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November 5, 2008 |
Voters flocked to the polls throughout the county to vote in patterns which closely resembled the patterns throughout the state, and Prairie du Chien voters soundly defeated the referendum proposal to fluoridate the city’s water.
The fluoridation proposal, which is not a binding referendum but intended to give city council members an indication of residents’ desires, was defeated by a vote of 1,542 to 1,014
Voters approved school referendums in two districts, Seneca and North Crawford. The Seneca referendum passed by a margin of 549 yes votes to 360 no votes. In North Crawford voters approved the referendum by a vote of 1,166 to 391.
Although challenger Dale Klemme won by a slight margin in Crawford County, 96th Assembly District incumbent Lee Nerison had 52 percent of the total votes compared to 48 percent for Klemme with 97 percent of the votes counted.
In other areas, Crawford county voters favored Obama, 5124 votes, to McCain, 2905. Rep. Ron Kind garnered 5649 votes to Paul Stark’s 2082 and Kevin Barrett’s 109. State Senator Dan Kapanke led Tara Johnson by a vote of 4478 to 3511. District-wide he led Johnson with 52 percent of the vote to her 48 percent.
The County Comprehensive Planning Open House held on Monday night in the Seneca School Gym drew more than 50 residents from throughout Crawford County to learn about progress on the county’s comprehensive plan.
The event was hosted by the County Comprehensive Planning Committee and allowed attendees to learn about the planning process, hear about results of the tax bill survey, and discuss ideas and issues with fellow residents.
Pete Flesch, County Board Member and Chair of the Comprehensive Planning Committee, kicked off the event by introducing committee members Phil Mueller, Harriet Behar, Don Daentl and Henry Esser.
Greg Flogstad of the Mississippi River Regional Plan Commission presented background information on the state planning statute and discussed the timeline for the plan. Hearings and public information sessions are scheduled throughout the process to allow for open input and community discussion about important issues.
Laura Brown, Crawford County UW Extension Community Development Educator, then presented some results of the County survey and opened the floor for a vibrant discussion.
Those unable to attend the meeting or seeking copies of materials handed out at the meeting may visit www.crawfordcountywi.org/planning or contact Laura Brown at (608)-326-0223.
At its Nov. 3 meeting, the Gays Mills Village Board approved the relocation plan recommended by the Long Range Planning Committee, approving also the order of acquisition of proposed building sites along Highway 131.
Out of four proposed sites recommended in a Long-term Community Recovery Plan prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the committee selected Site A, identified as the Chestelson site, as the first to be acquired.
This site, approximately one mile north of the current village center, is an approximately 30-acre parcel with land on both sides of the highway. On the west side, the property abuts a small lake. Most of the building sites would be on the east side of the highway. In the FEMA proposal, which was released the end of October, there would be room for 45 single family residential lots, eight patio/townhomes and 18,000 square feet of commercial buildings. Estimated acquisition and site development cost is $1,750,000.
The second acquisition site, identified as Site C in the Applewood Business Park and Dudgeon Property, is located to the west of Highway 131, and includes about 23 acres. The plan envisions an assisted living facility, medical clinic and office space, 25 attached single family patio homes and 20 townhouses. Site development costs are estimated at $395,300.
Ranked as third in priority is Site B, the Carter site, consisting of approximately 20 acres just north of the Gays Mills Cemetery. This site also abuts the small lake described in the Chestelson Site. A neighborhood of 23 homes is proposed at a development cost of $853,639.
Side D, the Ballfield site, was ranked fourth. This five-acre site is located south of downtown adjacent to the fairgrounds. Fourteen home sites are envisioned, and the acquisition cost estimated at $477,676.
Owners of the potential sites have been contacted about their interest in selling, and negotiations for acquisition could begin as soon as 30 days from now. Ritch Stevenson, co-chair of the Long Range Planning Committee, said those owners he has talked to have been willing to participate in helping the community. The village has begun exploring options for funding sources, including a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Commission. The grant proposal would be prepared by the Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission and would require a 25 percent state match, according to Village Clerk Dawn McCann. Stevenson said they are hoping the grant would cover acquisition and development costs for at least their first two site choices.
