Does anyone know who gazettefan is talking to? It sure the heck isn't me!

An engine crew is dispatched as the ambulance crew is 2 paramedic level firemen. If both are needed to tend to the patient then the tail board man steps up and drives the amulance to the hospital. Multiple injured require help. I'd rather see an ambulance dispatched than citizens not calling due to cost and then suffering life threatening injuries or death as no one responded. Recently broadsided, I was glad to see the engine crew as they had to cut me out of my vehicle as I was trapped. My injuries were being black and blue all over, but I thank each and every one of the firemen, paramedics and police that showed up as I couldn't hardly breath I was so shook up. Ask yourself if you see an accident and don't call and someone dies, have you been part of their death under the Good Samaritan Law? Think before you open up about fees. Janesville is lucky to have the level of services they do and the experienced personnel to handle the situations.

Hank, read banyan99's post carefully. Carefully.

A call comes in to 911 dispatch...I just saw a 2 car accident in front of me and both cars are off the road. dispatch says... is anyone injured? caller..i don't think so. are you sure? ya I guess. 911 pages out an ambulance and fire truck. Both arrive on scene and notice both vehicles are on thier roofs in the ditch and extrication is needed. Thankfully both rigs were dispatched as most callers are clueless. What if 911 only dispatched an ambulance? Then they would have to wait for the fire truck which carries the extrication equipment to arrive in which time and possibly lives are lost. For those of you who have no clue why a fire truck goes with an ambulance to calls and vice versa, I have a suggetion. Take yourself and your kids to your local fire department during an open house, or just stop in or even better yet, Fire Prevention Week. It is amazing what you clueless/heartless people will learn and then you will realize what service(s) a Fire Deptarment provides to the community and the training they go thru to save "your" lives.

Hank, I can appreciate your position. You (and most people on here) are fed up with the choices the city government (the council/city manager) makes, for failing to live within a budget, and then looking for ‘creative ways’ to nickel and dime an already over-taxed population in a major recession. As a voter, how do you combat this problem? You stop voting for the people who are causing the problems and vote for someone new. This IS sound logic. It IS a good idea to not vote for people who DON’T support your interests.

However, I’m with Gazettefan when I say that my vote would NEVER, under any circumstance go to B’moon. Why? Her behavior at council meetings thus far has shown that she pushes HER agenda, not the agenda of the citizens’ of JVL. She has, in the past, worked outside the lines of civility and used fear and intimidation to get what she wants. She shows irresponsibility in her personal and professional lives. And a good indicator of future behavior is past behavior.

If you did a little more research, not just watching a rehearsed speech, I think you would come to the same conclusion. I looked at the events in which she’s involved and looked at the outcome. Only one time (that I’ve counted so far) have the citizens of JVL come out ahead thanks to her work. I believe the Gazette published a piece about how she was part of getting the condemnation process changed. Every other story I’ve read about her shows that her agenda trumps all else. Some examples: 1) Trying to get the city to foot the bill for the restoration of the Case Feed building. 2) Ignoring/violating city codes requiring a second egress from a second floor residence – thus putting her tenants’ lives in danger in the event of a fire. 3) Refusing to work with the city to resolve the ‘carriage barn’ issues BEFORE it became a costly mess for the city. I can go on, if you like.

I have probably 1000’s of examples, because I don’t just follow her in the Gazette - she’s my Mom. I have firsthand knowledge of her behavior going back three decades. If you’d like more, message me. She is not the answer to JVL’s problems, in my opinion. We’ll see, come April if others feel the same way. I believe (because I no longer live in JVL so I have nothing at stake) it would be really, REALLY interesting if she won a seat this time. I think that you would see then that Gazettefan is just trying to spare the city the headache of putting this person in a position requiring extensive problem solving skills/collaboration/cooperation when she’s shown previously not to be cut out for such a position.

Just a quick thought or question.. why does every ambulance call require rolling out a piece of equipment as big a a fire engine? I know error on the side of caution and all that talk but come on seems a little over kill for many emergency calls. Do the statistics for engine calls show which ones that they were actually needed or just how many calls they responded?

Hank, here's your problem. B'moon has no credibility nor does anyone who supports her.

If there really is a problem of the nature you describe, take it to the Wisconsin States Attorney or the State Department in Washington DC. Keep us apprised of any developments.

