Franklin School Board sets the bar for Dysfunctional Government

As we previously reported Franklin Teachers made up the majority of the audience at the July 20 school board meeting and that during Citizen Comments school board president Debbie Larson allowed Franklin teachers to comment on agenda item 9. a. Board Discussion, [health] insurance bidding process. Fear of the unknown and satisfaction with the status quo seemed to be the motivating factor behind most of the comments.  After listening to several teachers, Larson assured these Franklin Teacher’s that the Board and the District would get their input in making the decision.  Didn’t Governor Walker’s Act 10 do away with public sector union collective bargaining?  Meeting with teachers to discuss possibly changing health insurance carriers is ridiculous and smacks of quasi-collective bargaining.  For those of you working in the real world, private sector, how many times have you participated in choosing your employer’s employee health insurance program?  Mars Larson and the school board will open a Pandora’s Box if they open this process up for employee input.  This matter is solely the job of the school board—NOT SOME hybrid collection of teachers and school board members.

Conflict of Interest?

Debbie Larson’s school distinct website bio includes the following statement:

"Being a board member is important to me because I have dedicated my adult life to education. I am a life long learner and a teacher. (Emphasis added).  I believe I bring a different perspective to the table as both an educator and a parent. With five children, one of which has graduated and four that are currently enrolled in the district, I only want a world class education for not only my children, but our entire community. This is why I work as a board member."

Consulting Firm to be Hired

During the Board’s discussion on employee health insurance, Human Resources Director, Judith Mueller reported to board members that the District will be working with The Horton Group, an employee benefits consulting firm on the employee health insurance question and expected to have a change in place by this time (July) next year.

According to its website The Horton Group began in 1971 as a single location, eight-person insurance agency in Orland Park, Illinois. Today, Horton is a large, broker that delivers complex solutions to thousands of customers. The company currently features seven offices in four states.  Not only is Horton an employee benefits consulting firm,  it also happens to be one of the largest, privately owned insurance brokers in the Midwest and is among the Top 60 in the U.S.  How convenient.

Consulting Firm to be Hired

During the Board’s discussion on employee health insurance, Human Resources Director, Judith Mueller reported to board members that the District will be working with The Horton Group, an employee benefits consulting firm on the employee health insurance question and expected to have a change in place by this time (July) next year.

According to its website The Horton Group began in 1971 as a single location, eight-person insurance agency in Orland Park, Illinois. Today, Horton is a large, broker that delivers complex solutions to thousands of customers. The company currently features seven offices in four states. Not only is Horton an employee benefits consulting firm, it also happens to be one of the largest, privately owned insurance brokers in the Midwest and is among the Top 60 in the U.S. How convenient.

How Much For Horton?

During the meeting school board member Janet Evans eventually pried a "ball park figure of $10,000-$20,000 out of Business Manager, Jim Milzer. Milzer added that Horton generally saved its clients five times its fee. Not one board member asked Milzer for evidence of this claim. Does the District really need to spend up to $20,000 or moreof taxpayer's dollars for a consulting firm (who also sells health insurance), to find the best health insurance plan for its employees? We don't believe so.

What is included in a Human Resources Director’s job Description?

According to one source, compensation and benefits administration falls under the Human Resources Director’s job description. As we recently reported Franklin Public Schools’ Human Resources Director, Judith Mueller was paid $142,487 in salary and benefits in 2007, $172,036 in 2008, $182,714 in 2009 and 2010, and is scheduled for the same in 2011. The question is: Why isn’t Judith Mueller doing all the leg-work to obtain RFPs(Request for proposals) from health insurance providers, and why, according to Mueller will the process take one year to accomplish.

During the meeting new Board member Tim Nielson questioned the length of time Mueller proposed for this change, suggesting that it could be accomplished much sooner, thereby saving taxpayer dollars sooner than later.

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$3.1 million Paid to Top Franklin School Administrators Over Past Five Years

"We are returning to frugality and making the long-term decisions to balance our budget now and more importantly into the future. We will do the heavy lifting to protect our children and grandchildren from having to make the hard decisions that were once avoided."

—Gov. Scott Walker, March 1, 2011

In its 2011-12 Budget Draft Franklin Public Schools (FPS) asks: What in the World is Affecting Franklin Public Schools?  Here are the answers provided by FPS’ administration.

• The Economy
• State Budget Problems
• Possible State Law Changes
• Revenue Limits
• More Federal money means more time spent reporting

Like any government monopoly, over-spending didn’t even make the list.

"Since our primary purpose is to be advocates[And I thought the school district's primary purpose was to educate] for the students in our community, it is imperative that we place some of the best teachers in our state in front of our students for a quality educational experience to occur.”

