Merry Christmas!

Wishing all my Town Talk readers a wonderful holiday. I was able to get into the spirit of the season a few weeks ago at the Fox Valley Symphony Holiday Pops concert.

Grand Chute Police Chief job opening

The position of Grand Chute Police Chief is formally open and applications are now being accepted through 4:30 pm, January 15th at the Grand Chute town hall. The job posting can be found on the Grand Chute Web site, and a job description can be downloaded here.

Pawn America celebrates grand opening

Being a town supervisor isn't all meetings and emails. Sometimes, we get to do fun stuff too! Yesterday was one of those fun days. I attended the grand opening of Pawn America. Pawn America is located on Westhill Blvd, and occupies the area that used to house the Prime Quarter. This isn't a seedy looking pawn shop some may have perceived in their minds. Instead, this clean store is set up like many retail shops. It is split into different areas of jewelry, electronics, clothing and more. You can really find most anything, depending on the day. One of the most unique items I spotted was an accordian. It reminded me of my Aunt Marie. She's 90 and still cranks out a tune every now and then.

Pawn America also gives back to the community. They started the program Kids Feeding Kids. They fund and support the Boys and Girls by helping install kitchen facilities at the clubs. They also teach children about nutrition and being self-sufficient.

So, welcome Pawn American, ad thank you for helping create 16 jobs in Grand Chute.

Nature's Lane Trail

Part of Grand Chute's comprehensive plan is to enhance our parks and recreational trails. One of the planned trails connects Cedar Meadows subdivision to Arrowhead Park. Most of the trail will follow Nature's Lane. The majority of the trail will be stone with planking over wetland areas.

The trail is creating controversy amongst some Cedar Meadows residents who oppose the trial's proximity to their property and those that are looking forward to the Arrowhead Park access that the trail would provide. The final vote will take place at tomorrow evening's town board meeting.

One of the reason's I like town government is it allows participation by residents at a grass roots level. It's nice for me, as a supervisor to get public input. And there's been no shortage of public input by Cedar Meadows subdivision residents! I commend those on both sides of the issue for taking the time to phone, email and conduct petition drives.

While debate went on, the Town Board authorized solicitation of bids for trail construction from 11 companies. Nine responded under the town's guidelines, and the low bidder is Grade-Tech Pavers, Inc. of Ixonia, WI. Their bid was $73,728.50. Other factors affect the final trail cost and are noted below:

Trail Cost
$73,728
($10,000) paid by subdivision developer
($10,000) DNR matching grant

$53,728

Add about $20,000 for engineering, design and project management* figure is approximate
$73,728 total
(36,864) matching grant by DNR

$36,864 Approximate amount Nature's Lane trail will cost.

If approved, this will come out of the Capital Improvement fund, and is much lower than preliminary estimates of $90,000.

Sweat equity funds can also be matched by the DNR.

Construction of the trail is endorsed by the Grand Chute Parks Commission and Fox Cities Greenways.

Tomorrow evening's Town Board meeting starts at 7pm.

Behind the numbers — Police Department Meger Wrap-up Part 1

Some seemed surprised by Administrator Jim March's recommendation that negotiations between Grand Chute and Appleton for a police department merger be put to rest. On further examination, the numbers coming through at the end may give some insight behind the merger's demise.

Last week, I received a revised budget from the city of Appleton Finance department. They had combed through the previous budgetary figures and revised numbers to come up with a closer cost-case scenario. The new combined budget scenario was $386,404 more than the previous document. Adding in new officer wages under the 2010 union contract negotiations skyrocketed it up even further, an additional $511,597. A new, merged Appleton/Grand Chute Department now has a combined budget of $19,463,072. (See new budget numbers below)


Now that final figures were available, the eight-part formula the Police Merger Implementation Committee came up with to determine each municipality's annual cost could be used. The final percentage for Grand Chute was 20.54%.

cost sharing formula

It was reported in a memo to Town Board Supervisors from Interim Deputy Chief Peterson, that the merger would save Grand Chute $18,000. This savings would be wiped out by ancillary cost not yet determined by the City of Appleton. This is true if the 20.45% is applied to the merged budget savings number found on page 2 of the revised budget of $88,114.

HOWEVER, when the 20.54% is applied to the overall merged budget of $19,463,072, one can determine that Grand Chute's portion of the bill would be $4,023,429.

The 2010 Grand Chute Police Department Budget is $3,914,632.

A merged department would cost Grand Chute taxpayers $108,797 more than having the Grand Chute Police Department remain independent.

Part 2 next week

Misty Lane Water Tower up and running

The Misty Lane water tower is online. Because of this water source, the fire station is requesting a ISO re-evaluation. ISO is an independent organization that serves insurance companies, fire departments, insurance regulators, and others by providing information about risk. ISO's expert field staff visits communities around the country to collect information about their fire departments, their fire alarm and communications systems, and their water supplies.
Resident's homeowner's insurance is directly tied in to the ISO rating. A lower number on a scale of 1 to 10 indicates better fire protection is available. Hopefully, a reduced ISO rating will mean better insurance rates for Grand Chute residents. I will keep you up to date on the town's ISO rating progress.

Agenda for November 17th Town Board meeting

The Agenda for the November 17th Town Board meeting is available for download. The Board will be acting on the proposed budget. We will also consider a proposal to shift away from the proposed police department merger with Appleton and focus on identifying was we can cooperate with Appleton short of a merger.

Grand Chute Kiwanis ringing the bells tomorrow

The Salvation Army has kicked off their 2009 holiday bell ringing campaign. Members of the Grand Chute Kiwanis will be by the kettles in various parts of Grand Chute tomorrow. I'll be ringing the bell at the new Walgreens on Northland Ave. 2-3pm tomorrow afternoon. Be sure to say hello if you're passing through!

New town festival in the works

Various organizations in Grand Chute are working together to expand on Grand Chute's annual Parks Day event. The town is looking to create an event that is identifiable to surrounding communities as a "Grand Chute" celebration, similar to Darboy's Chickenfest, or Greenville's Catfish Races. The goal is this will be a community-wide event.

The main festival date is September 11, 2010, with other activities possibly occuring on the 10th and 12th.

Currently, a steering committee is looking into naming the event. From there, themes, and activities will be planned.

Grand Chute Firefighters, Grand Chute Citizens Police Academy and of course, Kiwanis, will all be a driving force behind this event. Town officials, Grand Chute Kiwanis, residents and business people will all come together to organize next year's festival. This is a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor and help shape the future of Grand Chute celebrations. I will be meeting with Town Administrator Jim March early next week to start outlining the festival. Please email, comment, or call if you have any ideas.

Memo from Town Administrator Jim March regarding Police Merger

The Grand Chute Town Board directed staff to investigate the feasibility of a police department merger with the City of Appleton over a year and a half ago. Initially, a consultant was hired to investigate the matter. After the consultant reached an early conclusion that a merger would not work, elected leaders, the Grand Chute citizens committee and staff members from both communities felt that the investigation was not as thorough as we would have liked and determined that the issue warranted further study.

