COUNTY BOARD CANDIDATE DATA SHEET
NAME: Beverly J. Mach
ADDRESS: 2538 30th St. S., La Crosse, WI 54601
PHONE NUMBER: 608-788-0753
E-MAIL: machbev@centurytel.net
BIRTHDATE: June 13, 1935
NUMBER OF YEARS LIVED IN LA
CROSSE COUNTY: 40 years
FAMILY: I am a widow; my husband was Milo Mach and we
were married for 39 years. My oldest son
is Terry Mach, married to Liz. They have three sons, Allan, Ray and Ken, and
live in La Crosse. My daughter is Kristy Mach who lives in St. Paul. My youngest son is Steve Mach, married to
Annie. They have twins, Milo and Maggie, and live in La Crosse.
EDUCATION: Master's Degree in
Education, UW-La Crosse; Bachelor of Science in Education, Minot State College
OCCUPATION (if retired, former
occupation): Retired; formerly, Career advisor at Career Services,
UW-La Crosse
ELECTED OFFICES HELD (include
years served): I've never been elected to public office.
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES AND
MEMBERSHIPS:
Some of my present and past
activities and memberships include:
La Crosse County W-2 (Welfare to
Work) Steering Committee, La Crosse County Human Services Board, Mississippi
Valley Conservancy Board, YWCA Board, La Crosse Area League of Women Voters,
Founding Member-La Crosse Area Habitat for Humanity, Asbury United Methodist
Church, UW-La Crosse Choral Union
La Crosse
County Board Candidate Questionnaire
A. Why do you want to serve on
the La Crosse County Board? (Please limit this answer to 75 words so it will
fit into a standard format.)
I have always been active in and
concerned about my community regarding responsible use of taxes, the
environment, transportation, decent paying jobs and thriving neighborhoods. I
want to address the concerns of my neighbors as well. On the Human Services
Board, I learned to do more with less; and in these tighter fiscal times, the
County Board has to continue doing this, also. As your representative on the
County Board, I will listen carefully to all sides and research issues before
voting on them, and welcome your opinions.
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?
The most pressing issue facing La
Crosse County is preventing urban sprawl and the accompanying transportation
problems. Growth is necessary for a
thriving economy and community, but careful planning is also necessary to
maximize the benefits of growth
while minimizing the negative impact upon the unique beauty of our bluffs and
rivers.
Reviewing many aspects of growth
is already a priority for both the state and the county as outlined in our
county's comprehensive plan, and these aspects include the following: economic
development, intergovernmental cooperation, land use, housing, transportation,
community facilities/utilities, and agricultural, natural and cultural
resources. I intend to ensure that all
of these aspects are thoroughly considered prior to county approval of projects.
Another pressing issue is the
need for more services due to our growing aging population. More economic development is needed to bring
in more jobs and a larger tax base so that the county can provide necessary
assistance.
The next
several questions will ask your feelings about past and future actions by the
county board. Please answer by putting an "X" next to the statement
that most closely reflects your view. Then, please explain your reasons in
writing
1. Do you support or oppose
reducing the size of the county board by half?
Strongly Support
Support X
No opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Reason: I support reducing the
size of the county board, but I'm not sure what the correct size should be. The
reason I am in favor of a smaller board is that fewer people making decisions
is more efficient. On the other hand, a
board that is too small would not be as responsive to its constituents.
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
Satisfied X
No opinion
Unsatisfied
Very unsatisfied
Reason: I agree that the role of
the county board is to make policy decisions. The county hires department heads
and other employees who have expertise.
As a previous member of the County Human Services Board (now Health and
Human Services Board), I learned the importance of delegating rather than
micromanaging.
3. How satisfied are you with the
county administrator's new four-year contract?