BA5 = Forward Janesville's "Business After 5:00 p.m." receptions for the business community.

What is BA5?

Want more facts. She slips through the line at BA5 and will only pay the "member" fee of $5. Not the "NOT a member" fee of $15.

Do you ever see her rambling on the TV?

Hank- I am confused why you keep speaking of Forward Janesville/KAB.

She is NOT a member.
This list is up to date.
I called to verify.
http://www.forwardjanesville.com/Members...

Hank, while drunk blogging is permitted, it's not always recommended. Deciphering your post seems to mean that you need to contact one or more of the councilmembers. Try that. And don't forget, you can form or join a group to pursue issues with the city. Good luck.

And a call to Levitt is not out of the question either.

Why do you feel so alienated?

Great post MooShoo. And, Hank, that means that the city manager indirectly serves at the will of the voters.

Further, Hank, what is "interesting"? that she wants to cause problems at a council meeting and clog up the county court system? What's wrong with you?! And, yes, that does make someone nuts.

Yes, government is only as good as its people. Remember that. And remember that's why she doesn't belong in government. You should learn more about her. Call her and work with her, that'll give you an education -she's in the book.

You're either young or you're using another username and this is a put-on.

LOL ;~)

Hank, the City Manager serves at the pleasure of the City Council. Wi Stats. 64.09(7) below tells it like it is:
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"The council shall have the power to remove the city manager at any time that the city manager's conduct of the city administration becomes unsatisfactory and to engage a successor after the manner prescribed in this section, but such city manager shall serve until a successor is elected and qualifies."
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He is not a dictator, he answers to the council and takes direction from it.

Maybe it's time to get Levitt out of Janesville. Clearly he's doing all of us no good. Between the ice arena, trash, and now this (not to mention NO JOBS!).... pretty soon there are not going to be any citizens left in Janesville to stick these charges to.

Charge for emergency services! Where are the tax dollars? Oh, that's right an Ice arena!

Hank, your wish to have me detail her inanity only reveals that you know nothing about her. You're the one endorsing her, you should know everything about her. Layout her plan to restructure city government and explain why it would work.

Also, for now, explain why she wants 100 people to show up at a council meeting to cause a ruckus so that they can refuse a citation so that they can instead request a jury trial all for the purpose of clogging up the county court system. Explain how this soft-core form of terrorism will benefit anyone but her and her need for attention of any kind. (Also explain why no one ever complies with her wish -not even you.)

This is just for starters. When you're done with these two issues, I'll give you more.

I'm all for helping public services. But does a person get charged for the truck roll, when a fireman jumps out and disconnects the car battery at a accident scene ?
This is starting to look like a hospital or nursing home setup. Meaning, if they explain to you how to take aspirin, they have a UPC sticker they add to your chart and you are billed for it. Is there going to be a code for everything they do as well ? And are people charged automatically a "truck roll" fee when a fireman provides traffic control or disconnects a car battery ?

Hank, the "reasoning" you use to support someone like B'moon is as sound as the reasoning used by terrorists to crash planes on 9/11.

Let's see, she should be elected to the council because she complains a lot. Study her rants, call her and talk to her, ask her what you can do to help her causes. See how incapable she is when actually working with other people; then factor this into your wish to see her on the council. Get back to us.

Your incoherent blather about high school can only mean that something bad happened to you there. What was it?

Your glossing over of the skate rink issue reveals that you fail to acknowledge that adjustments have made re: that issue by the processes already in place. Delusional psychotics were not necessary.

Yes, we've been on the verge of "revolution" forever -that's another one of her screeds. But notice that the outcry you predict will still be handled by the processes already in place.

And come clean on the fact that it was your point that ALL garbage pickup would be taxed and that Levitt is running the city as a dictator.

One of the reasons I would oppose taxing garbage pickup is that some people would dump it elsewhere.

I stand by what I said. Especially that Levitt isn't a dictator. Hank, here is the last line of your post. I suggest you apply it yourself:

"Always like how people are quick to call someone a liar when they do not agree with someone, or they do not know for them self any different."

By the way, it's wise that you didn't mention B'moon again. Your allegiance to her works against you.

Thanks, MooShoo. I seem to recall all this now. And the context with which you state Levitt's suggestion (and the way I remember it) is in stark contrast to Hank's claim of a dictatorial recommendation by Levitt: Levitt responded to a prompt by the council re: budgetary matters.