Since that time, a joint implementation committee was formed with representation from both municipalities. Joint staff created numerous detailed reports that portrayed a hypothetical budget, a sample funding formula and delineated how the governance of a merged department would function.

Elected officials on both sides have indicated that they expect a merger would include at a minimum three components listed as follows

1) enhanced services,

2) financial efficiencies or at least no additional costs and

3) a “true” merger that recognizes the importance of the departmental contributions from both communities.

During a recent meeting with Chief Walsh and interim Chief Peterson, we concluded that, realistically; a merger could not likely accomplish all three of these goals at this time.

We believe that a merger would provide nearly immediate enhanced services to both communities. This goal and perceived outcome has never been a question in our minds.

In attempting to identify financial efficiencies, we think that one of the initial assumptions used as a requirement for a merger precludes us from saying with certainty that a merger would cost the same or less than the combination of our departments financed independently.

The assumption that no one would lose their job in a proposed merger is counterintuitive and likely serves as the best source of potential savings. We are not saying that we disagree with this early prerequisite, but in our opinions the stipulation does limit our ability to be creative.

We believe that a lot has been learned through this process. In fact, we believe that it is the knowledge that we have gained that has shaped the increasing doubts for the need to proceed further with the merger investigation.

During the interim period under effective departmental leadership, the following items have been noticed:

• Grand Chute’s Police Department can be properly equipped through budget action
• Grand Chute Departmental morale improves with effective leadership
• Grand Chute can revise our departmental policies and procedures
• Grand Chute could maintain it’s identity and have a highly functioning department

Nevertheless, while we may be at a crossroads that casts doubt on the value of continuing the merger feasibility analysis, the process we have undertaken has revealed numerous opportunities for collaboration that can be achieved without consolidation of the two organizations. In fact, many of the strengths associated with the merger are within reach through operational collaboration. Several key areas worthy of consideration have been preliminarily identified as follows:

• Increased cross jurisdictional responses to enhance response times in critical situations and in circumstances where geography and staffing deployment issues impede service delivery
• Consistency in policy development to enhance cross jurisdictional service opportunities
• Unification of key operational components based on function; e.g., PSL

o A unified approach to the PSL function would ensure constant coverage in PSL absences, standardization of policies between law enforcement and the School District, Child Protective Services, etc., and enhanced information sharing

• Technology/data sharing in areas such as criminal intelligence, crime mapping, and crime analysis trends.
• Consolidation of the crime scene processing function, including equipment purchase
• Joint deployment of a single Crime Scene Unit
• Sharing of technical criminal investigative capabilities; e.g., computer and audio/visual forensics capabilities
• Collaboration on equipment and program research, grant funding opportunities, and volume buying
• Consolidation of the training function for the purpose of affording each agency access to the other’s instructional staff and in-house training opportunities

In light of these many opportunities, our joint recommendation is to transition the proposed discussion on a merger to a proposed analysis of ways that the Grand Chute Police Department and the City of Appleton Police Department can share services on an administrator defined level. Should this shift in philosophy find support, it would be advisable to consider an extension of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two communities, in which the City has agreed to provide the Town with an Appleton Police Department Deputy Chief to act as the interim police chief. This will enable the two chiefs to fully explore the range of possibilities for such a collaborative approach toward administrative and operational policing activities.

We have also concluded that if future financial incentives for mergers become available at the Federal or State level that this issue should be reexamined at that time. The full exploration of all opportunities for collaboration between our two independent police departments would only serve to enhance renewed merger discussions should the aforementioned financial incentives present themselves.

In closing, we would respectfully request consideration of this proposal by the Grand Chute Town Board and the Appleton Common Council in the spirit of cooperation that has prevailed during the 17 months of merger feasibility research.

IT subcontracting services passes Appleton City Council

IT services for Grand Chute came on step closer to being taken over by Appleton's IT Department when Appleton's City Council voted 14-2 last week to approve the contract request. The contract will be on next week's Town Board agenda. If the Town Board approves the contract, services can expect to start soon after. The town will pay an annual fee of $20,000.The town has the option of buying additional network support service during off hours for $90 an hour

Police Merger up in the air

I've been fielding a lot of calls from the news media and residents about rumors that talks between Grand Chute and Appleton police merger are dead. Memos were apparently sent out to Grand Chute and Appleton officers. Radio reports (WHBY) Appleton's memo informed offficers the town board might not be interested in pursuing merger negotaions. At last Tuesday's town board meeting, Chairman Marsden expressed his dissatisfaction with Appleton's sticking points (name identity being one of them), but no action was taken by the Town Board toward disolution of merger discussion.

As of this time, I am waiting for official word in memo form from Town Adminstrator Jim March, Appleton Chief David Walsh and Interim Deputy Chief Greg Peterson. Chairman Mike Marsden is out of town. Until I receive word in written form, I cannot speculate as to the reasoning, or the direction the merger is taking, because truthfully, I do not know.

Next Thursday's meeting of the Merger Implementation committee has been cancelled.

Police Merger Implementation committee recap

There was a Police Merger Implementation meeting last night. The panel, compromised of both Appleton and Grand Chute officials, voted on six different items. A yes vote indicated panel members believed the subject to be fair and reasonable. The Panel agreed on the cost sharing formula. This formula consists of eight different variables which are:

1. Unified crime reporting Part 1 violent crimes
2. UCR Part 1 Non Violent crimes
3. Adult Court Referrals
4. Juvenile Criminal Apprehensions
5. Emergency Detentions
6. Population
7. Completed Offense Reports
8. Citizen Initiated Calls for Service

Interim Deputy Chief Peterson was charged with using this formula and plugging in numbers from the past two years in order to give the panel an idea of realistic costs.

The panel did not agree on a name. Members of Grand Chute feel the department's new name should reflect a combined name of both departments. Appleton members feel the name should remain Appleton Police Department with serving Grand Chute in smaller letters. This item will be brought back for further discussion, as there was not a 2/3 majority vote needed to pass.

No attorneys were present at last night's meeting. It has been requested they appear at the next meeting to answer questions.

Casaloma West project wrapping up

The Casaloma West urbanization project is wrapping up this week with punch list items being identified and fixed. It's been a long summer of construction for residents of Casaloma West. There are a series of road reconstruction projects planned for the next few years. Visit Casaloma West and Twin Willows subdivisions to see an example of urbanization with curb and gutters.

Grand Chute maintains excellent credit rating

At Tuesday night's meeting, the town of Grand Chute was informed the town's rating for credit purposes remained at AA3.

What does this mean?
According to Moody's Bond rating:

"Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as "gilt edged." Interest payments are protected by a large or an exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the fundamentally strong position of such issues. "

This is one of the highest ratings a municipality can achieve. This rating directly affects the bargaining power a town has for its interest rates, both borrowing and the return on the bonded monies we currently have in reserve. This rating is an indication to lending institutions as to how financially secure municipalities are.

There is only one other town in the state of Wisconsin that has as high of rating as Grand Chute.

In the words of Ehlers & Associates, the town is doing very well. Its nice to see that in these financially trying times, our town is remaining financially strong. I am committed to continuing this trend.

If you are interested in seeing the detailed report, it is available for review at the town hall.