In presenting the committee’s recommendations, Stevenson said the committee also recommended hiring an economic development director and development of a comprehensive plan as high priorities. Stevenson said the committee would contact the Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission about preparing the grant application, which would also cover the director’s salary.
A Housing Information Fair, recommended in the recovery plan, is also important, said Stevenson. The fair would bring together representatives of various housing agencies and other organizations which could assist residents in making decisions on their relocation options. Stevenson said the committee would like to see this happen by January, 2009. Maura Otis is Stevenson’s co-chair on the committee.
According to the FEMA report, 56 of the approximately 108 homes located downtown were substantially damaged during the floods of 2007 and 2008. Only 17 of the 26 commercial buildings on Main Street have reopened since the floods, and 25 percent of the 56 substantially damaged buildings stand vacant. Owners of buildings determined to be substantially damaged have three choices: relocate, move their houses to a different location or floodproof the home by elevation. Some residents of the damaged buildings have moved into elderly apartments in Gays Mills and very possibly will stay there, said Dale Klemme of Community Development Alternatives. Others have remained in their damaged houses, and others have moved to various locations within the village and elsewhere.
Klemme, who has been working to obtain disaster relief for Gays Mills flood victims, said that of people making disaster relief applications from the 2007 flood, offers have been made on 13 properties, and 12 owners have accepted. Six have already been sold to the village. Seven other homes await elevation to make them floodproof.
The summary of substantially damaged homes from the 2008 flood is not yet complete, said Klemme, either because the damage report it not completed or because the owners are appealing the determination. So far, 10 buildings have been declared substantially damaged, and three of the 10 owners are seeking to be removed from the list. The village will receive funding to purchase the damaged properties from the owners. Once a property is purchased, the village will let out bids to have the site cleared. Typically, this means the building would be demolished, but the former owner could put in a bid for the house and then pay to have it moved to a new site.
Klemme said the city has been awarded nearly $2 million to elevate the flood plain properties or clear the sites. Although FEMA usually requires that the city spend money for acquisitions before it can be reimbursed, because of the village’s financial status, it has advanced $260,000 to proceed with the purchase of the remaining properties. The village is still paying for the renovation and repair of its waste water system prior to the 2007 flood, which was to be repaid through an assessment on the homes it was to service. However, according to the FEMA report, only a few of the properties remain users. In addition, the city is losing tax base from buildings left vacant since the floods.
For many residents, relocation could present financial difficulties. In the 2000 census, the median household income for Crawford County was $34,135, 20 percent below the median income for the state, and Gays Mills’ median income was $29,250, 15 percent below the average for Crawford County. Forty five percent of the households in the village had incomes of less than $25,000 and 78 of those had incomes of less than $15,000.
Existing damaged houses are to be purchased at market value. A majority of the buildings are over 50 years old, and the gap between the market value of their existing houses and the cost of a new one could be immense. The FEMA plan gives an example of a building with a market value of $50,000 and a mortgage of $45,000. If replacing the home costs $95,000 and the family qualified for a loan of $50,000, a gap of $45,000 would still remain. For some, alternatives may be smaller homes, manufactured or modular homes or rental property.
Nevertheless, residents appear ready to do whatever has to be done. Said McCann, "I feel a lot of people are looking forward to this."
"We’ve worked hard to get to this point. There’s been a lot of work by a lot of people, and it’s brought the community together. It will be good to see the community move forward," said Stevenson.
November 3, 2008 |
Former Agriprocessors CEO arrested, company fined $10 million and placed in receivership
The dominos fell one after another last week in Postville, Iowa, as Agriprocessors Inc., the kosher meatpacking plant came under legal attack from state and federal authorities and creditors.
On Wednesday, Oct. 29, Iowa Labor Commissioner Dave Neil assessed civil penalties of $9,988,200 against the company for wage violations.