Hank distorted Levitt's prompted suggestion (by the way, Levitt's suggestion doesn't necessarily mean that he, Levitt, personally approves of his own suggestion) by claiming that it would apply to all garbage.

And what came of all this? Is the city going to start taxing EXCESS garbage pickup? I doubt it. And if the council wanted to do such, it would have to give public notice of its intentions. And that's when the citizenry has the responsibility to oppose such a tax.

The important thing right here, is Hank's B'moonian propensity for distorting reality as evidenced by this issue.

Since others are raising questions about City fees, I would like to know more about those fees on our water bill. I see a stormwater charge, and fire protection fee. My January bill includes a note that the Waster and Stormwater rates increased effective 1/1/10, but it does not say how much they increased. Anybody know?

Gfan, I cut the City Manager's quote below from the 10/21/09 article in the Gazette. The Council was considering budget options at the time including reducing hours at the landfill (which it did) to charging for trash pick-up (which it did not).
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"City Manager Eric Levitt had suggested some sort of sticker system to allow residents to put out three or so bags a week and take any extra to the landfill free of charge. Anything else would be charged."

Hank, can you prove your claim about Levitt and charging for garbage pickup?

Whom will they charge when some do not have ins. & do not have the money to pay

Wow. I thought this is why there is such a thing as property tax. The city will do anything to make a buck.

Can't wait until they put quarter-locks on Janesville's public bathrooms: "No 25 cents, no go!" (I remember when O'Hare Airport charged a dime to use the bathroom.)

I see a a reluctance to call for emergency services if this passes. I see an increase in hit and runs, or an increase in people just exchanging info and that info being wrong. I see a risk especially to children in not having an ambulance check out injuries. I hope I'm wrong. This can't be good. Other alternatives need to be investigated.

Using that philosophy, the only the people that use the service should have to pay any taxes for fire protection/ambulance and such.

Hey Janesville, this makes perfect sense in order to help keep costs down. This is called a "user fee" and most cities are employing it as a fund coping strategy. In fact, Janesville has been employing a user fee for ambulance service for decades. This is how things work; your property taxes pay to build and maintain city buildings, hire and train city employees, buy and maintain city vehicles and equipment, and to heat and provide electricity to city property. Taxes provide for the services to be available, to all, when needed. User fees are not double-dipping as some claim because they apply to the people who need the service, above what is paid through property taxes. Chief Luiting did his homework and he knows other cities are charging user fees. City Manager Levitt is also doing his job by searching for viable methods of increasing revenues so the city can avoid raising property taxes. This new user fee, for both car fires and vehicle accidents, will help to avoid tax increases especially when charges will go to out of state people.

Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. Look, Janesville residents already pay a pretty penny to live in this fair community. What's next? Will the city install a meter on each house to measure how much sunlight falls on it--and then send the homeowner a bill??

B'moon would paralyze the city just like she paralyzed her maternal and social instincts.

I good example of a case for charging is occurring right now (Saturday afternoon) in Beloit. A private company doing some digging hit a 4" gas main. Beloit Police and Fire Department are spending hours at the site. They have had to call for assistance from Janesville, Town of Beloit, Clinton and S. Beloit. In addition, they needed to call-in off-duty firefighters (on overtime) to deal with the situation. Now who should pay?

per 113,330 assessed. First amount is per year. Second amount is per month.

I haven't had an accident EVER in 23 years. If I do "retro" my assessment THANKS. Have been paying property taxes since 1993. So like I said I am good so stick this where the sun doesn't shine!
Population 62K how many accidents per year????I think you can retroactive the money!

I left my favorite part in here about trash for you. I emailed them. They said it is a MISSPRINT. I see maybe it isn't enough $ but don't lie and say we DON'T pay!!

You can find this on the city site under "park place news" March 09 issue .