Governor Doyle announces $40 million award for Grand Chute-Menasha facility

I just got back from a press conference where Governor Jim Doyle announced $40,900,743 award for the Grand Chute-Menasha West storm treatment facility. The facility was scheduled to build an addition that was to cost Grand Chute, Greenville and Town of Menasha residents projected over $57 million. This addition was to be conducted in two phases over the next twenty years.

The Grand Chute Town Board/Sanitary Commission approved additional funding a couple months ago to fast track the studies needed for proposal submission to the Federal Stimulus Program. Governor Doyle commended the commission for their forsightedness in being prepared.

The Governor also stated this investment in the wastewater system will creat lcal jobs and benefit local water infrastructure needs.

Of the $40 million award total, half is funded through the American Reovery and Reinvestment grant. (Better know as stimulus money) The other half of the state funding will be provide as a low interest loan from the state Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund.

State Senator Ellis to address Town Board

Senator Michael Ellis will be addressing the Grand Chute Town Board tomorrow night and announcing the introduction of a bill for vote that will allow property owners to claim special assessments as a deductible expense for income tax purposes.

Agenda for July 21 Town Board Meeting

The agenda for July 21st Town Board meeting is available for download.

Schofield considering leaving Everest Metro Police Department

The Everest Metro Police Department has continually been referenced by merger proponents as a poster child for the Grand Chute/Appleton police merger. There have been many times we have heard that it's been a successful example and a good reason why to merge. They use an eight part cost-sharing formula, with percentages similar to what Appleton proposes. Interestingly, there is an article this week concerning Schofield's dissatisfaction the cost the town is having to pay out for the police service. Schofield, the smaller community to Weston, is prepared to leave and start their own department.

Haitus ended

I've taken a sabbatical last month on posting. Summer is my busiest time of the year construction-wise and I've been working some long hours. That doesn't leave much time for blogging. Now that things have quieted down a little, expect regular postings to resume.

Web docs of minutes for last 10 years online!

The minutes for the last ten years worth of town board, sanitary district and public hearings are available online as web docs! Visitors to the web site can search by word or phrase for specific names and words (helpful for subdivision improvements) , or view by date.

Police Advisory Committe meeting agenda

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. I was in San Diego enjoying the beach and baseball.

The agenda for tomorrow's police advisory merger meeting is available for download. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Rebuild Together Fox Valley Project Day 2009

Many of you know one of my favorite projects is Rebuild Together Fox Valley. The local chapter has been in existence for nine years, and I've had the opportunity to be a Project Manager for the last two years.

Rebuild Together Fox Valley's mission is to preserve and revitalize homes and communities, assuring that low-income homeowners, specifically seniors, and those with disabilities, can continue to live in warmth, safety and independence. they are a non-projet volunteer based organization that forms partnerships to rebuild and repair the homes of those in need.

Painting the exterior of Irma's house.

This year, on May 2nd, over 750 volunteers converged to repair 18 homes of Fox Valley Residents. As a project manager, I am in charge of coordinating the volunteers on Project Day, as well as assisting with any prep work that may need to be done in advance. This year, I was a leader for Irma, a very sweet lady who lives in Appleton. Irma was a grade school teacher for St. Matthew's for many years. She's lived in her house and raised a family with her husband, Carl, since 1969. Since Carl passed away in 1994, Irma has been responsible for the home maintenance.

I was assigned a great group of volunteers from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. In one day, we were able to paint the interior and exterior of Irma's home, move the laundry to upstairs, install an entry shower and high rise toilet, install a handicapped ramp from the front door and do some updated landscaping.

Building the handicap accessible ramp

The dedication of the staff from Rebuild Together Fox Valley, the volunteers, the gratitude in each homeowner's eyes make this Project Day special. You don't have to be a skilled carpenter to volunteer, you only need the willingness to push up your sleeves and get to work.

Next year's Project Day will be in May. Consider getting a group together so we can help even more people stay in their homes!

Recognition for Project Leaders at banquet.

Agenda for May 19th meeting

The agenda for tomorrow's Town Board meeting is available for download.

Village in the Meadows update 5/6-5/13

The following is work that is anticipated for completion in Village in the Meadows reconstruction project.

1. Storm sewer construction from Twin Willows and Longwood. Storm sewer on Longwood.
2. Oakdale and Windsong storm sewer.
3. Begin storm sewer on Rambling Rose drive
4. Storm sewer service laterals tarting Twin Willows, Oakdale and Windsong starting toward 5.7 and into the following week.
5. Continuing valve and hydrant bolt replacement. This should be finished by 5.13.
6. Pulverizing the existing pavement may begin by 5.13.

Last year's Annual Town Meeting minutes

Minutes from the 2008 Annual Town Meeting were approved last month and are now available online for download.

Immunization Clinic

There will be an immunization clinic at the town hall May 21 3:30 pm-6:30 pm.
(Questions? Call 832-5100)

Study Circle continues

This week's discussion series about the Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and towns can Change to Sustainable Practices focuses on chapters 4&5. The meeting will be tonight at the Grand Chute Town Hall from 7-8pm. I have another meeting to attend, but will see you next week.

April town board meeting minutes

Minutes from the April 9th and April 21st Town Board meeting minutes are now ready for download.

Sustainable Communities study circles start tonght

Postings have been kind of sparse lately. I needed a break after the spring election, and my home internet was down for most of last week. But, thanks to the cable guy being willing work on Sundays I'm back online.

Tonight is the beginning of sustainability learning sessions at the Gran Chute Town Hall. I'm posting an email from Leslie Taylor. I won't be able to attend tonight's meeting, I've got a Brewers game I'm attending. But, I hope to see you next Monday.

****************

Hello everyone,

This evening at 7 p.m. at the Grand Chute Town Hall, we'll be having a 1 hour introduction/orientation to the Sustainable Communities study circles. Please come if you can, and also pass this invitation along to others you know who may be interested -- especially others who are residents, municipal employees or business owners in Grand Chute, but everyone is welcome.

After this evening's meeting, the Grand Chute study circle will meet every Monday evening, 7:00 - 8:30, for the next 8 weeks (except Memorial Day). If you are interested in participating but can't do so on Mondays, please let me know and I'll find another circle that works for you.

The discussions are based on the book The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns Can Change to Sustainable Practices by Sarah James and Torbjorn Lahti. It is available through Appleton Public Library or Conkey's...perhaps Barnes & Noble as well, though I haven't checked on their supply lately.

Great ideas, discussions and new civic engagement and friendships have emerged from the other study circles taking place in the Fox Valley. I look forward to seeing you there and to seeing what we can get going in Grand Chute!

Leslie Taylor

Let's Play Ball!

I admit it, I'm a baseball fan... a Brewers fan, to be exact. Season tickets to the Brewers ranks up in the top five of all Christmas gifts. I've noticed a surge of interest in the Brewers and have suddenly become very popular this year, after people find out I have tickets. So, hearing that the Timber Rattlers were partnering as the Brewers minor league team, well that was a great day. I'm planning on supplementing Milwaukee games with baseball right here in Grand Chute!

