And the answer is...

 Next Tuesday, April 2, there's an election happening here in town.
Besides the Democratic and Republican primary candidates, there are four individuals running for three school board positions (Carrie Tracyzk, Cheryl Razim, Janene Haselhuhn and John Banks), and a few others running unopposed for different positions: Barron County Supervisor District 3 (John Banks), Ward 2 Alderman (Earl Grover), Ward 4 Alderman (Thea Hemple) and myself for mayor. There are three questions on the ballot as well, two of which pertain to the Wisconsin State constitution, and the other pertains to what the city council is requesting of its citizenry: to exceed the state levy by $350,000 annually for the purpose of hiring more police officers, public works staff and support staff.

Officially, it reads like this:

Vote for one

"Under State law, the increase in the levy of the City of Chetek for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, 2024, is limited to 2.135%, which results in a levy of $1,350,665. Shall the City of Chetek be allowed to exceed this limit and increase the levy for the next fiscal year, 2024, for the purpose of enhancing Public Safety within the community through hiring and equipping more Police Officers, Public Works staff and support staff, by a total of 25.913%, which results in a levy of $1,700,665 and on an ongoing basis, include the increase of $350,000 for each fiscal year going forward?"

Yes or No

(From MyVote Wisconsin)

If you choose to vote yes, it will allow the Chetek Police Department to continue to operate with five full-time officers AND hire an additional full-time officer. What's more it will allow Chetek Public Works Department to hire one additional staff member.

If you choose to vote no, in the short term it will mean that come fiscal year 2025 we will have to eliminate one full-time officer from our roster unless other solutions present themselves before then. It will also mean that Dan Knapp and crew will have to carry on as usual with the staff they currently have.

(Note: Chris Kroeze is not a member of 
the Chetek PD)

As a city our desire is to maintain a 24/7 police department. That
is, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at least one Chetek PD officer is active and on patrol within the city. It used to be that our roster could be filled out with a compliment of both full and part-time officers. Due to the change in the national culture, however, part-time police officers are rare and hard to come by. Not as many cadets are in the academy these days and many times by the time they get there they are already claimed by other departments. If this referendum fails it will mean that there will be times when Chetek PD will be out of service. Of course, we're grateful that during those times we can count on the County for coverage – but only in emergencies. As it has been explained to me by Sheriff Fitzgerald, in any given shift there are 5 deputies on duty throughout the county (providing no one is out ill or on vacation). While I'm not threatening “longer response times” I think it is fair to say a rejection of this question will mean diminished services.

The base of the new water tower
(courtesy of Mark Peterson)

Our city is currently going through some growth pains. We are past the half-way mark on the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) which is supposed to be complete and on-line by November of this year. What's more, any day now we can expect the crew that will be constructing our new water tower to return and finish the work they began last fall. They, too, promise to be done later this year. We have a signed agreement with SC Swiderski to develop the 39 acres on the west end of town upon completion of the water tower. Once its up and operational they promise to break ground. And according to our agreement, once they break ground they promise to complete the entire project (116 units of single family, twin homes and apartments) within two years! Potentially we could have as many as 500 people moving to town in the next couple of years. Even if Dan Knapp can't tell us yet if the new WWTP will require more man-hours than our current one requires to operate, more people will mean more garbage and demand for more services.

Again, if the question is rejected, Dan and his crew will continue to carry on the best they can but they're only human and can only be so many places at once. We may – and I stress “may” as I don't have access to a crystal ball even if I had the desire to use it – have to accept diminished services. Time will tell.

The flyer that was sent out to
Chetek citizens

Earlier this month the council sent out an informational flyer to all
city residents that either receive a water bill or garbage services. If you are a renter, you may not have received this as it went to your landlord. You may want to call him or her for a copy of that flyer or feel free to stop in at City Hall this week and pick one up for yourself. We have also hosted four listening sessions at The Center all of which have been very sparsely attended. Either that means the flyer explains the matter perfectly or people have already made up their mind one way or another how they're going to vote. We'll all know soon enough.

Asking for more money for taxes is never a popular campaign slogan. I know the members of the council well enough to know that if another way could have been found without having to go this route they would have found it. A few of them are retired and are not overly excited of opening up that envelope come December and finding a higher tax bill. But as we see it we feel its the best option presently available to us that will guarantee that the city continues to function in a safe, healthy and responsible way.

Thank you for your consideration in the matter. My wife and I have lived in Chetek for over 32 years and have always found this community generous at heart and thoughtful in its decision making processes. I trust you will do what you think best come April 2.

We're all ears: Hearing from you about the upcoming public safety referendum

 

If you are a resident of the city by now you should have received a letter in the mail spelling out the details of the upcoming referendum on April 2. On that day residents will be asked to weigh in at the ballot box their opinion of whether or not the city may exceed the revenue limit by $350,000 annually from here on forward. If the measure is successful it will mean continued funding for a current officer of the Chetek Police Department and the ability to hire an additional officer in order to be fully staffed. It will also mean we could add another full-time public works employee.

This is a miniaturized version of
what you should have received in the mail

City Clerk Mark Eby created the letter and in my opinion he breaks it down pretty simply into what a “yes” or a “no” vote means. Succinctly, a “yes” vote means that we can move ahead with our hiring goals (i.e., maintain one full-time officer, hire an additional full-time officer and hire a full-time public works employee). A “no” vote means that both the public safety and work expectations will remain the same but we will have insufficient staffing to fulfill those expectations.

Chetek is never without police coverage. But in the last year on account of the inability to secure part-time officers and individuals in the department either on medical leave or vacation, there have been “gaps” in local coverage. When that has happened, the County has covered us as that is what mutual aid is all about. As I understand it, on any given shift there are six deputies on patrol throughout the county. But if a few of those deputies are dealing with a matter in, say, Turtle Lake, and a 9-1-1 call comes in, as fast as they can leg it they will be on scene – provided what's going on in Turtle Lake doesn't demand their attention first. I'm oversimplifying it a bit, but I think you get the drift: you can't be everywhere at once and so as the letter states, a “no” vote means both diminished services and longer response times.

The same goes for our public works department. As you probably already are aware, our guys wear a lot of hats and there's just so much they can get done on a given day. And with the new housing development coming (i.e., the 39 acre property west of the high school that is slated for construction beginning in 2025), there's going to be a lot more people for them to serve.

Still, we are sympathetic with those who are already struggling with the current economic conditions and are leery to voting “yes” to any new taxes. Having said that, it is the council's role to bring the very best oversight to city business and it is our opinion that this option is a viable and “do-able” one.

We want to hear your questions and give you the opportunity to express your concerns about the referendum. To that end we are offering four listening sessions during the month of March. The first is this Friday, March 8 at The Center (711 First Street) during the soup and salad bar lunch from 11:30-12:30 pm. Chief Ambrozaitus, Dan Knapp, City Administrator Laura Stelzner, City Clerk Mark Eby and myself will be available to hear what you have to say. As detailed in the letter here are the other listening sessions, all of which will be held at The Center.

• Monday, March 11 at 6 pm

• Friday, March 22 at 11:30 am

• Tuesday, March 26 at 6 pm