Monthly Archives: August 2008

House seeks to close fish hatchery, end job training pact

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Back in 2006, the county increased by as much as 68% the price inmates at the House of Correction and County Jail must pay to make collect phone calls from their places of incarceration. The rates rose to $5.55 per 15 minute collect call, up from $3.30. The rate remained at $3.30 for inmates who use debit cards to make their calls.

County officials justified the high rates, in part, because the money would be used to support the fish hatchery at the House.

Fast forward a couple years the House of Correction is proposing to keep the money and kill the fish hatchery. It’s not just the telephone revenue the House wants to use — a small share of electronic surveillance and Huber fees charged to inmates promised to the fish hatchery in 2006 would be moved to support the general House operations. The total the House could divert by closing the fish hatchery is about $188,000.

The House, in another proposed budget cut, is proposing to end a contract for Job Development and Job Readiness with Wisconsin Community Services. The move would save $242,217.

And with less for the inmates to do, the House also is proposing in its 2009 budget request to crowd more of them into fewer dorms to save money. From the budget request:

The House of Correction anticipates operating with five dorms closed for the entire year in 2009 and one additional dorm closed for the final three months of the year when the population has historically declined. The 2008 Adopted Budget anticipated operating with two dorms closed. The closing of three additional dorms in 2009 results in savings of $1,017,965 and is due to the following:

o Increasing the number of beds in dorms from 60 to 64 where possible
o Placing any inmate within one month of release onto home detention
o A 9% decline in bookings over 2007 levels

Finally, in an era of significant food price inflation, the House of Correction is project a decline in per-inmate meal costs from the current level of $1.17.

The House of Correction has been plagued by bad management and operated by an exhausted staff.  A federal report released earlier this year said that ”the House of Correction is a seriously troubled institution” with a “bad history and a negative, counter-productive organizational culture.”

The budget does not address those findings or include funding to address them.

County Executive Scott Walker presents his 2009 proposed budget next month.

A new freeway looks better than an old one? No kidding!

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The new Marquette Interchange could replace motherhood and apple pie as American ideals, according to the big kiss-kiss the JS gave to Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi’s fanny yesterday.

Golly, the new interchange even looks better than the rest of the aging, poorly-maintained system. What a surprise!

It is good news that the interchange came in under budget and on time. I don’t remember, though, the paper ever examining the project budget, the insurance pay-outs, the construction dust readings, the actual minority employment numbers or even if the design is a good one. I know the paper never questioned why the design contracts were amended dozens of times, rising in value from $9,999,999 in late 2001 to $20.7 million. Busalacchi says the odd contracting method of grotesquely low-balling a cost, then allowing the politically influential and generous corporations HNTB and CH2M Hill to methodically ask for contract amendments to increase their take-home pay saved the state money. He also says, though, that he cannot prove this.

The paper is baring its watchdog fangs when it comes to MPS’ $100 million Neighborhood Schools Initiative, but is just a fawning lapdog when it comes to the $800 million Marquette Interchange. Why is that?

And when the governor comes to the ribbon-cutting ceremony this week, let’s hope he brings a couple of cans of paint and a brush. The cheap-ass paint on the $800 million Interchange is already starting to peel. It’s not aesthetically pleasing.

Groups want more study of North-South I-94 expansion

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Gas is up, driving is down.  The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin Foundation, Inc., 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, Inc., Midwest Environmental Advocates, Inc., and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -Milwaukee Branch want the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to take another look at the proposed I-94 North-South reconstruction project to determine whether added lanes are really needed. More information here.

The Harley line-up for Miller Park (yes, there will be noise)

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Harley-Davidson has announced the music lineup for the Aug. 28th CLUB H.O.G. 25 at Miller Park, which celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the Harley Owners Group.

The event is not open to the public, so most Story Hill residents 1) can enjoy the music from their homes or 2) leave for the day to avoid to all that infernal racket. The event will be on the exterior grounds of Miller Park, so there will be plenty of music for Story HIllers to 1) enjoy or 2) flee.

