Having been in the business world for over 2 decades (enhanced by formal training in my Master's degree in Business Administration), I have had many experiences with a concept called ECONOMIES OF SCALE (the concept that as something grows larger, the 'next' increment of production should cost slightly less than the last increment since fixed costs are being spread over a larger number of articles).
This economic principal should apply to all aspects of 'production' -- manufacturing, service, AND GOVERNMENT!
Take for example a company that makes 'widgets'. Before the company can start producing they need to 'buy' a place to produce and all the buildout necessary to do so, raw materials to make a widget, and the labor to produce a widget. If the company makes only one widget, then the COST is the place of production, plus the buildout, plus the raw material to make it, plus the labor to make it. If the company makes 2 widgets, the cost PER WIDGET is now 1/2 of the production place, plus the raw materials divided by 2, and then the labor divided by 2 (both material and labor could also be 'bought' at a discount since volume generally means lower pricing). I think you can see where this is going. After making 'many' widgets, the real driver becomes the raw material and labor costs (incremental cost) as the FIXED part is now spread over MANY widgets.
When I was on the village board in Pleasant Prairie, I often asked why is it that as the village grows the 'incremental cost' continues to rise rather than decline. If a new development adds 100 homes to the village, those additional 100 homes should benefit from the fact that infrastructure is ALREADY IN PLACE, and that only INCREMENTAL additions need to be made - therefore total spending per unit should decrease.
BUT, somehow our free-wheeling village administrative and financial gurus continue to believe that the revenue generated from the INCREMENTAL additions IS NOT enough to cover its costs and therefore more money is needed from elsewhere (EXISTING TAXPAYER BASE!!).
As we ALL know that members of the "THE VILLAGE IS GREAT AND DOES EVERYTHING PERFECTLY" crowd regularly visit this blog, I leave it up to them to tell us why this is the case in Pleasant Prairie. I can think of a couple of reasonable explanations, but will wait for the INSIDERS to comment first.
Thanks goodness that the WI Legislature has implemented a 2% or up to % growth cap on year over year tax levy increases. If it wasn't for this, (AND PLENTY OF WHINING AND MOANING EVIDENCE EXISTS TO PROVE THIS) YOUR village leaders would have a free for all with tax increases. HUG your local REPUBLICAN legislators as they are the only roadblock to more free-wheeling spending!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
TRAFFIC CIRCLES from SPACE look like crop circles
Some comments were made on my other posting about traffic circles as part of the WISDOT impending improvement of WI RT 165.
I have heard good and bad about traffic circles, and will agree that if things are going smoothly then great, but if things go badly the they really go badly.
I have been stuck in major traffic tie-ups (in states like New Jersey) do to the occasional fender bender (and these do happen a lot since parallel vehicles are both following the same circular path at the same time -- easy to deviate).
On the bright side, they don't have traffic lights (no need for unnecessary stopping and waiting, AND no energy demands for the lighting itself).
New (no stopping) designs are supposedly better than old stop and proceed configurations. Remains to be seen. Any comments??
I have heard good and bad about traffic circles, and will agree that if things are going smoothly then great, but if things go badly the they really go badly.
I have been stuck in major traffic tie-ups (in states like New Jersey) do to the occasional fender bender (and these do happen a lot since parallel vehicles are both following the same circular path at the same time -- easy to deviate).
On the bright side, they don't have traffic lights (no need for unnecessary stopping and waiting, AND no energy demands for the lighting itself).
New (no stopping) designs are supposedly better than old stop and proceed configurations. Remains to be seen. Any comments??
COME ON DOUG SNOW -- COUGH IT UP!!!!
Village insider and loyal supporter DOUG SNOW at a recent citizens comments suggested that he is very happy with the structure of the village's Clean Water Utility and to prove such he is PREPARED to have his bill doubled!!
Sounds noble doesn't it. While I don't know where Doug lives, or how much his CWU bill is, my guess is that it is probably less than $3/month, so doubling it would be less than $6/month. Wow Doug, you are a big spender.
Bet your wouldn't say that if YOU were a retired lady living on fixed income (mostly social security, I understand) whose bill was originally $28 and then was TRIPLED to $84/month BECAUSE she lives on a approximately 20acre parcel of mostly pastoral land.
