Tuesday, April 23, 2013
For the 25th consecutive year Waukesha County receives the highest possible rating from Investor Services.
Waukesha County has been awarded triple-A bond ratings, which may help lower borrowing costs and taxes in the county. This is the highest rating possible given by Investors Service and Fitch Rating. In their bond rating report, Fitch Ratings highlighted Waukesha County’s strong fiscal management and diverse tax base, according to a release. “Prudent fiscal policies and budgetary conservatism have resulted in positive financial results,” Fitch Ratings highlighted in their report. Moody’s Investors Service said in their report that Waukesha County is in a strong financial position due to conservative budgeting practices. The report said, “we expect the County’s financial position to remain strong due to a history of conservative budgeting…
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Dan Vrakas shares his Christmas message with the community.
Editor’s Note: The following opinion column was written by Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas. Waukesha County is an outstanding place to live, work, raise a family and enjoy an active retirement, and I am so proud of our great County. We have much to celebrate in Waukesha County, and the holidays are an important time to celebrate and remember the courageous men and women serving our country in the military, both domestically and abroad, who are unable to share the holidays with their families. As you gather around the table with your families at your own holiday celebration, be sure to think of and thank the many Americans working to protect our freedom. Also, the holidays are an important time to remember that there are many in our …
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Not only is voting a right extended to us as Americans, it is also a civic responsibility that should be taken seriously.
Editor's Note: The following column was written by Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas. Tuesday, Nov. 6, is Election Day across the country, and in Waukesha County we have a number of very important elections, not only for president, but other federal and state offices. Not only is voting a right extended to us as Americans, it is also a civic responsibility that should be taken seriously. On Tuesday, you will be asked to make some very important decisions that will affect the future of this country. I encourage you to research the candidates and make an informed decision at the ballots. Waukesha County plays a very important role in elections. The county prepares and distributes the ballots and supplies, programs election equipment, …
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Dan Vrakas delves into Waukesha County budget, which is expected to lower taxes on the median-valued home.
Editor's Note: The following column was written by Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas. Last month, I introduced my executive budget to the Waukesha County Board of Supervisors. I am extremely proud of this budget, which reduces spending and county taxes on a median-valued home. In many ways, this accomplishment is due to Waukesha County’s commitment to seeking partnerships to increase efficiency. In the past two years, Waukesha County has saved local municipalities more than $2 million through partnerships and collaborations. Providing consolidated emergency dispatch services, signing municipal contracts for police patrols, and working together on highway and other projects have contributed to this savings. Some key partnerships in next …
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
While County Executive Dan Vrakas' budget calls for an overall increase in levy, county property taxes for a typical home should decrease by about $2.
Waukesha County's property tax levy would increase slightly, but the tax bill for a median home would decline under the 2013 budget proposed by County Executive Dan Vrakas Tuesday. The proposed $273.7 million budget cuts overall spending by 3.8 percent or $10.9 million from the 2012 budget. The total property taxes being collected, however, would increase by 0.8 percent — from $100.9 million in 2012 to $101.7 million. However, because home values have fallen by 4.85 percent from 2011 to 2012, the property tax rate would increase from $1.96 to $2.11 per $1,000 of equalized value, under the proposed budget. The median home value in the 2012 budget was $255,642, which was taxed $514 in that budget. The median home value in Waukesha County is…
Monday, September 3, 2012
Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas shares how Waukesha County has grown during the past decade and become a top county in Wisconsin.
As county executive, I have the honor and privilege of speaking to many different groups throughout the County. Whenever I am speaking to one of these groups, I tell them that Waukesha County is a powerhouse and this couldn’t be more true. Waukesha County is the third largest county in population, and the second fastest-growing county in Southeastern Wisconsin. We are the lowest per capita spending county in the state and second in value. We are one of only a handful of AAA/aaa bond rated counties in the United States. In the last 50 years the population of Waukesha County has nearly doubled, and from the year 2000 to 2010, Waukesha County added about 30,000 residents. That is the equivalent of adding a city nearly the size of Menomonee …
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Completion of the project in 2013 is part of the capital budget for the county, and represents a portion of $37 million spent on roads in Muskego.
County Executive Dan Vrakas announced in a release that Waukesha County will complete construction of the second and final phase of Janesville Road in the City of Muskego next year. Construction of the second phase, from Lannon Drive to Racine Avenue, is expected to begin in the spring of 2013. Also included in the 2013 Capital Plan are dollars allocated for the completion of the first phase of the project from Moorland Road to Lannon Drive. The first phase of the road is expected to open by the end of the year, and recent estimates from the city have that date as early as the end of October. “Janesville Road, which is right in the heart of the City, is critical for economic development and public safety,” Vrakas stated. “This project …
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
County Executive Dan Vrakas consulted with Kathleen Novack, who is the Republican in the clerk's race in November, which has Democrats crying foul.
A state Democratic party official is asking the Waukesha County Chairman to explain why he consulted with the GOP County Clerk candidate, but not the Democrat, when proposing to purchase new election equipment. JSOnline.com reported that County Chairman Dan Vrakas had included a $70,000 capital expenditure in the 2013 budget after discussing it with Kathleen Novack, the Republican nominee for county clerk, according to Vrakas chief of staff Shawn Lundie. Democrat Jessie Read, her opponent in the November general election, was not similarly contacted, however, JSOnline.com reported. A letter sent to Lundie from Jeff Christensen, Decmocratic chairman of Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District, explained that he was "strongly disappointed" …
The project, which originally was budgeted for $36.7 million, received favorable bids, according to Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas.
The new Waukesha County Health and Human Services building on the Moor Downs Golf Course is coming in under budget, according to Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas. Construction on the building started this spring, and is currently coming in at $1.5 million under budget. The original budget for the project was $36.7 million. Waukesha County received favorable bids for the HHS Building both last year and this year and was able to coordinate and procure materials allowing for a strong construction start this spring, states the news release. The $35.2 million building is expected to be completed by the end of 2013. “The beautiful, highly efficient new building will truly be a gem in Waukesha County,” Vrakas said. “The work that will be …
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Capital funding would "increase efficiency, accuracy and timeliness of vote reporting," Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas says.
Waukesha County should budget funds next year to study and potentially upgrade its election equipment, Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas said Tuesday. Vrakas included $70,000 in the capital budget he plans to introduce Friday, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report. Vrakas said in a press release that he wants to study ways to better automate election results and avoid manual counting by municipalities. "Waukesha County is a rapidly growing County and in recent years the number of reporting units in the County has increased," Vrakas said. "This, coupled with the collecting, tallying and reporting vote totals, have made the process cumbersome. The goal is to automate and streamline the system as much as possible to prevent …
Jeff Miller
1:56 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Great job Waukesha County! Keep it up! Hopefully other municipalities will take note. more ›