Franklin’s Leaders, Cowering Behind and Under Their Desks Over New Sewer Tax?

The Daily Reporter notes “They  might be difficult to see, but those are Franklin’s leaders, behind their desks, cowering.”

City Adds Confusion To Sewer Tax Issue

The following article appeared in “The Daily Reporter” (subscription required), a sister publication of The Business Journal.

The story was emailed to us was sent to us by its reporter, Beth Kevit, who tells us she used a number of our stories on the Ryan Creek Interceptor for background.

Here is what is being handed-out at City Hall to property owner questioning the new sewer tax.

sewer tax by fFRANKLIN INDEPENDENT FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL

Look to THE FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL for further developments on this story.

Mayor Taylor’s $31 Million—Field of Dreams Gamble with Tax Payer Dollars

As the City of Franklin—in conclusion with an unelected  government body—MMSD adds a new $461.47 sewer tax to every Franklin  property owner’s 2012 tax bill, whether they are hooked up to the now infamous Ryan Creek Interceptor.   The Franklin common council and especially Mayor Tom Taylor believe “development would follow the pipes”—that’s a $31 million gamble I wouldn’t be willing to make with taxpayer dollars considering predictions of a 2013 recession.  Do the mayor and common council know something that the Wall Street Journal forecast panel—as well at The Wall Street Journal don’t and Forbes’ economists?

Opposition to Sewer Tax Growing

FRANKLIN MAYOR THOMAS TAYLORCity of Franklin officials are trying to sidestep a very heated issue. Franklin property owners with septic systems have recently been incorporated into the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) as a result of the Ryan Creek Interceptor Project. This means that they will now be billed for sewer services they don't have, along with the cost of maintaining their own septic system.  These Franklin residents are so upset they are forming a group to challenge the sewer tax in the court system. A letter was recently sent to all affected property owners. Years ago the same problem occurred. Franklin property owners were successful and had laws and policies put on the books. MMSD is apparently ignoring those statutes and policies. The Franklin Independent Journal is weighing in on this issue and will post additional updates. Our achieves are available for the general readership. You'll find numerous articles and links pertaining to this issue. We're in the process of also downloading open record request documents. That will take a bit longer to get posted.

Franklin Homeowners Cry Foul Over New Sewer Tax

“Vision without execution is hallucination”

—“Thomas Edison

Tmj4 is reporting some Franklin homeowners feel like their hard earn money is going down the toilet. The 2011 property tax bills are arriving by mail and some don't like what they see. For example, David Washkuhn is on a septic system. But his property tax bill this year shows a $243 sewer tax even though he doesn't have a sewer.  But a MMSD official told Washkuhn the $23 sewer tax will increase Washkuhn’s and other franklin homeowners’ property value.  Read the full story.

Thanks but no Thanks

Washkuhn and his neighbors say they are satisfied with their septic tanks, they don’t want sewers.  Sorry, Not good enough for Bureaucrats.  "This does not cumpute."

MMSD Executive Director Kevin Shafer explained the $243 sewer tax this way

"It’s just like a school district, you may not have kids going to the school but you pay for school improvements and school taxes."

TFIJ has published 15 stories on the Ryan Creek interceptor project since it was announced last year.

Last year FIJ ran 18 stories regarding Mayor Tom Taylor’s “pet-project.”(a.k.a  the Ryan Creek Iterceptor).

Be sure to call mayor Taylor and ask him why he didn’t veto the project and the tax increase, or your alderman and ask them how they voted on this matter and why they voted the way the did.

The Alyson Dudek International Ice Center

(L-R) Lana Gehring, Alyson Dudek, Allison Baver and Katherine Reutter.

 Do you remember Alyson “Aly” Dudek?

Alyson Dudek is a proud resident of Hales Corners and graduate of Divine Savior Holy Angels High School and a Bronze medalist from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Presently there is a public—private effort underway between Hales Corners community residents, businesses and Milwaukee County Parks & Recreation to build a 100’ x 200’ outdoor Olympic-sized ice skating rink.  Supporters of the project say the completed project will make Hales Corners Park one of the premiere recreation centers in southeastern Wisconsin.

It will stand among other community treasures which include:

the pool, the new Veterans Memorial, Jake’s Rock (rock climbing wall), basketball courts, picnic area and softball fields.   If you would like to be a part of this effort, your donations are needed to make this happen. Please send your tax deductible contributions to The Friends of Hales Corners Park & Pool, 5811 S. 121st St., Hales Corners, WI 53130.

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer your services towards this community enterprise, please call 414-418-8299 or visit their website.

It is not clear how this project will affect Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor’s big dreams for the Crystal Ridge Multi-sport complex project—aka “jewel of Franklin.”  "Dust in the Wind?"

Mayor Taylor Throws Citizens Group Under the Bus

EDITORIAL--it was only a matter of time. Last Tuesday, Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor apparently has no more use for Greg Kowalski’s non-profit group; Citizens for Community Development which just over one year ago made this proposal to the City.  But that was then and this is now and this is now and the Mayor’s “flavor of the month” is Franklin resident and businessman Mike Zimmerman who presented an idea for a sports complex on county land currently being used by Crystal Ridge Ski Hill.