Let's see Dougie, doubling that bill would be $168/month. Would you like that bill every month as penalty for not doing anything really attributable to any real action on your part as a landowner. It's not like she left her faucet on for 7 days on purpose and then complained about a high water bill!!
Dougie, please let us know when you are paying your double bill as offered and then maybe the village can see fit for that nice lady who has the $84/month bill to reduce hers to $81/month. Its the least you can do since you love the concept so much. Perhaps then things might be just a little closer to being the FAIR SHARE as folks like you like to use as an excuse all the time.
Sounds noble doesn't it. While I don't know where Doug lives, or how much his CWU bill is, my guess is that it is probably less than $3/month, so doubling it would be less than $6/month. Wow Doug, you are a big spender.
Bet your wouldn't say that if YOU were a retired lady living on fixed income (mostly social security, I understand) whose bill was originally $28 and then was TRIPLED to $84/month BECAUSE she lives on a approximately 20acre parcel of mostly pastoral land.
Let's see Dougie, doubling that bill would be $168/month. Would you like that bill every month as penalty for not doing anything really attributable to any real action on your part as a landowner. It's not like she left her faucet on for 7 days on purpose and then complained about a high water bill!!
Dougie, please let us know when you are paying your double bill as offered and then maybe the village can see fit for that nice lady who has the $84/month bill to reduce hers to $81/month. Its the least you can do since you love the concept so much. Perhaps then things might be just a little closer to being the FAIR SHARE as folks like you like to use as an excuse all the time.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
BEWARE THE ASSESSOR with the MACHETE..
Hey folks,
Been away for about a week on business, and found all sorts of interesting remarks on my NEW AND IMPROVED 2008 previous posting.
Per many requests, I will try to steer this blog into directions that will actually create a forum for discussion on areas of interest that I think we all can relate to.
I expect the same series of ANONYMOUS comments with their varying degrees of decency, but even in their venom-spitting a little truth can be learned. Maybe if they keep commenting we will finally find out who they really are. (Insiders for sure, but WHO????).
Well anyway here it goes.
Our friendly village assessing office regularly tells us that assessments HAVE TO ACCURATELY AND FREQUENTLY CAPTURE MARKET CONDITIONS by the re-evaluation process so everybody is paying their FAIR SHARE.
This happens more or less every 2 years, and based on real estate markets, economy, etc, the entire village's evaluation grows (or declines), AND on a more micro basis, individual neighborhoods experience more or less of that kind of fluctation based on specific very local conditions.
SO, where am I going with this?
Essentially every news organization (including local) have acknowledged a significant softening in the real estate market.
When markets were hot and either entire village or neighborhood conditions were changing, we got to SEE OUR MERRY BAND OF ASSESSING MEN with their clipboards and tape measures running around figuring out how much more taxpayers were going to get stuck with increases in their assessments.
If your specific increase was higher than average, YOU were going to pay a BIGGER part of the total village tax bill.
If your specific increase was lower than average, you were going to pay a smaller part of the total village tax bill.
Previous comments on this blog gleefully touched on how re-evaluations make sure that everyone pays their FAIR SHARE. WELL, if markets are down, and those disparities were taken into to account during upswings, shouldn't our MERRY BAND OF ASSESSING MEN be out their NOW with their MACHETES taking offsetting swipes at everyones evaluations so that everyone keeps paying their FAIR SHARE.
I think it was Trustee Mike Serpe who once told me that municipal government is the one you can touch and see everyday. (ie, fire trucks, snow plows, police cars, road crews...etc, and don't forget schools). Well if that is so, somebody please explain why there should be any difference at all in anyones local taxes?? Does one get more or less of anything if they pay more or less for it?
I know this is opening a can of worms, but that is exactly what this kind of forum is all about. Mudslingers, nay-sayers, and down-right-nasty-and-cowardly anonymous comments...have at it!!!!!!!!
Been away for about a week on business, and found all sorts of interesting remarks on my NEW AND IMPROVED 2008 previous posting.
Per many requests, I will try to steer this blog into directions that will actually create a forum for discussion on areas of interest that I think we all can relate to.