On Thursday, Oct. 30, former Agriprocessors’ CEO Sholom Rubashkin, 49, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) agents at his home in Postville. He was charged in a federal court in Cedar Rapids with conspiring to harbor illegal aliens for profit, aiding and abetting document fraud and aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft.
On Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Linda R. Reade placed the company’s Postville plant and another facility in Nebraska under a court-ordered receivership to protect the company’s assets under a lawsuit filed by First Bank Business Capital of St. Louis. The lawsuit says that the company has defaulted on a loan of $35 million. The loan was secured in part by the Postville plant, a plant the company owns in Nebraska, and by the personal property of Aaron and Sholom Rubashkin, father and son owners of the company.
The fines and criminal charges are part of an ongoing investigation into the company and its employment practices after a ICE raid on May 12 resulted in the arrest of nearly 400 employees, most of whom were illegal aliens from Guatemala and Mexico.
Sholom Rubashkin was forced to step down as CEO by his father, Aaron Rubashkin, after the May 12 raid.
The criminal complaint against Rubashkin alleges that during the week before the May 12 raid, Rubashkin loaned $4,500 to employees in order to purchase fake "green cards" with false names so that the employees would appear to be legal residents of the U.S. The money was distributed to employees by supervisors at the plant, and foremen arranged to purchase the paperwork. On Sunday, May 11, Rubashkin allegedly asked human resources employees to work late in order to complete the paperwork for the "new" employees. According to an ICE press release, approximately 96 fake permanent resident cards and application paperwork was seized from the human resources offices the following day.
The civil fines imposed by the State of Iowa against the company stem from illegally deducting sales tax/miscellaneous costs from paychecks, and failing to pay 42 employees their final wages after the raid. The largest portion of the fine, $9,643,600, is for illegally deducting a charge for so-called "frocks" from employee paychecks. This deduction occurred 96,643 times, and the company was fined $100 per incidence.
Agriprocessors Inc. has 30 days to contest the fines imposed by the State of Iowa.
Sholom Rubashkin was released on a $1 million bond, $500,000 of which must be secured by Nov. 5. Other conditions of his release require that he remain in the Northern District of Iowa federal judicial district, and he must wear a GPS monitoring ankle bracelet, just as many of his former employees were forced to do after their arrest in the May 12 raid. In addition, both he and his wife’s passports were seized.
If convicted, Rubashkin faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence, and heavy fines. On the charges of conspiring to harbor illegal aliens and document fraud the maximum penalty is 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for each charge. The charge of aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence and a $250,000 fine.
The case will be heard by a grand jury.
Representatives of First Bank Business Capital who visited the plant in Postville last Thursday to collect on the debt were told to leave. On Friday, the court appointed Atec Liquidations of St. Louis to act as receivers for the company. They have been given limited powers over the assets of the company, and will monitor the situation and care for animals until the assets can be sold in a foreclosure sale.
KPVL, the local Postville public radio station, was reporting Monday morning that animals on the premises of the plant were dying due to lack of care. Beef slaughter operations were shut down last week, and it is unclear if the plant will operate this week, or if workers at the plant have jobs. Agriprocessors is also behind on their electric bill, and must pay $88,000 by Monday, Nov. 3 or face a power shut-off.
A U.S. District Court hearing for the suit filed by First Bank Business Capital will be held Wednesday in Cedar Rapids.
The process of creating a comprehensive plan for Crawford County began approximately a year ago and citizen participation will continue to be encouraged throughout.
Much work has been done towards this "vision for the county’s future" and citizens will get a chance tonight to view the work done so far as well as the results of a citizen survey regarding the plan. An open house on the comprehensive plan will be held Nov. 3 in the Seneca High School gymnasium from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., during which citizens can learn about the plan and also provide input to members of the County Comprehensive Planning Sub-committee.