At the time, by all appearances Mayor Taylor seemed excited about the proposal Citizens for Community Development had put forth for the Milwaukee County Sports Complex located in Franklin just off Ryan road.

FranklinNOW wrote this in its coverage of the June 19 meeting:

"We've got a proposal that needs to get backing, needs to get support and needs to become reality. This will put Franklin on the map," said Mayor Tom Taylor, who asked city officials to consider plans for a multi-sport complex at Crystal Ridge, 7900 W. Crystal Ridge Drive.

Typical POLITICAL GIBBERISH. 

Define: “…put Franklin on the map.”

"We've got a proposal that needs to get backing, needs to get support and needs to become reality.”

What Mayor Tom Taylor is really doing here is setting up Franklin taxpayers for him and the common council to deliver the city’s $1.5 million impact fee fund to this developer, which in reality will become $3 million since the city (taxpayers) must match the $1.5 million impact fee in order for it to be used.

We also have a politician who based on his “resume” on the City’s website has never held a job in the private sector,  but includes that Taylor  served as an Executive Board member of Milwaukee District Council 48, AFSCME that represented approximately 14,000 public employees and served as Vice President and Chief Steward of Local 882, AFSCME.

This is the same government sector union that was recently part of a broad coalition of worker rights organizations that filed a legal challenge to Gov. Walker’s Budget Repair Bill. The organizations included the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 24, AFSCME Council 40, AFSCME Council 48, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), the Wisconsin State Employees Union, The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union – Health Care Wisconsin (SEIU).

Together the organizations are filing a federal law suit against Scott Walker’s bill which denies hundreds of thousands of public employees their right to collectively bargain for a better life. The groups challenged the constitutionality of the state’s Budget Repair Bill which would destroy collective bargaining rights for all but a select group of public sector workers.  We all know how that went.

I heard the mayor say he was a Republican!

One thing seems certain though, Mayor Taylor seems to have a very short attention span.  Here are some of his administration’s unfinished “needs:”

South 27^th Street Corridor Project—remember the infamous “BOOMGAARD?

Remember the unfinished mess over the Payne & Dolan quarry  enhancement/expansion and that company’s ignoring air quality monitoring ordinances for more than six years.

Refer to theses stories:  to bring yourself up to speed on the mayor and common council’s lackadaisical approach to ordering Payne & Dolan to comply with city ordinances.  This quarry operation is releasing crystalline silica dust into the atmosphere:

1. Is the Quarry Expanding? Well...yes and no
2. Who's Monitoring the Quarry?
3. “There is absolutely no expansion of the quarry with the approval of this project”
4. City’s Elected Officials and Payne & Dolan’s Dirty Little Secret
5. Quarry Draft Ordinance Too Dense for City Leaders

According to OSHA the disease Silicosis is caused by exposure to respirable crystalline silica dust. Crystalline silica is a basic component of soil, sand, granite, and most other types of rock, and it is used as an abrasive blasting agent. Silicosis is a progressive, disabling, and often fatal lung disease. Cigarette smoking adds to the lung damage caused by silica. Silica has been classified as a human lung carcinogen.  Silicosis makes an individual more susceptible to Tuberculosis (TB), Scleroderma – a disease affecting skin, blood vessels, joints and skeletal muscles, as well as possible kidney disease.

Also, the quarry is surrounded by residential areas and is in close proximity to Pleasant View Elementary, Clare Meadows Senior Apartments, Franklin High School and the City's very popular the walking trail.

Quarry Draft Ordinance Too Dense for City Leaders

In its story covering last Tuesday’s Common Council Meeting FranklinNOW reported:

The limestone quarries on Rawson Avenue were at the center of debate at the city's Common Council meeting Tuesday, as alderman sought to create a citizen advisory board that would oversee monitoring of the sites.

To meet concerns of residents living near the quarries, the city has issued a request for proposals for a private contractor that would monitor blasting and air quality at the quarries. A draft ordinance tentatively defined a citizens [sic] panel that, together with the Plan Commission, would "check what they (the monitors) are doing," in the words of Common Council President Steve Taylor...  Read more.

In October of last year THE FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL (FIJ) ran a story asking Who's Monitoring the Quarry?  At that time we wrote that the City admitted quarry operations had gone unmonitored for the past six years.  Were it not for concerned Franklin citizens living across the street from the quarry and upset with the Payne & Dolan quarry "enhancement” (expansion), who knows how long the quarry's emissions would have gone unmonitored.

Residents Call for Neighborhood Meeting

In attendance and representing the City of Franklin at this neihborhood meeting was Mark Luberda, Director of Administration. Mr. Luberda told those in attendance that it appeared Franklin has been lax about monitoring quarry issues.  Those in attendance were particularly interested in discussing the limestone quarry’s operations and why the quarries were not being monitored. Mr. Luberda said the contract that Franklin had in place to monitor the quarry lapsed in 2005 and the City never took up the issue again. When one of the Franklin residents asked him "why," Luberda answered, “Maybe there were no complaints.” Another Franklin resident pointed out that “perhaps there were no complaints because the quarries were not being monitored.”

In the end, the citizens group agreed that the blasting, dust and berms are getting much worse and the whole situation is out of hand. If that is the case, we ask why would Franklin city leaders allow the quarries to expand without any independent monitoring?

