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Municipal Beat •

Developer Incentives Approved For Contaminated Beaver Dam Parcel

(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Common Council Tuesday night approved $125-thousand dollars in incentives for a local company to redevelop the shuttered Chase Bank building downtown. The agreement directs $100-thousand dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds along with a $25-thousand-dollar grant from the city’s Façade Improvement Program to Inter-Quest of Beaver Dam, doing business as Magnastar LLC.
Municipal •

Beaver Dam Mayor Outlines Potential Uses For ARPA Funds

(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam Mayor Becky Glewen has identified several potential uses of federal stimulus dollars. The city received around $1.7-million dollars as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. Earlier this year, the council approved $350-thousand dollars in ARPA funding to replenish the downtown façade improvement and business attraction grant programs. Another $50-thousand-dollars was used to develop a master plan for Edgewater and Crystal Lake parks.
Municipal Beat •

Beaver Dam Council Votes To Replenish Downtown Revitalization Grants

(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam’s recently depleted downtown revitalization grants have been replenished. The Beaver Dam Common Council recently approved the use of ARPA funds for the grants. The grant program was initially funded by revenues from a blight-elimination Tax Increment Finance District, to the tune of $600-thousand dollars over 12 years.

Mayor Becky Glewen had initially requested that $400-thousand dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds be directed to a matching grant program for façade

Beaver Dam Lake District Formation

Municipal Beat •

Petition Circulating To Launch Beaver Dam Lake District

(Beaver Dam) Over 25-percent of the petitions needed to form a lake district around Beaver Dam Lake have been signed and returned. The taxing jurisdiction would raise revenue from waterfront property owners to address issues ranging from shoreline erosion to water quality. Formation of the district first requires signatures from 51-percent of the 1490 shoreline residents living on 1104 parcels in the city of Beaver Dam and five townships.
Municipal Beat •

Beaver Dam Lake District Effort Sails On To Next Phase

(Beaver Dam) Now that enough signatures have been collected to form a lake district, officials with the Beaver Dam Lake Improvement Association are plotting their next steps. The taxing jurisdiction would raise revenue from waterfront property owners to address issues ranging from shoreline erosion to water quality. Revenue would be generated based on either assessed value or an equal division of the number of properties. Those who live inside the lake district would approve or disapprove budgets set by commissioners.
Municipal Beat •

Public Hearing Draws Conflicting Comments On Beaver Dam Lake District

(Beaver Dam) The Dodge County Board’s Land Resources and Parks Committee Thursday night held a public hearing on efforts to form a Beaver Dam Lake District. The taxing jurisdiction would raise revenue from waterfront property owners to address issues ranging from shoreline erosion to water quality. Revenue would be generated based on either assessed value or an equal division of the number of properties. Those who live inside the lake district would approve or disapprove budgets set by commissioners.
Municipal Beat •

Lawsuit Challenges Formation Of Beaver Dam Lake District

(Juneau) The formation of a lake district around Beaver Dam Lake is being held up by a civil lawsuit filed to stop the effort. The Dodge County Board in March approved the establishment of the taxing entity that would raise revenue from waterfront property owners to address issues ranging from shoreline erosion to water quality. The process was triggered when the Beaver Dam Lake Improvement Association submitted a petition with 730 signatures to the county to form the district.
Municipal Beat •

Beaver Dam Lake District Formation On Course, Website Launched

(Beaver Dam) The formation of the new Beaver Dam Lake District is on track. With this month’s dismissal of a civil lawsuit filed seeking to stop the district, work behind the scenes continues moving forward. The creation of the district was triggered when the Beaver Dam Lake Improvement Association submitted a petition to the county. In March, the Dodge County Board approved the establishment of the taxing entity that will raise revenue from waterfront property owners to address issues ranging from shoreline erosion to water quality.

Budgets, Deficits and Debacles

Municipal Beat •

Beaver Dam City Budget Advances Out Of Committee

(Beaver Dam) The 2019 Beaver Dam city budget unanimously advanced out of committee on Wednesday. Last week, the committee spent three hours pouring over numbers, but Wednesday night’s meeting lasted only ten minutes as Chair Lisa Davidson called for the tabling of the evening’s main item: discussion on next year’s borrowing plan. The reason for the delay: two of the seven committee members were absent: one planned, one unplanned.
Municipal Beat •

Beaver Dam Mayor Outlines Restructuring Of City Government

(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam Mayor Becky Glewen discussed her plan to move the city to a part-time mayor and full-time city administrator when she was our guest Friday on WBEV’s Community Comment. A plan that advanced out of committee this month takes the initial steps toward the restructuring by reducing the job responsibilities of another position: the Director of Administration, which is currently held by John Somers who is retiring at the end of April.
Municipal Beat •

