Our latest Common Council meeting was a packed night, with approval of the city’s proposed budget for 2008. Here are the highlights, Part 1. Jim Coan’s Big Night. Background — the Common Council, at its last meeting on November 6th, increased the amount of the tax levy to the maximum that Wisconsin would allow for…
City
City, Development
Cousins, Coffee, and the Old KFC Building
by JOHN ADAMS •
City
Your Messy House? My Better Plan!
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Development, Economy, Free Markets
Planning Commission Meeting for November 12, 2007, Part 2
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is Part 2 of my commentary on the Planning Commission meeting for November 12, 2007. (Here’s the link to Part 1.) Apartments at the old Hallmark Location Why are residential tenants worse than vacancies? Empty retail spaces are worse than occasional litter and disturbances from residential tenants. They’re a sign of our lack of…
City, Development, Economy, Free Markets
Planning Commission Meeting for November 12, 2007, Part 1
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s my commentary on the November 12th Planning Commission Meeting, Part 1. Intricacies of Public Meetings Public meetings run the risk of devolving into intricacy, ‘inside baseball’ commentary, and jargon unfamiliar to most residents. When there are a few committees involved, the risk grows greater. The politics of the Community Development Authority, Planning Commission, and…
City
Video
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater offer a series of video clips describing different aspects of life in our city. It’s a good idea, but I have a suggestion to make the idea even better. Why not have videos narrated by residents, who describe different aspects of town? I am not suggesting that these promotional videos say anything critical —…
City, Development, Economy, Free Markets
Common Council Meeting for November 6, 2007
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Common Council cannot tax more, spend more, and hire more, and expect Whitewater to grow more. Whitewater can easily do the first three, but it should not expect the final result. It is, however, what Council must expect now. Time will prove this expectation false. It’s predictable, though, that — initially — competent planning…
City, Elkhorn, Police
Questions on the Settlement in the Larry Meyer Case
by JOHN ADAMS •
Larry Meyer, now retired, was a controversial member of the Whitewater Police Department, and is the defendant in a federal civil suit. Meyer’s counsel filed a motion for summary judgment in March, but the Fourth Amendment federal constitutional claims of the Plaintiff, Steve Cvicker, survived that motion. Previously, I have published posts about the damage…
City, Inbox Reader Mail
Inbox: Reader Mail (City Managers)
by JOHN ADAMS •
I received an email this week asking me about my opinion on the difference between the current City Manager, Kevin Brunner, and his predecessor, Gary Boden. The email’s in black, and my reply is in blue. Question: Just wanted to know what your opinion was of the former city manager, Gary Boden compared to the…
City
Harmony and the Latest Council Meetings, 10/23 and 10/30
by JOHN ADAMS •
Not long ago, the Common Council had a session devoted to ways to work together more cordially, etc. At the last two Council meetings, the more harmonious way has been evident. Rants are down, and politeness is up — good for all concerned. The interesting question is whether this harmony will hold when the sessions…
City, Police
Our Enforcement Culture
by JOHN ADAMS •
Budgetary proposals are important, but there is a more important reform that Whitewater can undertake. Changes to the way that Whitewater imposes code-enforcement and criminal fines would do much to help our city step away from a reliance on futile punitive measures that operate as a regressive form of taxation, and as an incentive to…
City, Economy, Free Markets
On the 2008 City Budget: A Libertarian’s Angle
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a libertarian’s angle on the Whitewater 2008 proposed budget. As I mentioned in my last post, it’s a cautious, competent budget. In good times, a budget like this might make sense. Unfortunately, these are not good times for many of Whitewater’s families: the family poverty rate is higher here than in nearby communities. That’s…
City
On the 2008 City Budget: Overview
by JOHN ADAMS •
Quick thoughts on the proposed 2008 City Budget. The presentation to our Common Council amounted to over 198 pages, presented in two increments, over the last two council sessions. The October 23rd presentation involved six key areas: Finance, Parks and Recreation, Planning/Zoning/Code Enforcement/Buildings, Administration, Young Memorial Library, and the Library Special Revenue Fund. The October…
City, Economy, Free Markets
Sub-Prime Mortgages and the City Budget
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at the Banner, there’s an October 30th mention of a recent New York Times story on how pressures in the sub-prime mortgage market may affect city budgets. The entire article, and the excerpt at the Banner, raise a good deal of worry, predicting that foreclosures on sub-prime mortgages will cause a drop in state…