New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government

New Berlin Citizens
For Responsible Government
August 25, 2007

Very Important information!

This will be your last time to influence your City Government in these matters.

Calhoun Road

Tuesday, August 28, 2007, 7:00pm at City Hall
Common Council meeting, Privilege of the Floor

The New Berlin Common Council will vote on the Calhoun Road reconstruction project.
This will be funded completely by our property tax dollars.
The Common Council voted at their last meeting to go with Option 1A and send the plan to the Board of Public Works (BPW) for final review with a $3,000,000 spending cap.
At the meeting of the Board of Public Works, the BPW completely ignored the directions of the Common Council and passed Option 3A with a cost of $10,000,000.

This was done in total disregard to wishes of the Common Council.


MMSD 2020 Sewer Expansion Plan

Thursday, August 30, 2007, 5:30pm at City Hall
Special Utilities Committee meeting

MMSD Sewers west of Calhoun and other areas will be discussed
The MMSD 2020 sewer plan for New Berlin has been approved without input from local
Representatives or citizens. Many of us have been included in this plan without being notified.
These sewers will extend west of Calhoun Road and to sub-divisions and undeveloped lands east of Calhoun that are not presently served by MMSD.
The MMSD 2020 Plan also includes sewers to New Berlin West High School and everything south of National Avenue to Crowbar Road (City Limits) It also includes Coffee road to a point east of Woefel Road.

This project will cost the City of New Berlin Millions of dollars. Costs to homeowners have run from $20,000 to $40,000 just for the construction, plus $10,000 to $15,000 for lateral connections to your home. Quarterly charges exceed $300.

Thank you
Ralph Heun, President NBCRG 262 679 0977
Authorized and paid by NBCRG, Dolores Karner, Secretary

SEWERS APPROVED WEST OF CALHOUN ROAD

The City of New Berlin consultant requested and MMSD approved sewer service west of Calhoun Road.

Without any input from you or your elected representative you have been placed in the expanded sewer service area, paving the way for your neighborhood to be connected to the MMSD sewer system. Also included is what is being called a dedicated sewer line to New Berlin West HS.

If requested by someone in your neighborhood or a developer, sewers could be connected to your home. Depending on the size of your lot you would then have to pay a “Special Assessment” for the improvement and the cost to install a lateral to your house.

You would also have to pay for the plumbing inside your home and to abandon your septic and well. These costs have recently been charged to other homes at costs from $20,000.00 to $40,000.00. Once the sewer service is installed in front of your home you will be required to hook up within one year. Sewer and Water Utility costs are in excess of $100 per month and rising.

The approved MMSD 2020 Plan will be discussed at a Special Utility Committee meeting on Thursday, August 30, 2007 at the New Berlin City Hall 3805 S. Casper Drive in the Common Council Chambers at 5:30 pm.

If you are interested in finding out how the MMSD 2020 Plan was approved without our input and voice your opinion please attend this meeting.

If you have any questions about this or any other issue, please feel free to contact your aldermen

Dave Ament 7th District Alderman, New Berlin 262-544-4534 dament@newberlin.org

Ken Harenda 4th District Alderman, New Berlin 262-971-1048 kharenda@newberlin.org

Re Richard Guse/ 2 lot land division

It would seem that the Department of Community Development is so desperate to defeat the aims of the City of New Berlin Master Plan that they will approve anything. The comments below show that the DCD does not observe the requirements of Section 235-26G.

The Planning Commission also voted 3-3 on the proposal and it is moving to the Common Council meeting on August 28. It would seem that the city is out of control of their departments as the departments are violating their own rules.

The New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government believe that the Common Council must follow the dictates of the Master Plan on all matters.

Several years ago the Common Council approved a Master plan for the city. It was agreed that parcels west of Calhoun Road would retain their rural characteristics with certain acreage requirements.

Mr. Guse wants to divide his 1.3 Acre lot into 2 lots, which means that the area of each would be then 29,200 +/- square feet. The average area of other lots in this sub-division is in excess of 41,000 square feet.

