News – October 1, 2019

(Mayville) Officials in Mayville believe an EMS agreement between the city and the village of Kekoskee is unlikely. The common council last night approved their original offer: a one-year contract totaling $15,000 with a 90-day autorenewal. Mayor Rob Boelk says the village wanted them to approve an amended version of the agreement; changing the autorenewal to 120 days and adding a stipulation that requires the city to raise the price of every municipality that utilizes their EMS services at the same time. Boelk says in corresponding with the village, they indicated they would not accept the contract as originally offered. He says Mayville will still give Kekoskee the chance to accept or reject the contract they approved last night.

(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam’s finance director detailed several options for a new debt cap policy for city officials last night. Jeff Wiswell says the current $1.7-million-dollar cap is based on outdated numbers and should instead be based the city’s latest financial situation. Under state law, Beaver Dam is at 39-percent of its total borrowing capacity and he noted similar cities operate at 50-to-65-percent.  Wiswell suggests borrowing for infrastructure maintenance needs like roads be better aligned with debt capacity. Alderman Jack Yuds says being at 39-percent debt capacity is already too high to pass along to the next generation while Alderwoman Jane Loizzo says it proves the city is in a good position to borrow to address needs now. Any changes to the debt policy are expected to be discussed after the 2020 budget is adopted.

(Fox Lake) A Fox Lake man accused of resisting authorities made his initial appearance in court yesterday (Monday). On Sunday, Ronald Shurpit was questioned by a state trooper for reportedly parking in a handicap space. Shurpit allegedly took off, ignoring multiple commands from the trooper to stop. When he was questioned at his residence, the 60-year-old reportedly attempted to close the door on the trooper and threatened to bash his head in with a coffee cup. If convicted, Shurpit faces over six years in prison. Cash bond was set at $1000 and a preliminary hearing is set for next week.

(Oak Grove) A Beaver Dam man accused of having inappropriate contact with a minor made his initial appearance in court yesterday. Matthew Hawley met up with a 14-year-old girl in October of last year and assaulted her at a Town of Oak Grove storage unit. DNA tests of the victim reportedly matched swabs taken from the suspect. If convicted, the 38-year-old Hawley faces up to 40-years in prison.

(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam Police arrested a man early yesterday (Monday) morning suspected of trying to break into a vehicle. Authorities responded to the 700 block of North University Avenue at 3:30am. The caller reported scaring-off the subject, who was apprehended a few blocks away. He is being held in the Dodge County Jail on charges of Trespassing and Disorderly Conduct. The arrest comes three days after Beaver Dam Police issued a warning to the public of an uptick in thefts from unlocked vehicles and burglaries of unsecured homes. Deputy Chief Scott Bahr says the subject in custody is a person of interest in the recent thefts, but he notes that all of the incidents remain under investigation.

(Madison) Monday saw the fee to register a vehicle in the state go up.  For most people, it will be a 10-dollar increase from 75 to 85.  Light trucks will pay more, from 75 to 100-dollars.  Fees also increased for trailers and truck tractors.  To get a vehicle title, that cost went up from 69-50 to 164-50.  Hybrid vehicles will have to pay a 75-dollar surcharge every year.  The increases are intended to help the state pay for road projects in the future.

(Madison) A proposal in Madison would allow families with fourth-grade students get a state park entrance fee for free.  The bipartisan bill would allow the DNR to waive the 28-dollar fees for parents of these students.  Supporters say the bill would help gets kids more interested in the outdoors and encourage a healthier lifestyle.