Kewaskum Looking to Add Another Police Officer with Referendum

The Kewaskum Village Board held a regular meeting on Monday, January 5, at the Kewaskum Village Hall. All board members were present for the meeting.
During committee reports, it was stated that the Library Board is looking for two members. Those interested can contact Library Director Stephanie Frey or Library Board President Meghan Jakubowski. There were no other committee reports.
A representative from Family Dairies spoke to the board to discuss their water and sewer billing. They felt that since there had been a decrease in the amount of milk that the plant has seen, this would mean that less water was being used. Ben Propson reviewed the flows over the last several years, and it was determined that the water flow has not changed very much. Currently, they are billed through standardized billing. Previously, it was around $5,000 per quarter, but it has since gone up due to rate increases. The representative discussed the effects of the 11% increase and how it would affect their business. Their quarterly bill went from around $17,000 last year to $19,000 this year with the rate increase. The village board empathized with Family Dairies. During discussion, the general consensus was that it was not right to put the cost of this back on the village residents when they are each already paying for their own water and sewer. The board did not make any motions to change the rate, so they will keep their current billing plan.
Chief Thomas Bishop presented to the board on the proposed referendum to add a new police officer position to the Kewaskum Police Department. Bishop stated to the board that they have not added a full-time police officer position to the department in 25 years, but that the population has grown in the village by about 38%. There are currently eight sworn-in officer positions at the Kewaskum Police Department. He also discussed how they have been running understaffed, with a position constantly being open over the last 8-10 years due to rotating staff. Due to the population increase and the increase in calls for service, this has increased each officer’s workload. Bishop said that the scheduling, retention, and turnover is the department’s biggest problem right now; the frequent changing of schedules causes a high turnover rate for officers. Bishop presented the potential cost of this to the board, based on the average $300,000 to $340,000 home in Kewaskum, the referendum would cost them approximately $8, $9, or $10 per month, or around $100 annually. This would go into effect on January 1, 2027, if it passes. Trustee Justin Weninger made a motion to go forward with the referendum on the ballot in April, and trustee Richard Knoebel seconded the motion. It then passed unanimously with a 7-0 vote.
Village President Fuzz Martin and Adam Gitter met with the chief county safety officer and the county executive, along with the chief elected officials from other municipalities in Washington County, to participate in a discussion about a county-level EMS levy proposed by the county. The county did not have a funding model set for this, or a finalized governance structure, so no municipalities were required to agree to anything at this point. President Martin said that there was not a lot of agreement at the meeting about who would pay for what. The only resolution needed at this time is that the Village of Kewaskum agrees to keep discussing this levy and take part in the exploration. Martin discussed the need for protections in place for the current contract with West Bend, and that the village would keep control over the local fire department and first responders. He felt it was important for Kewaskum to remain a part of the discussion to make sure that it was fair to taxpayers in Kewaskum. His recommendation was that this be reviewed at the next meeting, since there is another meeting coming up with the county, where they may receive more information.
The next village board meeting will be held on January 19, at 7:00 p.m.