VILAS COUNTY NEEDS YOUR HELP

Vilas County is 2 million dollars in debt. As a way to reduce the County Budget, the Vilas County Board of Supervisors is proposing to offer Golden Parachutes to employees who volunteer to quit or retire early. The awards given out will range from $10,000 to $55,000 per employee, paid out in a lump sum. Employees will still be eligible to collect unemployment. All accrued, unused vacation and sick time will also be paid out.

As an example: an employee with just 5 years in service on December 31, 2012, earning $35,000/year will be eligible for a lump sum payment of 50% of his/her annual salary, calculated to be $17,500. The total of these Golden Parachute payouts is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Note: A comment on the resolution papers states: This policy will allow some employees who are looking to leave an easier and expedited transition plan to their next career or retirement.

Please ask these questions:1) If Vilas County is 2 million dollars in debt, why aren't these employees simply being let go, as in the private sector?
2) These employees are being paid with our tax dollars - how many taxpayers do you know that have lost their jobs? Did they get a golden parachute?
3) Isn't Unemployment Insurance supposed to provide the "easier and expedited transition to their next career or retirement"?

4) Did the Finance and Personnel Committees discuss transferring the expense of insurance and pension from the County to the employee as a way to reduce expenses?
5) Did they discuss pay cuts for all employees?

Another note on the resolution papers says this: "This benefit could create goodwill for the county in converse to other more difficult and possibly more harmful staffing decisions." Really? How many thousands of our tax dollars are our County Board Supervisors willing to pay out to create goodwill for themselves instead of making the tough decisions we hired them for? Is it because a number of them have relatives that are employees of the county perhaps?

Please join us in standing up for the taxpayers of Vilas County. Please call your Vilas County Supervisor (listed below) and ask where they stand on this issue. Tell him or her that you are against VILAS COUNTY RESOLUTION 2012-96, regarding the Voluntary Reduction in Force (RIF), and that you expect your elected Supervisor to stand with you, the taxpayer, and exhibit fiscal responsibility, not put us deeper in the hole to create goodwill for themselves. Tell them they should be letting people go if we can't afford to pay them, just as the real world does. Taxpayers should not be paying employees to leave.

The following PERSONNEL COMMITTEE members signed this resolution:
Linda Thorp, Chair, James Behling, Ed Bluthardt, Lorin Johnson, Sig Hjemvick

The following FINANCE COMMITTEE members signed this resolution:

Ed Bluthardt, Jim Behling, Linda Thorp

Names and phone numbers of the committee members are listed below. Please call the one in your district prior to Tuesday, September 18^th when the Vilas County Board meets next Tuesday at 9 am, 9/18/2012, at the Court House in Eagle River WI to vote on this resolution.

Please send a quick e-mail to Kim Simac at bk951@frontier.com so we can tally responses to ensure we contact all Board members.

Thank you for your support in this matter vital to the health and well-being of Vilas County.
Use the Map to locate your district and board member – http://www.co.vilas.wi.us/board.html

Vilas County Board Members:

1. Ralph Sitzberger 547-1141

6258 Hwy S, Land O’Lakes, WI 54540

2. Chuck Hayes 686-7257

12364 Carlin Lake Dr, Presque Isle 54557

3. Charles Rayala, Jr. 543-8300

PO Box 226, Manitowish Waters, WI 54545-0226

4. Dennis Nielsen 542-2234

8807 Kurtzweil Rd, Sayner, WI 54560

5. Emil Bakka 356-2463

2528 Rux Rd, Arbor Vitae, WI 54568

6. Erv Teichmiller 356-9219

1273 E Harbor Dr, Arbor Vitae, WI 54568

7. Ronald De Bruyne 356-2222

1147 Johnson Creek Rd, Arbor Vitae, WI 54568-9114

8. Christopher Mayer 892-1121

14465 Hwy 70 W, Lac du Flambeau, WI 54538

9. Mary Kim Black 588-7554

12541 Grouse Lane, Lac du Flambeau 54538

10. Alden Bauman 588-3708

PO Box 92, Lac du Flambeau, WI 54538-0092

11. Mark M. Rogacki 542-3444

8475 Hillcrest Lane, St. Germain 54558

12. Gary W. Peske 891-3629

1715 Lilac Drive, St. Germain 54558

13. Stephen Favorite 477-2860

1326 Sunset Ln, Eagle River, WI 54521

14. Maynard Bedish 479-5486

3870 Columbus Rd, Eagle River, WI 54521

15. Sig Hjemvick 545-4014

5390 Sugar Maple Rd, Phelps, WI 54554

16. Lorin Johnson 545-4058

2266 Strong Road, Phelps 54554

17. James Behling 479-2343

3936 Hwy 17 N, Eagle River, WI 54521

18. Leon Kukanich 479-3301

2116 Boot Lake Rd, Eagle River, WI 54521

19. Linda L. Thorpe 479-9421

PO Box 712, Eagle River, WI 54521-0712

20. Edward Bluthardt, Jr. 479-8898

1447 Everett Rd, Eagle River, WI 54521

21. Kathleen Rushlow 479-4053

5267 Hwy 70W, Eagle River, WI 54521

Northwoods Patriots - Standing up for Faith, Family, Country - northwoodspatriotscomm@gmail.com