Nursing home at a crossroads? | New Richmond News | New Richmond, Wisconsin

Nursing home at a crossroads? | New Richmond News | New Richmond, Wisconsin: "The LarsonAllen report indicates that if the county wanted to build a new 40-bed nursing home and 48-unit assisted living complex, the financial picture would improve slightly over the next decade. But even under that best-case scenario, the nursing home would likely still require a subsidy from taxpayers to continue operating."

"In a study conducted by WIPFLi in 2008, wage and benefit comparisons between the St. Croix County nursing home and nearby private facilities showed quite a difference when it came to health insurance and pension costs."

Wants high speed rail | Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin

Wants high speed rail | Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin: "This project is vital to Wisconsin’s future."

How in the world is passenger rail vital to our future? Amtrack cetainly doesn't give that impression. China has much higher population density than WI. Even in Japan (that is very dense), passenger rail doesn't pay for itself. After the money from the federal government to build the route, WI still has to pay to maintain and run it.

Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin

Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin: "What short memories we can have. Back in 2008, every precinct in St. Croix County approved a referendum to use tax levy dollars to help support the nursing home."

The referendum ends with “if property tax dollars are needed to fund its operation”. When the nursing home has per day costs that are 28% higher than area government owned nursing homes ($188 vs. $240) and private pay patients are subsidized at $40/day, I fail to see how the nursing home needs levy funds for its operation.

The CDBG for flood relief has 30% government "overhead"!

Why New York Shouldn't Mourn Earmarks | Tad DeHaven | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Federal administration costs are about 5% of the value of CDBG grants, with local and state governments taking a 17% and 8% cut, respectively."

St. Croix Valley Nursing Home Advocates Question Deep Budget Cuts | KSTP TV - Minneapolis and St. Paul

St. Croix Valley Nursing Home Advocates Question Deep Budget Cuts | KSTP TV - Minneapolis and St. Paul: "The group gathered Tuesday to express their frustration with the supervisors who they say attempted to remove the levy funding of $600,000 from the County Nursing Home at the October County Board meeting.

The group says the motion, brought forth by Steve Hermsen, District 13, failed after a 9 to 9 floor vote. However, a budget motion by Sharon Norton-Bauman to take $320,000 from the nursing home was passed."

The nursing home budget is over $6,400,000 so those represent cuts of 10% and 5%. Those are significant cuts but our economic situation calls for tightening our belts. The $320,000 that was cut represents the amount that taxpayers were subsidizing those who can afford to pay for their own care. Asking people who have lost their jobs and/or houses to subsidize people who don't need the money isn't justifiable to me.

Nursing home officials wonder what the future holds after recent county vote | New Richmond News | New Richmond, Wisconsin

Nursing home officials wonder what the future holds after recent county vote | New Richmond News | New Richmond, Wisconsin: "Wentz noted that the 2008 county advisory referendum indicated 3-to-1 support from voters wishing to aid the nursing home operation with tax dollars. She feels the board is acting against the wishes of the majority of county residents."

According to the numbers I got from the Clerk, the vote was about 2 to 1 — not 3 to 1. 27,428 Yes and 14,769 No.
Note that the referendum has “if property tax dollars are needed to fund its operation”. Some people may disagree about weather the nursing home needs tax dollars to continue operation.

Here is what the ballot said:
QUESTION 1:
Should St. Croix County continue to operate a public nursing home if property tax dollars are needed to fund its operation?
O YES
O NO
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT AND EFFECT OF VOTE:
The St. Croix County Board of Supervisors desires public input on the question of whether or not the county should continue to operate the public nursing home if property tax dollars are needed to fund its operation. The result of the vote is advisory, not binding. A “yes” vote means you want the county to continue to operate the public nursing home if property tax dollars are needed to fund its operation. A “no” vote means you do not want the county to continue to operate the public nursing home if property tax dollars are needed to fund its operation.?