Beaver Dam Hires New Finance Director

(Beaver Dam) The city of Beaver Dam’s Finance Department has a new leader. Jeff Wiswell recently retired as the City Administrator in Algoma. Wiswell will be the city Finance Director and City Clerk, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of John Somers, effective at the end of the month. Somers was hired as Finance Director in 1996 and now holds the title of Director of Administration, which also includes personnel responsibilities that the new position will not be tasked with. Wiswell will be paid a base wage of $96-thousand dollars per year.
Municipal Beat •

Beaver Dam Common Council Approves Raise For City Attorney

(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Common Council voted unanimously Monday night to give the city attorney a temporary raise. Maryann Schacht was receiving $7689-per month to provide legal services for the city which will now increase to $11,022-per month. With the recent retirement of a long-time department head, Schact is taking on additional human resource matters and some other responsibilities. Alderman Mick Fischer says he supports the pay raise and credits Schacht for her (quote) “extraordinary legal services.”
Municipal Beat •

Beaver Dam Alders May Have Hands Tied In Budget Debate

(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Common Council met as a Committee of the Whole Monday night to review the 2020 proposed budget. The $14.42-million-dollar document – as presented – includes a tax levy of $10.98-million, an increase of $486-thousand dollars, or 4.6-percent, over the current budget. No word yet on the mill rate impact. The city’s capital borrowing portion of the budget, the CIP, was approved two weeks ago.
Municipal Beat •

Beaver Dam’s New Finance Director Resigns

(Beaver Dam) After about six months on the job, the city of Beaver Dam’s Finance Director has resigned. Jeff Wiswell submitted his letter of resignation on Tuesday, effective immediately. According to the press release from Mayor Becky Glewen, Wiswell said that his decision was based on a “combination of family matters and the understanding that his professional expertise is better suited for a public administration position.”
Municipal Beat •

Beaver Dam Mayor Discusses Departure Of Finance Director

(Beaver Dam) Officials in Beaver Dam will begin the process of finding the city’s next finance director on Monday night. After about six months on the job, Jeff Wiswell submitted his letter of resignation on Tuesday, effective immediately. Mayor Becky Glewen tells DailyDodge.com that she is working with the city’s labor attorney in finding a human resources firm, essentially a “headhunter,” in filling the vacancy. That matter will be brought to the council on Monday.
Municipal Beat •

Budget Error By Former Beaver Dam Finance Director Costing City $330K

(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam is losing $330-thousand dollars because of an accounting error by the Finance Director who abruptly resigned last week. City Attorney Mary Ann Schacht dropped that bombshell at the onset of budget discussions Monday night. Jeff Wiswell said in his resignation letter that his decision was based on a “combination of family matters and the understanding that his professional expertise is better suited for a public administration position.”
Municipal Beat •

Restructuring Of Beaver Dam City Government Not Part Of 2020 Budget

(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Common Council is set to begin budget talks Monday evening but one item that will not be on the agenda is a restructuring of city government. Mayor Becky Glewen had been discussing a plan to hire a full-time city administrator and reduce the mayor’s position to part-time. Glewen’s plan was sidetracked by the unexpected retirement of Director of Administration John Somers in April. That position was largely tasked with finance matters but many of those responsibilities could be reduced to that of a city clerk/ treasurer with remaining tasks shifted to the new city administrator.
Municipal Beat •

Beaver Dam Reviving Talks On Restructuring City Government

(Beaver Dam) With budget talks set to begin soon, the Beaver Dam Common Council is once again talking about restructuring city government to include the addition of a city administrator. Mayor Becky Glewen told us recently on WBEV’s Community Comment that this has been a goal since the retirement of Director of Administration John Somers in April of 2019. She adds that she would like to see the change happen during her term.
Municipal Beat •

Beaver Dam To Hire City Administrator, Reduce Mayor To Part-Time

(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Common Council last (Monday) night approved a major restructuring of city government. Under the ordinance, a new position is created: city administrator, a role tasked with finance and personnel matters. The position of mayor will transition from full-time to part-time. The salary of the mayor will be reduced by two-thirds, from $60-thousand dollars per year to $20-thousand dollars following the spring 2023 election. The new city administrator could be hired as early as January.
Municipal Beat •

Former Beaver Dam Director Of Administration Says He Quit Because Of Mayor

(Beaver Dam) The city of Beaver Dam’s top administrative official tells alderpersons that the primary reason he is leaving is because of the mayor. As we reported Tuesday, Director of Administration Zak Bloom submitted his letter of resignation on October 11; his last day on the job is November 5. In an email Bloom sent to alderpersons on October 13 – confirmed by multiple elected officials – he states that the number one reason he is leaving is because (quote) “the working relationship with the mayor is untenable and [he does] not foresee that changing after she goes part-time.”
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