(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
A Twin Lakes couple was recently awarded almost $20,000 from the Village of Twin Lakes for what a judge ruled was a violation of the Wisconsin Public Records Statute. Judge Frank Gagliardi signed an order on June 20, 2024 that awarded the Neals $11,000 in attorney’s fees, $1,442.70 in court costs, $6,879 in compensatory damages and punitive damages in the statutory amount of $100 because the judge wrote “the Court finds [the Village of Twin Lakes and Administrator Laura Roesslein] acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner in fulfilling [Mr. Neal’s] public records request.”
So, what does arbitrary and capricious mean? Neal’s attorney, Matthew Fernholz with Cramer Multhauf LLP, told KCE that it means “the judge determined that he couldn’t find a satisfactory explanation from the village as to why it took them so long to get the records out.”
The $20 grand isn’t all that the Village of Twin Lakes taxpayers are on the hook for – the Village also spent more than $50,000 on expensive, private attorneys dealing with the Neals.
Why did Neal sue the village in the first place? Mr. Neal, along with his wife, have owned a home in Twin Lakes for more than 20 years. In 2019, an empty lot next door was purchased with the purpose of building a new home on it. Mr. Neal and his wife were concerned about the implication that the new home would have on their own – the area is wedged between two lakes and is very wet. Prior to breaking ground, the Neals brought issues of the water diversion and flooding up with the Village because the new home was proposed to be built at a much higher elevation than the Neals’.
The Village seemingly ignored the Neals’ concerns and issued building permits. The Neals then hired an attorney to protect their interests. Eventually, the Village issued a “stop work order” on the home that was under construction. The home was built with numerous building code violations according to Neal and his attorney. The Neals took legal action and the Village ordered the new owners to bring the home into compliance. To date, they haven’t.
On August 23, 2021, the building inspector granted the neighbors a “temporary occupancy permit,” which lasted for 30 days. The temporary occupancy permit was conditioned on them bringing their property into compliance. The have yet to bring their property into compliance with Village Code. The 2023 tax assessment for the property $544,500.00. This assessment is based entirely on the lot size and not any improvements to the property, as the lot was sold for $510,000 on September 16, 2019. Although the neighbors have been residing in a new construction home since 2021, they have not paid any property taxes on the improvements to the property.
In the meantime, Neal’s attorney made some public records requests. He got some information back but suspected some documents were missing. Through third party subpoenas, Attorney Fernholz was able to confirm that the Village Administrator, Laura Roesslein, seemed to intentionally withhold public records.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
In a sworn deposition Roesslein told lawyers that she consulted with Village president Howard Skinner during this entire process. Skinner is the only Village President known to KCE to wear Nascar hats to Village board meetings.
In a separate by related lawsuit filed by the Neals, now-retired Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce E. Schroeder had the following to say during a ruling last Fall.
“The past practices of the Village of Twin Lakes appear wholly incongruent with the Village code and that inconsistent applications have been made to similarly-situated properties. The Village does not appear to have noted, or even seem concerned about the possibility of inconsistent treatment of homeowners or the identity or supervision of those deviating from the written code.”
That’s what several residents of Twin Lakes told KCE – the Village treats residents differently. They pick and choose which ordinances to enforce, and on who. “This Village Board’s brazen behavior is nothing but cronyism,” said a Twin Lakes Resident, when asked about this matter. In the case of the Neals’ new neighbors, the Village is taking the drastic stop of changing the Village’s ordinances just for the one home. If passed, this would mean that all of the building code violations will not need to be corrected, exposing the Neals and other neighbors to additional runoff water.
KCE contacted each and every member of the Village board and asked them why they spent so much money fighting with the Neals to violate the law. We asked why they are making far-reaching changes in the ordinance just for one home. Not one spoke to us. The timing of the new ordinance may speak for itself. It was published only six days after the judge ruled in the Neal’s favor for $20,000.
The meeting to vote on the new ordinances is scheduled for July 1, 2024 at 6:30 pm. Opponents of the ordinance are encouraging residents to email the Village board and speak at the meeting.
47 Responses
Another deal brokered in a back room of a local tavern along with a coke sniffing party. Twin Lakes; “things like never happen in our town.”
Despite the romanticism, many small town are extremely corrupt. Twin Lakes is right up there near the top.
https://youtu.be/b1_RKu-ESCY?si=gFO3ScvC7nq9NUyh
Same thing is still happening in Salem Lakes….something must be in the water.
What’s happening in Salem? They voted a whole different crew into the town for changes!
Be more specific if you’re going to toss around accusations about Salem. No specifics = just more bullshit
from someone scorned in the last admin.