County board sets 2011 budget | Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin

County board sets 2011 budget | Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin: "The $83.8 million budget raised the mill rate .269 per $1,000 of valuation or about $3.64."

"a drop in the equalized value of property in the county by more than $600 million or 7.45 percent."

I voted against this budget. If county values decreased 7.45% then the county levy should also decrease that percent -- especially in the current economic environment.

2011 Budget

The 2011 budget will be reviewed and approved on Oct. 26th at 9 AM.
Agenda
Preliminary Budget

This is one of the most important meetings for making your voice heard!

Our View: County equalized values take it on the chin | Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin

Our View: County equalized values take it on the chin | Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin: "Local governments will no doubt be looking to do some belt tightening when they develop their 2011 budgets."

I'm certainly not confident that the county will do some belt tightening. :-/

Per diam and mileage

Here is a chance for you to give feedback:

What should I do about the per diam ($60/meeting) and mileage ($0.50/mile) that the county provides to county board supervisors?

Thoughts:

I know of at least one supervisor who apparently doesn't take anything. Apparently most take the full amount.

Most jobs don't provide mileage to go to work but they also don't require you to live a certain distance from work.

$0.50/mile is probably a lot more than is needed to account for wear and tear on my vehicle.

These payments aren't significant compared to the amounts that can be saved elsewhere.

Would not taking the money reduce taxes or just get spent elsewhere?

So far most meetings have been 2-3 hours but some have been as long as 6 hours.

Should I take the money and send it on (i.e. to charity or politician/organization that has the same goals)?

There are at least 3 meetings per month which would total about $250.

Committee of the Whole: June 1, 2010

Water System at New Richmond Campus

Water tower has problems: Lead Paint, OSHA (ladders, guard rails)
$180K Replace piping (included in prices below)
Keep and fix water tower: $430,000
Connect to city water: $305,000

Grants may pay 30%
DNR grant: <30%. December preliminary application, June final application. City of N.R. already has application in process but may not have enough points by itself to get a grant. Still eligible for grant after construction starts.
Dept. of Commerce(CDBG): <25%. Probably won't fund just replacement – want expansion of services.
Combined project with city expansion is $1.8M - $2M (but county portion remains the same).

Could possible payment by rearranging recent bond money.

West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission

I attended the May 13th meeting of the West Central Wisconsin Regional
Planning Commission and here are the highlights.

Levy:
5 options were presented -- amount changes were: -2.12% (same mill
rate as 2010), 0% (same amount as 2010), -2.5%, -5%, and 2.3%
(inflation).
Jay Tappen (new director) mentioned that the levy can't be reduced too
much because there are minimum matches that have to be made -- the
total of those minimum matches is about $84,000 so the most the levy
amount could be decreased is 62%.
The -2.12% option was moved. Much discussion about economic condition
and need for cuts. The only discussion in favor of another options
was in favor of the -5% option. The levy hasn't been increased since
2006. -2.12% option was passed overwhelmingly (maybe unanimously).
That options means a -5.5% decrease for St. Croix County because our
real estate valuation went down the most.

Current officers were reappointed.

Regional Comprehensive Plan public hearing July 6th.
http://www.wcwrpc.org/RPCCompPlan/

Updates from the representative from the governors office:
SAGE program limits class size to 18.
BadgerCare covers every child under 18
BadgerCore will cover low-income, childless adults
Basic: for people who didn't make it into the Core program
98% are now offered medical coverage

The USDA has funds for libraries, rural development, etc.

A few of the members expressed grave concern about national debt and
the nation we are leaving to our grandchildren and ask Ron Kind
representative to bring those complains back to him.

Evening County Board Meetings

At least the next two county board meetings are scheduled for the evening:

• May 18th at 7 PM
• June 15th at 7 PM

Community Development: May 4th

The first Community Development Committee meeting was on May 4th at 9 am. Both the Chair and Vice-Chair positions had 2 people nominated -- Steve Hermsen was elected as the Chair and Sharon Norton-Bauman was elected as the vice-Chair. I was the only nominee for Secretary. A department secretary takes the actual notes, which is good because I am bad about taking detailed notes.

