News

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the city on October 19.

The City of Whitewater Common Council announces three finalists for the position of City Manager.

The finalists are James “Jim” Palenick, David R. Porter and John S. Weidl.

Jim Palenick is the former City Manager for Middletown, Ohio and resides in Middletown. Jim has over 34 years of
experience in service to local government as a City Manager/Chief Administrative Officer including Middletown, City
Administrator for the City of Racine, Wisconsin; Director of Economic & Business Development in the City of Fayetteville,
North Carolina; Interim & Town Manager, Town of Dallas, North Carolina; City Manager for the City of Gastonia, North
Carolina; City Manager for the City of Rio Rancho, New Mexico; City Manager for the City of Bay City, Michigan; City
Manager for the City of Dowagiac, Michigan; and Village Manager for the Village of Dexter, Michigan. Jim graduated with
Honors from Western Michigan University with an MPA degree; Summa Cum Laude with a BS Degree in Public
Administration from Western Michigan; and an AAS degree from Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

David Porter is the Village Administrator of Winneconne, Wisconsin and resides in Winneconne, Wisconsin. David has
previously been the Management Analyst and Interim HR Manager for the Town of Wayland in Wayland, Massachusetts;
Co-Founder and Consultant to Trisector Advisors in Brookline, Massachusetts; Senior Researcher for the Center for
Public Leadership in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Program Manager for EDX, Inc. in Cambridge Massachusetts; Advisor
and Project Manager for The Readiness Project in Washington D.C.; Legal Assistant for Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP
in Washington D.C.; and a Consultant for Bancroft Associates, PLLC, in Washington DC. David graduated Cum Laude
from Harvard College with an Artium Baccalaureus in History with a certificate in Latin American Studies and a Citation in
Spanish Language. David holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard Kennedy School.

John Weidl is the current Interim City Manager of the City of Whitewater and also a Town Supervisor for the Township of
Lafayette, Wisconsin; residing in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. He has previously held the position of Village Administrator/Director
of Economic Development, Mukwonago, Wisconsin; City Administrator/Clerk/Treasurer and Director of Public Works for
the City of Princeton, Wisconsin; and Office of the Administrator for the Village of Lake Zurich, Illinois. He has been a
Leadership Counselor for the Edward YMCA Camp in East Troy, Wisconsin and a Team Leader, Customer Service
Director and Database Manager for the U.S. Air Force. John is a decorated United States Air Force (USAF) Combat
Veteran with tours of duty in Europe and Middle East, including joint combat service with the United States Army. John
holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political
Science/European History, also from Northern Illinois University.

Interviews for the three candidates will take place Friday, October 21, 2022. A community reception and “Meet and Greet”
for the finalists will be held at the City of Whitewater Municipal Building located at 312 W. Whitewater Street from 5 p.m. to
6:30 p.m. on the first floor Community Room, Friday evening. This Meet and Greet is open to the public and citizens are
encouraged to attend and extend a warm welcome to each candidate. The common council will also hold interviews with
the candidates and deliberate on Saturday, October 22, 2022.

Editor’s note: John Weidl, Interim City Manager of the city of Whitewater, issued the following statement to the Whitewater Banner on October 18. The references to “net property tax reductions” are inclusive of the projected taxes for all entities: city, school district, county, and technical district.

“On the November 8, 2022 ballot, City of Whitewater residents will be asked whether they support two
separate referendums, one being the Whitewater Unified School District’s referendum and the other
being the City’s ask for a $1.1M property tax increase to fund EMS staffing and equipment investments.
If the referendums pass, most taxpayers will see a net reduction in tax bills thanks in large part to $75
million of growth in the City’s tax base.

If the referendums pass, the majority of Walworth County property owners can expect to see an
estimated $202 reduction in net annual property taxes per $100,000 assessed value and the majority of
Jefferson County property owners can expect to see a $242 reduction in net annual property taxes per
$100,000 assessed value. In addition to these net property tax reductions, residents will have access to
a sustainable, fully staffed, in-station EMS response and an equipment reserve for fire and EMS capital
investments.

While it is true that the net property tax decrease would be higher for residents if the City’s referendum
does not pass, but the school district’s does – $372 per $100,000 assessed value for Walworth County
and $411 per $100,000 assessed value for Jefferson County – it would not be without cost in terms of
significant reduction in services.

Without the sustainable funding source made available through additional property taxes, EMS
response times would dramatically increase as EMS would be reduced to one ambulance. Additionally,
the City would have to continue borrowing – at high interest rates – to purchase necessary fire and EMS
equipment. It is likely a waste / recycling fee would be enacted to increase the general fund’s ability to
cover the costs of base-level on-site EMS staffing. It is important to note that even with a waste /
recycling fee enacted, to maintain even a base level of EMS services, cuts to the City’s general
operating budget would be necessary, which would impact things like road maintenance and
improvements.