In honor of the Timber Rattlers home opener today (which I won't be attending, due to the Board Meeting...bummer) I am linking to another blog site called Wisconsinology. The author talks about his experiences designing the Timber Rattlers logo back when the club started up. It's a fun site that explores other Wisconsin phenomena as well.

April 9th Town Board meeting agenda

Elections were held on Tuesday, the normal day for Town Board meetings. Because of this, the regular Town Board meeting has been rescheduled for tonight. The agenda for the April 9th Town Board meeting is available for viewing and download.

Thank you Grand Chute

I want to extend a sincere thank you to everyone that helped during my re-election campaign. I appreciated the support via phone calls, emails and going door to door. I'm looking forward to being a voice for Grand Chute residents over the next two years and will continue connecting with you over the Internet!

April 1st Police Advisory meeting agenda

The agenda for tonight's Citizen Police Advisory Committee meeting is as follows:

Agenda

A. CALL TO ORDER

B. APPROVAL OF AGENDA/ORDER OF THE DAY

C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Approval of the January 27, 2009
meeting minutes.

D. NEW BUSINESS
a. Appleton/Grand Chute Staffing Report and 2009 Salary Comparisons

E. Other matters, questions, discussions.

F. ADJOURNMENT

March 3rd meeting minutes

Minutes from the March 3, 2009 Town Board meeting have been approved and are available for download.

Help for the Homeless campaign featured

Grand Chute Town Hall staff is featured in a Fox 11 news story about the 2009 Help for the Homeless Campaign benefiting area shelters with hygiene items and cleaning products. Grand Chute staff are in a friendly competition with Town of Menasha staff to see who can collect the most donation. Here's a link to the news video and text.

Police Advisory Committee meeting scheduled

A Citizen's Police Merger Advisory Committee meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 1, 6:30 at the Grand Chute Town Hall. Compiled information between Appleton and Grand Chute will be shared. Agenda to follow at a later date.

Police merger postings easier for visitors to find

I've consolidated some of my more relevant police merger postings as links on the front page sidebar. This will allow users easy access in reviewing my views on this subject.

February fact

Grand Chute Fire Chief Bantes was happy to report that there was zero dollar loss in the month of February. The department responded to 85 total calls.

March 17th Town Board Agenda

The agenda for the March 17, 2009 Town Board meeting is available for viewing and download.

Supervisors have day jobs

I've been busy following up on a contract home these last couple weeks with a homeowner wanting to move in. It's made for some late nights, but now it's complete and I can focus on campaigning. Here are a few photos of my latest project (It's in Grand Chute!) More catch-up blogging to come....

February 19th Town Board meeting minutes

Minutes from the February 19, 2009 Town Board meeting are available for download. There is a good discussion on the recent FEMA floodplain remapping.

February 3rd Town Board meeting minutes

Minutes from the February 3, 2009 Town Board meeting are available for download.

Guide sheet in the works for Grand Chute residents affected by FEMA mapping

There was discussion about the new FEMA Floodplain mapping at last night's Grand Chute Town Board meeting. 890 properties in Grand Chute are affected. As previously stated, Grand Chute has little to no authority as the town falls under Outagamie County regulations. However, knowing this can be a confusing process to go through for someone that has little experience dealing with this matter, I made a motion for staff to create a form or guide sheet for affected residents. The guide sheet would include an explanation of what has to be done in order to appeal FEMA's mapping. It would also have a detailed step-by-step process on how to go about making an appeal, and include contact names and numbers at the County. The motion passed 4-0.*

A representative from Omni and Assoociates also attended the meeting and expressed his concerns that there are many errors to the new floodplain mapping. He suggested that the Town of Grand Chute could look into having a broad scale study done. This would be done by examining sections of densely affected areas, instead of each individual parcel. If there were disputes based on the broad study, the town could initiate a one time appeal. Omni's representative estimated initial costs to the town could be about $15,000. This could be brought up on a future Town Board agenda.

Note: This has been corrected from previous posting. There were only four supervisors in attendance, all were in agreement and this should be confirmed when the meeting minutes are approved at the March 3rd meeting.

New FEMA flood mapping in Outagamie County overview

I just got done with the government official session at the FEMA Outagamie Flood Mapping Informational Meeting. It looks like there could be real headaches for Grand Chute residents. Over 800 properties are affected by the remapping of floodplains in Outagamie County by FEMA. Properties are defined as parcels of land that may or may not have residential or commercial buildings on them.

As a builder, I have experienced constructing houses in floodplains. Depending on the community, there can be additional construction costs or restrictions. These could include vapor barriers, no window wells, or windows, more gravel, and professionally approved waterproofing. Restrictions can end up adding thousands of dollars to the cost of the home. Homeowners (both existing and new) could be required to carry flood insurance.

Grand Chute town officials learned at the meeting that as a township, there is nothing we can do to work with residents and with FEMA. Townships fall under county authority in this instance. The county will decide weather or not to approve the new flood mapping. They will also decide if new construction is required to follow additional guidelines in flood plane areas. Grand Chute residents must contact their county officials.

Property owners affected by the remapping have been notified. Maps will not be posted until the County adopts the study. However, there is a map on display at the Grand Chute Town Hall. Residents have he right to go through an appeals process, but it will have to be done through the county, NOT Grand Chute.

Here is a link to your Outagamie county officials.

Appeals will be accepted starting in two weeks and will have a 90-day window. Residents must submit evidence that their elevations are substantial enough to change FEMA mapping. This would be done though a engineering study, or if their property is deemed wetlands, there would be a wetland delineation. The county will walk residents through the appeals process.

I just went through conducting a flood study done on property I own in the Town of Center. It ended up costing around $5,000. This did not include a wetland delineation, which will be an additional $5,000.** (note: not all flood planes are deemed wetlands) This is not a fun process. Although I cannot as an elected town official do more than talk with county officials, I am more than willing to talk to you about the process, having just gone through it myself. Call or email if you received a notice and have questions.

**This is a 12 acre parcel. Smaller parcels would not be as much.

Town of Grand Chute Summer Park Program Sponsorship Info

The Town of Grand Chute Summer Park Program is an 8 week recreation program for children ages 5 – 12. The program is held at four Grand Chute Parks. Last year the program benefited well over 100 children. Each year we look for area businesses to sponsor the program. Sponsorship dollars are used for craft and game supplies and to help fund field trips throughout the summer. In exchange for a $300 sponsorship fee, your business will be recognized in the following ways

• A professional sign will be displayed each week (for eight weeks) at all four parks indicating that your business is a sponsor of the program.

• Your business will be recognized on our summer event calendar. These calendars are distributed to all families who register for the program.

• Your business will also be recognized in the registration flier sent out to Highlands, Houdini, Badger, and Huntley Elementary Schools, reaching well over 1000 families.

If your business is interested in sponsoring the Town of Grand Chute Summer Park Program please contact Amy Sabee at 475-3845.

Town Board meeting moved to Thursday, February 19th

The regular Grand Chute Town Board meeting is moved to Thursday, due to Tuesday's Spring Primary elections. The agenda can be downloaded here.