—Steve Patz, Superintendent, Franklin Public Schools, FPS2011-12 Budget introduction : Looking Back, and Forward

In his July 5 story entitled: Franklin schools tackle challenging budget by FranklinNOW’s Rick Romano we get a good sense for what some Franklin School District administrators and school board members think of the 2011-12 Franklin Public Schools (FPS) budget and budgeting process in light of Governor Scott Walker’s two-year $66 billion state budget deal designed to balance the state’s budget and close the $3.5 billion budget gap without raising taxes or fees, while reining-in local government’s taxation and spending. (e.g. public school boards and municipalities).

From Romano’s piece:

Quoting Franklin’s complaining Superintendent Steve Patz, Romano writes “Every school district is different, but we all face difficulty that has been complicated by the state budget process this year.  Just like in every year, we approve a budget and then wait until we have the final student count in October to finalize the numbers."

How did our neighbors in New Berlin react to Walker’s budget?

Romano also reported that Patz pointed to the new environment for teachers as well and that Patz and Human Resources Director Judith Mueller this spring visited teachers to discuss the collective-bargaining issue and to get input regarding budget ideas.  As readers may already know, Wisconsin’s collective bargaining laws were stripped from certain public sector unions, including the teacher’s union with the signing of Act 10 (Budget Repair Bill) and Act 32.

While we’re on the subject of pay, THE FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL conducted a five-year review of the top four Franklin School District Administrators’ salaries and benefits and found that from 2007—2011 taxpayers paid these four individuals a total of compensation of $3,148,441 (salary and benefits).

Using school and staff salary data submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction by the school districts, we collected salary and benefit data for the top paid (4) administrators; District Administrator, Steve Patz, Business Manager, Jim Milzer, Central Office Administrator, Judith Mueller and Central Office Administrator, Michael Zellmer.  Here are the total annual salary and benefits breakdown paid each of theses administrators between 2007-2011.

2007

District Administrator, Bill Szakacs*: $152,474

Business Manager, Jim Milzer: $169,489

Human Resources Director, Judy Mueller: $142,487

Central Office Administrator, Michael Zellmer: $109,065

2008

District Administrator, Steve Patz: $224,700

Business Manager, Jim Milzer: $188,979

Human Resources Director, Judy Mueller: $172,036

Central Office Administrator, Michael Zellmer: $132,720

2009

District Administrator, Steve Patz: $236,573

Business Manager, Jim Milzer: $200,707

Central Office Administrator, Judy Mueller: $182,714

Central Office Administrator, Michael Zellmer: $140,956

2010

District Administrator, Steve Patz: $236,573

Business Manager, Jim Milzer: $200,707

Human Resources Director, Judith Mueller: $182,714

Central Office Administrator, Michael Zellmer: $140,956

2011

District Administrator, Steve Patz: $221,075

Business Manager, Jim Milzer: $200,707

Human Resources Director, Judy Mueller: $182,714

Central Office Administrator, Michael Zellmer: $140,956

So much for "shared prosperity and shared responsibility” wit this crew.

*Szakacs’ contract was fired in 2007. Cost to taxpayers is unknown.  I was told by the a former school board member at the time, that the District spent approximately $30,000 with an executive search firm to find Patz; Szakacs’ successor. 

By July of 2010, Patz was looking for “greener pastures” in the Wausau School District.  His total pro-rated salary and benefits in 2010 with FPS was $236,573.

•  I Meant What I Said, And I Said What I Meant
• FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL (FIJ) Stories related to FPS 2011-12 Budget

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Who are you going to believe, me or my lying mouth?

I apologize in advance if my bluntness offends any readers, but I am sick and tired of being exploited, deceived and lied to by local government officials, through their distorted understanding of words in the English language, especially from those who are elected.

Our mayor and certain Aldermen have taken this politically accepted form of lying to a new level; becoming masters of deception with their twisting of words.  The more we allow them to go unchallenged the more we can expect them to continue to deceive us with their double-talk.  Personally I find this practice very condescending.

The latest example of this politically accepted form of lying would have Franklin voters believe that the City was exercising Succession Planning when it received a memo from Cal Patterson, Franklin’s Director of Finance and Treasurer, offering his version of a “succession plan” should and when, he decides to retire from his position with the City.

To be clear, follows is the generally accepted definition of succession planning:

Succession Planning is a process that identifies and developments potential successors for key positions in an organization, through a systematic evaluation process and training. Unlike replacement planning (which grades an individual solely on the basis of his or her past performance) succession planning is largely predictive in judging an individual for a position he or she might never have been in.

Effective, proactive succession planning leaves an organization well prepared for growth, the loss of a key employee, filling a new job, employee promotions, and organizational redesign for opportunities. Successful succession planning builds bench strength.

The self-inflicted, ridiculously time-consuming, "Patterson dilemma" presently facing the City demonstrates none of the qualities of proactive succession planning as defined above and more closely resembles typical replacement hiring with the real possibility of quickly becoming crises hiring, were Cal Patterson to retire today.

