MONROE - City candidates in the April 3 election met on stage for a political forum hosted by the Monroe Chamber of Commerce Thursday at the Monroe High School Performing Arts Center.
Mayoral candidates Bill Ross and Michael Boyce squared off for a second time in a week; the first time was Friday, March 9 at Twining Valley Retirement Community.
But it was the first public opportunity incumbent aldermen Charles Koch, Ward 5, and Thurston Hanson, Ward 7, had to face their challengers. Scott Golackson and Tyler Schultz are looking to oust Koch from the Ward 5 council chair, while Louis Armstrong and Tony Gratz want Hanson out of the Ward 7 seat.
Vying for attendance with the basketball sectional semifinals between Black Hawk and Barneveld, the forum managed to draw a small crowd, and even pulled in out-of-towners, like Chuck and Laurie Vierthaler from the Town of Sylvester.
"We came because we live so close," Laurie Vierthaler said. "What happens in the city indirectly impacts us."
The Vierthalers were particularly interested in the city's pending decision on how to handle its trash collection and participation in the county's solid waste transfer station. Users of Veolia Environmental Services, a private trash collection service provider, the Vierthalers said their bills have increased by 45 percent over the past 15 months.
"Now is not the time to privatize anything while we still have control of it," Chuck Vierthaler said. He said the city could maintain "integrity" by retaining its own trash collection services, "even if it's not the least expensive."
But trash collection was not among the most important issues the city is currently facing, according to the aldermanic and mayoral candidates.
Instead, talk was focused on the budget. All six ward candidates turned to economic growth in the city as their first major concern, but keeping the budget under control hit the list of every candidate.
Boyce advocated for zero-based budging, and pointed out the city's first attempt at that budgeting process in the Park and Recreation Department for the 2012 budget.
"There is a great story coming out of it," he said. "It talks of the needs in the city, and shows in down economic times, people us the rec department more."
Ross agreed the city needed a "better budgeting process," including a 5-year plan with a look to the future, a lesson taken from the past four years.
"2008 was a wake-up call," he added, referring to the downtown in the economy.
Boyce and Ross also rolled out challenges other than fiscal.
Boyce noted he wanted more open government and better accessibility of information to the public, a major plank in his platform when he ran for Ward 3 alderman in 2010.
Ross looked to increasing the morale among city employees, explaining that the city in the past two years has lost 16 employees and replaced only 10 of those, while asking the remaining employees to do more.
Neither mayoral candidate wanted to cut back or defund any city departments, organizations or events; although both listed trash collection as one line item that could use some improvement. Ross suggested the trash issue could best be put to the people in referendum.
Aldermen candidates had ideas for cutbacks.
In the Ward 5 run, Koch said each department's account could be "scrutinized closer" to be more efficient, but he did not see eliminating any department. Schultz and Golackson listed the Green County Development Corporation as one public-private entity whose performance for the city and city funding should be reviewed. Schultz and Golackson also listed trash collection as a city service that needed in-depth research. The two challengers then parted company.
Schultz named the municipal airport's new terminal as an unnecessary expense for the majority of Monroe citizens.
"I voted no (on the airport six-year plan) because my constituents wouldn't benefit as much as a few corporations," he said.
Golackson said rather than make any cuts, he would expect department heads to be held accountable for coming in under budget.
From Ward 7, Hanson said the budgets have too much padding; the city is "taking too much" and could have spent $900,000 less last year. He also believes the city has too much money packed away in the coffers, and he would use some of the several millions of dollars to pay down tax increment districts' loans.
"There are areas we can cut without losing services," he said.
Gratz named the Green County Development Corporation and the Humane Society as city-funded organizations that may need to be cut back. He also said the county solid waste transfer station "should not be a burden on the city."
Armstrong came with suggestions for specific cuts. He questioned why the city needed to spend $28,000 a year on telephone services. He also said the city could have about 25 percent of the utility costs for the downtown parking ramp by installing sensing devices.
The candidates also touched on the issue of whether there are tensions among city council members.
Gratz said elected officials, in general, need to put aside personal differences, "remain courteous and polite." Armstrong said allegations of impropriety, like open meeting violations, need to be taken care of through proper channels and not aired in Common Council meetings.
Schultz said the city council is non-partisan and needs to work together as one team, and Golackson said there are always going to be tensions in politics and that people needed to stop gathering their information from uninformed and anonymous sources.
Incumbents were more defensive.
Koch said the issue of tensions was "overdone" and political differences had "no place" on the council.
Hanson said "appearances are deceiving" and news reports were trying to make it look like tensions were an issue.
Boyce also disagreed that there is tension among the council members.
"Tensions result from limited information," he said, adding that council members' weekly agenda packets sometimes did not contain enough information for them to make informed decisions.
Ross, however, said he does see tensions among city officials.
"It has to do with respect, for each other, department heads and other city employees," he added.
Ross said "bypassing the city administrator" to get information from department heads is "totally disruptive" and creates a "threatening environment" for employees. The city needs to get back to following a chain-of-command, he said.
