LETTER: Village Hall atmosphere has long been toxic in Newburg

To Ozaukee Press:
    With all due respect for the residents of the Village of Newburg, the tone of the day-to-day business at the Village Hall has been toxic for a very long time. The two paid employees who resigned should not be viewed as victims in this ongoing saga. One must remember that they were employed by the taxpayers of the Village of Newburg.
    I resigned as a Newburg village trustee in November 2017 due to the direction the Village Board was being led into by the former administrator and former police chief.
    Based upon my experience as a trustee and a taxpayer, the past three village budgets have reflected spending levels based on the population size of Germantown or Cedarburg. The village has had no increase in economic growth in the past five years plus.
    These budget proposals were created by the former administrator and his team of paid employees. Trustees were advised to vote in favor of this spending. They were living the dream of support by the taxpayers of the village and now the dream has ended.
    The fire department contract is only one of many debatable issues the board is required to review as elected officials. Trustee Rena Chesak did not vote on that discussed contract item. How does asking questions to obtain answers in order to make informed decisions violate a code of ethics?
    The positive outcome from this little village drama is that Village Board meetings are now being attended by the residents of Newburg. Taxpayers will now be more informed and involved in how their tax funds are being spent.
Ann Baumann
Newburg