Wales too!
Village Admin to start.
Visit Unpleasant Prairie they are the WORST!!!!!!!
Twin lakes is as corrupt and racist as they come and that’s from personal experience
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
“Everything I don’t like is rrraaacissst, mmmkay”!
Wow! I am in awe of your masculinity. Maybe I can make you an even more manly man. Come on, you know you want to.
https://youtu.be/m8yWvx56GV8?si=3WOVnFq5nsHVJ-2B
👆👆👆👆👆👆👆This guy looooves the cock
I am certain that it is the same for you. Just let yourself go. Try it. You know you will like it. There are many guys like you who try so hard to hide it. Stop trying to hide it. You will feel so much better once you do.
FINGERS POINT TO “STRAIGHT WHITE MALE”
what a turd defense mechanism, is PeeWee Herman your role model?
I know you are but what am I?
you made fun of me… WAHHHH that means you are a homosexual
Oh stop. You sound like Larry! He’s on wife #4.
Nice it, they, them bun.
……Sure do like that hairdoo….
Goober says hey.
Anyone read the drama between sharmain Harris and the moe moe guy? Isn’t sharmain the one with a father being charged for molesting a child?
Do tell
Nascar hat comment!! Bahahahaha!!!
That would explain why they all turned left.
I hate to see the taxpayers punished like this, but apparently it’s the only way that the taxpayers will learn to vote for someone else, and maybe the taxpayers should look into what legal will recourse they have with people that cost them a fortune. Perhaps a recall is due for people who waste so much money in such a small tax district?
Pleasant Prairie taxpayers are you listening?
Yeah. Vote harder daddy! That worked so well in 2020
Come over to my side. You know you want to.
After a drink…same the time and place, faggot
A drink or two will loosen you up, in several ways. Come on man, submit to your fantasy. You know you want to.
No one runs against this guy!! He has had everyone in his pocket for over 20 years! So many back door deals!
Please Kevin, please dig deeper and don’t let up. What happened with the fire department? We need help here! Everyone that speaks up in this town gets blackballed!
“Skinner is the only Village President known to KCE to wear Nascar hats to Village board meetings.”
Lol – I love the dig, Kevin.
Actually little boy howie used to wear GOOD OLD BOYS hat to the meeting.
Such a little f.kr.
Yeah, resting on his father’s laurels, as all little people do.
And while on the news nonetheless regarding Rex!!! Skinner is laughing his azz off thinking he is untouchable!
Guys, who cares? It is just taxpayer money. It is not like it is real money or our money, there is always more.
Way to go small town government.
It’s probably not going to happen but hopefully the tax payers of Twin Lakes show up in droves to the next Town Hall meeting and voice their concerns. If I lived there, I would tell all the hill rods that I’m voting them all out next election cycle.
Yep! Do what Salem did! Vote them out! I wish people in PP would step up and run for office and get these people out! ALL OF THEM!
Oh the whole twin is planning on being there!
Showing up does nothing.
Running for office is the only way to correct the issue.
Karow and FItzgerald are the only two on the board who have a bit of integrity but they have been on the board for so long that the skinner shit may have rubbed off on them.
The two foot rule that the county put in failed to add a greater distance from the lot line for the runoff to collect before it discharged to the neighbor’s yard. This is not a new instance to the county rule. If you are inside the 1000ft from the water you could get hit with this crap and it is the newcomer who will win. Shame on the county for not making an adjustment in this when it first came up.
I suggest a lawn decoration on your side of the lot line resembling a cement knee wall to keep the water on the neighborside of the lot line painted with some sort of pretty color on the neighbor side!
I am glad that I am not the only one who thinks that ‘little boy howie’ is a pr ck.
You are correct in the 2 board members with some integrity. They are the only ones worth keeping!
No one will run against Skinner, that’s the issue we have here!
This almost sounds like that BS that Bristol has going too!! What’s with these small town good ole boy clubs…… gonna cost $$$$$
Bristol is hardly the same scenario.
why do the county politicians look like homeless meth-heads?
Ms. Roesslein isn’t one for details . Unless it’s the toppings on her extra large pizza.
I asked skinner to look into the fact that the erosion control fence was installed improperly next to the walking bridge on bayview ave. Nothing was looked into. The channel and the people on the channel do not matter. No fill permits. No erosion control permits. No retaining wall. Let the fill just erode into the channel. Thank you from the 15 home owners and countless kayakers/canoers that happen to enjoy our channel.
So, Judge Gagliardi is a hero one day and a villain the next.
Frank is an awesome human.