taxpayers had been minimized in the wake of the state Supreme Court's finding in favor of the suit filed against the city by Wheaton Franciscan Health Care. "We have received word," Ruggini said, "from the …
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Wheaton Franciscan will be paid Thursday to take advantage of daily credits for early repayment.
- GOVERNMENT
- Jim Price
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Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The City of Wauwatosa will pay off its losses of just over $8.4 million on Thursday in a lump sum to Wheaton Franciscan Health Care, the city attorney said Wednesday. The city reached a settlement agreement on overpaid taxes with Wheaton, and the Common Council voted Tuesday night to approve it. Wheaton won its longstanding lawsuit with the city over tax-exempt status of its Mayfair Road clinic in July before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. City Attorney Alan Kesner said the resolution passed by the council agrees to a settlement figure; directs that it be paid from available funds; settles other outstanding claims with Wheaton that were still in court; and directs the city to claim chargebacks from the other taxing entities. Taken one by one…
Friday, August 26, 2011
$8.4 million overtaxing of Wheaton Franciscan must be paid back soon or interest will keep mounting.
The refund owed by Wauwatosa to a health care provider after a losing lawsuit over seven years of taxes will equal one-quarter of the amount taxpayers already pay in a year to support city operations. The city's options to repay nearly $8.4 million in taxes and interest to Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare will be ready for review and possible action by Common Council members Sept. 6, according to city attorney Alan Kesner. Among the options: borrowing, tapping city reserves, increasing property taxes or some combination of any or all of those possible payment sources, Kesner said. Kesner said it is in the city's best interest to settle the issue and pay Wheaton sooner rather than later, as "it costs a lot money to pay that interest" on the …
H.E. Pennypacker
9:31 am on Wednesday, October 10, 2012
what a bunch of idiots we have running Tosa...over tax the good citizens for a slush fund just in case we screw up again, then give the goof ball administrator a raise for be a screw up. Tosa is very close to becoming Brown Deer. more ›