Spring Primary Elections tomorrow

Spring Primary Elections are tomorrow. Grand Chute positions include a three-way primary for Grand Chute Chairperson. The Appleton Schools Referendum is also on the ballot, as Grand Chute residents pay taxes to the Appleton Area School District. Click here for Grand Chute voting information, including where to vote locations.

Outagamie County Flood Risk Information Open House scheduled

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be hosting a Flood Risk Information Open House on

Tuesday, February 17th. at the
Best Western Midway, 3033 W. College Ave, Grand Chute.
The Open house will be held in the Paretti Room from 2:30 to 4:00 pm and 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

The Open House will provide county residents with an opportunity to review a recently completed preliminary Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and its accompanying preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs).

The FIS and the FIRMS provide base flood information, delineates areas subject to significant flood hazards within the county, and offers information public officials may use when permitting development in the floodplain.

The Open House will be staffed with representatives from various local, state and federal agencies, who will provide the most current information about flood risk, flood insurance, floodplain development regulations, and the process for floodplain mapping within Hancock County . The newly prepared preliminary floodplain maps will be on display. Once the maps become effective, these maps will be used by floodplain permit officials, builders and developers, lenders, realtors, insurance agents, and the general public to determine food risk, develop mitigation measures, and encourage wise and responsible risk management decision-making.

Property owners, realtors, lenders, and insurance agents are urged to attend and take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about flood risk and hazard mitigation within their community

FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident, initiates mitigation activities and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA works closely with state and local emergency managers, law enforcement personnel, firefighters and other first responders. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

Reminder Police Merger Listening Session is tonight

Just a reminder that the last police merger listening session sponsored by Appleton is this evening at 6:30pm at the Grand Chute town hall. The session is expected to last about 30-45 minutes.

January 14th Police Advisory Committee meeting minutes

Minutes from the January 14th Police Advisory Committee meeting are available for download. There is not a future meeting scheduled at this time. The committee has agreed to give Appleton finance department a couple of months to come up with different scenarios for cost sharing breakdowns.

January 20th Town Board minutes

Minutes from January 20th, 2009 Town Board meeting are available for download

Help for the Homeless kicks off 2009 campaign

Below is an excerpt from an email I received regarding the "Help for the Homeless" Campaign. Please contact Heidi Prahl at the phone number listed below if your organization can sponsor a donation box.

17^th Annual “Help for the Homeless” Starts March 7!

Area Businesses, Schools, Churches Being Sought to Participate.

Appleton, WI - WEMI 91.9 FM Appleton/Oshkosh, WEMY 91.5 FM Green Bay: At least 33 area crisis agencies and shelters will receive donations of toiletries and cleaning products through WEMI & WEMY Christian Family Radio’s 17^th annual Help for the Homeless campaign March 7-31.

Help for the Homeless works directly with the homeless coalitions in Brown County, the Fox Valley, Winnebago County, Fond du Lac, and Manitowoc to stock the shelves of area homeless and crisis programs so they can dedicate their limited financial resources to providing qualified personnel, safe housing, nutritious food, education, and counseling to those they serve.

Businesses, schools, churches, and area organizations are now being sought to participate in the drive. Donations will stay in the area where they are donated. NEW cleaning and personal care items such as laundry soap, hair and dental care products, bathroom tissue, diapers, etc. are needed. Last year 250 area collection sites received more than $73,000 worth donations. To request a collection box call Heidi Prahl at Christian Family Radio 800-236-9364.

"We were overwhelmed at the generosity of the community. The really cool thing is that the volume of this donation helps us with administrative costs. It saves us many hours of asking and coordinating other organizations, schools, etc. to do a drive for us. That way the hours can be spent on larger projects. Most importantly, it allows us to spend more money on direct financial assistance for those in need with basics such as housing, utilities and transportation." -2008, Julie Coenen, Leaven

Donations will be collected at Festival Foods, Christian Family Radio studios, and participating businesses/schools/churches and organizations March 7-31. Sponsored by Christian Family Radio with Festival Foods, Affinity Health System, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, and WFRV Channel 5.

Thanks to Georgia Pacific Corrugated Division for their donation of collection boxes.

For more information, including printable fliers and a list of needs visit ChristianFamilyRadio.net

Recipient Agencies & Programs FOX CITIES:

B.A.B.E.S., Candlelight Vision Corp., CAP Services, Cerebral Palsy of Mideast Wisconsin COTS Transitional Shelters for Men and Women, Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley, Fox Cities Community Health Clinic, Harbor House, Housing Partnership of the Fox Cities, LEAVEN, Mother & Unborn Baby Care, Salvation Army

Area Fire Departments to battle it out in Chili Cook-Off

I attended this morning's 2009 Economic Outlook breakfast sponsored by the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce. There will be more on that later today. But, before I get into economic "gloom and doom" I thought I would post a lighthearted event that's coming up next Sunday. It's a Chili Cook-off Event with area Fire Departments. It' s being sponsored by the Grand Chute Fire Department Association Event Committee. The general public is invited to taste and judge the chili. Details follow:

Chili Cook-Off Event With Area Fire Departments
Sunday, February 15th, 2009
12-4 pm
Wave Ballroom
2350 Casaloma Drive,
Grand Chute

There will be activities for the kids including games and
face painting, along with a bake sale.

Admission is $5 for Adults.
Children 12 and under are free

"Garage Group" sponsors Grand Chute Chair forum

There's a group of local citizens who gather every month to discuss political issues affecting our area. They usually meet in a member's garage, and thus have taken to naming themselves "The Garage Group". They are becoming quite a local political force in that they interview local candidates running for office and back up their endorsed candidate with literature drops, sign placements and door to door campaigning. They make no apologies for being on the conservative side, (see number 3 below) but they do not limit themselves to endorsing strictly by party. Having been invited and having attended some of their meetings, I can attest their main focus is having open discussions and keeping tabs on spending and local issues.

The neat aspect of this group is the process a candidate goes through for an endorsement. The format is usually the same. Each candidate is interviewed separately (other candidates are not allowed in the room) and asked four questions.

1. Why are you seeking this position and what beneficial skill set(s) can you bring to the office?


2. If elected, what specific issues do you intend to focus on and what goals have you set?


3. The Group is a fiscally conservative, constitutionally-based organization. We advocate lower taxes, no unnecessary fees and a moral and financially sound government held accountable to its constituents. How do your views mesh with or differ from this position?


4. How are you different from the other candidates applying for this position?

Afterward, the audience is allowed to ask questions, and finally the candidate can give their stump speech on why this group should support them. The forum is open to the public.

If you're still reading, a Grand Chute Chairperson Forum will be held this Thursday, February 5th at the Old Bavarian 3025 W. College Ave. at 7 pm. (They need a little more space than a garage will allow!)

Candidates Michael Marsden and Jim Duncan are scheduled to attend. Lee Adamski will attend via phone due to a previously scheduled trip.

January 6th Town Board minutes

Minutes for the January 6, 2009 Town Board meeting are available for download.

Police merger listening sessions

There will be two listening sessions next week sponsored by the Appleton Police Department. These listening sessions will discuss the proposed consolidation of the Appleton and Grand Chute Police Departments. They wil be

Monday, February 9 at 6:30 pm
Appleton Public Library, Lower Level

and

Thursday, February 12 at 6:30
Grand Chute Town Hall Board Room

Agenda for February 3 Town Board meeting

If you haven't seen the agenda for tonight's Town Board meeting on the Grand Chute town web site, you can download here.