Police Protection – 104 Police Officers keep Janesville safe around the clock. $249.93 $20.83
Fire Protection – The City is protected by 5 stations, staffed by 87 firefighters, ready to
respond to emergencies around the clock. $194.42 $16.20
Public Works – Includes street maintenance programs such as snow removal, street painting
and weed control and the Engineering services for design and maintenance. $132.95 $11.08
General Government/Administrative Services – This includes costs for the City Council,
City Manager, City Attorney, Community Information,Assessor, Clerk-Treasurer, Elections, Finance,
Information Technology and Human Resources Divisions. $78.78 $6.57

Sanitation – Encompasses trash and recycling collection and disposal programs, including waste, tire and
appliance recycling, management of sanitary and demolition landfills and compost facility and twice-yearly yard
waste collection. Program costs are also paid for by user fees, such as sanitary landfill and drop-off fees. $13.13 $1.09
Janesville Transit System (JTS) - Provides public transportation 307 days a year. Costs are also
offset by passenger fares, advertising sales and state & federal assistance. $13.48 $1.12
Hedberg Public Library - The library is open seven days a week year-round, providing access to more
than 200,000 books, as well as audiovisual materials, magazines, newspapers, computers, research assistance
and programs for adults, teens and children. $99.48 $8.29
Total City of Janesville Government Tax Bill $895.42 $74.62
Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Utilities - Residents and businesses receive water, wastewater and stormwater utility
bills. Charges are calculated according to the amount of water consumed, wastewater produced and stormwater runoff.
News From Your City Council
2 w

Sorry City Council but we are already paying for this. No double dipping.

city officials stop being so stupid, our taxes cover this, control your spending like we do.

They haven't been charging?

The reason Fire is dispatched along with EMS is for the extra manpower. The majority of ambulances have a crew of 2. When dealing with injuries, especially severe ones, the extra help is a necessity. Every Firefighter in Janesville is also an EMT-Basic at a minimum. There are certaing steps that have to be taken to correctly immobilize and transport someone that can't be done with only 2 people. Many times people don't need to be transported and they can refuse care. Engines are also dispatched to block the emergency scene to protect those that are there from rubberneckers who are very likely to crash into the scene because they can't mind their own business.
The other part of this is that anything that is for sale to the Fire Service cost 3 times as much as the same product for "civilian use." Unfortunately regular tax revenue doesn't cover these costs. This extra charge is not new for a lot of Fire Departments. It has become a necessary evil to keep taxes from increasing.

PS - What is the mailing address of this specialty billing company - Fire Recovery USA?

How much will we charge dead people and their estates? Will an out of state or city (or privately contracted firm) collect the money for the city?
How much will they charge for their service and how much will be "kicked back" to city officials monitoring the funds for us. I think I know some unemployed street people and maybe a few gang members who could go out and collect at the scene of accidents. Each would travel with an ambulance-chasing lawyer and they would be "local hires", solving any potential labor disputes. This way people here would be earning some money and keeping it in the community. We could even form a local "enforcer's" union. At least money wouldn't be going out of state to New Jersey or wherever. I see great potential for yet another source of revenue here, I just hope I am not in that accident!
Why does this proposal sound like ancient Rome or East-coast mafia territory?

Hank what you just said about the pay, the just makes me sick to my stomach!! This town needs a good swift kick in the rear!!

I can see charging out of city people for responses. I worked for a city about this size in Illinois 20+ years ago, and we had this policy then to cover responses on the toll way and any street in the city.

I can not support charging residents for vital services, when this city is looking towards giving tax money away for leisure interests.

This is wrong and I urge everyone to tell the council about their displeasure.

As I said, I have no problems charging non residents for services. other cities do this nationwide.

It makes more sense fot the city to reduce it's workforce by one employee - that would pay for all of the 'inconveniences' the responders encounter.

What a horrible idea! As if it isn't bad enough to be in an accident and have to worry about insurance and getting your car repaired. You shouldn't have to worry about paying $400-$500 for their help!

This is crazy. Why do we pay local taxes? There has to be another way.

I agree, this could encourage more hit and runs. We already have a problem with this.

gma0f3"

But how could I have done anything wrong? I couldn't just pull off the stop sign/intersection and hit the oncoming traffic, could I?"

That was my point. I was being a bit sarcastic. I was agreeing with you!

Hizzoner
Feb 19, 2010 at 10:08 p.m.
Suggest removal What is the ice arena fee again?
I agree. I think it is 2.5 mil - $500 per accident ! )

I you change out of towners we will never get any "tourists " here or people wanting to more here.

"Lets move to Janesville, they have an Ice Arena BUT to pay for it they will charge me if I am in an accident? HUM lets not!"

