Many people attended National Night Out at Lakeview Park yesterday, August 3, with the participation of area law enforcement agencies, the Middleton fire, EMS and public works departments, as well as the military, Dane county park rangers, and various private organizations.
City referendum: The fruits of dithering
With 4 votes to 3, the Middleton city council decided, on August 2, to ask voters to approve exceeding the property-tax levy cap by $770,000 through a November 9 referendum. Voted in favor: Kathy Olson (district 1), Lisa Janairo (district 6), Dan Ramsey (district 7) and Randall Crow (district 8). Voted against: Katy Nelson (district 3), Emily Kuhn (district 4) and Luke Fuszard (district 5). Kendra Wochos (district 2) was absent. The three who voted against the motion did so not because they were against a referendum, but because they wanted to ask for more money, namely $1 million. A motion to hire a public relations firm to help convince voters to vote 'yes' on the referendum question was approved unanimously.
The votes were preceded by a discussion that illustrated some of the defining characteristics of Middleton city councils past and present: delaying the inevitable, abdicating on tough decisions, being penny-wise and pound-foolish. It also did not help the seriousness of the discussion that city staff threw a wrench into the operation by changing the focus of the referendum.