Office hours canceled

Tomorrow's office hours are canceled due to a work scheduling conflict. As always, I am available by phone or email.

A note of clarification

This post is for those of you who may have been at Tuesday's Police Advisory Committee meeting. After replaying the meeting in my head, I realize that a comment I made may have been misconstrued. As previously stated, officers proactively conduct walk through patrols at apartment buildings in Grand Chute. However, my statement may have mislead some to think I had actual knowledge of patrol logs, specific time frames or dates of walk throughs. This is not the case. My written notes are correct in that officers routinely walk through apartment complexes as part of their proactive policing efforts.

Police merger advisory committe meeting recap

Police Advisory Committee Meeting
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Grand Chute Town Hall

The following are notes I presented at tonight's meeting.

Reason for committee is to ensure numbers are accurate. Checks and balances with an Appleton based Interim Deputy Chief in charge of the numbers.

Fringe Benefit Savings
Calculation from Chief Peterson of 57,312 savings over five year period.
Requested breakdown of savings.


Inaccurate information.
Failure to take into account benefit comparisons of Grand Chute and Appleton PDs
The following is over five year period (Breakdown on attached sheet)

Physical Fitness Incentive up to $173,380.81
Retiree Health Insurance 17,500.00
Clothing Allowance 46,452.00
Body Armor 10,150.00
Sick Leave (78,883.67)
Wisconsin Retirement Contribution 71,552.40

Five year payout for additional benefits with merged department $240,151.54

Sick Day Accumulation
Grand Chute would need to pay Appleton for officer sick hours accrued at Appleton rate with any merger.

Currently 15,535 Hours banked
Grand Chute current accumulation $342,609.00
(Rate increase to Appleton would still be needed)

Myth:
Grand Chute is not a proactive police department

• Virchow Krause reported Grand Chute has little to no proactive policing.
• Ed Henschel in January 27, 2009 phone conversation stated no analysis or service structure report was performed. Mr. Henschel said the statement was based entirely on direction from Interim Appleton Deputy Chief Peterson.

Why this statement is false

• Officer time is broken down into committed and uncommitted time
• Committed time includes screens generated for calls for service, paperwork, initiated tasks, administrative and out of service screens.
• Uncommitted time is used by officers to conduct proactive policing.

Committed and Uncommitted Times for past three months

October
Committed Time
43%
Uncommitted Time
57%

November
Committed Time
37%
Uncommitted Time
63%

December
Committed Time
36%
Uncommitted Time
64%


Myth
Grand Chute is lacking in specialized services

• Many services are, in fact, provided by Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department for free, but were never noted.
• Notation on some services that Grand Chute because of its size of the department does not have specific organized teams. However, Grand Chute does have individual officers specializing in these services.
• Grand Chute officers have gone through many of the 26 courses noted as Appleton State Certified instructional staff. While they are not state certified, they have gone through training for these courses as required for continuing education.

Uncommitted, proactive policing time was used to

· Actively patrol for drunk drivers
· Perkins Restaurant patrol
· Business checks during every shift
· Neighborhood Watch Program
· Citizens Police Academy
· Crime Prevention Activities w/kids
· Bike Rodeos
· Halloween Trick or Treat Bags
· National Night Out for Neighborhood Watch
· Bicycle PatrolCommunity Development officer/Liaison
· Prevention with local banks on incidents involving robberies
· Grand Chute I.D., Program established years ago for tellers/clerks checking two forms of ID and how to decipher fake IDs
· Licence Premise Checks
· Grant Projects related to speed enforcement, alcohol enforcement & seatbelts
· IRS Projects
· Fox River Mall Patrol/crime prevention
· Roadstar Inn targeted patrol for Drugs, underage drinking etc.
· Apartment complexes ALL in Grand Chute receiving letters for Apartment watch where nightly officers routinely walk through the complexes. This includes 3321 Woodman Drive which recently had a homicide.
· High Accident Intersection of Wisconsin/41 which led to officer's monitoring intersection and seeking out violations. This led to reduction in accidents at this intersection

Loss of Accountability

• Grand Chute taxpayers will be giving up the accountability of its police department.
• There will be little to no Grand Chute managers within the merged department.
• Can Grand Chute taxpayers comfortably give Appleton 25% of the town’s operating budget?
• Are the numbers provided accurate? What happens if they aren’t?
• Is there an established trusted relationship between the two municipalities?
• There is no turning back if the merger doesn’t work.

Staffing Levels

• A merged department brings no increase in staffing
• Grand Chute loses part time positions equaling 1.5 officers
• Reliant on positive placement up to discretion of the Appleton Chief
• No secured place for Grand Chute’s 5 staff sgts.
• No room in the budget to hire additional future staff
• No study has been done if a merged department or level of services Appleton promises to provide can handle influx of Grand Chute’s population.

Grand Chute has the ability to add more officers without increasing taxes

Salary difference GC officers raised to Appleton levels $ 464,626.00
Savings in Fringe Benefit payout (excluding sick time) $ 240,151.00
Half of Current GC Overtime Budget $ 649,565.00
TOTAL $ 1,354,342.00

New Officer Hires
Year One 74,500
Year Two 76,735 76,735
Year Three 79,037 79,037 79,037
Year Four 81,408 81,408 81,408 81,408
Year Five 83,850 83,850 83,850 83,850

Total 4 New officers over five years $1,126,113.00
Remaining in budget 228,229.00

Future Level of Grand Chute Police Department remaining intact
21 Patrol Officers
5 Staff Sgts
4 Investigators/PSL
2 Leuitentants
1 Police Chief
5 Part time positions (Equals 1.5 officers)

34.5 Grand Chute Officers


Conclusion

• Grand Chute is a fully functioning department
• Grand Chute is adequately staffed
• Interim Appleton Police Chief has failed to provide accurate numbers to the committee, resulting in biasness for a merged department.
• There has been no documentation in support of the half sheet of projected cost savings.
• Projected cost savings are completely wiped out with benefit payouts needed to meet Appleton’s.
• Virchow Krause, a respected accounting firm with experience in negotiating numerous municipal mergers concluded funding formulas do not favor Grand Chute taxpayers.
• Grand Chute has the resources to add more officers and keep the department autonomous without increases to the Grand Chute taxpayer.

K9 Services available in Grand Chute

The following is a communication I received yesterday from Outagamie County Supervisor (and Grand Chute resident) Pat Stevens regarding K9 services provided by Outagamie County Sheriff's Department.

January 21, 2009

TO: Police Merger Advisory Committee

FROM: Pat Stevens

I was concerned with a comment made about the K9 dog at the Appleton Police Department possibly not being available to Grand Chute.

Apparently some are not aware that the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department currently has 3 fully trained K9 dogs. They are dual trained in bomb and tracking. (searching for lost children, robbery suspects, etc.) Also, the County Board recently approved a grant application for the Sheriff’s Department. It is a “for sure” grant and they will be using the money to acquire a fully trained drug K9 dog before the end of the year.

