News Summaries; Ozaukee and Washington Counties
OZAUKEE COUNTY
Supervisors’ raise voted down by board
A proposal to give Ozaukee County supervisors a pay raise failed Wednesday on a vote of 15-13, shy of the two-thirds majority required for passage.
Supervisors took some heat from Internet pundits and on local talk radio shows when they voted to increase the 2008 tax levy by $27,000 to pay for the raises.
The motion would have given supervisors a $50 a month raise to $5,100 annually and increased the pay of the county board chairman to $20,400.
Pioneer Road: Jurisdiction over part of Pioneer Road will be transferred from Mequon to Ozaukee County and $2.5 million would be made available to the city for reconstructing part of Port Washington Road, according to a memorandum of understanding approved by the Ozaukee County Public Works Committee.
Under the agreement, Mequon will hire the county to make improvements on the city-owned portion of Pioneer Road from Klug Lane west to Green Bay Road and then turn ownership of that stretch over to the county.
In exchange, the city will receive $2.5 million in federal transportation funds.
New Year’s Eve rides: The Ozaukee County Shared Ride Taxi Service will offer free rides to New Year’s Eve revelers from 6 p.m. Dec. 31 to 4 a.m. Jan. 1. Riders must call in advance at 238-8294 to reserve a taxi.
Bus fare hike advances: The Ozaukee County Public Works Committee on Monday approved a proposal to raise the fare for the Ozaukee Express bus service by 25 cents to $2.50.
The fare increase cannot go into effect until after a public hearing is held Dec. 20 before the Public Works Committee meets.
MEQUON
Mequon Road reopens after 4 months
All lanes on the part of Mequon Road that has been under reconstruction since July 10 reopened at 7 a.m. Wednesday.
The $4.7 million of work on the stretch between I-43 and Cedarburg Road caused traffic delays and considerable complaining from motorists.
THIENSVILLE
3 apply to serve as next fire chief
Three members of the Thiensville Volunteer Fire Department have applied to be its next chief.
The applicants are Assistant Chief Ervin Helms, Deputy Chief Blake Reichgeld and Deputy Chief Brian Reiels, said Village Administrator Dianne Robertson. The department did not advertise outside of the village and no one outside the department applied, she said.
The Village Board likely won’t make a choice until January, Robertson said.
Fire Chief William Rausch, who has been chief for 35 years, will retire Dec. 31.
GERMANTOWN
Village Board reviewing legal needs
The Village Board has interviewed three law firms to help determine which will provide legal services for the village.
The board will decide at a later date whether to keep Fuchs, DeStefanis and Boyle of Milwaukee, or whether to give its legal services contract to one of the other firms: Schober, Schober and Mitchell of New Berlin or Stafford Rosenbaum of Madison.
John DeStefanis currently serves as the village attorney.
The village paid his firm between $93,000 and $103,000 per year in each of the past five years.
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