This proposal is a way to charge fees rather than call them what they are - taxes. If the city is having a budget problem paying for fire protection, it is time to think out of the box. Fire protection could be outsourced. The city would then be removed from the union contract and the long term legacy expenses involved. The situation is no different than what has been faced by private business except that a business can't invent reasons to charge customers more. The day is coming when government institutions and workers can no longer operate risk free. They can not be exempt from economic reality and common sense.

"The department proposes charging residents $400 for vehicle accidents and $500 for vehicle fires."

It wouldn't cost this much to dispatch an emergency vehicle to the scene. Looks like a bit of an overcharge to me.

Maybe Marcia Nelesen, who wrote the article could do a follow up. As strong as people feel on this matter Ms, Nelesen should now show her professional reporting skills. (Today) But like most reports they have no one in the staff with true conviction.

creature......., the state and federal governments cannot interfere with municipalities unless laws or regulations are being broken. It is up to the citizenry to choose councilmembers who accurately reflect the will of the majority. The council is to monitor the behavior of the city administration to ensure that it is acting in the best interest of the citizens.

I have mixed feelings about the response fee. True, it would raise revenue from "out of towners" who do not pay City property taxes, yet benefit from a fire department response to their car accident or fire. The user fee is also directed at those who use the service rather than the general taxpayer. Thus, it offers some property tax relief, but minimial because it must cost millions to run the fire department annually (side bar to Eric Levitt - you need to get out of the dark ages and put you City budget on the website so that we know how much it cost to run the City).
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I don't like it because it has little to do with the cost of the response by the fire department. We are already paying for fire stations, trucks, and firemen on duty. There is little additional cost to turn out for an accident. Thus, its all about the revenue. We pay taxes for basic service such as police, fire, and street maintenance. I am not excited about starting down the path to pay fees for those basic services.

This article should be the nail in the coffin of the new ice rink plan. Based upon the critical nature of the budget in Janesville it is very obvious that spending money on anything not critical to the operations of the city should be considered negligent, nefarious, scandalous and quite frankly deplorable. People of Janesville see what is happening all around the area. Look at Brodhead and the problems they have now. This is foreshadowing of things to come for Janesville unless the city management wakes up after the spending party and feels the hangover just beginning for Janesville.

anonomouse: Thanks for clearing that up. I didn't think about it from that point of view. I was thinking about with the assumption that each vehicle had all it needed as far as equipment goes. If that's the case, it makes perfect sense to dispatch fire & ambulance with squad.

On a side note, from reading the posts, it seems that people are pretty fed up with all levels of government.
While most of us feel that we can't do anything about it, the truth is, we can. We still have the power to demand that if they can't help bring businesses to the area by not taxing every little thing so we can get jobs then they can't afford to give themselves pay raises, paint their new offices, get new vehicles, pledge yet another library in someone's name, etc. etc. etc.
You all have a voice and as of yet, you are not taxed to use it (that's next years budget fix). USE IT!

The reason for the firetrucks is to have more man power and the firetrucks hold equipment that may be needed in an accident with injuries. When someone calls 911 to report an accident it is standard practice to send an ambulance and firetruck if there are reports of possible injuries. It saves time and can save a life to have them respond with the police.

Growing up I always liked the saying "Home Of The Free and Land Of The Brave". I'm starting to think America will need a new motto with the tax and spend nightmare going on now. "Homeless Whom Were Taxed Out Of Their Land Are Now The Brave Whom Are Free From Taxation Without Representation".

From what I understand and I could be wrong but hasn't it become standard practice for a firetruck to automatically be dispatched when someone places a call for emergency services. I have nothing to prove this but it seems like everytime I've seen an accident lately, fire shows up to.
I understand that if they aren't needed, there will be no charge but shouldn't the first step be not to dispatch them unless they are needed? A couple weeks ago, there was a 3 van crash on Milton Ave that was caused by a car being pulled over. All sorts of emergency vehicles showed up. Squad cars, ambulances, firetrucks...Everyone "seemed" to be fine (from my view inside applebees) but passengers in 2 of the vehicles did go by ambulance to the hospital. Anyway, my point is that all that was needed was 2 ambulances and a couple squad cars (investigation & traffic control). There was no need for the firetrucks. However, while they were there, they did help clean up the scene. Would their cleaning services amount to a charge?

People of Janesville wake up and see what the city manager and counsel is doing to your city. The time is now to change the direction of city government away from this special interest friendly system. Contact your Paul Ryan(608)752-4050 and Judy Robson(608)266-2253 voicing your outrage and asking for advice on what can be done to protect the citizens of Janesville.