As reported by FranklinNOW, here are some of the aldermen’s comments pertaining to the draft that was presented and debated during the Council meeting.

Alderwoman Kristen Wilhelm proposed that committee members be appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council, and that city staff support the committee. But a dense paragraph in the draft outlining the duties of the panel drew criticism.

Alderman Tim Solomon asked whether the committee would be "micromanaging the consultant." Alderman Doug Schmidt said he was "overwhelmed by the amount of verbiage" in the draft.

Finally, Aldermen Wilhelm and Olson said they would work together to produce a new draft, along with the city attorney and administrators.

In the end the Council decided not to take any action on the matter and the draft ordinance was set aside for more work.

Click here to listen to the audio of the May 15 Common Council meeting.

FIJ coverage of this story

• Is the Quarry Expanding? Well...yes and no
• Who's Monitoring the Quarry?
• “There is absolutely no expansion of the quarry with the approval of this project”
• City’s Elected Officials and Payne & Dolan’s Dirty Little Secret

Will the Last Business to Leave the City Please Turn Out the Lights

Canndace Romano at FranklinNOW is reporting that Steve Taylor can remain a City of Franklin Alderman while serving on the Milwaukee County Board.

That's the legal ruling of City Attorney Jesse Wesolowski, who pored over League of Wisconsin Municipality opinions and state statutes to determine whether serving both bodies would be a conflict of interest.  Read Romano's full story…

Meantime, JSOnline is reporting that Contract manufacturer Masteq LLC has purchased a 7,000-square-foot building in the Muskego Industrial Park for $300,000, and will move there from Franklin Industrial Park on June 1.

According to Steven Horvath, co-owner, the new location, in the Muskego Industrial Park will double the company's capacity.  The company, with seven employees, plans to double its workforce once the new plant is fully operational.

Franklin taxpayers must question the effectiveness and leadership of the Forward Franklin Economic Development Committee which is the “brain-child” of Alderman Steve Taylor, who also chairs the recently reorganized committee. 

This group of citizen volunteers appointed by the mayor and approved by the common council is tasked with assisting the Community Development Authority chaired by Mayor Taylor, to determine types and locations of commercial and manufacturing zoning throughout the City and to actively pursue, within the goals and guidelines of the Common Council including:

• Develop and implement a retention program to retain existing businesses in the City.
• Develop and implement a plan to solicit businesses for relocation to the City.
• Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy to include promotional materials, public relations efforts, surveys and the enhancement of the City's existing web site from a marketing perspective.

Alderwoman Kristen Wilhelm Walks Out of Common Council Meeting

Tuesday night’s common council meeting was not short on drama.  Near the end of the two and a half hour meeting on Tuesday, March 20, District 3 Alderwoman Kristen Wilhelm abruptly walked out of the meeting before it was adjourned leaving District 3 unrepresented for the remainder of this meeting.

Mayor Tom Taylor can also be heard on the City’s recording of the meeting calling an unidentified person a “…moron with an IQ of 2.”

The mayor’s remarks came off as very juvenile for the mayor of a major suburb of Milwaukee County who is also the chairman of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council (ICC).

Is this the sort of "monkey shines” Franklinites expect from their elected representatives on the common council?

We strongly recommend readers listen to the entire meeting audio to hear the spending proposals offered by Alderman Steve Taylor’s Forward Franklin EDC (See budget, business plan and other meeting documents below).

Franklin Forward EDC Plan/Budget

How does the mayor, Alderman Taylor and commissioner Haskins propose to pay for their “vision?”  They want to spend unused funds from the comprehensive master plan.

Is this their idea of responsible leadership?

Good Cop—Bad Cop

Alderman Steve Taylor’s stance on the 2012 City budget posted last month on his FranklinNOW blog “From the Fourth” read like a  “good cop—bad cop” scene from NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," with Alderman Steve Taylor taking one for Mayor Tom Taylor while simultaneously throwing himself and fellow aldermen and Finance Committee members Tim Solomon and Kristen Wilhelm under the proverbial bus.  Political ambitions take no prisoners.

Alderman Taylor writes:

[All emphasis added.]

The Finance Committee’s proposed budget which the Mayor has vetoed had a levy increase of 2.3% but savings of $35 on a home assessed at $235,000. Unlike the “shell game” which the Mayor boasts as a levy decrease the approved budget is extremely transparent with actual savings.

Common Council president Steve Taylor—as noted earlier— also serves on the City Finance Committee.  It strikes me as rather odd that Steve Taylor would boast that a committee he serves on, and has served on for several years, would openly “boast” that the Finance Committee proposed a budget with a tax levy increase of 2.3 percent; taking care to note in the same paragraph that the mayor vetoed the Finance Committee’s proposal, adding “Unlike the ‘shell game’ which the Mayor boasts as a levy decrease the approved budget is extremely transparent with actual savings.  Again, Finance Committee: BAD—Mayor Tom Taylor: GOOD.

Common sense would dictate that none of the current members of the Finance Committee should be renominated by Mayor Tom Taylor for appointment to this committee when their term is up, considering the fact that Mayor Taylor vetoed their proposed budget increase.

We also found it interesting that Alderman Taylor found it necessary to printout that the “… approved budget is extremely transparent...,” begging the question: Why wouldn’t it be?