The event will feature the following acts:

Harley Stage 
11:00 a.m. DB Bryant Band
1:00 p.m.  Jason Michael Carroll             
3:45 p.m.  The Billy Bob Thornton Band       
6:00 p.m.  Sugarland 
9:00 p.m.  Kid Rock  

Beer Garden
11:30 a.m. Big Bob and the Ballroom Blitz
3:30 p.m.  Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
5:30 p.m.  Comedian Greg Giraldo
6:30 p.m.  Comedian Jim McCue
7:30 p.m.  Comedian Lewis BlacK

More from Mercer: firm claims “sham” affidavits by county

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Affidavits by key county witnesses, including Supervisors Lynne DeBruin and Mark Borkowski, are “sham” documents that directly contradict earlier statements by the same people, according to the defendant in the county’s federal court pension lawsuit.

Mercer Human Resource Consulting Inc. filed a motion seeking dismissal of the case in June, arguing that “there is no evidence demonstrating that any County Board members relied on Mercer’s advice, much less a majority. Instead, the Plaintiffs’ case is an after-the-fact fabrication in an attempt to scapegoat Mercer and to shift blame away from the mistakes of County personnel like (former Director of Human Resources Gary) Dobbert and the County Board’s own lack of oversight in connection with the enactment of the 2001-2004 Wage and Benefit Package.”

In response, the county filed a series of affidavits from former members of the Pension Study Committee stating that they did indeed rely on Mercer’s advice. Those affidavits, Mercer argued in a new filing, directly contradict what the officials first said.

Borkowski, in his latest affidavit, according to Mercer, stated that “I received a package of information regarding the pension benefit enhancement package before the meeting. That packet . . . contained analysis by the actuaries from Mercer.”

In his earlier testimony, though, according to Mercer, Borkowski stated he  “never saw” Mercer’s October 3, 2000 letter. He testified that the “first time I’m seeing” the letter was during his 2003 deposition.He “did not see $7.6 million” referenced in Mercer’s October 3, 2000 letter, which was Mercer’s estimate for the cost of the pension package without including the BackDROP. Borkowski “would remember if I saw a $7 million price tag on something.”

In Borkowski’s new affidavit, according to Mercer, the supervisor said he voted in favor because “I was convinced by staff prior to the meeting and by Mercer actuaries at the Pension Study Commission meeting that the changes proposed were either cost neutral, meaning that they could be made with no increase in tax levy, or very affordable, meaning that they could be made with an insignificant tax levy increase. I relied upon those Mercer representations to cast my vote.”

Borkowski’s earlier testimony, according to Mercer, indicated that the only information Borkowski considered was the fiscal note, which did not include any reference to the BackDROP. He testified that “as far as county government is concerned, my costing out is the fiscal note” and “for me . . . the fiscal note on the resolution is what salted my vote.”

DeBruin’s affidavits similarly contradicted themselves, Mercer said.

In her new affidavit, Mercer said, DeBruin maintained she “received and reviewed” Mercer’s October 3, 2000 letter before the October 27, 2000 PSC meeting. She “reviewed that material” and “assumed it to be correct.”

In her previous affidavit, according to Mercer, DeBruin said she did not see Mercer’s October 3, 2000 letter until “after the scandal broke, sometime after.” In response to the question “you don’t recall seeing it at or about the time it was authored?” DeBruin responded “Oh, absolutely not.”

DeBruin, according to Mercer, said in her recent affidavit that if Mercer had told her “they had not done a study to analyze either the actuarial effect or cost implications of the backDROP,” DeBruin would have “raised red flags to County officials, including moving that the item be laid over so that a full actuarial study could be completed on the benefit and that the matter be referred to the Finance Committee for study of financial impact.”

In her earlier testimony, according to Mercer, DeBruin said that Dobbert told her an actuarial study had not been done prior to enactment of the BackDROP for the majority of the unions. “He told me it could not be done. He specifically said, you cannot do an actuarial report on the impact of the pension changes until after it’s adopted. That’s one of the reasons I voted against the package.”

Affidavits by Pension Study Committee members Derek Kenner and James McClutchy are contradictory as well, Mercer argues.  The county has not yet responded to Mercer’s allegations that they are “sham” documents.