The approval of a request to raise funds for a police dog and training and an amendment to the parking ordinance for snow plowing were two other major items of business.

Heather Gokey of the Prairie du Chien Police Department was given permission to begin fund raising for the purchase of a trained police dog.

Gokey said the dog could be used in various ways: to apprehend criminals and search for drugs and missing persons. Gokey said one dog under consideration is available for $5,000, which includes training and supplies for both the dog and handler. There would be additional costs for kennels, food, medical care and other items. She said Carol's Critters has volunteered to donate food, Southwest Veterinarians has agree to provide regular checkup and shots at no cost, and EMS has agreed to pay up to $250 for a cage and climate control device.

If a dog is obtained, Gokey volunteered to be its handler.

Chief Mike King said he approved of the idea, but the police department has no extra money, so the fund raising is necessary.

After another flurry of discussion, the city snow parking ordinance was once again revised. Up until this winter, the ordinance required alternate side parking beginning Nov. 15 and extending through the snow season whether it snowed or not. It went into effect at midnight and remained in effect until 6 a.m.

A new ordinance, approved this year, required alternate side parking only after an announced snow event, and extended until noon of the day following the event. The intent was to allow more time for snow plowing and to eliminate the need for alternate side parking if there was no snow.

However, that ordinance also brought calls from disgruntled city residents, and council discussed how best to fix it. City Attorney Tom Peterson recommended returning to the original ordinance, stating, "We had an ordinance that worked for 25 years; now we wrote a new ordinance and we're back two weeks later to rewrite it."

After considerable debate, council approved a motion by Frank Pintz to keep the new ordinance and amend it to extend only until 7 a.m. rather than noon.

The Prairie du Chien tax levy went up 7.5 percent. The levy in 2006-07 was $4.28 million and in 2007-08 it is $4.6 million. The Prairie du Chien School Board kept its promise to keep the tax rate the same despite the passage of a nearly $2 million referendum for facility upgrades. The tax rate in 2006-07 was $9.88 per $1,000 of equalized valuation and the tax rate for 2007-08 is also $9.88.

Superintendent Drew Johnson said that the district was able to buffer the referendum with money that had been built up in debt service. This use of debt service funds was the major reason that the district was able to keep the tax rate from going up.

Johnson said that the levy went up because the property valuation in the district went up by approximately 7 percent.

"The Prairie du Chien area has had nice growth of new houses of about 7-10 percent a year," said Johnson, who noted that the district has no control over such factors as increased valuation and tax incremental finance districts (TIFs).

Also, a new wrinkle this year due to the late state budget, is that the state is delivering $79.3 million in school funding as tax credits to property owners, rather than as state aid to the school districts. Residents will see these tax credits on their tax bills.

The tax formula is favoring places with valuable property and higher spending such as Madison, Middleton and other growing communities. It is not yet known how the tax credits will affect Prairie du Chien and other area school districts.

Another factor for many school districts has been declining enrollment. As enrollment goes down, so does state aid. "We have been losing numbers slowly over the past several years," said Johnson. On the plus side, Prairie du Chien has "strong numbers" in the early elementary grades. "Hopefully the pendulum will start going the other way again," Johnson said. On the down side, Johnson said that there is a large number of upperclassmen at the high school and the district will lose numbers when those classes graduate. "We have a long-term plan to deal with that (declining enrollment)," said Johnson, who noted that within the next year or two the district's enrollment may drop from the 1,200's to the 1,100's.

The Wauzeka-Steuben School District had by far the largest tax levy increase percentage in Crawford County. Wauzeka-Steuben had an increase of 23 percent. The district's tax levy in 2006-07 was $868,260. In 2007-08 it is $1.07 million.

Wauzeka Superintendent Glen Denk said that a major reason for the increase is that the district passed a referendum in the spring of 2006 to increase the revenue cap limit by $250,000 in 2006-07 and by $250,000 in 2007-08.

"That's why the increase is so large," said Denk. "We needed to pass the referendum in order to meet operational costs."

Denk said that there will be no increased revenue cap next school year. "Hopefully, revenues will match expenditures next school year," he said, in noting that normal operating costs should not be greater than what is allowed under the revenue cap.

There are several other factors for the jump in the tax levy at Wauzeka. Denk pointed out that the property valuation within the district went up 20.41 percent with TIFs included. At the same time, valuation in Crawford County went up an average of only 11.28 percent with TIFs included. Statewide, valuation went up just 6.17 percent.

The tax rate for the Wauzeka-Steuben School District was $13.90 in 2006-07 and is $13.55 for 2007-08. Denk also said that enrollment membership should be about the same in 2007-08 as it was in 2006-07.

In the Seneca School District, the tax levy for 2006-07 was $972,649. In 2007-08, the tax levy is $1.02 million, an increase of 5.3 percent. Seneca Superintendent Al Szepi said that the reason for the relatively small increase is because the district is using money from their cash balance in order to cover operating costs. He said that the school board has been discussing for the past two months a possible referendum to exceed the revenue cap for next school year because the district can't continue to dip into the cash balance to cover operating costs.

Szepi said that property valuation went up slightly within the district, which in turn helped to raise the tax levy. Seneca's tax rate went down from $8.25 to $7.72.

Szepi said that Seneca's enrollment has been declining and that it will decline again next school year following the graduation of a large senior class. He said that Seneca also has small classes in the early elementary grades. However, Szepi remains optimistic regarding enrollment. "We hope it will be leveling out next school year," he said.

In contrast to other area districts, the tax levy for the River Ridge School District went down 8.2 percent. The levy in 2006-07 was $1.74 million. In 2007-08 it is $1.59 million.

Superintendent Dr. Kevin Shetler said that River Ridge has received an increase in state aid because enrollment went up by 10 students. State equalization aid increased from $3.78 million to $3.97 million. River Ridge had been in overall declining enrollment in the previous seven years.

Shetler said that land valuation increased from $180.6 million to $192.9 million. Because of this, the tax rate went down from $9.6 to $8.28.

"It's good for the taxpayer that it (the tax levy and the tax rate) went down," said Shetler, who noted that the decrease will give the district a "little breathing room" should they decide to have a referendum next year in order to exceed revenue cap limits.