Alderman Taylor continues:

The Mayor proposed a budget in September which lowered the tax levy but placed a separate fee for garbage pickup on your tax bill. The levy decreased by 2.4% which resulted in $101 savings on a home assessed at $235,000. However, a $104 dollar fee, also known as a tax, for garbage pickup would be added to your tax bill and it is also not tax deductible. There may be a time when the City of Franklin has no choice and has to separate the garbage service cost from the tax levy but now is not the time.  Shout it from the roof tops with me..."Finance Committee: BAD—Mayor Tom Taylor: GOOD."

Three months or so later, it was time to add a NEW garbage pick-up tax, which Alderman Taylor fails to explain what exactly has changed in the previous few months to make it necessary to create a new tax on Franklin homeowners.

Being a cynic of government and particularly Mayor Tom Taylor's arguably long-time corrupt administration, I ask you to consider this question: Is it possible that the Mayor’s proposed budget which, Alderman Taylor claims, lowered the tax levy by 2.4 percent, amounts to the City’s annual cost for garbage pick-up and in a budget shell game the 2.4 percent "savings" was appropriated somewhere else, necessitating the a separate fee for garbage pickup on your tax bill?

Is the Forward Franklin Economic Development Committee Spinning its Wheels?

We humbly submit this multiple-source REALITY CHECK for the citizens of Franklin, Mayor Tom Taylor and the Forward Franklin Economic Development Committee members and ask that you remember what you see and read here when our bloviating, misleading City leaders declare "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" and claim that Franklin’s economic climate is improving thanks to this committee which,  since its creation on June 21, 2011, has held five meetings and one workshop.  A look at the committee’s meeting minute’s reveals little to no substantive progress in achieving the primary goals of this new committee, other than considering whether to reappropriate funds and spend $110,484 for marketing materials and possibly a website.  Here are the meeting minutes for “Forward Franklin’s” October 24 meeting; providing readers with a glimpse of its work.

Basically, according to the City's website, the purpose of the Forward Franklin Economic Development Committee is to promote and enhance the City of Franklin; to actively pursue commercial and industrial business development/investment for relocation into the City of Franklin to achieve a balanced tax base; to work with the business community in the retention and expansion of the businesses already within the City; and to promote the City in various manners as an excellent place to live and do business.  Read More...

Here is the REALITY CHECK we promised earlier.

FBC’s Neil Cavuto discusses job creation in America with Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus.

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Occupy Wall Street Movement and Capitalism: One Professor’s Response

A free market response to OWS, Revealing both common ground and differences.

One could say that the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) crowd has some valid frustrations, but are these misguided protesters aiming their anger and accusations in the wrong direction?

Economics Professor Chris Coyne draws the clear cut distinctions between crony capitalism, which has infested, thanks to city learders, the City of Franklin for years and years and years, through companies like GRAEF, O’Malley Development, LLC, The Carstensen Group (which recently made headlines in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel), to name just a few.  Crony capitalism is government favoritism fueled by handouts and is responsible for the so-called "plight" of the 99%. Legitimate capitalism, on the other hand, uses competition to align consumer and producer interests and serves to improve everyone's standard of living.

RELATED STORY

• Franklin’s Public Hunting Grounds and what You Have Been Told—or Not (Up-Dated)

Franklin’s Public Hunting Grounds and what You Have Been Told—or Not

 

In separate stories published on November 22 and 23 we asked readers if they could identify the Wisconsin DNR Public Hunting grounds pictured in the story.  To-date we have not received the correct answer from among these choices: Tichigan, Vernon, Franklin or Oconomowoc.

Give up?  Well, the correct answer is Franklin.  We doubt that many Franklin and Milwaukee County citizens realize that there is a state-owned public hunting grounds within Franklin’s city limits on 116^th street, and wonder how many members of the Franklin Common Council are aware of this fact?  Depending upon how you feel about this we suggest calling your alderman or Mayor Tom Taylor with any questions or concerns you may have over this unique situation. 

We have a couple of concerns of our own on this subject.  First, the close proximity of Alderman Skowronski’s home to this state-owned land.  Secondly, we recalled the following statement by Mayor Tom Taylor in a September 26, 2010, JSOnline story favoring the now-controversial $41 million Ryan Creek Interceptor Project in what Taylor referred to in the article as the overdue period of growth for the city's southwest quarter, predicting with confidence that the sewer project:

“[Would open] much of the land to a building boom [and] would add more than $1.2 billion to the city's property tax base by 2025,” and that the added businesses would take some of the local tax burden off the shoulders of homeowners.”  Taylor added, “there’s little room for new businesses elsewhere: Only a few acres are left for sale in the city's business park at S. 51st St. and Ryan Road.  If a company came in and said they wanted a significant size property, we'd have to say no."

Taking the mayor at his word concerning the business (warehouse) park at S. 51st St. and Ryan Road, the mayor needs to explain to Franklin citizens how the state of Wisconsin became the owners of the 100 acres of land now designated public hunting grounds, being that, in his words ”there's little room for new businesses elsewhere.”  If the mayor is really serious about 'tak[ing] some of the local tax burden off the shoulders of homeowners.”  As Alderman Solomon likes to say, “It ain’t gonna happen.”  The state does not pay taxes to the City on the 100 or so acres it owns.

