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Dear Friend, Thank you so much for taking an interest in fiscally sound planning for Fitchburg! From today through Tuesday, Nov. 26, you have a chanc
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 Here you see the North Stoner Prairie Neighborhood outlined in a red dashed line. |
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Common Council to vote on North Stoner Prairie Neighborhood Nov. 26
Whether we've met you at the polling place, at the Taste of Fitchburg, at our potluck, or at your door, you know that we are concerned about the possibility of Fitchburg bringing two more rural areas into the Urban Service Area, loading the taxpayers down with the obligation to maintain two more sets of infrastructure.
Well, a decision will probably be made on Tues., Nov. 26 at the 7:30 p.m. meeting of the Common Council, and you need to be there if you want your voice to be heard! The Common Council will be voting on whether to submit an Urban Service Area amendment application to the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission (CARPC) for the North Stoner Prairie Neighborhood (NSPN). Once this step is taken, it is very hard to stop the development process from proceeding. At the bottom of this email we give some talking points as to why developing the NSPN at this time is not in the taxpayers' interest. |
 This photo by Nadia Olker looks northward. The southern border of the NSPN is Lacy Rd., which runs just north of the brown field. You can see the V of Seminole Hwy and the bike trai. |
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Tips for Communicating with your elected representatives
We need as many Fitchburg residents as possible to show up and express their opposition to the motion. If you've never been to a Common Council meeting, don't worry, it's easy and the council is very polite and gives everyone a chance to be heard. All you do is:
1. Show up at the Fitchburg City Hall at 5520 Lacy Rd., at 7:30 p.m. on Tues., Nov. 26.
1. At the back of the room there is a counter, where you fill out a slip saying that you want to speak, or just register in favor or in opposition to agenda item # ______. (In this case, we are urging you to speak/register in opposition. Because the agenda hasn't been made yet, we don't know the item #, but you will recognize it by name because it will mention the North Stoner Prairie Neighborhood and CARPC.) If you choose not to speak, you can instead write a few sentences as to why you feel the way you do.
2. Give your slip to anyone at the semi-circular dais in front, and they will pass it to the mayor.
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 Photo by Nadia Olker |
When it's time for that agenda item, the mayor will call up people who indicated that they wanted to speak, and give them 2 or 3 minutes to speak. The Common Council can ask you questions, but you can't ask them questions. (Except rhetorical questions, in your statement.)
At the end of all the speakers, the mayor will read out loud the names and comments of all who registered. Then he will close the Public Hearing, and the council will then discuss and vote. |
 Photo by Nadia Olker |
Increase your influence by contacting your officials today
Alders and mayors are like most people: they don't change their minds instantly. If they come to a meeting determined to vote one way, it's really unusual for them to change their vote.
That's why you should contact them today, so that they have several days to mull your comments over, do some research, and ask others what they think. If they hear from a few people every day for a week, that will probably have more influence than hearing from a whole bunch of people the night of the vote.
The best situation is when they hear from many people every day for a week, and then a crowd shows up the night of the vote. That way they know you are watching, and that you will remember how they voted. |
So please, do one or more of these things today:
1. Call Mayor Pfaff and your two alders, and politely tell them how you feel on this issue, and how you want them to vote.
Click here for the webpage giving their phone numbers, addresses and emails.
If you don't know who your alders are (and the district boundaries changed a couple of years ago), click here and type in your address.
2. Email Mayor Pfaff and your two alders, or
3. Write a letter and mail it to Mayor Pfaff and your two alders.
Talking points are at the bottom of this e-newsletter. It's best to use your own words and tell your own specific reasons for why you are concerned, but these points can get you started.
Waiting for your agenda item at a council meeting can be boring, but it's better than not having a voice at all! You can bring a book, a sketch pad or some knitting to pass the time. |
Potluck report
On Oct. 27, 35 people gathered to eat, meet their neighbors, and learn about the issues facing Fitchburg residents regarding current development proposals. Fitchburg Alder Steve Arnold spoke about the issues of property taxes, EMS and fire protection, and the importance of phasing new developments in a way that is fiscally responsible. |
UW Professor Cal DeWitt gave a slide presentation about the dangers of runoff from the proposed Northeast Neighborhood development to Lake Waubesa and its wetlands, especially given our changing climate.
And Jon Becker of CRANES (Capital Region Advocacy Network for Environmental Sustainability), and a former Plan Commissioner in Traverse County, MI, spoke about the results of the recent housing study commissioned by the CARPC, which shows an increase in demand for walkable, urban neighborhoods, and a decrease in demand for large lot single family dwellings.
The crowd asked many questions, signed our petition, and learned a lot. We hope you'll come to the next potluck! |
Do you design websites?
We are looking to update and enliven our website, and we'd like to switch to Drupal, for ease of maintenance. We are looking for a qualified person who would be wiling to donate their time. Though we can't pay, we can offer letters of recommendation, and the website itself will be a resume-builder! Please contact us at westwaubesa@gmail.com if you can help! |
How you can help
Of course, the most important way for you to help is to communicate with your elected officials, but there are other ways too. One is to circulate our petition: contact us at westwaubesa@gmail.com if you are willing to ask friends and neighbors to sign. The second way is to make a donation, to help pay for our interns' stipends, mailing, and printing costs. You can send a check to WWPC, P.O. Box 259525, Madison, WI, 53725-9525. |
Thank you for caring enough about Fitchburg and its taxpayers to take action!
Yours,
Phyllis Hasbrouck
Chair of the West Waubesa Preservation Coalition
P.S. Please attend the Fitchburg Common Council meeting on Tues., Nov. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
www.westwaubesa.org
westwaubesa@gmail.org |
 Click to enlarge map showing the North Stoner Prairie Neighborhood (light blue) |
Talking Points
The taxpayers of Fitchburg deserve a break from high taxes!
The taxpayers are already committed to maintaining the infrastructure and providing urban services for two newly-opened neighborhoods, North McGaw (half of the pink section) and Uptown (formerly known as Green Tech Village/Nine Springs Neighborhood), which is in grey, just west of the light green Northeast Neighborhood.
You will be paying for police and fire protection, street sweeping and plowing, maintenance of roads, pipes, culverts, public trees, etc. Should you have to pay to maintain two more neighborhoods on top of that? Mayor Pfaff wants to bring the North Stoner Prairie Neighborhood in first, and then the Northeast Neighborhood.
If Fitchburg spreads its development into four neighborhoods instead of two, it will pay roughly double for services and maintenance, for the same amount of tax revenue from new buildings. That just doesn't make sense. |
 Click to enlarge map of vacant land already within Fitchburg's Urban Service Area. |
In a nutshell:
Opening a third area for development when we have two huge empty areas already waiting for development is bad planning and will be a burden on taxpayers. |
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