There was a lot of discussion about the meeting schedule. Some of the issues involved include:

• Half of the departments that report to this committee are stationed in Baldwin and the rest are stationed in Hudson.
• One of the committee members has has reduced vision and has more difficultly driving a distance at night (Hudson is ok but Baldwin is far).
• Evening meetings are better for working committee members and, more importantly, most residents.
• Alternating meeting locations could be more confusing (both for committee members and the public)
• Meetings in Baldwin are more convenient for some residents
• There are sometimes public hearings that are generally held at the location (Hudson or Baldwin) that is closest to land in question.
• The county board bylaws dictate that the payment to the committee members (per diam) is more if the meeting starts before 6pm and ends after 6pm.

We couldn't find a perfect way to address all of those issues so we decided that the best way was to have meetings starting at 6:05 PM and alternate between Baldwin and Hudson on the 4th Wednesday of the month. Any public hearing would be scheduled right at the beginning of the meeting for the convenience of those involved. If the next scheduled meeting location isn't the closest for the public meeting, the people involved can decide to wait to have it closer or to have it sooner and farther. I hope the per-diam rule can be changed to we can have the meetings starting a little earlier without paying the committee members more. The next meeting will be in Baldwin on May 26th.

As a new member, I received 5 different books. I hope in the future an online reference can be provided instead of using all of that paper.

Public Protection Committee: May 3rd

The first Public Protection Committee meeting was on May 3rd at 4 pm. It was scheduled in the afternoon partially for the convenience of the committee members who work but also to make it more accessible to residents (which is more important to me). The meeting time for the next meeting was discussed and some members were very opposed to the afternoon time so the next meeting is scheduled for 7 AM on June 9th. I hope it can be moved to a time that is better for the public. Nothing from the reports seemed like it should be noted on this blog.

County Board April 20, 2010

Here are some notes on the county board meeting on April 20th.

• The video is at http://blip.tv/file/3533095
• I was elected to the Public Protection and Committee Development Committees.
• An update was given on the condition of the Health and Human Services (HHS) building in New Richmond. This subject will probably have a big impact on on taxes so its progress should be watched closely.
• Given the current economic situation, there was an attempt to limit the pay increase for the Clerk of Court. That was partially successful but the Sheriff's salary was increased above the committee recommendation.

St. Croix County Board March 16, 2010

St. Croix County Board March 16, 2010

It was mentioned that we got a better rating bond partially because of the wheel tax. Later it was mentioned mentioned that the better rating will conservatively save the county $8,500. Seems like a relatively insignificant benefit compared to the cost.

Anti-scavenging: Why make it illegal instead of allowing haulers to work that out with their customers and applying laws against theft?

If someone puts illegal/hazardous materials in their garbage can, why does it really matter to go into the house to inspect the cause? The person should be notified of the problem and they can take care of the cause (or ask for help). Also when an official person requests permission to enter someone's house, many people may be too afraid to refuse even if they are uncomfortable having someone come into their house.

We shouldn't add positions (new emergency management deputy position) just because other counties do or because we will need it in the future. Add the position when needed.

County Board meetings are online

County Board meetings are online at http://hudson.blip.tv/.
I would still like to see the meetings moved to a better time so that people could more easily come to make their thoughts known.

Thank You!

The unofficial results say that I am now a member of the county board: http://www.co.saint-croix.wi.us/Departments/CountyClerk/results.htm

You have done your part by voting for me yesterday -- now it is time for me to do my part and vote for your benefit for the next year.

Vote today

Don't forget to vote today! Details at http://www.co.saint-croix.wi.us/Departments/CountyClerk/Elections/election.htm

AFSCME 17: Tobacco ban on County property

Do you support the County’s current tobacco ban on County property? Would you support a later implementation date to allow the unions to bargain this issue? Would you support an employee exemption?

