District 13
Name: Bill Brockmiller
Address: 1418 10th Avenue South
Age: 43
Number of years lived in La Crosse County: 13 1/2
Family: Son – Tanner, Fiancée – Natalya
Education: Bachelor’s Degree, Upper Iowa University, And Graduated Cum Laude
Occupation: Labor Market Analyst/Economist
Elected Offices Held: None
Community Activities and Memberships:
-Sons of the American Legion
-AFSCME 2748 Chapter 10 Vice-Chair
-Delegate to the Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO
-La Crosse Area Communications Consortium (past member) -Speaking engagements to economic development groups, governmental boards, business and social groups in order to disseminate and interpret economic activity
A. Why do you want to serve on the La Crosse County Board?
La Crosse County needs board members well versed in economic development and economic processes, and I will be the board member who brings such experience and training to the board. Jobs and economic development are going to become even more critical concerns as we move into an uncertain economy.
B. What are the two most pressing issues facing La Crosse County, and what do you think La Crosse County government should do about them? There are more demands being placed on county services at that same time that it’s increasingly imperative that the county must hold its share of the county tax levy in check. Balancing between these two issues is a tightrope walk that can only be successfully completed by maintaining and increasing economic activity in the area.
1. Do you support or oppose reducing the size of the county board by half?
Oppose
According to a study done by the Wisconsin Taxpayer Alliance, counties with larger boards have lower tax rates. Our nation, state, and county are at a point where we need to hear from all residents – their hopes, ideas, and concerns – and reducing the size of the county board is a step in the wrong direction toward the goal of increasing the participation of residents in the process.
2. With the switch to a county administrator four years ago, how satisfied are you with the county board’s new role as a board of directors that makes policy decisions rather than operational decisions?
Very Satisfied
Members of the county board are not experts on individual department processes like personnel, road maintenance/construction, public health, and waste management. Direct management of these and other departments should be left to experts in these fields. That’s why the county hires these professionals, to run day-to-day operations.
3. How satisfied are you with the county administrator’s new four-year contract?
Unsatisfied
I don’t think the county should have given the county administrator a raise that was more than double what rank-and-file county employees received; the county administrator should not have received a raise two and one-half times the current inflation rate.
4. How satisfied are you with the proposed “smart growth comprehensive plan scheduled for county board approval in coming months?
Satisfied
State law requires that all Wisconsin Counties have such plans in place by 2010 and the La Crosse County Board solicited comments and input for over 30 months and held more than two dozen public hearings. The plan can be revised and should be revisited annually. This plan is a solid starting point; remember that uncontrolled/unplanned growth often leads to increased property taxes.
5. Do you support or oppose having the county board hold a referendum before borrowing money for buildings or other capital projects?
Oppose
It’s important to have public hearings before such undertakings, however we elect officials to make those decisions. If our public officials are spending too much, voters already have the power – vote those officials out of office. Mandatory referendums slow down government’s ability to act to situations were time is of the essence.
6. Do you support or oppose La Crosse County being the main developer of its vacant Lakeview Farm property in West Salem?
Support
I do not support the county getting into the development business in general, however I support this initiative in part because the county actually owns this land. By being the main developer of this land the county can ensure that the land is developed in a way that will increase long-term tax revenues. Selling this land to a private developer would only provide the county short-term profit; the county would lose its ability to increase its long-term revenue base by selling off the land immediately.
7. Do you support or oppose La Crosse County’s criminal justice philosophy, which includes finding alternatives to jail for offenders who are not a danger to the community?
Strongly Support
The safety of our community is always the most important consideration in these arrangements, but when it is determined that the offender is not a danger to the public the county is correct in searching for alternatives to standard incarceration. It is more expensive to lock someone up in jail or prison than putting him or her on monitoring. Offenders on monitoring are required to ‘pay their own way’ instead of becoming a public charge in jail. Offenders on monitoring are better able to get treatment, thereby reducing recidivism rates, saving taxpayers money in the long-term as well as the short-term.
8. Do you support or oppose spending more if the county’s budget reserves to reduce the property tax levy?
Support
A temporary moderate increase in the spending of the county’s budget reserve would be acceptable, but the reserve cannot be completely depleted and must be respected. The county enjoys an excellent bond rating, AA2; only six Wisconsin Counties have such a high rating. The good bond rating is owed, in part, to the county’s solid budget reserve. This good bond rating substantially reduces the cost of borrowing thereby saving county taxpayers substantial amounts of money. Like a good family budget, the county must continue to have a savings reserve for a rainy day.
9. Do you support or oppose the State of Wisconsin’s use of a “property tax cap” which limits La Crosse County’s ability to raise property taxes by two percent, or the percentage of new construction growth, in 2009?
Oppose
All governmental units – local, state, and federal – need to find new ways to save money and raise revenues. Economic growth would raise more tax dollars, not by raising tax rates, but by increasing the number of taxpayers. La Crosse County’s share of the property tax levy is the third lowest in the State of Wisconsin, the county’s share of the average La Crosse County tax bill is not the cause of rising property taxes. La Crosse County needs to fund critical services, including health care – the cost of which is increasing much faster than two percent a year. Artificial limits don’t work; they only harm those that they are supposed to help. If elected officials spend too much, vote them out of office.
10. Do you support or oppose the county’s plans for a $29.5 million jail expansion?
Support
Public input was solicited while this plan was being crafted, and this plan passed the board unanimously. The lack of dissension during the vote is, in its self, an endorsement of the plan. I am particularly pleased with the ‘green’ initiatives included with the plan; the dual benefit of helping our environment and reducing the long-term cost to taxpayers is both innovative and admirable.