County

Tue
19
Feb
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No 'Fair Share' in Contract Ratified by Teachers' Union

The Middleton Education Association (MEA) teachers’ union on Valentine’s Day ratified a new contract proposal for the 2013-2014 year. Despite the romantic date on which the vote occurred, emails obtained by the Times-Tribune show there was no love lost between the two parties while they hashed out the deal.

The contract will go before the Middleton-Cross Plains Area Board of Education for a vote on Monday night.

Under the new deal, salary increases would be determined at the school board’s discretion. Teachers who took part in a Health Risk Assessment would maintain their current 12 percent contribution toward health insurance. (Those not completing the assessment would contribute 15 percent toward the annual insurance premium.)

Mon
18
Feb
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GAB: Getting Rid of Same Day Registration Would Cost More Than $13 Million

MADISON, WI – Eliminating Election Day voter registration in Wisconsin would cost taxpayers between $13.1 million and $14.5 million, according to a staff report released Monday by the Government Accountability Board.

 The Final Report on the Impacts and Costs of Eliminating Election Day Registration in Wisconsin is being released well in advance of the G.A.B.’s next meeting on March 20 to give the public and legislature ample time to read it before the Board considers it, said Kevin Kennedy, director and general counsel.

Sun
17
Feb
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City Talks With New Developer About Blackhawk Land

Is a parcel of city-owned land on the edge of Pleasant View Golf course worth a million dollars, or is it’s fair market value closer to $200,000? The answer depends on whom you ask.

The City of Middleton and multiple local developers remain far apart on the true value of the roughly three-acre parcel on Blackhawk Road. However, the city is currently in what one source called “deep negotiations” with two people who wish to build there.

Don Michelson, a commercial real estate advisor, and Bob Harriman, of R.G. Harriman General Contractors, wish to buy the land and build seven three- and four-unit buildings, for a total of 25 units. Michelson and Harriman gave a presentation to the Middleton City Council on Feb. 5, laying out the reasons they believe a purchase price of $208,000 would be reasonable. 

They hope to acquire the land, build the structures and begin leasing them out by the end of this year.

Wed
13
Feb
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Fighting Town Board No Walk in the Park For Dog Lovers

As the snow fell last week and cars slipped and slid on Summerfield Drive, Troy Alton’s 14-year old daughter Arria had to keep one eye on “Tanner,” the family dog, and the other on the road—with no sidewalks or curb between them. But Arria’s father, oral surgeon Troy Alton got little sympathy at the Middleton Town Board meeting last week when his request to schedule additional public input on Middleton’s dog walking restrictions was turned down. “We won’t go that way,” declared board chairman Milo Breunig, “We’ve asked the Parks [Dept.] to look at it and we’ll wait for them to get back to us.”

Fri
08
Feb
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City Council Increases Penalties for Adults Who Allow Minors to Drink at Parties

The Middleton Common Council on Tuesday reiterated its opposition to, and significantly increased local penalties levied against, adults who help minors gain access to alcohol.

District 1 alderman Paul Kinne said the ordinance, which was approved unanimously, was designed to counter a “disturbing trend” in which adults believe they are preventing drunk driving and other dangerous activities by allowing minors to drink in a safe setting.

“[P]eople assume that if teenagers aren’t driving … there’s no harm,  no foul,” Kinne stated.

Tuesday’s vote to impose fines of up to $5,000 for repeat offenders showed the Middleton Common Council disagrees with parents who feel that way. The ordinance says it is intended to “clearly address the problem of adult-hosted underage drinking parties, and to discourage underage possession and consumption of alcohol, regardless of the location within the City of Middleton.”

Thu
07
Feb
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Mayor Gives State of the City Speech

Much of this year’s State of the City Address was similar to what was presented in recent years: the mayor touched on property values, development, employment, sustainability, taxes, public safety and growth.

Some wasn’t: this was the first time a member of the state legislature made an impromptu appearance to let the audience know local schools were closed due to a nasty ice storm. (It was Rep. Dianne Hesselbein.) 

On the surface it was a minor change, but perhaps the most significant aspect of Mayor Kurt Sonnentag’s speech Thursday morning at the Marriott was that he altered the way he presented information about the local tax rate – opting to delve deeper into the data in order to preemptively address accusations the city’s low tax rate is merely the result of high property values. 

Thu
31
Jan
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Police Offer Gun Locks

The Middleton Police Department has offered free gun locks to citizens for the past several years and still has gun locks available for free, thanks to funding made available by the Charles E. Kubly Foundation as well as continued support from Safe Communities of Madison-Dane CountyProject ChildSafe® and H.O.P.E.S. (Helping Others Prevent and Educate About Suicide). 

Tue
29
Jan
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Middleton Town Board Wants To Talk TIF With City of Madison

The Town of Middleton will see if City of Madison officials are interested in forming a tax incremental financing (TIF) district to spur development in the Seybold Road properties remaining in the town. (The location in question is on an island of town land in a sea of city, which is near Woodman’s grocery store and was created through years of annexation.)

Board Supervisor Tim Roehl has been backing a TIF district for the 35.9-acre area east of Gammon Road, saying it would not only boost property tax revenue for the town but also provide the funds to eventually reconstruct Seybold Road.

Creation of a TIF district, or TID, allows the town to borrow and repay the cost of infrastructure improvements from taxes generated by the incremental increase in property value.

Area TIDs have had a 14-year  average lifespan, said Gary Becker, an economic development specialist with Vierbicher Associates, Inc., with the vast majority of TIDs paying off costs early.

Tue
29
Jan
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Dahmen Files Government Accountability Board Complaint Against School Board Clerk

David Dahmen, the middle school science teacher who wishes to run for a seat on the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School Board, filed a complaint with the Government Accountability Board (GAB) Friday afternoon. Dahmen’s complaint is against school board clerk Annette Ashley, who recently ruled against placing Dahmen’s name on the April 2 ballot due to an issue with his candidacy papers.

Reid Magney, public information officer for the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, said Ashley will have 10 business days to respond to the complaint. Dahmen will then have an opportunity to submit a reply.

After that, the GAB will rule. “We could uphold the clerk’s decision or we could order him placed on the ballot,” said Magney.

Ballots for the election won’t be printed until March.

Dahmen’s candidacy papers had been challenged by Jim Greer, the Area 1 School Board incumbent whose seat he hopes to take.

Fri
25
Jan
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Dahmen Files Complaint Against School Board Clerk

David Dahmen, the middle school science teacher who wishes to run for a seat on the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School Board, filed a complaint with the Government Accountability Board today. Dahmen's complaint is against school board clerk Annette Ashley, who ruled two weeks ago against placing Dahmen's name on the April 2 ballot.

Dahmen’s candidacy papers had been challenged by Jim Greer, the Area 1 School Board incumbent whose seat he hoped to win.

Dahmen had filed a response to Greer’s challenge, but Ashley concluded Dahmen’s nomination papers “have not been timely filed, and were not in the physical possession of the filing officer by the statutory deadline as required by [Government Accountability Board] rule 2.05(2).”

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