RIPON – City of Ripon, Fond du Lac County, town of Ripon and local school district officials will participate in a fall forum on Oct. 27, at Royal Ridges. The noontime event is sponsored by the Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce, Ripon Rotary and League of Women Voters of the Ripon Area. The meeting will be conducted in a question/answer format and residents are welcome to submit questions at the luncheon. Reservations are $7 and may be made by Friday, Oct. 24, by calling the chamber at (920) 748-6764.
I will be there....Hope to see you as well.
UPDATE
So what was discussed? Trees, health insurance, housing and the fire district were the main topics addressed to the city's representatives. There was a question regarding the removal of trees. I wish we had more money to replace trees, and we do have a line in the budget for tree replacement. One idea I have toyed around with is the planting of trees in the unused portion of Woodlawn Cemetery to create an urban forest. Seeing that we have enough land to take care of our needs into the 22nd century, I think this could be a viable project, with community and voluteer support.
As for housing, a member of the audience questioned what concerns we have about our recently-created housing developments. Of course, we have read about the Sandmar subdivision, and the water drainage issues. I am looking forward to a report in the very near future on possible solutions. A number of meetings have been held in the past week to discuss ways to find any possible solutions. One important fact to remember is that the existing lots were not seriously impacted in the June floods. I have said it over and over - I would not hesitate to build a home there if that is what my family decided to do. The national economy is obviously having an adverse impact on the local housing market, but we have NOT seen a jump in foreclosures, and I am pleased with the fact that, when the housing market purges itself of the bad loans and excess inventory and is ready to grow again, Ripon has a number of housing options. This is something we did not have when previous housing and economic downturns were reversed.
As for the fire district, I am pleased with the recent direction and leadership provided under the Board President, Deano Pape. The fact that the city has contributed to the purchase of two new vehicles without borrowing, and that we built a station that was extremely cost-efficient in terms of construction, cannot be overstated. Like any "marriage", this district has had its good and bad days. I only wish that the towns of Metomen and Green Lake would reconsider their previous decisions to secede. That said, there are storm clouds on the horizon. The aerial truck has surpassed its expected lifespan, which means we all need to sit down and have a serious discussion on the cost-benefit of replacing this unit, and how we are going to pay for it.
On to health insurance...each governmental body discussed their current coverage plans. The Ripon Area School District offers single plans for teachers are 100% paid by the district, family plans are 95% paid by the district. The administrators switched to the Network plan this year at a significant savings to the district. For the teachers, the carrier remains a negotiable item, but they have not budged from using the WEAC health insurance, despite some evidence that placing the insurance out to bid could result in savings for the district. The Fond du Lac County health insurance plan has about 850 participants, and costs went up 5% last year. Health care is difficult to assess for the Town of Ripon, as they only have two fulltime employees, and its options are limited. The City of Ripon's health insurance costs went up 11% this year, and remains a concern. There are roughly 50 covered individuals/families under a Network plan. The employees pay $30 per month, regardless of whether they are under the single or family plan. The city did go to a much higher deductible recently, with the city paying the amount of the increase. There is no deductible for individuals under the plan. The savings, roughly $100,000 for that one year, was placed in a Sick Leave Payout Fund for future retirements. I told the group our health insurance plan is "a ticking timebomb", and I believe it is. I could not support the recent contract with out unions, because of the health insurance system we are under. This has not improved my popularity with the unions, but I cannot ignore the increasing pressure on our budget each year. The day will come when, either the employees increase their contributions, deductibles are passed on to the employees, we reduce coverage, or we reduce payroll. My only hope is that this potential "battle" is handled in a respectful manner, for the employees, for the city and for the taxpayers. The problem lies with Washington's inability to discuss and pass meaningful health insurance reform, but we are left to deal with the symptoms.