I support tobacco bans anywhere residents get county services and employees work with other employees. Employees should be able to use tobacco anywhere that it won't bother other employees or residents.

rivertowns.net Candidate Questions

Judy Wiff from rivertowns.net sent me a questionnaire a few weeks ago and my answers are below. It was published at http://www.hudsonstarobserver.com/event/article/id/38036/

Name: James Stauffer
District: 8
Age: 33
Address: 2092 90th Ave, Baldwin 54002
Occupation: Software Engineer
Family: Wife: Annette; 5 children: Anna, Joseph, William, Joel, and Edward
Prior elective office: None beyond student government senator at UW-Stout

Reasons/qualifications: I want to represent the 8th district to
minimize taxes and other costs while keeping county services
high-quality. I would also like to make the county board meetings
more accessible by changing the time to the evening so that it is more
convenient for residents. I would also like to see meetings
recordings posted online such as on youtube.com so that all residents
can freely view the meetings at convenient times. Feel free to email
me at stauffer.james@gmail.com or visit my blog at
http://stcroix8.blogspot.com/ or call me at 715-688-3948

Central St. Croix News Questionnaire

Tonight Michele Lyksett from Central St. Croix News sent me a questionnaire. My answers are below.

Your name as it will appear on the ballot: James Stauffer

Have you served in this office previously? (If, yes when and/or how long) No

Have you served in any other political offices? (If so, what offices and when?) No

What is your occupation? Software Engineer

How long have you lived in the municipality? 4 years in Hammond township (20 years in St. Croix County)

Family information: Wife: Annette; 5 children: Anna, Joseph, William, Joel, and Edward

Why are you seeking this office?
I want to represent the 8th district to minimize taxes and other costs while keeping county services high-quality. I would also like to make the county board meetings more accessible by changing the time to the evening so that it is more convenient for residents, and by posting meetings recordings online such as on youtube.com so that all residents can freely view the meetings at convenient times.

What do you see as three of the biggest issues facing your municipality AND what do you see as the board’s role dealing with them?

I think three of the largest issues facing us are unemployment, housing foreclosures, and government growth. The county board can help relieve those problems by minimizing taxes and other costs. When taxes are lower, unemployment checks go farther, more jobs are created, and it is easier to make mortgage payments (or sell if that is needed). The county board can also help the county be as minimally invasive as possible.

AFSCME 16: Board meeting times

Currently board meetings are held during the day. This presents a problem to the bulk of St. Croix County residents, as they are generally working at that time. If elected would you consider voting to move some, if not all board meeting to the evening, so that more members of the public can attend?

I definitely think that board meetings should be as accessible to most people as possible. That includes choosing meeting times that are best for the residents of the county, making the meetings available on the internet and cable TV, and making it easy for residents to ask questions and comments even when they can't attend the meetings.

AFSCME 15: Cost savings priorities

On a Scale of 1-6, with 1 being the first place you would look for cost savings and 6 being the last place you would look for cost savings, how would you rate the following options?

1. Benefit reductions
2. Furloughs
3. Wage freeze
4. Privatizing services
5. Layoffs
6. Wage increase with layoffs

AFSCME 14: Unused property

What is your view on the county owning currently unused property and what would you propose the county do with this property?

Any property that isn't expected to meet a need relatively soon should be reviewed for sale. Selling unused property can decrease the costs of county government.

AFSCME 13: St. Croix County in 5 years

Where do you see St. Croix County in five years?

In five years, I would like to see St. Croix County government reduce the costs to living and working in the county while maintaining high service levels. I would also like plans in place to address expected changes for the next decade (such as population growth and demographic changes).

AFSCME 12: St. Croix Industries

St. Croix Industries (sheltered workshop) is potentially being retooled in a way that would send participants (special needs) into the workforce as quickly as possible. This is something that stems from the State level, but could be potentially addressed, in part, at the county level. What would you do to address this issue at the county level?