Speaking of development, we find it very “interesting” that the state-owned hunting grounds—baring its sale to a private party—prevents development of that property which just so happens to be just hundreds of yards from  Alderman Ken Skowronski’s home.  Yet, the City is preparing to take land (potentially by eminent domain) from Franklin citizens in order to build the Ryan Creek Interceptor for future sale to MMSD; which will tax property owners within its taxing boundaries, quite the oposite of Taylor's statement "...that "it will take some of the local tax burden off the shoulders of homeowners."

It must also be noted that Franklin developer Jim O’Malley, whose development company, O'malley Development, LLC owns land involved in the RCI project area.  In addition, campaign finace records filed with the Franklin City Clerk's office revealed O’Malley was a contributor to Mayor Taylor’s and Alderman Steve Taylor’s last campaigns.  In fact, O’Malley was a volunteer for the alderman’s reelection run.

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The Inspiring Story of How the Town of Vernon, New Jersey Saved Itself

…whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness…

—Declaration of Independence

Whoever said “you can’t fight City Hall,” never met a citizen of the Township of Vernon, New Jersey, a small town that changed the way that their government worked for the better.  According to its website, picturesque Vernon Township is located in the beautiful rolling hills and glacial lakes of Northern Sussex County.  More than 24,000 people call Vernon Township home...

Dignity and respect.  What will it take for the people of the City of Franklin to say we’ve had enough ofMayor Tom Taylor, the Franklin Common Council and the Franklin School Board?

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• Mayor Taylor’s $1.2 billion Fairy Tale
• Franklin citizens group disbands
• Franklin’s Culture of Political Corruption
• BATTLE JOINED blog (Franklin blog) stories categorized “Mayor Taylor” in Mayor Taylor.
• THE FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL stories categorized “Mayor Taylor.”
• 'Boomgaard' idea bombs for some
• THE FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL stories categorized “Franklin Public School District.”

To comment privately on this article or any other aspect of this publication CLICK HERE.

Mayor Taylor’s $1.2 billion Fairy Tale

once Upon a Time... I sent the following Email to three-term Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor:

--- On Thu, 1/6/11, Fred Keller <fvkeller1@xxxxx.com> wrote:

From: Fred Keller <fvkeller1@xxxxx.com>

Subject: Ryan Creek interceptor project

To: "tom2563@att.net" <tom2563@att.net>, "Kristin Wilhelm" <kwilhelm@franklinwi.gov>

Date: Thursday, January 6, 2011, 6:12 PM

Dear Mayor Taylor:

I read with great interest the JSOnline article entitled “Franklin: “The final frontier,” concerning the southwest side of Franklin and an agreement between the City and MMSD to extend sewer service to that corner of the City.

There were few things in the article in particular that raised questions in my mind, and I would appreciate a written answer to my following questions:

Why are Franklin taxpayers borrowing $31 million from the Wisconsin DNR for the Ryan Creek interceptor project, instead of MMSD borrowing the money on their own from the same or another source?

The article also attributed the following remarks to you:

… Opening much of the land to a building boom would add more than $1.2 billion to the city's property tax base by 2025, Taylor forecast with confidence. The added businesses would take some of the local tax burden off the shoulders of homeowners, he said.

 Would you please provide me with the written analysis the lead you to “forecast with confidence,” that a building boom would add more than $1.2 billion to the city's property tax base by 2025?

And finally, the article indicated that MMSD would begin buying the sewer from Franklin in 2015, under terms of a proposed intergovernmental cooperation agreement. The district would take ownership of the interceptor in 2031, after paying an estimated total of $41.1 million in principal and interest.

3. What can taxpayers expect the City to do with this $41 million?

Thank you in advance for kind attention to my request.  I look forward to a timely reply.

Sincerely,

Fred V. Keller

--- On Wed, 1/12/11, tom2563@att.net <tom2563@att.net> wrote:

From: tom2563@att.net tom2563@att.net

Subject: Re: Ryan Creek interceptor project

To: "Fred Keller" <fvkeller1@xxxxx.com>

Date: Wednesday, January 12, 2011, 12:38 PM

The post sewer plan that was adopted by the Common Council as part of the Comprehensive Plan for the City identifies shows where new business parks, retail and commercial centers and residential developments are projected to occur should a sewer system such as the Ryan Creek Interceptor be put in place. You may obtain a copy of such plan via the Planning Department.

My rationale for the projected development for the southwest part of the City is linked to the Post Sewer Plan for the City which is available from the Planning Department.

The 27Th Street Corridor Plan projects one billion dollars in future development and there are, and have been figures presented in public that show that this projection is obtainable.

Given the number of future sites for business parks and commercial and residential developments pursuant to the post sewer plan and based on the projections from the Southeastern Regional Planning Commission as well as the 27Th Street Corridor Plan it can be projected that a billion dollars of future development could occur in this area of the city. The City has already experienced a developer from Atlanta that was willing to develop the area around 76th and Ryan Road and another individual was proposing to build a multi-million dollar development with an airport for this areal. While these types of projects require Common Council approval, there is a track record of interest by developers for  this part of the City.

