Thursday, September 21, 2017 • Vol. 133, No. 12 • Oregon, WI • ConnectOregonWI.com • $1
Buy Local in Oregon
Gerlach Wholesale Flooring
112 Janesville Street, Oregon, WI 53575 Phone: 835-8276 • Fax: 835-8277 Mon., Fri. & Sat. appointment only Tues. & Thurs. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Wed. 12 p.m.-6 p.m.,
adno=537599-01
Oregon Observer The
Village of Oregon
Growth up, but library could spike taxes Preliminary budget discussion considers planning ahead BILL LIVICK Unified Newspaper Group
Photo by Amber Levenhagen
From left, John Sams, Miles Tolonen, Nicholas Tolonen and Caroline Sams pose in front of a yoga studio to complete the “Find Balance” task of the scavenger hunt. The clue instructed participants to find a yoga studio in town and take a picture doing a balancing yoga pose in front of the building.
Autumnal Equinox
On the web
An Autumnal Equinox scavenger hunt, organized by the Oregon Area Wellness Coa- See the steps to try the Autumnal lition, offered Oregon residents the opportunity to explore and learn more about down- Equinox scavenger hunt yourself: town on Saturday. Participants raced to find each spot, with the help of clues on a digital ConnectOregonWI.com app or a printout, to earn points and win the title of Autumnal Equinox Winners.
Finding inspiration at Harvey’s ground zero CHUCK NOWLEN Unified Newspaper Group
Ray Leslie knew he was part of something big when he co-led a fivetruck convoy on a three-day sprint to Hurricane Harvey’s ground zero and back over Labor Day weekend. He didn’t realize just how monumental the trip would be for him until the semis finally got to Houston — packed with disaster-relief supplies collected just days before in the Badger State. “We delivered to a Houston church in a bad area – it was called North Main Church of God and Christ. That’s when the reality of it all sort
of hit,” recalls Leslie, an Oregon native and 30-year resident who now owns Leslie Transport in Spring Green. “It was all water down there, and it was hot. We saw furniture outside houses that had been flooded, and we saw lots of people there in need. We finally saw how bad the devastation really was.” When Leslie arrived at the church, about 30-40 volunteers were already there, hard at work. “They were just working constantly, basically around the clock — and they were getting no press for it, no money, no nothing,” he says. “That’s what really affected me — just how much people there were Photo submitted willing to give.” Former Badger and current Houston Leslie continues: “There were a lot Texans All-Pro J.J. Watt greeted Ray of other volunteers down there too Leslie and the rest of the Wisconsin disaster-relief convoy when it arrived Turn to Harvey/Page 12 in Texas around 8 p.m. Sept. 2.
2017: 3.24 percent 2016: 2.71 percent 2015: 2.24 percent 2014: 2.25 percent
to increase the tax levy this year and next so homeowners don’t experience a sudden spike in the village portion of their property tax bill. “If we’re going to put $8 million into debt service, it’s going to increase taxes for a community our size,” Gracz said. Those were some of the key points that he presented to the Village Board on Monday, when the board discussed the preliminary 2018 budget. Gracz took a new approach this year in presenting preliminary budget and tax numbers to the board. Rather than getting budget requests from the village’s five departments and then paring them down to meet
Turn to Budget/Page 5
Village of Brooklyn
Officials consider disbanding village police department Sheriff’s department would cover through contract
T h e Vi l l a g e B o a r d announced the possibility of discontinuation in a Sept. 13 letter to residents, which was posted on the village SCOTT GIRARD website Sept. 15. The letter states the board Unified Newspaper Group will hold a meeting before Vi l l a g e o f B r o o k l y n the end of this calendar officials are considering year to discuss the options whether to discontinue the and hear from the public, village’s police department and instead contract with an Turn to Police/Page 10 outside agency.
Think Outside the Pot! Fall Container Planting Workshop
20% OFF ALL
PERENNIALS!
Saturday, September 23 ♦ 2 pm - 5 pm Workshop & Planting Soil is FREE BYOC (Bring Your Own Container) or shop ours & purchase your plants here.
Hours: Sat. & Sun. 9 am-5 pm • Mon.-Fri. 9 am-6 pm • www.kopkesgreenhouse.com
adno=540134-01
Oregon native Ray Leslie co-leads five-truck relief convoy to Houston
The Village of Oregon had a higher rate of new construction last year than at any time since before the recession hit the nation about a decade ago. Partly that’s because residential buildings went up in four subdivisions. That new growth allows the village to increase its portion of the 2018 tax levy by more than $400,000. If the village were to increase the tax levy to that amount – the maximum allowed by state law – the average-value home here would pay almost $90 more in village taxes this year than last. In the past few years, village administrator Mike Gracz has worked to keep the average property tax increase under $60. Last year’s increase came to $52.40. But with the village preparing to borrow in the neighborhood of $8 million in 2019 to build a new library, trustees are looking
Net new construction