BBB: I thought the same thing re: pay for all police dispatches involving one's self. This may lead to more of us taking a situation into our own hands. I haven't owned a gun in years but would go buy another one if this idea were to become real. Let's see, the City could save money due to fewer police officers being needed to fight crime, gun sellers would see a jump in sales, self-esteem would increase each time one of us takes control over a criminal, etc. (I am being sarcastic here and believe this new proposal regarding emergency calls is idiotic. Need more money for City services? Dump the ice rink plan and save at least $2.5 million.)

This is a bad idea in my opinion. Its going to confuse people and discourage them from calling for services they need.

Keep sockin it to us why don'tcha. Sheesh. As if it isn't bad enough an accident happens now lets charge you for getting the help you need.

This will cause more problems than its worth. Will the city demand payment on the spot?

While you're at it why not put in toll booths at each entrance to Janesville. May as well drive more people out.

Next up? Call the fire department and before they start to put out the fire you have to pay them. Then before the police will investigate a crime you have to come up with their fee.
Why do we pay taxes? So public employees can have excellent, expensive benefits and over the top retirement.

Why do we pay taxes again? I thought city services was part of the reason.

If the fee goes through, we should be asked if we want these services before they are sent to the scene.

The city needs to hire an outside consulting firm to do a study on the impact of the proposal.

Cut wage's

Why not charge for dispatch of police officer also.

a wheel tax is an additional 10 dollars charged to you when you register your vehicle each year. It is charged by the city and not the state.

Ridiculous.

If you are going to charge extra when the Fire Dept responds, then why not charge extra for garbage pickup, oh yeah how about a charge for plowing the street in front of one's abode. I bet if the council really thought about it they could come up with all kinds of additional charges. That's "additional" to the already high property tax bills. Stop thinking up new charges and brain storm cutting spending.

yourewelcome- Yes, thats just assinine...What were you supposed to do, take some kind of drastic evasive action when she came blasting out of the driveway and perhaps hit a kid on a bike in the process?....SHE hit YOU when you were in the right-of-way.........100% AT FAULT by any measure of sense.

1 accident 2 ems arrive who gets the call

Roadmaster- THAT is an excellent point right there...

What next?!

skeeters- Ah, well, I guess I'll just have to consider the source and let it go on that one.

truth you must have 2 sets of lips, so you can piss and moan at the same time

What in the heck is a wheel tax?

Janesville will solve this by not charging this fee.
They will just raise our taxes AGAIN. Now I really don't feel so bad that I am a year
behind on my taxes (as of yesterday today I mailed them a check)!!!

Be glad your not like members of Rock County in Beloit being charged a wheel tax.

You know, the economy has hit Rock County (as well as other counties) HARD... job-loss rate is horrendous. With our community struggling to make ends meet enough as it is, groceries on the table, keep a roof over our heads, why on EARTH would the city charge a fee of this sort on top of already not having enough money to support our families? It's the FD and JPD's civil duty to serve and protect...this is what their careers are about...they are already getting paid for this.. I do NOT agree that we should be charged AGAIN for their civil service. That is just WRONG. Paying taxes already should give us a SAY in this type of "fee"..

I agree with Shockermgd: "isnt this why we pay taxes? I don't know about the rest of you but I thought that was part of being a civil servant? To serve the civilians... after all thats why we pay the city money." This is what these people went to college for..to be "Civil Servants"... why would we pay them double? (as in "double-dipping?") This is part of their JOBS...to serve our community!

What is the ice arena fee again?

1st they want to charge us to pick up the garbage.
2nd they want to charge us for emergency services.
Lets just tax on a driving fee, living in the city fee ,working fee, driving fee.
If it is out there I am sure Janesville will find a way to tax it/stick it to us!

Joeschmo...You must have been served by the Evill F.D. they charge $500 to make an "appearance" and that is non-negotiable (unless you are a true towner).

The J.F.D. should adopt this user fee policy ASAP!!!! Look at what it did in Evill, the EFD has a new Taj Mahal building to park the trucks in, complete with GIANT BBQ grille, BIG screen TV and more!!! ( Oh wait....it's minus the helipad...sorry boys!!!)

The E.P.D. got thier "hand-me-down" building (a VAST improvement over what they had).