It is my recollection that the Tichnor Report recommended areas of the city for future business park and commercial development and prioritized the areas of the city that should be pursued. This report is commonly referred to as the Franklin First report. This report as well as the Comprehensive Master Plan for the City can be reviewed by setting up an appointment with the City Development Department. Both reports were the subject of public debate and much public discussion.

 You should be able to obtain copies of the audio tapes for these very public meetings and listen to the dialog that took place at these meetings. When all is said and done it is the policy makers that voted for these plans and each elected official will more than likely have a different reason for voting to support these various plans.

The issue of the borrowing versus the repayment by MMSD is contained in the agreements between the City and MMSD which may also be obtained via the City Clerk’s office. These agreements were passed by majority vote of the members of the Common Council after they were properly noticed and after debate took place.

I have a call into the Planning Manager to review the Post Sewer Plan for the City as well as other documents such as the Tichnor Report or the documents that were presented to MMSD some six years ago that argued for the construction of the Ryan Creek Interceptor.

There were many individuals from Franklin that argued for the building of such a project before the MMSD Commission and these tapes may also be obtained should you so desire from MMSD?

It has been discussed several times that the Franklin Business Park is approaching a time when we will be defeasing the bonds. If Franklin was to be approached by developers wishing to build another business park we may not be able to accomodate the construction of said park because of a lack of sewer service. Thus it has long been the desire of the policy makers of the city to get MMSD to build the Ryan Creek Interceptor project.

Please see the mission and vision statement for the city that was reaffirmed by the present Common Council.

--- On Mon, 1/17/11, Fred Keller <fvkeller1@xxxxx.com> wrote:

From: Fred Keller <fvkeller1@xxxxx.com>

Subject: Re: Ryan Creek interceptor project

To: "tom2563@att.net" tom2563@att.net

Date: Monday, January 17, 2011, 9:07 AM

Dear Mayor Taylor:

Thank you for getting back to me in such a timely manner, but with all due respect, you did not directly answer question 1 and the second part of 2, as well as question 3. So I will ask you again to answer these questions:

1. Why are Franklin taxpayers borrowing $31 million from the Wisconsin DNR for the Ryan Creek interceptor project, instead of MMSD borrowing the money on their own from the same or another source?

2. Would you please provide me with the written analysis the lead you to “forecast with confidence,” that a building boom would add more than $1.2 billion to the city's property tax base by 2025?

 (Second part of question 2)

And finally, the article indicated that MMSD would begin buying the sewer from Franklin in 2015, under terms of a proposed intergovernmental cooperation agreement. The district would take ownership of the interceptor in 2031, after paying an estimated total of $41.1 million in principal and interest.

3. What can taxpayers expect the City to do with this $41 million?

Frankly, and again with all due respect the 27th Street Corridor Project has repeatedly—in open pubic meetings [Alderman Tim Solomon]—been projected as a $2 billion [project].   Are you now saying that it’s half the original projection, and therefore a failure?  I would appreciate a direct answer to this question.

As far as the Ticknor/Franklin First report is concerned, am I to believe that you’re using this late 1990s report as the basis for applying for a $31 million loan from the DNR?  Do these reports still have relevancy in today’s economic climate and the decline in the city’s growth?

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Fred Keller

--- On Mon, 1/17/11, Fred Keller <fvkeller1@xxxxx.com>wrote:

 From: Fred Keller fvkeller1@xxxxx.com

Subject: More questions on Ryan Creek Interceptor

To: "tom2563@att.net" <tom2563@att.net>

Date: Monday, January 17, 2011, 9:28 AM

Dear Mayor Taylor:

In your original response to my questions, you wrote that:

“The City has already experienced a developer from Atlanta that was willing to develop the area around 76th and Ryan Road and another individual was proposing to build a multi-million dollar development with an airport for this areal [sic]. While these types of projects require Common Council approval, there is a track record of interest by developers for this part of the City.”

Will you please explain to me why the Atlanta developer and the other development projects you cite never completed their plans?

Thank you, again.

Sincerely,

Fred Keller

--- On Sun, 1/23/11, tom2563@att.net <tom2563@att.net> wrote:

From: tom2563@att.net tom2563@att.net

Subject: Re: Fw: Re: Ryan Creek interceptor project: Second Request

To: "Fred Keller" fvkeller1@xxxxx.com

Date: Sunday, January 23, 2011, 7:47 PM

I did respond back to you (see below).

"Thank you for getting back to me in such a timely manner, but with all due respect, you did not directly answer question 1 and the second part of 2, as well as question 3. So I will ask you again to answer these questions":

I do not know why the Atlanta Group did not move forward with their development proposal?

The issue of the Ryan Creek Interceptor has been going on for well over six years as is evidenced below.

 The following artcle from 2005 speaks to MMSD being reluctant to financially support the Ryan Creek Interceptor Sewer and Mayor Bell's statement who was the chair spells out her opinion that municipalities pay for these types of infrastructure improvements.

 The article goes on to state:

 "Franklin officials said the sewer would benefit all Milwaukee County taxpayers. They estimated that $1.2 billion in new growth would generate about $2 million annually for MMSD, $6 million for Milwaukee County and $2.5 million for Milwaukee Area Technical College."

Franklin wants major sewer expansion; $42.5 million MMSD investment [lLink to this JSOnline story provided by Mayor Taylor is no longer available online.]