Very satisfied
Satisfied X
No opinion
Unsatisfied
Very unsatisfied
Reason: I am not totally in favor of the county
administrator's new four-year contract because his salary seems unduly high
compared to what people in the La Crosse area earn. On the other hand, from all reports he is
doing an excellent job and we could have lost him if his salary had not been
increased. When other county positions have been vacated, the county has been
forced to pay an even higher salary to attract a replacement. A four year
contract sounds like a long time, but there is a yearly review. Thus far, he
has gotten great evaluations. Under the county administrator's leadership, the
county board is finding creative ways to provide services without raising
taxes, which helps justify his salary. For example, the county administrator
and staff created a new separate corporation to run Lakeview Health Center in
West Salem. The
corporation is made up of
counties with residents at Lakeview. This collaboration is projected to save La
Crosse County taxpayers $700,000 a year, a savings which more than pays for the
administrator's salary.
4. How satisfied are you with the
proposed "smart growth" comprehensive plan scheduled for county board
approval in coming months?
Very satisfied
Satisfied X
No opinion
Unsatisfied
Very unsatisfied
Reason: I believe county planning is important and am
satisfied with the comprehensive plan.
Uncontrolled growth can lead to extra expenses for building roads and
infrastructure, and can be a detriment to the beauty of our area, which is a
major reason people choose to live in our county. The county board is required
to do comprehensive planning by the state of
Wisconsin. The committee
responsible for formulating this plan worked for about 2.5 years. The county board decided that towns should
prepare their own land use maps detailing the location of development. Many
public hearings/meetings were held and I attended two of the meetings: those
held at the Hmong Cultural Center and at the Onalaska Omni Center. At the
public meetings, people expressed their opinions before the final draft was
written. The county board made changes
as a result of the public meetings and will continue to review the plan
(preferably annually). The plan will be revised if something is deemed to be
inappropriate.
5. Do you support or oppose
having the county board hold a referendum before borrowing money for buildings
or other capital projects?
Strongly Support
Support
No opinion
Oppose X
Strongly Oppose
Reason: Always holding a referendum before borrowing
money for capital projects seems like a good idea, but capital projects are
more than just about the use of borrowed funds.
They are also about the use of land, the effects on the environment, and
many other factors. There may be
situations when the county board determines that a referendum is needed, but
requiring a referendum every time a new building or capital project is needed,
limits the board's ability to function effectively and in a timely manner, as
well as being prohibitively expensive. Whether there is a referendum or not,
the county board needs to be responsible for educating the people of La Crosse
County each time a major funding issue arises and for providing meetings for
public input. The first phase of the jail addition is an example of a capital
project that has been passed unanimously by the county board without a
referendum. Funding for this project was approved after studying the recommendations
of the Criminal Justice Management Council, public hearings, and input from
jail staff as well as others involved in the justice system. This was a prudent approach that did not
require the additional tax dollars necessary to implement a referendum.
6. Do you support or oppose La
Crosse County being the main developer of its vacant Lakeview Farm property in
West Salem?
Strongly Support
Support X
No opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Reason: Since the county already owns the Lakeview
Farm property, it makes sense for it to be the main developer. Plans are for it
to be a mixture of residential, commercial
and industrial properties. So far, the
businesses moving into this area are not moving out of another location in La
Crosse County. Therefore the county is
adding to its tax base and bringing in more jobs.
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
Support X
No opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Reason: I support the county's criminal justice
philosophy. Components of the philosophy
include: community safety, justice, prevention, intervention and
accountability. It also includes a balance between punishment and
rehabilitation, with a special focus on juvenile rehabilitation. The Criminal
Justice Management Council, after much study and input came up with several
recommendations, including using alternatives to jail for offenders who are not
dangerous. Others support this idea as well, including judges, law enforcement
personnel and the general public. We are
learning that alternatives to jail, such as using electronic monitoring for
offenders who are not dangerous, save taxpayer dollars and allow these people
to be out in the community doing something productive. We're beginning to
realize that just locking people up does not change them for the better. Rather, it can cultivate them as a more
hardened criminal. A better facility with space for programming for inmates who
are mentally ill, disabled, abused, etc. is something I favor, also.
