County

MIDDLETON–Middleton District 7 Alder Dan Ramsey II said there are some issues that have come up over the past two years that played into his decision to run for mayor.

“I was approached to run after Gurdip [Brar} said he was not running,” Ramsey explained, and decided to continue with the campaign even though Brar did decide to run again.

“One of the things that is really important to me is the number of apartments,” he said and noted that without single family homes and townhomes, there is little room for homeownership and building equity.

TOWN OF MIDDLETON–Dane County seeks to lessen future flooding in the Black Earth Creek watershed by purchasing 79 acres north of US 14 in the town of Middleton.

The proposed $4 million purchase from the Judith Hellenbrand Family Trust would restore part of “Old Mud Lake,” a 140-acre wetland near the headwaters of Black Earth Creek that once filtered sediment from runoff before entering the world-class trout stream.

“By saving this property from possibly being developed and restoring it to prairie, about 5.9 million gallons water will be prevented from flowing downstream each year,” County Executive Joe Parisi said Jan. 16 at the Hellenbrand farm.

MIDDLETON–Middleton Plan Commissioner Kurt Paulsen announced his bid for mayor on Dec. 10. 

“A lot of people have asked me to run for mayor based on my leadership on equity and sustainability,” Paulsen said in an interview last week.

Affordable housing is one of the four priorities Paulsen would tackle as mayor. He serves as a member of the Workforce Housing Committee and said, “People who work in Middleton can’t afford to live in Middleton. A lot of teachers who work here can’t afford to live here.

“We need a greater variety of housing in the city. As chair of the workforce housing committee, I led the effort to develop our strategy and goal of 295 affordable units before 2020, and we’re about to reach that goal!” Paulsen continued. He said there is a lack of smaller houses, and said it is the “missing middle.” 

MIDDLETON–Increased interest in the possible expansion of Middleton Municipal Airport Morey Field has prompted Airport Commission meetings to be moved from an airport conference room to City Hall, and now reining in audience intensity is being tried.

Commission Chair John Hallick introduced a two-to-three-minute limit on public comments, regulated by a timer and a buzzer. Also, no public comment would be taken after the initial comment period is closed.

Without being recognized by the chair, several audience members complained about the few minutes they would be allowed to speak.

“It can be none,” Hallick said at the beginning of the Dec. 5 meeting, “I’m giving you two minutes.”

Noting that the Middleton Common Council gives the public three minutes near the beginning of its meetings, commission member Cynthia Richson said the Airport Commission rules should be consistent. 

MIDDLETON–Middleton Mayor Gurdip Brar said he would be running for a second term in the April 2020 Election. Brar has served one term as mayor and previously served on the Middleton City Council for nine years and was in the Conservancy Lands Committee for one and a half terms before becoming mayor in 2017.

“I’m not sure I was ready at the time,” Brar said of his first campaign for mayor, but now he has experience under his belt. He said that over the past two and a half years, he has built relationships with other community leaders and governments, which he feels would make him a more effective mayor in a second term.

Brar said he has started working on some projects that are ongoing, and one of the reason he seeks a second term is to continue that work.

MIDDLETON–Nearly 40 Middleton firefighters learned Monday how to respond to an emergency involving an airplane equipped with a rocket-powered parachute.

Cirrus Aircraft builds all its planes around its Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) which the pilot can deploy in the event of engine failure to prevent a crash.

CAPS uses a small solid fuel rocket to pull a large parachute from the rear of the plane which allows it to float to the ground, landing with the impact of a 13-foot fall, said Matt Hofeldt, Capital Flight co-owner, which hosted the training session.

While there are at least two Cirrus airplanes based at Middleton Municipal Airport-Morey Field, many more are in the sky as Duluth, Minnesota-based Cirrus has sold more than 7,000 of its SR series single-engine aircraft. Also, CAPS can be retrofitted to planes made by other companies. 

MADISON–A September Marquette Law School Poll on gun laws in Wisconsin showed that just over 80 percent of citizens contacted want gun safety laws put in place (see graphic). In October, Gov. Tony Evers issued an executive order for a special session to be held on Nov. 7 addressing two gun related bills presented by Melissa Sargent (D-Madison). 

The first bill was to enact a “red-flag” law. These laws, allow law enforcement officers or family members to petition a judge to temporarily revoke someone’s right to buy, own or carry weapons if they are a threat to themselves or others.

The second bill would have ensured universal background checks when purchasing a firearm. The background checks would include private sales at gun shows as well as Internet sales. There was an exclusion for firearms sold among family members.

MIDDLETON–Two dozen people picketed outside the Middleton City Hall Nov. 5 before the city council meeting to oppose a change to airspace classification the council was set to vote on, and oppose any airport expansion. The council tabled the airspace classification until an ongoing master plan is completed

Steve Ziegler who owns property adjacent to the airport said he was at the airport commission meeting where the change in airspace regulations was proposes and found it troubling.

“What really concerns me is that in 20 years there is this airspace definition that needs to be quickly adjusted one week notice to a commission, brought to the chamber here with one month in the middle of a master plan study, $250,000, two-and-a-half-year study and all of the sudden we are redesigning airspace because of a petition that was brought forth to a commission with less than one week to study it, that was very confused by it,” Zeigler said. 

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Plan Commission approved the conceptual plan and set a public hearing for rezoning for a proposed four-story, 37 unit apartment building at the site of the now closed Sonic fast food restaurant 6413 University Ave. 

The project is being proposed The Commonwealth Companies. Kevin McDonell from Commonwealth said they are the seventh largest affordable housing developer nationwide.

McDonell explained the company in vertically integrated with in house architects, construction and property management.

McDonell said Commonwealth developments are mostly in Wisconsin but they have properties in 14 other states as well with 5,850 units altogether in nearly 100 properties.

The University Avenue proposal would consist of 37 units at market rate and affordable apartments in a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments. Thirty-one of the units would be affordable while the remaining would be market rate. 

DANE COUNTY–The Dane County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting to take public testimony on the proposed 2020 Dane County budget on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. in room 201 of the City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., Madison. The public is invited to testify for or against items in the County Executive’s proposed budget. Testimony is also welcome on any amendments to that proposal. 

The proposed 2020 Dane County budget authorizes a total of $653.7 million for combined operating and capital expenditures, financed by $385.8 million in outside revenues, existing resources and borrowing; $68.2 million in sales tax; and $191.9 million in county tax levy funds.  The proposed budget results in an increase in property taxes of $21.85 on the average Madison home (valued at approximately $300,967).