My concern is that you may not realize the availability of these dogs and that the taxpayer’s in Grand Chute are already paying for that service. We really do not need to think of duplicating it.

Police Advisory Committe meeting agenda

Appleton – Grand Chute Police Merger
Citizen Study Committee Meeting
January 27, 2009
6:30 PM – Board Room

Agenda

A. CALL TO ORDER

B. APPROVAL OF AGENDA/ORDER OF THE DAY

C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Approval of the January 14, 2009
meeting minutes

D. APPEARANCE & STATEMENT FROM THE CITY OF APPLETON
a. Mayor Tim Hanna and Chief Dave Walsh

E. NEW BUSINESS
a. Individual committee members present their opinions and recommendations
b. Formulate recommendations to the Town Board and/or determine next step in the process

F. Other matters, questions, discussions.

G. ADJOURNMENT

Examining why control matters

One of the issues that comes up with merging governmental entities is the issue of control. Many times, one municipality will have to give up partial control to the other. In the case of Grand Chute merging it's police department with Appleton, Grand Chute will be giving up ENTIRE accountability of it's police department. Right now, indirectly, the citizens of Grand Chute have control of their police department. As a town board member, this becomes an important factor. After all, I am accountable to Grand Chute residents. That includes being able to make the best financial decisions for taxpayers. Giving up control of a large portion of the town's budget must carefully be looked at. Do I trust the municipality with managing over three million dollars of the town's money? Are the numbers provided accurate? What happens if they aren't? What is the past relationship we have with the City of Appleton? Many consolidation reports cite the importance an already established trust relationship between both municipalities. Is the city of Appleton fiscally responsible with their taxpayers money? These are the questions I will be examining.

Town of Grand Chute
Delivery of Police Services
An Outline in Representative Accountability to Grand Chute Citizens

Option 1:
The merger of the Appleton Police Department and the Town of Grand Chute Police Department. The legacy Grand Chute Officers are merged into the ranks of the Appleton Police Department. The elected Town of Grand Chute turns over control of the Grand Chute Police Department to the City of Appleton. A 6 member control board is created. It consists of 4 Appleton members and 2 Grand Chute members.

• Appleton Mayor Elected by Appleton Citizens
• Appleton City Council Elected by Appleton Citizens
• Appleton Police Chief Answers to the Appleton Mayor and City Council
• Grand Chute Police Chief Answers to the Appleton Police Chief
• Answers to a 6 member board
• Level of Service Dependent on the Appleton City Council

Option 2:
To contract police services to the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department/ The legacy Grand Chute Police Officers are merged into the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department. A detailed contract will dictate the level of service provided to Grand Chute.

• Outagamie County Sheriff Elected by Grand Chute and all Outagamie County Citizens
• Answers to the Outagamie County Board on fiscal matters
• Outagamie County Executive Elected by Grand Chute and all Outagamie County Citizens
• Outagamie County Board Five Elected by Grand Chute Citizens
• Assigned Grand Chute Officers Answers to the Outagamie County Sheriff
• Level of Service Dependent on the Contract for Services Agreement

Option 3:
To maintain the existing Grand Chute Police Department.

• Town of Grand Chute Chairman Elected by Grand Chute Citizens
• Town of Grand Chute Board Elected by Grand Chute Citizens
• Town of Grand Chute Administrator Answers to the Grand Chute Town Chairman
• Answers to the Grand Chute Town Board
• Town of Grand Chute Police Chief Answers to the Grand Chute Town Chairman
• Answers to the Grand Chute Town Board
• Answers to the Grand Chute Administrator
• Town of Grand Chute Police Officers Answers to the Grand Chute Police Chief

Keep in mind that both Option 1 and Option 2 require that the existing Grand Chute Police Department cease to exist. The officers will merge into a separate department. It is anticipated that the officers will receive an increase in salary and fringe benefits. With these two options, there will be no turning around.

Option 1 removes the Grand Chute citizens and their elected officials from managing the delivery of Police services to Grand Chute.

Option 2 maintains a fairly high level of control since Grand Chute citizens elect the Sheriff, County Executive and their(s) Representatives to the County Board. In addition, the Sheriff’s Department may relocate its Patrol Division in Grand Chute, thereby increasing the law enforcement presence over and above what the contract provides.

Option 3 mandates control of the Grand Chute Police Department to the citizens of Grand Chute.

Police merger report

Grand Chute (and Appleton) residents have been asking what I think of the analysis of the two municipalities police merger report that was released by consulting firm Virchow Krause yesterday.

The report is pretty straight forward in that shared costs formulas do not paint a viable picture for Grand Chute residents. The writing was on the wall by doing simple math from the budgets and different formula scenarios provided in last week's post. Grand Chute residents would pay anywhere from $1.7 million to $14.2 million (over the next five years) more with a merged department.

Now that the numbers don't come out, I expect the push for merger approach to change to an increase in specialized services justification. A request will probably be made that all cost formula scenarios be thrown out the window, and a contract of services agreement looked into, something that had previously been rejected as not optionable by the Town Board when Outagamie County Sheriff's Department had submitted an RFP.

Much has been made about Grand Chute police being a reactive instead of a proactive department. This claim has been a point of frustration for many officers in the Grand Chute police department who say this is a biased and false statement. They spend many hours on proactive policing in the community. A small sampling of proactive policing includes:

• Neighborhood Watch
• Business Watch
• Citizens Police Academy
• Crime Prevention Activities w/kids
• Bike Rodeos
• Halloween Trick or Treat Bags
• National Night Out for Neighborhood Watch
• Bicycle PatrolCommunity Development officer/Liaison

• Prevention with local banks on incidents involving robberies
• Grand Chute I.D., Program established years ago for tellers/clerks checking two forms of ID and how to decipher fake I.D.s
• Licence Premise Checks
• Grant Projects related to speed enforcement, alcohol enforcement & seatbelts

• IRS Projects

• Fox River Mall Patrol/crime prevention
• Roadstar Inn targeted patrol for Drugs, underage drinking etc.
• Apartment complexes ALL in Grand Chute receiving letters for Apartment watch where nightly officers routinely walk through the complexes. This includes 3321 Woodman Drive which recently had a homicide.
• High Accident Intersection of Wisconsin/41 which led to officer's monitoring intersection and seeking out violations. This led to reduction in accidents at this intersection

Virchow Krause's analysis also discovered that Grand Chute's police department is adequately staffed. This was a huge turnaround from the $800,000 figure stated in the town newsletter mailed to all Grand Chute residents this past spring. Remember this post?

The panel's next meeting is scheduled for January 27th. Committee members will be able to give presentations or speak their thoughts at this meeting with one another. This is something that really hasn't been available due to time restraints at past meetings. I will be busy the next couple of weeks sorting through all the information.