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The, Sep 20, 2005 by ANNYSA JOHNSON

Franklin The city on Monday asked the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District to consider a $42.5 million sewer expansion that would enable Franklin to develop the largely rural southwest corner of the city.

Franklin development officials made a brief presentation to MMSD's Policy, Finance and Personnel Committee, a preliminary step, they hope, toward getting the sewer placed in the district's 2010 or 2020 plan, Mayor Tom Taylor said.

"If there's going to be any development of the southern quadrant of Franklin, we need to broach MMSD with a proposal," Taylor said. "We don't see build-out until about 2009 or later, depending on whether we can slow the growth. But there's no time like now to ask."

Franklin is proposing MMSD extend the Ryan Creek interceptor sewer that runs west along W. Ryan Road past S. 60th St., where it currently ends, continuing it to the county line. That sewer would enable Franklin to develop an additional 8.6 square miles of the city, creating an estimated $1.25 billion in new growth, city officials said.

Sewerage Commission Chairman and West Allis Mayor Jeannette Bell said MMSD would evaluate the cost of studying the proposal but questioned whether member communities would want to underwrite Franklin's development efforts.

"Generally, you create a TIF district or businesses pay for that," said Bell, whose community has used tax-incremental financing districts to fund West Allis' redevelopment. "I don't know if West Allis taxpayers will want to pay for a huge sewer out in Franklin when they've had to invest in their own economic development."

Franklin officials said the sewer would benefit all Milwaukee County taxpayers. They estimated that $1.2 billion in new growth would generate about $2 million annually for MMSD, $6 million for Milwaukee County and $2.5 million for Milwaukee Area Technical College.

"Twenty-three percent of Franklin residents' tax bills go to Milwaukee County," said Common Council President Lyle Sohns, who did not attend the meeting.

Longtime MMSD Commissioner Dennis Grzezinski said the request would not be dismissed out of hand but that the more appropriate venue would be the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.

Any formal request by Franklin to change MMSD's boundaries would have to be approved by the Planning Commission and DNR, Grzezinski said.

Franklin, whose residents pay some of the highest taxes in Milwaukee County, has been pushing economic development in recent years as a way to expand its tax base.

One area expected to benefit from the proposed sewer expansion is S. 76th St. and W. Ryan Road, identified as a prime commercial corridor in a 1999 study by the city.

Several developers have expressed interest in that intersection over the years, and Franklin has asked Milwaukee County to consider selling adjacent land at the House of Correction for development.

But nothing's likely to fly without an expanded sewer, said Sohns, the Common Council president.

"We can't do anything on that corner at the moment," he said, "because the sewer is of paramount importance."

I do not understand your third question.

I am including three attachments that speak to the Ryan Creek Interceptor and just some of the discussion and review that took place prior to the Common Council voting on this item.

• Ryan Creek pdf  1
• Ryan Creek pdf 2
• Ryan Creek pdf 3

 The one billion dollar figure for the 27th Street Corridor is in relationship to Franklin's side of 27th Street.

FAIRY TALE ENDING... Mayor Tom Taylor was defeated in his bid for a fourth term in office and Franklin tax payers in the City’s southwest quarter paid MMSD taxes without benefit ever after…

THE END?!

Also, read our April 21, 2011, EDITORAL: Is it too good to be true?

RELATED STORY

• PREVARICATED (THE FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL)

County Executive Chris Abele Explains Veto of Advisory Referendum

After writing EXCLUSIVE: Mayor Asks County Executive to Veto Referendum on RCI Project on Monday, October 10, 2011 we sent the following letter to County Executive Chris Abele asking him to deny Mayor Taylor’s request to veto the Milwaukee County Board’s resolution calling for a county-wide referendum vote on the RCI project.

Dear County Executive Chris Abele:

I am a twenty-year resident and home owner in the City of Franklin.  The purpose of my email is to ask you to deny the October 5, 2011 request by City of Franklin Mayor Thomas M. Taylor to veto the County Board’s September 29, 2011 action adopting a Resolution providing for an advisory referendum on the plan by MMSD to pay more than $41 million to the City of Franklin for the costs related to the construction of the Ryan Creek Interceptor project.

Mayor Taylor has claimed on several occasions and in a September 26, 2010 JSOnline story that this project will “[Open] much of the land to a building boom [and] would add more than $1.2 billion to the city's property tax base by 2025.”

I have made two open records requests to Mayor Taylor asking him for documentation proving his claims; to-date he has not been forthcoming with any such documentation.  My latest request dated October 13, 2011, to-date has gone unanswered and makes me highly suspect of the mayor’s claims, which appears to be the primary reason he and certain Franklin Alderman favor this project.

I am asking you to deny Mayor Taylor’s request for your veto and to allow the referendum go forward.

Thank you for your consideration of my request.

Sincerely,

Fred V. Keller

Here is the County Executive’s reply.

Mr. Keller:

Attached is a letter responding to the e-mail I received from you. If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact the office anytime at (414) 278-4211.

Chris Abele RCI Veto E-Mail

RELATED STORY

• Abele vetoes Ryan Creek interceptor referendum (The Business Journal)

PREVARICATED

Courtesy of Merriam Webster:

pre·var·i·cate/prɪˈverəˌkeɪt/verb

pre·var·i·cates; pre·var·i·cat·ed; pre·var·i·cat·ing

 [no obj] formal: to avoid telling the truth by not directly answering a question

▪ Government officials prevaricated about the real costs of the project.

