The Milwaukee Post

Equalized value in county bounces back MILWAUKEE — Equalized property val- ues in Milwaukee County rose 2 percent this year as Wisconsin saw the end to a five-year decline, the longest slump in modern memo- ry, the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance report- ed last week. After declining 9.1 percent from 2008 to 2013, the market value of all taxable property in Wisconsin rose 2.6 percent in 2014, the WTA reported. However, at $479.5 billion, the state's values remain almost 7 percent below the 2008 market peak of $514.4 billion, accord- ing to the report. Milwaukee County's equalized property values dropped 16.3 percent from 2008 to 2013. This year's county value stands at $58.25 billion, its first annual increase since 2009, according to the WTA. In 2008, when the Great Recession began, the county's property value was just over $68 billion. Value changes were far from uniform across the state. Total equalized (or full-market) values fell in 12 of Wisconsin's 72 counties and rose at sub-average rates in another 31. In only nine counties did values rise 4 percent or more, the WTA reported. Moreover, some parts of the state were affected more than others during the 2008-13 real-estate downturn. In 10 western counties plus Calumet County near Appleton, val- ues rose, defying statewide trends. Increases were greatest in Monroe (7.8 percent), Jackson (5.4 percent), and Trempealeau (5.1 percent) counties. In 23 counties, values declined more than 10 percent, worse than the statewide aver- age (down 9.1 percent). Most noticeable were declines in nine southeastern counties, which also had above- average job losses from 2001 to 2012. For example, in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties, values were off 16 percent or more. The slump came after a real estate boom that began in 1993 or earlier. From then through 2007, the full-market, or "equalized," value of Wisconsin property increased at annual rates of 6.2 percent or more. Total state valuation peaked at $514.4 billion in 2008 and hit bottom last year at $467.5 billion. Headquartered in Madison, the WTA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that provides public policy research and citizen education. The WTA was founded in 1932. The WTA website is www.wistax.org. Nardelli, former Milwaukee alderman, dies MILWAUKEE — Longtime Milwaukee Alderman Thomas Nardelli died Monday at his home in Menomonee Falls at the age of 70. Nardelli served on the Milwaukee Common Council for 18 years, from 1986 to 2004. He stepped down from that post in 2004 after a failed run for mayor. "Tom served on the Common Council from 1986 to 2004 with a fiscally-conservative approach that he was proud of, and he was welcoming of the nickname "No-delli" because he was truly dedicated to protecting (and being stingy with) taxpayer dollars and city resources," Alderman Michael Murphy said in a release. After serving as an alderman, Nardelli served as then-County Executive Scott Walker's chief of staff. He followed Walker to Madison, where Nardelli led the state Division of Safety and Buildings and then served as administrator for the state's Division of Environmental and Regulatory Services. He left the latter post in 2011. Nardelli leaves behind a wife, Marcia, and three children. 4 • Milwaukee County Post • September 5, 2014 WEEK IN REVIEW STATE AND LOCAL STORIES OF INTEREST Milwaukee man found guilty of sex crimes MILWAUKEE — A 45-year-old Milwaukee man was found guilty of sex trafficking, child abuse and related charges. A jury convicted Roy Weatherall last week of 14 counts following an eight-day trial in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Charges included sexual assault of a child, solic- iting prostitutes, reckless injury and witness intimidation. He was acquitted of false imprisonment. Weatherall faces a maximum sentence of more than 200 years in prison. He was arrested last fall after a victim's mother contacted the FBI. Zepnick seeks meeting with owners of Bucks MILWAUKEE — State Rep. Josh Zepnick has sent a letter to the two owners of the Milwaukee Bucks and Bradley Center Sports and Entertainment Corp. Board Chairman Marc Marotta asking for a bi- partisan meeting with state legislators from the county to discuss the construction of a new arena and where it might be located. In the letter, Zepnick is asking owners Marc Lasry and Wes Edens, and Marotta to talk about any discussions or proposals being raised over the construction of a new arena and the use of public financing as part of the package. "Given that nearly all the public financing methods so far on the table would require a vote in the Legislature, it is critical this con- versation not be delayed until after the election. The taxpaying pub- lic deserves better," Zepnick wrote. Zepnick recently offered three proposed sites for the arena to be built. The state representative also is asking that a meeting be set up where the media and the general public can attend. Report: Sheriff's deputies arrest 20 for drunken driving during Labor Day enforcement MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office reported that it made 20 drunken driving arrests out of 232 traffic stops during the Labor Day Drive Sober initia- tive. A 39-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for his third drunken driving offense. Three other Milwaukee residents, ages 42,37 and 24 were arrested for their second drunken driv- ing offense, as well as a 33-year-old Oconomowoc man, a 21-year-old Waukesha man and a 26-year-old West Allis man. Three of the incidents involved crashes, which injured two of the drivers. The West Allis man was involved in a minor crash and sustained minor injuries. The 24-year-old Milwaukee man was found unconscious and suffered head injuries when his car flipped over and landed on its roof in a lane of traffic along Interstate 94 in the Mitchell Interchange. He was transported to Froedtert Hospital. First-time offenders included a 27-year-old Milwaukee man, who registered a prelimi- nary blood-alcohol level of .17. He also was arrested for recklessly endangering safety for having a loaded gun in the car. A 58-year-old Milwaukee man was stopped for allegedly driving drunk with a minor in the vehicle on I-94 near South 25th Street. All told, the average blood-alcohol level for all of the arrests was .14. Of the 232 traffic stops, nine was for seat belt violations, 83 for speeding, 20 for unlicensed, revoked or sus- pended drivers, 66 for moving-non-moving violations (lane deviation, registration and no insurance), 28 for crashes with property damage only and five with crashes that included injuries. There were no fatalities during the period, which began Friday night and con- cluded at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning. Baldwin calls for special enrollment period for uninsured MILWAUKEE — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner to immediately grant a special enrollment period in the federal marketplace for the 38,000 Wisconsinites who lost their BadgerCare coverage. In July, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services released a report showing that the governor's plan to terminate BadgerCare coverage for approximately 63,000 Wisconsinites had resulted in a gap in coverage. The Walker administration report revealed that the governor did not transition nearly 38,000 individuals to coverage in the Affordable Care Act's Marketplace. Health care policy experts project that many of these Wisconsinites formerly served under BadgerCare may be uninsured. Baldwin said in a release that because those affected did not transfer to the Affordable Care Act's marketplace, those individuals would have to wait until 2015 to receive coverage. Two weeks ago, she urged Walker to determine how many of the 38,000 are unin- sured and what steps he would take to address the coverage gap. Far from equal rates State equalized property values in 2014, at $479.5 billion, are 7 percent lower than in 2008. Figures in billions. County 2008 2014 % change Washington $14.1 $13.0 —7.8 Fond du Lac $7.0 $6.9 —1.4 Sheboygan $9.2 $8.6 —6.5 Ozaukee $11.4 $10.6 —7.0 Milwaukee $68.2 $58.2 —14.7 Waukesha $53.0 $49.0 —7.5 Dodge $6.2 $5.9 —4.8 Source: Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance Zepnick Baldwin

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