The City Staff report that the Executive Findings under Section 235.26G state that new lots within existing residential sub-divisions may be prohibited under ANY of the following criteria:

1. When the new lot is less than the average area of the existing lots within the sub-division, excluding unbuildable lots, or

2. When the new lot width is less than the average width of the existing lots within the sub-division, excluding unbuildable lots, or

3. The sub-division was platted more than 25 years ago.

There are 34 residences in this sub-division. At this time the residents have obtained more than 30 signatures of owners opposed to this land division. It is time to listen to the citizens!

New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government is a group of taxpayers that are united to help shape government policy at all levels and is an Independent Political Action Committee.

NBCRG supports common sense development in New Berlin. We hold the City of New Berlin accountable to follow the Master Plan and we expect that the city will get public input on and not just rubber stamps changes proposed by the city staff, powerful land developers and their lawyers.

NBCRG sought a public hearing for the Deer Creek Inn and Convention Center because the proposal approved by the Planning Commission was drastically changed from the original plans that were approved by the Common Council several years ago. We further believe that the Planning Commission overstepped it's bounds by forgoing the $1,000,000 payment to resolve drainage issues that the developer had promised when originally approved. Any drainage problems will now have to be paid for by the taxpayers.

Deer Creek Apartments is suing the City of New Berlin contesting the Planning Commission's approval of the Deer Creek Inn and Convention Center. NBCRG is not a party in any way to that action.

The Thomson Corporation, a rich and powerful land developer, is working with the city staff to change the zoning codes for Section 35. This section is bordered by Sunny Slope Road, College Avenue, Moorland Road, and Grange Avenue. If this is approved, the message in the Thomson Corporation memo to landowners in Section 35, is that it will open up “several thousand acres to the west” for development. It also pressured landowners to contribute and sign-on to their proposal by August 1, 2007 to maximize their potential or they may find their land values fall. NBCRG believes that these strong-arm tactics are being used to drive changes to the Master Plan that are not in the best interest of the landowners or New Berlin taxpayers.

The traffic counts on Calhoun Rd. between Greenfield Ave. and Cleveland Ave. are lower than traffic counts in Brookfield on Pilgrim Rd. north of Brookfield Square, which is also a 2-lane road. Moorland Rd. is a 6-lane road, but only 4 lanes are utilized. Most traffic uses Moorland because there are Interchanges on I-94 and I-43. A simple and cost-effective solution for traffic in the area is to open all 6 lanes to traffic.

Therefore, the proposal to make Calhoun a 4-lane divided highway for more than $18,000,000 in principle and interest costs is a waste of the taxpayer’s money. It can be rebuilt as a 2-lane road for a fraction of that cost with enhancements at Cleveland Ave., Glendale Rd., Lincoln Ave. and Rogers Dr. and coordinated traffic signals. It will efficiently move traffic and serve the needs for the community for the next 20 years. The State of Wisconsin has indicated that it has no plans to build an interchange at Calhoun and I-94, making a 4-lane road unnecessary.

Don't believe the lies being spread by discredited current elected officials and disgruntled former common council and school board politicians. If you have questions about NBCRG and the issues that we are working on or if you would like to become a member, please send your request via email to nbcrg@yahoo.com. We comply with all privacy laws and therefore do not publish members' names.

Ralph Heun
President, New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government

New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government has been accused by some individuals, of opposing the purchase of additional water from the City of Milwaukee.

This is not true.

We point out the Mayor Jack Chiovatero does not have the sole authority to enter into any agreement with the City of Milwaukee to purchase additional water or to upgrade Milwaukee facilities for this purpose. It is never a good idea to have only one person meet with Mayor Barrett, to negotiate contracts of this importance.

You may rest assured that the City of Milwaukee will drive a hard bargain with any unit of government that walks in with their hat in hand, and asks for Milwaukee water.

In addition our group states that the City of New Berlin should not attempt to expand the water utility to any location not presently being served by the Municipal water Utility. The City of New Berlin does not have the right to force areas to accept water or the MMSD 20/20 plan.

Ralph Heun