The Common Council met Monday night, November 26th. Among the highlights:
BUDGET APPROVED FOR 2008
Prior to the regular meeting, the council passed the 2008 budget. No one spoke for or agains the budget. While the overall levy will go up, due to a growth in assessable property, the mill rate will remain the same. This is the fourth time in five budgets that the mill rate or levy has remained the same, which I credit our hard-working, diligent staff for.
DOWNTOWN PLAN UNVEILED
The proposed downtown strategic plan has been unveiled. The plan (it is a large PDF file, so beware) can be found here. It is located on the Ripon Main Street website - http://www.riponmainst.com/. The next step for the plan is approval by the Council on December 11th and the Plan Commission on December 19th. About 50 people were present for the unveiling and discussion. Needless to say, there will be more debate in the future on the 100 or so specific recommendations, but this is a positive step for the downtown and the city, as a whole. Change can be frightening, and it can bring out the worst in people, as they can be afraid of the changed future. Yet, change can also bring out the best in people as minds work together and ideas are brought into the light, and that is my hope for this plan and the downtown.
WACUCO BECOMES SISTER CITY
The city of Ripon has officially linked with Wacuco, Panama, where Ripon native Father Wally Kasuboski does his incredible missionary work. Father Wally spoke before the Council last night, and highlighted some of the wonderful water and road projects his group is working on. On seven different occasions, groups from Ripon have gone down to Panama to help with various projects, including the construction of a high school. Ripon is now sister cities with Opelousas, Louisiana, Ripon, England and Wacuco.
STANTON STREET ASSESSMENTS DELAYED
The final proposed assessments for the Stanton Street reconstruction have been delayed until December 11th. The new owners of the Stanton Street apartments are opposed to the current formula, which has them picking up a large portion of the assessable costs. The council has asked the staff to look at shifting more of the costs to the Tax Increment District which includes the apartments and Alliance's warehouse. Work is still expected to begin in the spring of 2008.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
* State Representative Joan Ballweg discussed the state of affairs in Madison and her vote for the 2008-10 state budget
* A number of increases in ambulance fees were approved to keep pace with inflationary pressures
* Work continues on the proposed deer hunt in Ripon. A number of locations have been identified where bow hunting could take place
* A bid was approved for the remodeling of the lower half of City Hall into a senior center. The budget included $25,000, while the low bid was less than $14,000. This allows for some cushion when it comes to furnishings and unexpected cost overruns. The project cannot begin until the fire department is moved out of City Hall
BUDGET APPROVED FOR 2008
Prior to the regular meeting, the council passed the 2008 budget. No one spoke for or agains the budget. While the overall levy will go up, due to a growth in assessable property, the mill rate will remain the same. This is the fourth time in five budgets that the mill rate or levy has remained the same, which I credit our hard-working, diligent staff for.
DOWNTOWN PLAN UNVEILED
The proposed downtown strategic plan has been unveiled. The plan (it is a large PDF file, so beware) can be found here. It is located on the Ripon Main Street website - http://www.riponmainst.com/. The next step for the plan is approval by the Council on December 11th and the Plan Commission on December 19th. About 50 people were present for the unveiling and discussion. Needless to say, there will be more debate in the future on the 100 or so specific recommendations, but this is a positive step for the downtown and the city, as a whole. Change can be frightening, and it can bring out the worst in people, as they can be afraid of the changed future. Yet, change can also bring out the best in people as minds work together and ideas are brought into the light, and that is my hope for this plan and the downtown.
WACUCO BECOMES SISTER CITY
The city of Ripon has officially linked with Wacuco, Panama, where Ripon native Father Wally Kasuboski does his incredible missionary work. Father Wally spoke before the Council last night, and highlighted some of the wonderful water and road projects his group is working on. On seven different occasions, groups from Ripon have gone down to Panama to help with various projects, including the construction of a high school. Ripon is now sister cities with Opelousas, Louisiana, Ripon, England and Wacuco.
STANTON STREET ASSESSMENTS DELAYED
The final proposed assessments for the Stanton Street reconstruction have been delayed until December 11th. The new owners of the Stanton Street apartments are opposed to the current formula, which has them picking up a large portion of the assessable costs. The council has asked the staff to look at shifting more of the costs to the Tax Increment District which includes the apartments and Alliance's warehouse. Work is still expected to begin in the spring of 2008.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
* State Representative Joan Ballweg discussed the state of affairs in Madison and her vote for the 2008-10 state budget
* A number of increases in ambulance fees were approved to keep pace with inflationary pressures
* Work continues on the proposed deer hunt in Ripon. A number of locations have been identified where bow hunting could take place
* A bid was approved for the remodeling of the lower half of City Hall into a senior center. The budget included $25,000, while the low bid was less than $14,000. This allows for some cushion when it comes to furnishings and unexpected cost overruns. The project cannot begin until the fire department is moved out of City Hall