Grand Chute citizens advisory committee meeting

Below is the agenda for this Wednesday's meeting

Appleton – Grand Chute Police Merger
Citizen Study Committee Meeting
January 14, 2009
6:30 PM – Board Room

Agenda

A. CALL TO ORDER

B. APPROVAL OF AGENDA/ORDER OF THE DAY

C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Approval of the November 25, 2008 meeting minutes

D. NEW BUSINESS
1. Presentation of the Town Staffing Analysis by Ed Henschel
a. Patrol Analysis Model (PAM)

2. Presentation of Cost Allocation Analysis by Ed Henschel

3. Discussion of service levels vs. costs

4. Discussion of Options for Consolidation
a. Merger
b. Contract for Services

E. Other matters, questions, discussions.

F. ADJOURNMENT

Police Department budgets

These spreadsheets are a supplement to yesterday's postings on cost allocations. They give a snapshot of Appleton Police Department and Grand Chute Police Departments operational costs, along with a combined department. Click on each graphic for larger view.

Cost Allocation Options for the Grand Chute-Appleton Police Merger

Chart of different cost options and percentages that each community would contribute.
Click chart for larger graphic.

The following was presented to Police Advisory Committee members at the November meeting. The document was prepared by consultant Virchow Krause. This site doesn't allow me to post PDF or word documents, so this information is copied from the report.

Cost Allocation Options for the Grand Chute-Appleton
Police Merger
November 25, 2008

The distribution of costs between participating municipalities in a fair and equitable manner is the cornerstone to any successful merger so that one party does not feel it is subsidizing the costs of the other. There are a number of funding options and combinations of options that can be considered. Currently, each municipality is funding the cost of providing police services through the General Fund. Thus residents pay for police services based on the value of their property (as is the case with most municipal services). Public safety services are rarely paid for on a use-of-service or benefits-received basis because they must be available to all residents in a community on an equal basis at all times. Public safety is in effect an essential service providing for the “health, safety and welfare” of the entire community, the costs of which do not easily lend themselves to be allocated to individual citizens according to the benefits-received principle of public finance (i.e. user charge).

In order to create equity in the distribution of costs for police services between municipalities, several alternative funding mechanisms are available for consideration. These cost-sharing methods may include:

A. Equalized Value
B. Population
C. Calls for Service
D. Part 1 Index Crimes
E. Baseline cost plus one or more of the above


A. Equalized Value Basis
This is the current method used by Appleton and Grand Chute for separately funding police services. It is a widely accepted method and is easy to administer using annual State equalized values. Under this method, each municipality would pay its share of the merged police department costs in proportion to its share of the sum of the equalized values of the two municipalities. This method of allocating costs between municipalities would cause the more developed (higher taxable value) community to pay a higher share of the costs. The focus here is the protection of property as being the primary role of the police department.

Using this formula and based on 2008 data from the Department of Revenue, Grand Chute would be expected to pay 34.46% of the total cost of a merged police department and Applton would pay 64.54%, as shown below:


B. Population Basis
The second method that can be considered for the distribution of costs is the population method. This method is also easy to administer using U.S. Census or State Department of Administration annual population estimates. Since police services are primarily responsible for protecting persons, this method has significant validity. However, this approach does not account for crime enforcement related to retail theft or high population density that often has greater incidents of crime. Nor does it take into consideration “daytime” populations that can very significantly in those municipalities with a high concentration of retail businesses, office complexes, high traffic roadway systems, etc. Using this methodology, Grand Chute would pay 22.11 % of the cost of the merged police department and the City of Appleton would pay 77.89%.


C. Calls for Service
The calls for service method would allocate costs based on the proportionate share of the annual number of calls for service in each municipality. This method comes closest to a “user charge” system in that the municipality with the greatest call volume would pay the largest share of the costs. If this methodology is used, it is important that the municipalities “count” calls for service in the same manner. This method does not take into account the cost of the many hours of general patrol time (which is a crime deterrent) or the basic costs of providing police services regardless of the number of calls a community experiences.

Distributing costs on the basis of calls for service would result in Grand Chute paying 27.32% of the cost of police department services and Appleton paying 72.68%.


D. Part 1 Index Crimes
The Part 1 Index Crime method would allocate costs based on the proportionate number of Part 1 Index offenses in each municipality. These crimes include: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson. These are the most serious crimes that may be committed in a community. Similar to calls for service, this method begins to approach a “user charge” system in that those municipalities with the greatest number of serious crime calls would pay the largest share of the costs. The distinction between “index” crimes and total crimes is that index crimes, because of their serious nature, take more personnel time to respond to and resolve thus requiring a greater manpower commitment. As with calls for service, however, it does not take into account the cost of the many hours of general patrol time, detective follow-up, or other basic costs of providing police services regardless of the number of calls or level of crime prevention. Because there are fewer of these crimes, to be most effective, a methodology using index crimes would need to include a rolling 3 or more year average to minimize year-to-year swings in data (which can be significant).

Information on index offenses is reported to state and federal agencies through the uniform crime reports (UCR) and thus is relatively easy to administer as a funding option.

Distributing costs on the basis of index crimes would result in Grand Chute paying 26.69% of the cost and Appleton paying 73.31%.


E. Baseline Cost plus a Combination of Funding Options
Providing police protection requires a substantial capital investment in buildings, vehicles, equipment and manpower. This investment is necessary even if the police department did not respond to a single call. Furthermore, police departments provide a variety of services to citizens such as general patrol, responding to calls, investigations, crime prevention, education, etc. that are not attributable to any one factor. Thus consideration can be given to distributing costs on the basis of a baseline amount and one or more other factors. This can be done through a variety of funding options or by weighting the various categories.

The above methodologies for the distribution of costs are summarized as follows:

December 16th meeting minutes

Minutes for the December 16th, 2008 Town Board meeting are available for download.

Police Advisory Committee update

Two meetings of the Police Advisory Committee are scheduled for January. They are January 13th and January 27th. Both meetings are at the Grand Chute Town Hall at 6:30. Some of you have been asking for updates regarding the merger. December was a slower month for merger talks because of the holiday. A meeting was cancelled on Dec. 30th to allow committee overseer Virchow Krause time to examine how many additional officers Grand Chute could use if the department stays autonomus.

At the last meeting, Virchow Krause presented three different formulas on how each municipality would finance the merger. These formulas are percentages based off of three scenarios: Population, number of service calls and equalized values. I'll try and scan in this document this week. Numbers weren't plugged in to the formulas at this point. The committee is supposed to receive this information at te January 13th meeting.

Outagamie recycling woes do not affect Grand Chute

By now, you've probably heard of the difficulties some municipalites in Outagamie County are facing with the lapse in contract between Wittenburg Disposal Service and the new subcontractor, Inland Services, Corp.

Grand Chute contracts out it's own recycling services through Veolia Environmental Services. The contract was approved earlier this year by the Town Board. There will be no interruption of recycling services in Grand Chute.

Jan 6th town board agenda

The ammended agenda for the Jan. 6th, 2008 Town Board meeting is ready for download.

Back in the blogoshpere

Wow! Looking at the date of my last post, I didn't realize it's been this long! I hope you all had a nice holiday season. It's been a busy one for me. I'm building a contract home right now, and this weather has been quite, umm....challenging. Seems like every day we were shoveling snow out of the house and dealing with windy weather on a 12/12 pitch roof. It was a battle getting the house covered, but now, I can focus on the interior and get back to blogging.