(Juneau) The Dodge County Board adopted the 2023 budget Tuesday. The mill rate of $3.96 per thousand-dollars of assessed value is down 82-cents from the current budget year, while county property values are up 15-percent to $8.6-billion-dollars. The $149.8-million-dollar document includes a tax levy of $36-million, which is up roughly $300-thousand-dollars from 2022. The vote was 30 in favor and one against.
(Fond du Lac) The Fond du Lac County Board recently adopted their 2023 budget by a unanimous vote. Fond du Lac County’s overall tax levy is nearly $50.9 million with a tax rate of $5.20 per thousand-dollars of assessed value.
(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam School Board approved the formation of a girls’ co-op swim team at their meeting this week. Athletic Director Ryan Gerber says that due to decreased participation, opportunities for competition are being lost. He has reached out to several schools in hopes of beginning the co-op next year if a partner school is found.
(Beaver Dam) Wayland Academy received a state grant to aid its student success programming. The coed college preparatory school in Beaver Dam is in line for $1-million-dollars from the State of Wisconsin’s Equitable Recovery Program. The money will help students have better access to goal-setting and mental health resources, expertise, and supplies. Wayland hired three new faculty members with the grant, who have worked together to create programming for students such as peer-led academic tutoring, evening study support, life skills development, and workshops on mental health and wellness.
(Beaver Dam) A lawnmower bandit has been on the loose in Beaver Dam for the last few years. Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson says someone has been pranking neighborhood residents by rigging a lawnmower so that it keeps running until it runs out of gas. The lawnmowers are then thrown onto the lawns of unsuspecting targets in the middle of the night. Johnson says that while the prank is humorous, when the perpetrators are caught, the criminal charges will be no laughing matter.
(Wisconsin) A bill authored by US Senator Tammy Baldwin that would codify same-sex marriage at the federal level is set for a vote in the Senate. The bill already passed the House, but there was a debate in the Senate over the wording of the bill. Republicans wanted protections for nonprofit religious groups so they could refuse to offer marriage services on religious grounds. The bill would also clarify that polygamy is illegal under federal law. A vote on the bill could come as early as Wednesday. It would then be sent back to the House for approval of the amendment. There had been concerns over the continued legality of same sex marriage, after commentary from the Supreme Court that a ruling that made the practice legal could be reviewed-WRN.
(Madison) A brazen car theft highlights the problem in Madison. Police say a woman’s car was rear ended, so she pulled over to check and see if there was damage. While she was inspecting her vehicle someone in the vehicle that hit hers jumped into her car and drove off. Madison gets an overall grade of C minus when it comes to vehicle theft according to crime grade.org The grade means Madison’s rate of vehicle theft is slightly higher than the average US metro area. Madison is just slightly better than Milwaukee though which gets a D plus-WRN.