"The plan will be a guiding document to encourage, enhance and strengthen the various aspects of the county," said committee member Phillip Mueller. Mueller, along with committee member Peter Flesch and Community Development Agent Laura Brown noted that the plan will serve as a guide for land use, transportation, agricultural, natural and cultural resources, housing, utilities, community facilities and economic development. The plan will provide specific recommendations for ways to implement the county’s long-term goals in these areas.
The plan is scheduled to be completed by October of 2009 and will be designed so as to provide guidance for the next 20 years to help ensure "smart growth" for the county. In addition, the county will be working with municipalities so that the county’s plan is compatible with the comprehensive plans created by each municipality.
Mueller said that the plan will be a "fluid" document designed to adapt to changes which occur within the next 20 years. Comprehensive plans are generally designed to be reviewed every 10 years.
"Things are going to change and the plan offers the opportunity to guide the changes, hopefully in a positive direction," said Peter Flesch.
In fact, research conducted so far has identified several trends that will affect Crawford County. A comprehensive plan is designed to anticipate trends and plan for their needs, said Laura Brown.
For example, it is anticipated that by the year 2020, 30-40 percent of Crawford County’s population will be over the age of 60.
"That will have a big impact upon the county," said Brown, who noted that the county needs to plan for possible changes due to an increase of senior citizens. Transportation needs will need to be addressed as well as services for seniors. Also, how will the increase in the percentage of seniors affect the workforce? What will be it’s effect upon the educational system, which is already suffering from continuing declining enrollment?
Some other interesting facts about Crawford County include:
• By 2029, it is projected that about 898 new homes will be built in Crawford County towns and 862 in villages and the city of Prairie du Chien.
• According to the 2000 census, about 27 percent of Crawford County’s homes were built before 1939.
• 42.6 percent of principal farm operators are 55 years or older.
• The median income of $34,135 in Crawford County is 22 percent lower than the state median income of $43,791.
• The median income for women in Crawford County is about $9,000 less than for men.
• Median housing values in the towns of Haney, Scott, Bridgeport, Freeman, Wauzeka and Prairie du Chien increased by more than 80 percent between 1990 and 2000.
• Crawford County’s housing units are affordable: almost half (46 percent) of residents spend less than 15 percent of their income on housing.
• In 2002, there were 1,278 farms in Crawford County covering 254,755 acres of prime farmland.
• Crawford County uses 3.29 million gallons of ground water (from an aquifer) and .36 million gallons of surface water per day.
This spring, the county hired the Mississippi River Regional Plan Commission (MRRPC), a nonprofit entity headquartered in La Crosse, as a consultant to write the comprehensive plan. The cost of the project as outlined in the contract is $48,000. The MRRPC has created drafts of a number of elements regarding the comprehensive plan.
The next step in the continuing process of creating the plan will be to assess public comments, to assess the results of the citizen survey that was mailed with tax bills in January of 2008, to look at the research, facts and history regarding Crawford County and then to establish goals, said Laura Brown. Brown emphasized that goals are not policies or ordinances. Although, ordinances may be recommended as a result of the final plan.
The citizen survey is considered a success, with 1,325 responding out of 5,657 mailed.
"It goes to show that people have an interest in determining the direction of the county in the future," said Peter Flesch.
Phillip Mueller said that more citizen participation is encouraged.
"People can attend and participate in our public meetings every three weeks at the Crawford County Highway Department in Seneca," he said. Mueller and Flesch said that town and village representatives have been participating at the meetings and that everyone is welcome.
Brown said that people can get more information about the comprehensive plan and about the agendas for the sub-committee meetings on the Crawford County website at www.crawfordcountywi.org. Residents can also contact Brown at (608) 326-0223. Draft portions of the plan as well as meeting minutes and plan documents are posted online for public review at www.crawfordcountywi.org/planning/index.htm.
Brown said that comprehensive plans are a good idea because they give the county and each municipality local control over such things as local land use regulations, junk ordinances, driveway ordinances, zoning, subdivisions and many other areas.
A comprehensive plan promotes property rights, promotes economic development, protects resources, promotes local autonomy, coordinates community activity, promotes intergovernmental cooperation, and helps to understand where the community is headed.