Mayoral candidates Bill Ross and Michael Boyce squared off for a second time in a week; the first time was Friday, March 9 at Twining Valley Retirement Community.
But it was the first public opportunity incumbent aldermen Charles Koch, Ward 5, and Thurston Hanson, Ward 7, had to face their challengers. Scott Golackson and Tyler Schultz are looking to oust Koch from the Ward 5 council chair, while Louis Armstrong and Tony Gratz want Hanson out of the Ward 7 seat.
Vying for attendance with the basketball sectional semifinals between Black Hawk and Barneveld, the forum managed to draw a small crowd, and even pulled in out-of-towners, like Chuck and Laurie Vierthaler from the Town of Sylvester.
"We came because we live so close," Laurie Vierthaler said. "What happens in the city indirectly impacts us."
The Vierthalers were particularly interested in the city's pending decision on how to handle its trash collection and participation in the county's solid waste transfer station. Users of Veolia Environmental Services, a private trash collection service provider, the Vierthalers said their bills have increased by 45 percent over the past 15 months.
"Now is not the time to privatize anything while we still have control of it," Chuck Vierthaler said. He said the city could maintain "integrity" by retaining its own trash collection services, "even if it's not the least expensive."
But trash collection was not among the most important issues the city is currently facing, according to the aldermanic and mayoral candidates.
Instead, talk was focused on the budget. All six ward candidates turned to economic growth in the city as their first major concern, but keeping the budget under control hit the list of every candidate.
Boyce advocated for zero-based budging, and pointed out the city's first attempt at that budgeting process in the Park and Recreation Department for the 2012 budget.
"There is a great story coming out of it," he said. "It talks of the needs in the city, and shows in down economic times, people us the rec department more."
Ross agreed the city needed a "better budgeting process," including a 5-year plan with a look to the future, a lesson taken from the past four years.
"2008 was a wake-up call," he added, referring to the downtown in the economy.
Boyce and Ross also rolled out challenges other than fiscal.
Boyce noted he wanted more open government and better accessibility of information to the public, a major plank in his platform when he ran for Ward 3 alderman in 2010.
Ross looked to increasing the morale among city employees, explaining that the city in the past two years has lost 16 employees and replaced only 10 of those, while asking the remaining employees to do more.
Neither mayoral candidate wanted to cut back or defund any city departments, organizations or events; although both listed trash collection as one line item that could use some improvement. Ross suggested the trash issue could best be put to the people in referendum.
Aldermen candidates had ideas for cutbacks.
In the Ward 5 run, Koch said each department's account could be "scrutinized closer" to be more efficient, but he did not see eliminating any department. Schultz and Golackson listed the Green County Development Corporation as one public-private entity whose performance for the city and city funding should be reviewed. Schultz and Golackson also listed trash collection as a city service that needed in-depth research. The two challengers then parted company.
Schultz named the municipal airport's new terminal as an unnecessary expense for the majority of Monroe citizens.
"I voted no (on the airport six-year plan) because my constituents wouldn't benefit as much as a few corporations," he said.
Golackson said rather than make any cuts, he would expect department heads to be held accountable for coming in under budget.
From Ward 7, Hanson said the budgets have too much padding; the city is "taking too much" and could have spent $900,000 less last year. He also believes the city has too much money packed away in the coffers, and he would use some of the several millions of dollars to pay down tax increment districts' loans.
"There are areas we can cut without losing services," he said.
Gratz named the Green County Development Corporation and the Humane Society as city-funded organizations that may need to be cut back. He also said the county solid waste transfer station "should not be a burden on the city."
Armstrong came with suggestions for specific cuts. He questioned why the city needed to spend $28,000 a year on telephone services. He also said the city could have about 25 percent of the utility costs for the downtown parking ramp by installing sensing devices.
The candidates also touched on the issue of whether there are tensions among city council members.
Gratz said elected officials, in general, need to put aside personal differences, "remain courteous and polite." Armstrong said allegations of impropriety, like open meeting violations, need to be taken care of through proper channels and not aired in Common Council meetings.
Schultz said the city council is non-partisan and needs to work together as one team, and Golackson said there are always going to be tensions in politics and that people needed to stop gathering their information from uninformed and anonymous sources.
Incumbents were more defensive.
Koch said the issue of tensions was "overdone" and political differences had "no place" on the council.
Hanson said "appearances are deceiving" and news reports were trying to make it look like tensions were an issue.
Boyce also disagreed that there is tension among the council members.
"Tensions result from limited information," he said, adding that council members' weekly agenda packets sometimes did not contain enough information for them to make informed decisions.
Ross, however, said he does see tensions among city officials.
"It has to do with respect, for each other, department heads and other city employees," he added.
Ross said "bypassing the city administrator" to get information from department heads is "totally disruptive" and creates a "threatening environment" for employees. The city needs to get back to following a chain-of-command, he said.