8. Do you support or oppose
spending more of the county's budget reserves to reduce the property tax levy?
Strongly Support
Support
No opinion
Oppose X
Strongly Oppose
Reason: I oppose dipping into the county's budget
reserves except for extraordinary circumstances. The county has an excellent bond rating
because it has had good budget reserves and has been fiscally conservative. The
reserve is used for cash flow, and with our nation possibly heading into a
recession, thus decreasing state and federal funding due to future economic
pressure, it may not be wise to reduce the reserves. Furthermore, the county's
tax levy is the third lowest in the state, which indicates that the County has
already struck a good balance between current levy and reserves. I intend to follow this approach of long-term
thinking. A reduction is not necessary.
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 2 percent, or the percentage
of new construction growth, in 2009?
Strongly Support
Support
No opinion
Oppose X
Strongly Oppose
Reason: I oppose the state of Wisconsin's use of a
"property tax cap" which limits La Crosse County's ability to raise
property taxes by 2%. This restricts our
ability to make decisions at the local level about spending needs. Wisconsin's state aid to local governments in
the form of shared revenue has not increased for a decade and a half. With the costs for many services rising above
the 2% cap and the level of state funding at a zero percent increase, it is
difficult to maintain needed services at the local level. From 2006 to 2007,
property taxes for the city of La Crosse and for La Crosse schools rose 4.3 and
5.2 percent, respectively. However, La
Crosse County taxes decreased 0.2% and comprise less than 14% of total property
tax. La Crosse County has taken a
conservative approach to spending for a number of years; consequently our
county is third lowest in total spending per capita among Wisconsin's 72 counties. It has been spending tax dollars wisely on services
and construction and thus should be trusted to make fiscally responsible
choices that best meet the needs of our citizens. The county is obligated to
provide assistance to people who are elderly, have a mental illness, or are
handicapped. A cap of 2% is too restrictive with the costs of health,
transportation and other services rising at a much higher rate. Our county board needs to continue looking
for creative sources of revenue and work even harder at collaboration. As a
retiree, I don't want to see my taxes go up. No one wants to pay higher taxes,
and yet we need to have enough funding for basic services. Where a tax cap of this kind has been
implemented, it has been problematic. In Colorado, where this idea originated,
police departments, fire departments, libraries and other services have
struggled to meet the needs of the communities so seriously, that the
state suspended the rule for five years.
10. Do you support or oppose the
county's plans for a $29.5 million jail expansion?
Strongly Support
Support X
No opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Reason: I support the county's plan for jail
expansion. The price tag seems
exceptionally high, but after attending the public hearing on Oct 2, 2007, I am
more convinced that it is necessary. We now realize that mistakes were made in
building the "new" jail, which opened in 1997, as a result of
changing the design of the building to control costs. At the public hearing, I
learned that the present jail is overcrowded. There are fights among inmates,
partly due to lack of direct supervision. There have also been attacks on
staff, and there is a lack of space for programming. In planning for the jail
expansion, the Criminal Justice Management Council, citizens, law enforcement
personnel, and judges gave input. Besides being good at punishing, by
increasing programming, hopefully we will get better at changing behaviors, so
that, when a person is released, he/she will not be a risk to society. It is
expected that the rate of recidivism will be reduced. The addition to the jail will provide more
direct supervision and more space for programs that deal with anger management,
drug abuse, mental health problems and domestic abuse. There will be facilities for people who are
mentally ill or who have disabilities; and there will be better space for
physical exercise. Already, there are program alternatives to jail, such as day
reporting and electronic monitoring for those people who are not a threat to
the community. This is saving the county
quite a bit of money. The county has been planning for the jail addition for
several years, including controlling the impact on property taxes. By paying off the debt for a highway project
in 2007, no property tax increase will be needed for the addition. The debt
payment for the jail will match the previous tax rate of 52 cents per $1000.