The decision to address this at the county level would have to be well thought out to make sure that is is more effective to address it at the county level. If it was determined that it is best to address it at the county level, then discussions with the state should be commenced to ensure that the transition is smooth and doesn't leave gaps in service, expertise, etc.

AFSCME 11: Taxes based on "ability to pay"

Do you support or oppose changes in our tax system so that it is based to a greater extent on "ability to pay", making business and the wealthy carry a more equitable share of the tax burden for public services?

I oppose taxes designed just to penalize those who are more productive.

AFSCME 10: Shared Revenue level

Do you support or oppose efforts to reduce the current level of state aid to local government in the form of shared revenue?

Control and money should be as local as possible.

AFSCME 9: Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR)

Do you support or oppose the so-called Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), which would restrict local governments’ ability to make decisions locally about taxing and spending?

Control should be as local as possible because local government is more responsive to the people. I am against the state taking control from local government. I wholeheartedly support efforts that minimize taxes.

AFSCME 8: Private contracting

Do you support or oppose the privatization or contracting out of services currently provided by state and local government employees?

There are some services that should obviously be contracted out (i.e. utilities) and other services that obviously shouldn't be contracted out (i.e law enforcement). For the rest, there are many factors to consider including: Number of employees involved, historical effectiveness of the employees and potential contractors, privacy, service hours, contractor oversight, ease of reversing the decision, and many other things. These decisions can't be made lightly.

AFSCME 6: Living Wage

Do you support or oppose policies to establish a ‘living wage’ designed to ensure low-wage workers and their families can live above the poverty level?

I would support a living wage that ensures low-wage workers can live above the poverty level but I have never seen a plan that would accomplish that. Minimum wages hurt less-skilled workers because they can't get a job if they aren't worth the minimum wage. They help some workers a little and hurt many workers a lot. I am very much against telling people that they aren't even worth having a job because that aren't skilled enough to meet some minimum level.

AFSCME 4: Right to Bargin Collectively

Do you support or oppose policies to guarantee workers’ rights to bargain collectively?

Support: Everyone should be free to associate however they want.

AFSCME 3: Work safety

Do you support or oppose policies to ensure that workers have legal rights to safe, healthy and fair conditions at work?

The county should definitely provide a good work conditions. The county board doesn't address "legal rights"

AFSCME 2: Right to Work

Some states have adopted laws that allow workers to take union jobs without paying union dues or joining the union, which is called “Right to Work.” Do you support “Right to Work” legislation that would allow people to enjoy union benefits without paying union dues?

This isn't applicable to the county board.

Private (but not government) employers should be free to require union membership. If someone isn't part of the union, they shouldn't necessarily get the same benefits. It is up to the employee and employer to agree on benefits.

AFSCME Survey 1: Freedom to form unions

The AFSCME sent me a survey, so I will be posting many of the questions and my answers from that survey.

Do you support or oppose policies to protect workers' freedom to form unions, including strengthening and enforcing laws to prohibit employer intimidation, harassment, or coercion?

All people should be free to join any groups they desire. If workers want to form or join a union, they should certainly be free to do so. Likewise, no one should be forced to join any groups that they don't want to join. Related laws should certainly be enforced but the county board doesn't strengthen laws so that isn't applicable to the position.

Introduction

My name is James Stauffer and I am running to represent the 8th district of St. Croix County on the county board. I have lived in St. Croix County for the last 20 years. My wife, Annette, has live in St. Croix County her whole life except for a few years when she was only a few miles from the border. We have five children.

I want to represent the 8th district to minimize taxes and other costs while keeping county services high-quality. The election will be held April 6, 2010.

The 8th district includes:
Town of Hammond Ward 1 (all)
Village of Hammond Wards 1 and 2 (all)
Town of Pleasant Valley Ward 1 (all)
Town of Rush River Ward 1 (all)
Town of Eau Galle Ward 1 (approximately the southern half)
Map of the district (pdf)

Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.
James Stauffer
2092 90th Ave
Baldwin, WI 54002
688-3948
stauffer.james@gmail.com