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Petition calls for freeze, audit of city finances

LAKE GENEVA — Barbara Hartke believes city residents have lost trust in their government to be good stewards of their tax dollars.

She cites several examples of questionable spending: paying off city credit cards using prepaid checks, using transportation aid for things other than road maintenance and using money from the water utility for upkeep at the museum.

"Some of these things might be hearsay, but it's our money and we have every right to demand that it be carefully managed and spent," she said. "And it's not."

Hartke, a candidate for District 2 alderwoman, is leading a group of people who are circulating a petition calling for:

-- A freeze on adopting any measures that would increase non-emergency spending and all promises of contractual monetary obligations until the city can guarantee that it has enough money cover such actions.

-- An independent and comprehensive audit of city finances, including auxiliary agencies, such as the Lake Geneva Chamber of Commerce, the Geneva Lake Development Corporation and the water utility.

Hartke said the call is not radical, but responsible.

"Our treasury seems to be in disarray," she said. "We feel (these actions) would restore the fiduciary responsibility and trust between the government and its people."

Hartke said the city only relies on the annual audit, which is mandated by state law and has been done by the same local accounting firm for years. She said many municipalities call for a comprehensive audit by an independent firm every few years to ensure finances are being handled properly.

"Any municipality worth its salt and anyone elected to municipal government should call for it," she said. "(This kind of audit) looks for bad habits, irregularities, etc. And if the auditors find things, they broaden their search and dig deeper. … This is absolutely overdue and has to come now."

Hartke and her group started collecting signatures Monday. More than 250 people citywide already have signed the petition.

Hartke plans to collect signatures through mid-April and present the signed petition to the city council. The council will have at least a couple new faces after the spring election, at its first regular meeting after the election April 19.