(Beaver Dam) Some Beaver Dam alderpersons are wondering if they will be able to have any substantial input on the budget before it is adopted next month. City officials were presented with a budget last (Monday) night with $386-thousand dollars in red ink but cannot make changes until next Monday. However, the budget is expected to be published by then and the extent of changes allowed at that point is unclear. Mayor Becky Glewen told the council what new items would be removed beyond the budget she has already presented; she is giving them a second budget tomorrow. After the mayor’s new cuts, officials would still need to trim $240-thousand dollars. Alderman Mick Fischer wants to reinstate one of the mayor’s new cuts but was told it is likely that nothing new could be added once the budget is published.
(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam School Board last (Monday) night adopted the district budget for the current school year. The $48.4-million-dollar document includes a tax levy of $15.7-million, a $383-thousand-dollar increase over last year. The mill rate of $9.04 per $1,000 of assessed value is a 35-cent drop from what homeowners saw a year ago. The district received $22.6-million-dollars in state aid, an increase of over $430-thousand-dollars. Equalized property values in the school district increased by 6.45-percent over last year’s valuation. Malkovich says that is a sizable jump compared to last year’s increase of 3.49-percent. The School Board credited the work done by district staff in preparing the budget and that they are pleased the mill rate is going down.
(Watertown) State prosecutors are looking to revoke a plea deal for a Madison man who burglarized a Watertown residence. In April, Donald Beran entered into a deferred prosecution agreement, meaning he would avoid a felony record if he stayed out of trouble while on probation for 18 months. The state argues that the agreement should be revoked because the 60-year-old is facing new charges in Dane and Sauk County. A motion hearing is scheduled for November 13.
(Waupun) A Waupun accused of running from police with a revoked license made his initial appearance in court yesterday (Monday). Damian Vande Zande allegedly refused to stop for Waupun Police last month before parking and fleeing on foot. The 25-year-old was apprehended a short time later, hiding in an alley. Signature bond was set at $1,000 and Vande Zande waived his right to a preliminary hearing. He will be arraigned on November 18.
(Madison) Wisconsin Public Service and WE Energies officials say scammers once again targeted their customers last week. On Friday alone as many as 30 customers say they were hit by someone spoofing both a WPS number on their caller ID and WPS’ on-hold music, all that sounds legitimate but Matt Cullen says the scammers tipped their hand when it came time for the payment of the supposed past-due bill- they asked for it in the form of a prepaid card and demanded the payment in as little as 30 minutes. In a news release Cullen says the companies don’t operate that way, and if customers have questions they can always hang up and call WPS or WE Energies directly to verify the status of a bill.
(Fond du Lac) America’s Honey Queen Hannah Sjostrom (SHOE-strum) will be attending the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association Convention in Fond du Lac this weekend. But she is also taking the opportunity to teach kids in school about the benefits of honey and beekeeping. Sjostrom, who is a sophomore at UW Eau Claire, will be visiting schools in Waupun, Fox Lake, Ripon, Campbellsport, Brandon, Eden and Fond du Lac.