Looking at the big picture...in a couple years the new F.D. building that Jville is asking for could be easily PAID FOR with the adoption of a fee...I say go for IT!!!!

The city of janesville has already paid for the personel, training, equipment, vehicles, insurance, and pensions. What the city wants to do now is tax the people when the officer actually gets up to do work.

Janesville Fire Department responds to many calls on the Interstate involving out-of-town drivers. This is a way to recover the costs instead of being paid by the local taxpayers. A fire truck often responds to serve as a blocker so no other vehicles crash into the crash site.

so what happens when we get into accidents bc of the roads even though ur cautious of conditons?? CAN WE CHARGE THE CITY??

Hizzoner - you really need to bush up on the definition of premeditation. There is a really fine pair of guys named Merriam and Webster who will help you understand the meaning of the word premeditation.

If one of the idiots in town that continually drive through red lights hits me, there is no way in heck I'm paying a fee for the fire dept. to come and help me. The fee should absolutely be charged to the at fault person. Maybe that will be enough for some of these drivers to finally abide by the driving laws and stop when they have a red light.

truth..., you're the one posting on the wrong story, you sober up!

I agree truth1. I was t-boned by a lady who came flying out of her drive way. Even though I did nothing wrong they say I am still 10% to blame just for being there. Unbelievable.

Its about being accountable to live like a human being.....WHY should taxpayers pay for a rescue call when some reckless moron or idiot who can't watch the road/stoplights causes a wreck?....But first, the "law" needs to act like the LAW instead of allowing the highway equivalent of the wild wild west...In most wrecks, someone is usually 100% at fault and the "law" needs to recognize that instead of this assinine BS they go by now.

What's next? A fee for every time a lifeguard at the pool has to respond to a situation?

gmof3 - I guess if you were on a motorcycle the cop would have had you sign a "partially at-fault" ticket before the rescue would be permitted to load you up.

Joe- I guess you were just the easy pickings..Thats what unaccountable whores in positions of power do--they go for the easy pickings.

County cop... He looked all of 18 years old!

Frogger and truth... I called the police. I live in Milton... I also had a guy in a mini-van with A BUNCH OF KIDLETS that saw the whole thing happen... As he was the one I was waiting on to be able to leave the stop sign. He pulled over, but after calling the Rock Co. police - it was 45 minutes to get an officer to actually show up. In fact, the cop called me and asked where I "was" because he said he "wasn't familiar" with Newville! Good grief, its NEWVILLE!

Anyway, by the time he got there, I had taken down the witness's phone number because he was transporting birthday party kids and I asked that he go on his way.

My hubby had bought my convertible as a birthday present for me... I had just turned 50. I was soooo ticked off. The guy that hit me... he lives here in Milton... it was an honest mistake - I guess. But how could I have done anything wrong? I couldn't just pull off the stop sign/intersection and hit the oncoming traffic, could I?

When I was 19 I was involved in a hit and run accident. The other driver took off, My vehicle was smashed up and I was injured. This occured on Hwy 213 between Evansville and Orfordville. An ambulance and fire truck came to the scene, but the fire truck was not needed, and left shortly after arrival. I was billed $500 for the fire truck (in addition to the ambulance bill) and my insurance did not pay that bill.

I agree that this seems to be "double-dipping" and in cases such as mine, how is it fair that I am stuck with the bill when the accident was not my fault? Why does a fire truck always come to the scene of an accident even if there is no fire? When I call 911 for an emergency, can I request "no fire truck please?"

gmof3- THATS mostly why people don't want to drive small cars.....Traffic laws are just like the wild wild west, he/she with the biggest vehicle wins...Its really something how "the law" will allow someone to assault someone with a deadly object as long as that object is on wheels.....*SHOCKING*

I think they should charge who ever is determined to be guilty of causeing the crash not the innocent victim, Besides dont they both have enough hardship in just crashing there car.

gfan- Go away and come back when you're sobered up.

gmof3- Even with the stories I've heard, I'm STUNNED by that...I suppose if someone shot you in the back with a gun that cop would have told you that you were "partially at fault" for standing there...
.
Was it a state, or county cop?

gmaof3- you were supposed to pull out into traffic to avoid the accident turning in into your fault for sure by causing a different accident. !)
I never understand the rear end thing either. Luckily I was able to avoid this once by laying on my horn and the guy pulled his head out of his but and looked forward to see we were NOT moving(STOP LIGHT YOU SEE). I was trapped with no where to go. People in front of me were looking at me weird but it seemed my only option at the time. He just missed me. If he had some real brakes he may have missed me by more. Insurance for him? DOUBT IT!