A yes vote does not mean an increase in net property taxes; in fact, most City homeowners will still see
a net decrease even with an approved property tax increase. However, more than the dollars and
cents, residents will see the level of service they need and deserve from Whitewater Fire and EMS, and
the City as a whole.”

ABOUT THE CITY OF WHITEWATER
The City of Whitewater provides efficient and high-quality services which support living, learning, playing and
working in an exceptional community. Visit www.whitewater-wi.gov for community information and updates.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Walworth County.

The Walworth County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) will offer Welcome to Medicare workshops on Thursday, October 20, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. This popular educational session will provide information about Medicare for individuals turning 65 years of age, those over 65 and planning to retire, or individuals with disabilities who have received Social Security Disability benefits for 24 months or have end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease).

“It is vitally important that individuals eligible to receive Medicare are aware of the different parts of Medicare, including Part A and Part B, as well as the prescription drug coverage,” says Elder Benefit Specialist Julie Juranek. “Being knowledgeable about premiums and penalties for not having creditable prescription drug coverage will help people make sound choices when exploring available plans.”

The Welcome to Medicare workshops will be held at the Walworth County Health and Human Services building, 1910 County Road NN, Elkhorn. RSVPs are highly recommended by calling (262) 741-3366.

About the Walworth County Aging and Disability Resource Center: The ADRC provides information and assistance to older and disabled adults, their friends, family, caregivers, and the public. We can assist by evaluating your current needs and providing options available to meet the needs of your personal situation.

The Whitewater LEADS Literary Project Fundraiser is this Wednesday, October 19 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. at 841 Brewhouse. Tickets ($20) available for purchase at the door. First 50 people will receive a door prize. Event includes hors d’oeuvres, one complimentary drink, cash bar, and silent & live auctions.

All money raised will go towards the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. This program allows our nonprofit, Whitewater LEADS, to give free books each month to our littlest community members from birth to their fifth birthday. If you live in the Whitewater Unified School District and have a child who isn’t yet five, you can sign up for this program at imaginationlibrary.com

If you are unable to attend our banquet but would like to donate you can go to whitewater-leads.org and make a donation today! A donation of just $25 ensures one child a free book a month for a full year!

If you have any questions you can contact Molly Fuller at whitewaterleads@gmail.com.

On Wednesday, October 19th, from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. is our Culver’s Night! Enjoy some delicious food while supporting the Whitewater FFA Chapter. The flavor of the day is: OREO OVERLOAD!!

Provisur Announces the Next Chapter in the Growth of Separation Business

Provisur ®  Technologies, Inc., a leading global provider of high-performance food processing
equipment, announced new growth plans to better serve their valued Separation customers.
Over the next six months, Provisur will be relocating the US base of operations for its
Separation Business from Centennial, Colorado to its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in
Whitewater, Wisconsin, where the company has recently invested over $12M in machining
and infrastructural upgrades.

“Our customers continue to be our primary focus and the decision to move has been with
them in mind,” said Dave Schumacher, General Manager of Provisur’s Separation Business
Unit in the Americas. “Our Whitewater facility is ideally positioned to support our customers
and the continued evolution of our Separation Business.”

Leveraging its recent investments, the company will continue to build its customer service and
support functions, create dedicated work cells in support of its growing refurbishing and
assembly activities, expand and modernize its warehouse space and invest in new machinery
dedicated to supporting its Separation customers.

About Provisur ®  Technologies
Provisur ®  Technologies specializes in innovative industrial food processing machines and
integrated production systems for a wide range of products. Our product portfolio of leading
equipment brands provides companies with maximum efficiency solutions for requirements of
any size. For more information visit www.provisur.com

Editor’s note: The above press release was received from Provisur Technologies, Inc. That company is owned by CC Industries, which acquired Whitewater based Weiler and Co. in 2008. Weiler, located at 1116 E. Main Street, was founded in 1939. According to Whitewater’s 2017 Comprehensive Plan, Provisur was the city’s eleventh largest employer at that time. The Banner inquired as to how many employees might be transferring from Colorado to the Whitewater plant. It was indicated that this is currently unknown. Readers who are interested in learning about Provisur’s “separation” equipment should click here.

The following area students completed degree requirements at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in August. 

UW-La Crosse, founded in 1909, is one of the 13 four-year institutions in the University of Wisconsin System. UWL has more than 10,400 full and part-time students enrolled in 101 undergraduate, 28 graduate and two doctoral academic programs.

UW-La Crosse, a top-ranked national university, is the No. 1 public university in Wisconsin with less than 25,000 students, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best National Universities ranking. See more at www.uwlax.edu [Editor’s note: For some reason, U.S. News ranks UW-Whitewater #45 on their list of Regional Universities Midwest, rather than the National Universities listing where UW-LC is found.]

Students earning degrees in August include:

HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, DEGREE, MAJOR(S), HONORS (if listed) Whitewater, WI

 Eve Klawitter, Bachelor of Science, Public Health and Community Health Education Major, Honors

Editor’s note: The above press release was received from University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.