I expect the same series of ANONYMOUS comments with their varying degrees of decency, but even in their venom-spitting a little truth can be learned. Maybe if they keep commenting we will finally find out who they really are. (Insiders for sure, but WHO????).
Well anyway here it goes.
Our friendly village assessing office regularly tells us that assessments HAVE TO ACCURATELY AND FREQUENTLY CAPTURE MARKET CONDITIONS by the re-evaluation process so everybody is paying their FAIR SHARE.
This happens more or less every 2 years, and based on real estate markets, economy, etc, the entire village's evaluation grows (or declines), AND on a more micro basis, individual neighborhoods experience more or less of that kind of fluctation based on specific very local conditions.
SO, where am I going with this?
Essentially every news organization (including local) have acknowledged a significant softening in the real estate market.
When markets were hot and either entire village or neighborhood conditions were changing, we got to SEE OUR MERRY BAND OF ASSESSING MEN with their clipboards and tape measures running around figuring out how much more taxpayers were going to get stuck with increases in their assessments.
If your specific increase was higher than average, YOU were going to pay a BIGGER part of the total village tax bill.
If your specific increase was lower than average, you were going to pay a smaller part of the total village tax bill.
Previous comments on this blog gleefully touched on how re-evaluations make sure that everyone pays their FAIR SHARE. WELL, if markets are down, and those disparities were taken into to account during upswings, shouldn't our MERRY BAND OF ASSESSING MEN be out their NOW with their MACHETES taking offsetting swipes at everyones evaluations so that everyone keeps paying their FAIR SHARE.
I think it was Trustee Mike Serpe who once told me that municipal government is the one you can touch and see everyday. (ie, fire trucks, snow plows, police cars, road crews...etc, and don't forget schools). Well if that is so, somebody please explain why there should be any difference at all in anyones local taxes?? Does one get more or less of anything if they pay more or less for it?
I know this is opening a can of worms, but that is exactly what this kind of forum is all about. Mudslingers, nay-sayers, and down-right-nasty-and-cowardly anonymous comments...have at it!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
2008 -- A NEW YEAR accompanied by A NEW TONE
One of the lastest anonymous commenters on my WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD posting commented that the "election is over", and we should "give it a rest and lets talk about something else". Okay.
I wonder if regular whiners such as a the VOP writer that appeared in the Kenosha News TUES 1/8 got that memo?
On Monday, Bob Babcock Jr assisted me in videotaping the regular Village Board meeting. I knew I was going to be late at a minimum, but was able to arrive at about 1/2hr into the meeting. To my amazement, the meeting was almost over. Actually it lasted a total of about 35min.
Some board members must REALLY have wanted to see the BCS Championship Game. Result was another pathetic year for the BIG TEN as compared to other college football conferences. 3 bowl wins and 5 losses. Perhaps we should have a Toilet Bowl for the Big Ten teams (in the goal of full disclosure -- I am an alum of Northwestern University).
I wonder if these are the kinds of conversations that occur in the Village Hall Board office room. Steve Kumorkiewicz once commented that they discuss 'sports' back there. I know that during the 2 years I had access to that boardroom, I never heard sports talk - ever! Actually whenever I entered that room conversation normally just stopped. Well, at least we weren't discussing village business.
Speaking of Kumorkiewicz, at the end of the 35min meeting, he came up to me, offered a handshake (which I reciprocated), and he wished me a "Happy New Year". I wonder if he would have done that if I had submitted campaign registration materials against him for this April's election. Mike Serpe still avoids me. And John Steinbrink I think will never talk to me again. Afterall, I had the nerve to challenge him for Village President, and he actually had to run a campaign. Several weeks ago, Monica Yuhas stopped and talked to me prior to a meeting. I think she is really a good person, and has exhibited some willingness to question the 'leadership' -- must be the Trustee #1 seat! Clyde Allen is still working on the budget, so I am not expecting anything from him soon either.
