Upcoming Events of Note
It’s been a while since the last update. My wife and I took a much needed vacation/ disconnect in August and then came home to a steady diet of work (and jet lag recovery, which seems to take longer every time we do an international trip).
As I swing into fall in the coming month, I will provide more updates on initiatives I’m involved with. For now I wanted to highlight two important upcoming meetings/ events:
Whitefish Bay School Board Annual Meeting- Wed Sept 7 @ 7pm, High School auditorium. Considering that the bulk of every tax dollar we pay in Whitefish Bay goes to the School District, not the Village, this is an important meeting to ensure our tax dollars are used the way we want. And, for those of you who recall last year’s meeting, attending and voting is a way to ensure that the majority preference truly prevails. This critical meeting has 3 important portions:
State of the District Address- This presentation, given by the District Administrator Dr. John W. Thomsen, briefly details the District’s accomplishments from last year and previews the upcoming year.
School Board Budget Hearing Meeting- The 2022-2023 budget for the District is explained to the School Board by the District Business Manager, Shawn Yde. The explanation of the budget—and a statement of the requested tax levy amount—is for the benefit of members of the public as well. School Board members then vote on the budget as presented.
Annual Meeting- The Annual Meeting is the opportunity for qualified Whitefish Bay residents to elect a chairperson and vote upon the tax levy associated with the budget as well as vote upon other select powers of the Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting proceeds under Wis. Stat. §120.08. A parliamentarian, who is legal counsel for the District, is present.
The tax levy for the upcoming year (2022-2023) is voted upon by qualified voters at the Annual Meeting.
In addition to the tax levy, the meeting proceedings are limited to motions and votes on Annual Meeting powers as set forth in Wis. Stat. §§ 120.08(1)(a), 120.10, 120.13(25), and may include:
Voting on annual salaries for School Board Members.
Authorizing the payment of expenses of School Board Members
Designating sites for school district buildings
Tax for sites, buildings and maintenance.
Tax for transportation vehicles.
Tax for operations.
Tax for debts.
School Debt Service Fund.
School Capital Expansion Fund.
Tax for Recreational Authority.
Directing and providing for legal proceedings.
Authorizing the furnishing of textbooks.
Direct the school board to furnish school lunches.
Votes at the Annual Meeting can only be cast by qualified electors. State statute, Wis. Stat. §6.02, sets out the qualifications for eligible electors:
A citizen of the United States, 18 years of age or older
A citizen who has resided in the District for “28 consecutive days before any election where the citizen offers to vote.”
Whitefish Bay Public Library’s 85th Anniversary Event- Sat Oct 1 @ 12pm, Schoolhouse Park. Did you know our library ranks as one of the busiest per capita in the county but that our library staff continue to provide their stellar services despite being some of the lowest paid library staff in the county?! In addition to budget support, they deserve our patronage support! One way to do that is to celebrate the library at Whitefish Bay Public Library’s 85th Anniversary Event right across from the library (rain location inside the library).
At 1PM, see a performance by the Truly Remarkable Loon: Comedy Juggler for All Ages. Nonstop hilarious banter, lots of audience participation, and a big dose of fun! See wacky stunts, gravity-defying plate spinning, and spectacular juggling from the Wisconsin premiere comedy juggler. This will be your last chance to see Truly Remarkable Loon before he retires this fall.
At 3PM, join us for a performance by the band Yid Vicious. Yid Vicious formed in 1995 in Madison, WI to celebrate klezmer which is Yiddish folk music for dancing and celebrating. So bring your dancing shoes and get your toes tapping! The six members of Yid Vicious play a variety of instruments consisting of clarinets, fiddle, horn, vocals, guitar, accordion, tuba, drums and sometimes the remin.