The following email was sent by this publication to Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor on Thursday, October 13, 2011.   We also emailed a copy of this email to Franklin City Clerk, Sandi Wesolowski.

Mr. Mayor:

In light of your October 5, 2011, letter to County Executive Chris Able,  requesting he veto a Resolution providing for an advisory referendum on the plan by MMSD to pay approximately $41 million to the City of Franklin for the costs related to building the Ryan Creek Interceptor project, I want to remind you of your statements in a September 26, 2010, JSOnline story entitled "Franklin: The final frontier."

Following is an excerpt from "Franklin: The final frontier," by Don Behm:

... Development would follow the pipes, Mayor Tom Taylor said.

The city is seeking nearly $31 million in low-interest Clean Water Fund loans through the state Department of Natural Resources so that it can build a large sewer across the frontier.

Taylor wants to complete it by 2014 - several years ahead of MMSD's projected timetable of 2018-'19 - to launch what he describes as an overdue period of growth for the city's southwest quarter.

 Opening much of the land to a building boom would add more than $1.2 billion to the city's property tax base by 2025, Taylor forecast with confidence. The added businesses would take some of the local tax burden off the shoulders of homeowners, he said. ...

My question to you is; if Mr. Abele vetoes the Resolution as you've requested, how will this affect the $1.2 billion increase to the city's property tax base by 2025?

Surely the City has done its due diligence to confirm that this project will indeed truly add more than $1.2 billion to the city's property tax base by 2025.

At your earliest convenience will you please provide me with a copy of this due diligence document?

Thank you for your cooperation.

Fred V. Keller, Co-Editor & Publisher

THE FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL

In a follow-up phone call to the City Clerk we were told that no such due diligence document exists and therefore, by law the City cannot create such a document to fulfill our open records request; and that the mayor’s claim of a “$1.2 billion increase to the city's property tax base by 2025” was based solely on information and conclusions drawn from three documents; the Ticknor Report, the Franklin First Report and the City of Franklin’s Comprehensive Master Plan.

… Pants on fire?!

To verify the mayor's claim, we conducted a search of the City’s website for the Ticknor, and the Franklin First Reports and turned up nothing, which prompted us to send an email to Mark Luberda, City of Franklin Director of Administration on Monday, October 31, 2011, the contents of which follows:

Mark:

Are the following reports on-line on the City’s website?

1.       Ticknor Report

2.       Franklin First Report

3.       City of Franklin’s Comprehensive Master Plan

 If they are, I’m having difficulty finding them.  Will you please provide me with the links to each of these documents?

 Thank you,

 Fred Keller

Follows is Mr. Luberda’s October 31, 2011 reply:

Fred,

 I don’t believe that items #1 or #2 are on the website.  The Comprehensive Master Plan can be found by clicking on “Resources/Documents” from the main navigation bar across the top.  It then appears as an option as the fifth option down in the center column.

 Regards,

Mark Luberda

It would appear clear to any reasonable person  that Franklin tax payers have been sold a $41 million pig in a poke by the mayor and the Franklin Common Council, and by vetoing the possibility for a County referendum on this matter; Mayor Taylor and County Executive Chris Able are complicit in silencing the voice of the people on the matter.

To comment privately on this article or any other aspect of this publication CLICK HERE

SPECIAL COMMON COUNCIL MEETING TONIGHT

There will be a special meeting of the Franklin Common Council tonight at 7:00 PM in the “Inspection Conference Room" at City Hall.  Follows is the agenda.  Click the Fullscreen button below for easier reading.

SPECIAL COMMON COUNCIL MEETING 10/27/11

Second Amendment Rights Do Not End at the Front Door of City Hall or the Library

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

U.S. Constitution: Second Amendment

Mayor Tom Taylor excused himself from the Common Council Meeting on Tuesday, October 18, leaving some Franklin citizens to speculate whether the self-proclaimed Republican mayor was trying to avoid making public comments or having to break a tie vote on agenda item G1. Ordinance to amend the Municipal Code as it pertains to the carrying of concealed weapons within the City and certain City buildings.

At approximately the 19:00 time-mark in the meeting’s audio recording, Franklin Police Chief Richard Oliva presents a verbal report and recommendation to the common council on the subject matter pertaining to agenda item G1.In the ensuing debate you’ll hear Franklin Aldermen all over the map and not very well versed on the subject of Wisconsin’s concealed carry law.   This issue has nothing to do with hunting or hunter safety.

Second Amendment Gun rights have dogged Mayor Taylor in the past, and we have discovered that in a July 14, 2009, letter to the then-leaders of the United States Congress, Mayor Taylor joined approximately 400 other U.S. mayors and members of New York Mayor Bloomberg’s group: Mayors Against Illegal Guns Mayors, a coalition that has long believed that the issue of concealed carry regulation is one best left to cities and states, and strong opposition to Congressional bills like the Thune Concealed Carry Amendment.

The Common Council chose to hold this matter over for its Tuesday, November 1 meeting, the same date Wisconsin’s concealed carry law becomes effective.

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