Saukville Incumbents Stay Focused on Balancing Budget, Services

Three Saukville Village Board members' positions are up for election April 5, but with no new candidates running for the spots, incumbents are looking to the future, remaining focused on budget issues.

"We've been really keeping everything down to pinching pennies when we do our budgets … and we want to maintain that," said Trustee Joe Caban, who's coming up to his second two-year term.

Mike Krocka, a trustee looking to his fifth term on the board, said that maintaining the services offered by the village without raising taxes will be important — as well as challenging.

Keeping Gov. Scott Walker's budget in mind, Krocka said the village will have to look for new ways to balance its own budget — though exactly how is hard to say while municipalities wait for specific numbers, such as cuts to shared revenue, to come out.

“What are we going to do next year? How are we going to fund these things?" he said, adding that will be an important focus of the board.

Caban said the village had to borrow money to keep up with the planned Highway 33 construction project, a project Trustee Dave Maglio said cost just as much to continue as it would if the village backed out.

"Hindsight's always 20/20 and we don’t have a crystal ball looking into the future, but we have to make decisions," Maglio said.

But, Caban said, borrowing money is not necessarily a fall-back plan, and is something the village takes seriously.

"You kind of struggle and have to watch those types of things without killing the tax payers," he said. "There are a lot of hardworking people who have familes to raise and you want them not to have not worry about those things."

More about these trustees
Saukville village trustees are paid a $1,000 stipend annually, and also earn a $2,280 stiped for meeting attendance. All members are allowed an excused absence from one regular meeting as well as a finance committee meeting before seeing deductions in pay of $85 per regular meeting missed, and $10 per finance meeting missed.

Saukville Village Board members are considered "at large" members, representing the entire village.

Dave Maglio
"I'm ... privileged to be able to part of a village like (Saukville), where everybody cares about each other."
Professional/educational background: Full-time deputy for Ozaukee County Sherrif's Department for 22 years
Political experience: Saukville village trustee for one term
Community involvement: On the board of directors for Wisconsin Firearms Owners Ranges Clubs and Educators for a few years; On the board of directors for the Chamber of Commerce
Family: Two daughters
Age: 45
Address: P.O. Box 80017, Saukville

Joe Caban
"Keeping a sound budget so that we can keep up services and offer things to the people who live here without having to raise taxes, that’s kind of, I think, my primary goal. ... Keep a watchdog eye on raising the taxes, but you want Saukville to be a great community to raise a family in."
Professional/educational background:  Graduated from Messmer High School in Milwaukee, and attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for a couple years before getting a computer programming and computer science degree from Milwaukee Area Technical College. Currently works in the IT network and telecommunications field for Vollrath Company LLC in Sheboygan.
Political experience: Saukville village trustee for one term.
Community involvement: Participant in the Neighborhood Watch Program for four years, member of 
Family: Married for 21 years with a 13-year-old son
Age: 45
Address:  108 South Mayfair Dr., Saukville

Mike Krocka
Goals beyond the maintaining services within the budget? To try to get other businesses to come "settle down here in Saukville."
Professional/educational background: Graduated from John Marshall High School in Milwaukee and has worked for Construction Forms Inc., 777 Maritime Ave., Port Washington, for 36 years
Political experience: Four terms as trustee on Saukville Village Board; Chairman of the Public Safety Committee, Utility Committee, Planning Commission, on the Finance Committee
Community involvement: Saukville police reserve sargeant, charter member of Saukville Lions Club, member of
Family: Married for 35 years, with four daughters and six grandchildren
Age: 55
Address: 345 Colonial Pkwy., Saukville

Patch will have more coverage on candidates leading up to the elections. to find out more information about who will be on the ballot, and check the site daily for detailed candidate information.