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Is it too good to be true?

In keeping with our commitment to our readers, THE FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL will hold elected officials and bureaucrats accountable for any misinformation they present, especially in the numbers and statistics they arbitrarily express to voters and the general public, since nobody else will. In the city of Franklin, there appears to be a pattern, especially when it comes to Mayor Tom Taylor, to pitch numbers in an attempt to make himself and his administration appear successful and effective.

The  latest examples occurred when THE FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL made a request for supporting documents pertaining to numbers and statistics for the Ryan Creek Interceptor Sewer Project, along with a campaign ad which appeared on FranklinNOW.

In the first example we were skeptical of how a $31 million sewer investment could create a "building boom" and add more than, $1.2 billion to the city's property tax base as Mayor Taylor had confidently forecasted in a September 26, 2010, JSOnline article and continues to push forward without providing documentation.

Mayor Taylor is telling the taxpayers that the city of Franklin, not the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), will put in a sewer called the Ryan Creek Interceptor Sewer in the southwest portion of the city at a cost of $31 million. Then, several years later, the city will sell this used sewer system to MMSD for $41 million, a “profit” of $10 million. In the meantime, Franklin will generate $1.2 billion in property tax revenue.  Sounds too good to be true? It is. Wake up, throw some cold water on your face…pat your face and tell yourself, "I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming." If that doesn't work, take a cold shower. The reality is nobody knows what the total cost of this project is and nobody knows exactly how much tax dollars will be generated. It's a gamble. That's why for the past seven-years, Franklin has been a stagnant city. Too much hodge-podge development being pushed by local private developers trying to place sewer in front of property they own so they can generate a profit at taxpayers expense. In 2010, the total anticipated tax revenue generated from the entire City of Franklin taxes is only $27 million.  Why tell taxpayers this project is going to generate $1.2 billion? That number is being misrepresented by the Mayor.  Also, people who have no sewer now will be incorporated into MMSD boundaries.   Once incorporated into MMSD boundaries, the likelihood is that people who have no sewer service will be taxed for sewer along with capital improvements for sewer.

Keep in mind, once the Ryan Creek Interceptor Sewer is in the ground, the city will have to create a Tax Incremental Finance (TIF) District, and that's after they define the TIF boundaries. Within those boundaries they will then take property from the land owners; obviously, against their will. A nasty term, “eminent domain” will  surface and once that's done, the city will have to put in infrastructures, such as sewer laterals, water, electric, roads, curbs, gutters, hire new employees, purchase new equipment, etc. Once this is done, the city will find someone to market and sell the land. In the meantime, they'll wait to see what prospective buyers they will get to purchase the land and what kinds of tax dollars they will generate. This is occurring near the landfill that has its own problems like odor, increased garbage, the expansion of the landfill, etc. Keep in mind, if you had a new business and could build your structure anywhere, would your first option be next to a landfill with its problems?

The city has not done any recent studies on any of this, nor do they have any current data to support these expenditures or revenue.  What the Mayor relies on are two reports titled the Ticknor Report and the Franklin First.  These reports contained numerous problems and left many unanswered questions. These reports were issued over a decade ago and a lot has changed since then. It seems that Mayor Taylor is trying to make a legacy for himself at the expense of taxpayers. We would think that our elected officials would rely on recent data and statistics rather than generalization and numbers they can't justify in order to make this type of investment. THE FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL has requested verification of costs analysis of the total Ryan Creek Interceptor Project and has discovered that none exist.

Mayor Taylor claimed that he thought the numbers he used to promote his $1.2 billion "winfall" to the city's property tax base came from someone at a public hearing and actually asked THE FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL to listen to a tape of the hearing to locate the information.

The point is; the people should be given facts; supported by good, solid evidence, not political hyperbole. One of the reasons Franklin has become a stagnant city is that its leadership often likes to pat itself on the back by using inaccurate, outdated, exaggerated figures and statistics to make their case that, "Franklin is a great City with an excellent quality of life."

In the latest round of number games perpetrated by the Mayor (2011 campaign literature), is his claim that under his watch Franklin has gained 5,000 jobs He does not talk about the jobs that have been lost or the empty buildings that sit idle in the city, causing an eerie, uneasy feeling to exist, or how he plans to fix it. Businesses take note of these things. Everyone, but apparently not our elected officials, understands that to have an accurate picture of the number of jobs gained you also must offset that by jobs lost, to arrive at a true number.

For years Franklin officials have been bragging about how well the City is doing economically and how great its business park is, but yet we just lost one of its most well known anchors; Harley-Davidson, and nothing is said. If the Taylor administration is going to take credit for the good, it must also take responsibility for the not so good. Our Mayor continues to mislead citizens by painting a rosy picture of Franklin.?

Remember: Politicians don’t get elected on the basis of results, they get elected on the impressions they give.