Comments on: Opinion: Open Letter to Village Board

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:33:01 +0000

Let us all SEE, #2 says: Follow up with a brief letter including those statutes/council intentions for alley safety issues. There are (4) listed actions of sequence since you can’t get all birds with the same stone. Ignorance is no excuse; not having a Gazette is. I’m borderline stupid and it looks simple to me, but maybe that’s why it looks that way. Please don’t shoot the messenger.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:32:39 +0000

There are several people that don’t get the Gazette in town so they won’t even see the alley notice.

By: Karen Kleinschmit

Karen Kleinschmit — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:19:33 +0000

I see we don’t have comments on the water project article. There are several on this subject. Please submit comments on the proposed regional water project too!! Nothing is set in stone on the project, and the Board would like comments not anonymous from the residents. Your view point matters!
Thanks!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:45:54 +0000

The Board could have done this: 1.) Entered into the Gazette a ‘Special News’ (alleys only) covering the statutes and need for public safety
goals. 2.) Followed up with a brief letter and explanation (with abbreviated Statute)to those with related alley-clearance problems. 3.) List
options for the homeowner to follow relating to time, costs, and penalties. 4.) Follow up with a phone call to have Tim ‘inspect’ the premises for compliance. This could all be done professionally and tactfully while keeping everybody’s trust in our elected officials that they are indeed, doing a great job. I’m not sure that just telling a homeowner to ‘clean it up’ would be that effective. Best act with tasteful clout.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:02:48 +0000

Since the notices were all hand delivered, he could have communicated verbally instead.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:31:21 +0000

It would be way too hard to give everyone a verbal warning. Maybe just revise the written notice so it is not as harsh and send it in the mail.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:23:15 +0000

It was in the minutes that Tim Albrecht, Village of Wausa employee, asked the Board if they noticed that the alleys are getting overgrown. He then asked the Board if they could mail notices. He made the “list” himself and could have easily communicated verbally with all individuals and not even have to bring it up at a meeting.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 03:21:48 +0000

No doubt, these type of city government interactions are always testy and it may be a simple case of misunderstanding or misdirections
on their part. I’m sure there are ‘clearance’ guidelines/statutes they must use in order to create a ‘notice’ to the homeowner’s property infringement. However, using a blatant or threatening type of residential hyjacking is totally uncalled for. We were downwind of another similar notice that caused infuriation to the homeowner like we never have seen before.
Sometimes this is a simple case of too many
“big fish in a little pond” syndrome, and for others, a simple lack of tact. Either way, the community LEADERS need to be that, and not nomatic henchmen in search of another trophy. Let’s all hope they revamp their methods to enlighten and keep the peace. If they don’t, serving for another term could be in jeopardy.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 03:14:24 +0000

I wholeheartedly agree. I too received this notice about branches obstructing the alley and promptly trimmed the few branches that were supposedly such an abomination. The letter lacked any courtesy, was harshly written, and rude. When I read it I felt like I was living in New York City and there was complaint about a meth lab in my back yard… instead of a few straggly branches in an alley of a little town.