John Braig, who called my actions in campaign 2007 "asinine" because I thought the entire board should have input in the formation of commissions membership, was manning MY VIDEO CAMERA when I entered the board room near the end of the meeting on Monday. After the meeting, he came up to me and indicated that he wanted to add some panning and zooming to make the video more interesting. You can see the video on YOU TUBE (http://www.youtube.com/pleasantprairiewi). In a brief chat, he sort of indicated that he would like to help out again on the videotaping. I SAY "WELCOME" to anyone who wants to assist. The village has taken babysteps in getting the meetings audio onto the official village website, and for 2 months now, citizens can also see meeting video on YOUTUBE. Perhaps with support of influential citizens like John Braig, the village will officially video the meetings and put them on Channel 25. (NOTE: The Village of Gurnee has taped meetings shown on their Channel 17). We own the cameras and necessary equipment and the meetings don't have to be LIVE! Just do it!
Even RAG (http://ragdujour.blogspot.com) blog owner (Dick Ginkowksi), talked to me after all these months. Even at the meeting where everyone else could see! He even posted a blog having some fun with the Packers hat I was wearing.
I think 2008 is going to be a great year. I am not running for anything in April. No one is running against me either. I once again have rights to full use of the English language including the word "INFLUENCE" -- I don't even have to pay lawyers to use it either. Everyone except Steinbrink, Serpe, and Allen are being nice to me again. That's all it took.
Dear anonymous from the chicken posting, is this a good start?
I wonder if regular whiners such as a the VOP writer that appeared in the Kenosha News TUES 1/8 got that memo?
On Monday, Bob Babcock Jr assisted me in videotaping the regular Village Board meeting. I knew I was going to be late at a minimum, but was able to arrive at about 1/2hr into the meeting. To my amazement, the meeting was almost over. Actually it lasted a total of about 35min.
Some board members must REALLY have wanted to see the BCS Championship Game. Result was another pathetic year for the BIG TEN as compared to other college football conferences. 3 bowl wins and 5 losses. Perhaps we should have a Toilet Bowl for the Big Ten teams (in the goal of full disclosure -- I am an alum of Northwestern University).
I wonder if these are the kinds of conversations that occur in the Village Hall Board office room. Steve Kumorkiewicz once commented that they discuss 'sports' back there. I know that during the 2 years I had access to that boardroom, I never heard sports talk - ever! Actually whenever I entered that room conversation normally just stopped. Well, at least we weren't discussing village business.
Speaking of Kumorkiewicz, at the end of the 35min meeting, he came up to me, offered a handshake (which I reciprocated), and he wished me a "Happy New Year". I wonder if he would have done that if I had submitted campaign registration materials against him for this April's election. Mike Serpe still avoids me. And John Steinbrink I think will never talk to me again. Afterall, I had the nerve to challenge him for Village President, and he actually had to run a campaign. Several weeks ago, Monica Yuhas stopped and talked to me prior to a meeting. I think she is really a good person, and has exhibited some willingness to question the 'leadership' -- must be the Trustee #1 seat! Clyde Allen is still working on the budget, so I am not expecting anything from him soon either.
John Braig, who called my actions in campaign 2007 "asinine" because I thought the entire board should have input in the formation of commissions membership, was manning MY VIDEO CAMERA when I entered the board room near the end of the meeting on Monday. After the meeting, he came up to me and indicated that he wanted to add some panning and zooming to make the video more interesting. You can see the video on YOU TUBE (http://www.youtube.com/pleasantprairiewi). In a brief chat, he sort of indicated that he would like to help out again on the videotaping. I SAY "WELCOME" to anyone who wants to assist. The village has taken babysteps in getting the meetings audio onto the official village website, and for 2 months now, citizens can also see meeting video on YOUTUBE. Perhaps with support of influential citizens like John Braig, the village will officially video the meetings and put them on Channel 25. (NOTE: The Village of Gurnee has taped meetings shown on their Channel 17). We own the cameras and necessary equipment and the meetings don't have to be LIVE! Just do it!
Even RAG (http://ragdujour.blogspot.com) blog owner (Dick Ginkowksi), talked to me after all these months. Even at the meeting where everyone else could see! He even posted a blog having some fun with the Packers hat I was wearing.
I think 2008 is going to be a great year. I am not running for anything in April. No one is running against me either. I once again have rights to full use of the English language including the word "INFLUENCE" -- I don't even have to pay lawyers to use it either. Everyone except Steinbrink, Serpe, and Allen are being nice to me again. That's all it took.
Dear anonymous from the chicken posting, is this a good start?
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