Put some people to work by using the expensive weigh station 24 hours daily. Then use that money for Rock County.

Glock... revenues are down. Our community is "poor". To have to subsidize funding for emergency services makes sense. However, it should be billed to the offending party, in my opinion. Our taxes keep the lights on and gas in the vehicles. Accident rates seem to keep rising. I drive the Interstate, 86 miles round trip, everyday. The morons that tailgate... has risen tenfold in just the last 5 years!

We don't need higher taxes, we need accountability!

I agree PBRman... the "guilty" party should be held responsible for their actions. It goes back to accountability. No insurance? Jail time! Work that $600 off with community service.

I accept full responsibility for MY actions. However, I take great care when driving. If some moron is on a cell phone and rear ends me... how can I be held liable? I am sick to death of the PC mentality. I don't give a darn if you are late for work... didn't get any sleep last night... don't feel well... don't drive if you can't be responsible.

I may go to that meeting... people need to stand up for whats right! Insurance companies should NOT have to foot this bill, if their customer was NOT at fault!

we already pay taxes for their services!!!! Isn't this double dipping???

Then donate,

I believe that any call that requires medical services due to negligence (e.g. hot air ballon crash, drunken driving crash, jumping off the roof on to a trampoline, etc.) should be charged back to the negligent party and not the burden of the taxpayers. The F.D. completes plenty of paperwork that they could easily sort this out. If a tree falls on your car due to a storm, and it caught on fire, that is a different story. In my 42+ years, I have had to rely on the services of the JPD only ONCE, and it was due to my negligence, and I should have been charged.

I was just rear ended this last fall... after getting off the interstate in Newville, waiting to turn onto 59. This guy in a company truck was talking to his wife on his cell (he actually TOLD the cop that!) His truck had this metal rod sticking out of his bumper and it punctured my car. I wasn't injured, but the repairs were nearly $1000. The cop actually told me it was partially my fault, by law, because I was "there"... WHAT THE HECK??? I haven't even had so much as a parking ticket in nearly 17 years!!!

This is just so ridiculous! I will be furious and I will bet you, insurance companies will not pay these fees if they try to charge someone who did NOT get a ticket! Stupid! Again... its all about money!!!

What's his son have to do with this?

I don't know about you, but this idea of charging for vehicle accident just seems ridiculous. Insurance rates will already rise, many drivers will be ticketed as well. This just puts a bad taste in my mouth. Anyone else?

Cut personnel before you start looking for revenue in communities where the economy is still in free fall.

Shop in Janesville if you dare, or shop else ware.

That and endless lawsuits. Both will have to pay for the call but the police will have to make a definitive judgement on fault. Then you have a lawsuit to recoup your costs. $400-$500 is small claims court. After fees an such you might get half back even if you are not at fault. And if the police don't find fault, because sometimes accidents do just happen, you both pay and your insurance goes up anyway. And around and around and around it goes.

Yes, there's a problem with this. This cost will end up being passed on to insurance companies, and give them yet another excuse to raise rates.

truth..., just in case you don't get back to the right story, here's what I posted there:

"truth.., you miss the point that what actually happened in Janesville does fatal damage to your claims of fascism."

isnt this why we pay taxes? I don't know about the rest of you but I thought that was part of being a civil servant? To serve the civilians... after all thats why we pay the city money.

How can you be charged a fee when you did not request the service? Ussually it is 'someone else' that calls for an emergency response.

I agree truth. It isn't fair that you can get hit and still be considered partially at fault just by being there. It also isn't fair that when you get hit by someone who doesn't have insurance that your insurance has to foot the bills or you have to cover the differences!

Sorry, wrong article....

So, the "state", in essence, would dole out thousands of dollars to any municipality to trump up charges and arrest people for things that really don't warrant an arrest is what that actually says...Isn't that out and out fascism???

This is actually a good idea, why should the taxpayers pay for the services when someone drives like moron and requires services?...BUT, it should be determined in a COURT OF LAW who caused the wreck and they should pay the full bill!!!...Its complete BS how some people cause wrecks and victims are deemed "partially" responsible..COMPLETE BS!!!