Monona at a Crossroads: Time for Change, Not Just Cuts

Rumors and stress are running high in Monona with the referendum decision looming. I've been hearing from a lot of you, many who are fearful of what their future may hold if they cannot pay their taxes if the referendum passes. They know there is no where for them to go in this area due to the housing crisis we are in. Others have shared that they want Monona to continue providing gold standard service and are in the fortunate position to afford it even if it's not sustainable for the City to continue on this path. They are thinking about their own comfort level and have the "too bad" mentality toward the lower income homeowners who may end up displaced.

We are a democracy and being able to speak out and share our differing opinions is our birthright. When a person disagrees with you, it doesn't make them a 'bad person.' It makes them a person with a different perspective than yours. I hope we can all use this turbulent time to practice understanding others who think and believe differently than ourselves because of their lived experiences. Let's have some compassion for those who are struggling.

If you watched the City's public information forum on YouTube from October 23rd, you heard an elderly man, visibly and audibly upset as he took the mic. He held back tears as he shakily explained that the passing of the referendum would mean he and his wife would likely become homeless. I have heard this from some of my elderly neighbors as well. It keeps running through my mind.

The other thing I noticed in that session is that city leaders have a fixed mindset--a mindset that is fixed on making cuts to services as the only way out. They didn't discuss plans to make the structural changes needed to sustain what they've created. We heard a lot of blaming of the legislature which is true but it doesn't help solve the issues. We didn't hear about finding other areas of revenue like selling off unused assets. The home next door to City Hall that the city purchased and is sitting vacant, the unused lot on Monona Drive next to North Shore Pizza (great food by the way), the vacant lot across from Schluter Beach are all unused assets. Why aren't these being discussed? San Damiano was mentioned but no plans were shared on how the $20,000 in interest residents are paying each month can be addressed.

We did hear a little about the city's new daycare business and I'll admit, it scared the heck out of me. The plan is to rent Maywood School from the school district for $5,000/month for a five year term. I read the lease agreement and it is very generous from the school district; it was written before their financial crisis was made public. Raise your hand if you would risk opening a daycare in today's climate of workforce shortages?

Opening any business is risky but daycares (not in-home) are a broken business model due to the difficulties in attracting and retaining staff as well as the large expenditures needed to run a daycare. Just imagine the costs associated with disinfecting all of the items in the building, standard janitorial services, food service, costs to recruit staff, wages, benefits, modifications to the building, purchasing furnishings, additional insurance, property maintenance--these are just a few of the factors that come to mind. Currently, child care advocates are lobbying the state to provide subsidies for private daycare businesses so they can keep their doors open. Systemic issues are one of the reasons daycares are closing; they have been operating in the red for the past two years due to the expiration of federal grants and are in need of more public subsidies.

Scenario planning is something I do with organizations I lead. So let's embark together on a little scenario planning to consider the risks involved with opening a daycare at a time of a child care crisis AND when the city is struggling to operate. Let's imagine that the city contracts with 40 families to provide their child care needs so both parents can work. But now it's a struggle to adequately staff the operation because daycare workers are among the lowest paid workers in the country. So they have to cut 10 families who will now have to find other options. If you've tried to find daycare in the past decade, you know that can literally take up to two years. How will that impact their employment? How much more will the city have to pay in recruiting efforts and increased wages and benefits to attract and retain staff?

What if there's a pandemic and the daycare has to close for a short time? Is the school district in a financial position to forgive the lease payments? Unlikely. The city will remain on the hook for an additional $60,000/year in rent. I searched for the business plan on the city's website but couldn't find one.

What if something goes wrong and there's a lawsuit? I have always said the one business I would never be involved in is a daycare because you are in the business of dealing with peoples' families and those they hold most precious. It's an incredibly complicated operation that is rife with conflict, contagious diseases, need for heavy staffing, etc. At the public information forum, we heard how park staff are working overtime regularly, so who will be managing the daycare and how many people will be hired? This will undoubtedly be a costly endeavor to build and a drain on the city's resources. Is this moving us in the right direction? City leaders will say it will be a big source of revenue but who in these discussions has ever owned or operated a private daycare business before? They are basing this statement on financial projections, those are guesses. I don't know about you but I prefer to keep my gambling at the casino.

Now let's take a slightly different direction and consider the scenario that a certain candidate is elected president and he implements tariffs on all imported goods. Some economists are saying there will be runaway inflation and higher costs of living than we've ever seen. And now we will have a permanent tax increase when our assessed values are already surpassing the rate of inflation. Gulp.

Putting this referendum forward during a time of high cost of living, never before seen increases in our property assessments, in the midst of a housing crisis, and at the same time as the most important election of our lives is seriously questionable. Instead of doing the hard work needed, elected officials are instead continuing to kick the can down the road. If the referendum passes, we'll be back in this predicament in three years and will probably have new council members and a new mayor who will be in a worse position than if the structural changes had been addressed now, or better yet, five years ago when financial sustainability concerns were being discussed.

One low hanging apple in reducing staffing is less mowing in our parks. Mowing just walking trails in some parks could help. Mowing is time consuming and the wear and tear on the mowers is costly. Create a friends group for Winnequah Park so the friends can support the space they love and care for. It's a great way to build community through a beloved space while empowering people to help reduce the responsibilities expected of staff. This system works wonderfully for Dane County Parks.

Robust community engagement should take place to determine what services are dialed back, what assets are sold off to raise funds, what user fees can be increased, what programs are well-positioned for private public partnerships, and how the city can reduce staffing. Avoiding the "Can-Kicking" mentality by making decisions with long-term sustainability in mind.

We are still a democracy and there are a lot of people who love Monona, have a vast array of talents, and would help in a moments notice if needed. Remember when the Community Festival called for volunteers? The volunteer floodgates opened--I saw it firsthand because I was one of them.

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In other election news, Wisconsin State Journal just endorsed Dana Pellabon for Dane County Executive. It's a very challenging time to lead an organization. Experience, knowledge, partnerships, and an authentic desire to be a public servant should be strongly considered when casting your vote for our next Executive.

“But after meeting in person with both candidates to discuss their accomplishments and priorities, we’re urging voters to consider Pellebon’s strong skillset and passion for the job. She offers far more specifics about what she wants to do. She cites more front-line experience interacting with county government as a nonprofit leader and former property manager over three decades. She seems to have a better handle on the county’s challenges and opportunities, and she made a big impact on the County Board in just two years.

“The Wisconsin State Journal editorial board endorses Pellebon’s long-shot bid for county executive in the Nov. 5 election.”

Here is the link: https://madison.com/opinion/editorial/our-endorsement-dana-pellebon-is-the-change-agent-dane-county-needs/article_4f53edb6-92c6-11ef-990b-672d8b003504.html

If you hit a paywall, copy the link into this website: https://12ft.io/

Below is a link from Wisconsin Eye of a recent candidate forum held at my Rotary Club. 30 minutes of your time and you’ll see a stark difference between candidates. You will have to set up an account to watch by entering an email but you can opt out of all emails.

https://wiseye.org/2024/10/16/campaign-2024-rotary-club-of-madison-dane-county-executive-candidate-forum/