(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
SALEM LAKES, Wis. – Facing mounting public distrust and growing budget pressures, Village Administrator Cassandra Hiller (D) on Tuesday night unveiled a long-term capital improvement plan that would rely on borrowing—potentially millions of dollars—requiring residents to foot the bill for years to come through increased property taxes.
At a budget workshop, Hiller and consultant Todd Taves from Ehlers Finance pitched the 30-year plan as a necessary evolution in infrastructure and fiscal planning. But only Trustees Billy Barhyte (I) and Pete Poli (R) questioned the price tag or tax implications. Board President Rita Bucur (D) and Trustees Bill Hopkins (D), Angela Brooks (D), and Ron Gandt (D) appeared poised to back the initiative without much scrutiny. Trustee Dennis Faber (D) asked questions but didn’t signal his support one way or the other.
The proposal comes on the heels of a major financial loss for the Village—Paddock Lake’s termination of its fire and EMS contract with Salem Lakes. That decision, made in May, cited high costs and transparency issues, and left a significant revenue hole in the budget.
On Wednesday morning, Hiller took to Facebook, asking residents to help shape the future of Salem Lakes. The response was not what she hoped for.
“Soooo by your own words—funds weren’t properly allocated and now you want us to cover that??” wrote Elaine Saynay. “We do not want our taxes raised. Comparing us to Whitewater & Burlington is amusing. We are fine with the status quo.”
“Oh now you want to hear from the community…” added Amanda Lynn, echoing the sentiment of many who said they’ve been shut out of past village decisions.
“Why do you want anyone’s opinions now?” asked Don Zak. “You don’t really listen to your residents in the first place. I’ve seen that in person at the Town meetings. It’s just all fluff and for show.”
“Complaining you can’t keep up with the growth and asking for ideas for more growth in the same breath is just downright comical,” said Destiny Kelly. “Quit taking the rural feel away.”
“Help local businesses, spend money to update roads and existing local parks,” said Becky L. Jacobson. “Keep the Salem Lakes area rural. It’s a gem the way it is.”
“The audacity to make a post like this after drafting an order to silence any criticism during hall meetings is beyond comprehension,” wrote Gregg Lindsay. “Quit trying to gaslight people into your adhoc ideas behind closed doors.”
“Salem Lakes is a joke,” added Daniel Hall, who said he left a job with the village due to “corruption” and mismanagement. “Two of the guys were exposed and fired but a few still remain.”
Residents also questioned Hiller’s motives. As Kenosha County Eye previously reported, Hiller is expected to leave her post soon amid internal controversies and a search for new employment. Nevertheless, the board is still signaling support for renewing her contract.
“I thought MRS HILL[ER] has all the answers—why would you need the TAXPAYERS’ help now?” wrote Bob Williams.
“You want ideas for the future? Here’s one: stop wasting money,” wrote Barbara Denman. “F your 30-year plan. I can’t even get out of my driveway anymore… My house was assessed $97,000 higher this year. I’ve had enough.”
Critics have also blasted the board’s priorities. Rather than fixing long-standing infrastructure problems like roads and storm drains—issues residents say have been ignored for years—the new plan leans heavily on new spending and expansive goals, all without a clear consensus from taxpayers.
Critics argue that the borrowing proposal is less about the village’s needs and more about Hiller’s resume.
“If she’s on her way out the door, why is she pushing a 30-year debt plan?” asked one longtime resident. “This isn’t leadership. It’s self-promotion.”
One taxpayer told Kenosha County Eye that the approximate half a million dollars in legal fees racked up by the village over the last few years—about ten times the normal amount—along with the possible misappropriation of public funds for an allegedly illegal walking path, “were a slap in all of our faces. She’s asking us to fix the problems she created.”
Despite all this, the board appears ready to move forward. Bucur (D) and her bloc of trustees have so far shown no signs of reining in Hiller’s proposal. Meanwhile, residents say they’re being ignored—again.
“This isn’t public engagement,” one resident said. “This is salesmanship disguised as outreach.”
The borrowing plan will be taken up in future board meetings. Whether any of the public’s frustration will matter by then remains to be seen.
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28 Responses
Tax and spend that’s what D’s do best.
Because this big grift just passed by Congress is any better… moron
That’s “what-about-ism” at its worst!
Actually, closing the border to millions and millions of free loaders and reducing the size of government will SAVE taxpayers over the long haul… moron
They won’t understand until it affects them directly. Give it time.
When will the psychological safety session be for the taxpayers? We are going to need it after thousands of dollars of increased taxes per year.
Watched the video on YouTube, can’t even see the Screen. I know less you know is more. Thanks for the 3 in the afternoon meetings, almost make it’s impossible for the we the public to attend. We are too busy working to pay our taxes already, now more. Go F yourself.
The current board wants to pass the buck to their predecessors—ridiculous. That old board didn’t hire this bureaucratic administrator. Ms. Hiller talks down to residents like we’re clueless hillbillies, ignoring decades of frugal, responsible stewardship. Her answer to every challenge? Spend more. Cut nothing.
In the July 8th meeting, when a resident proposed reasonable spending cuts, Hiller looked disgusted and snapped: “There’s nowhere to cut.” Really? Start with her salary. Start with unexplained attorney fees. Start with a maintenance program that extends the life of useful equipment instead of trashing it for shiny replacements. That’s what fiscal responsibility looks like. Salem Lake manages to survive on less—so should we.
Residents don’t need luxury. We need leadership that respects taxpayers’ wallets. Fire trucks from the late ’90s still run just fine—yet Hiller says ten years is the limit. It’s madness. We’re hurtling toward bankruptcy, and this board lacks the backbone to stop her. Even after the illegal wetland disaster, we’re now staring down potential fines and legal chaos.
Who pays? We do. Through secretive legal bills and silence from our so-called leaders. Taxpayers don’t need excuses—they deserve answers.
President Bucur, the honeymoon’s over. Stop invoking the merger like it’s a magic scapegoat. Watch the meeting—1 hour and 40 minutes in. What’s being whispered isn’t leadership. It’s scheming. From Bucur to Hopkins, listen carefully. Then decide what kind of governance this community deserves.
I can’t quite hear what they are saying. Anyone have better luck?
We all want to go back 30 years to when the Salem Highway guys responded to the sirens and drove real fast back to the Trevor firehouse and showed up to put out the fires or help with the car accidents.
Heck I remember a fire call at 5 am in my neighborhood in Salem where the Trevor volunteer fire department had the house fire out before the Salem firefighters even showed up at their station. Just a block from the Salem station.
Thanks Tom Seep !!
Those days of volunteer firefighters are now gone. Not forgotten but no longer feasible here.
Maybe in some northern much smaller community but not here.
Roads.
It’s not that we have more roads but that we demand better roads than we had years ago.
Remember the roads that were 20 years of pothole patching ? 98th street between 83 and C in front of the town hall. That road was atrocious for years.
And even now after it got “repaved” it’s starting to be bad again, because it was “only repaved” and not rebuilt. Asphalt cost more. Trucking cost more. Labor cost more.
Taxes.
I’m in a $290K house and my overall tax bill is just at $3,000. In Salem school district. Do you know any other communities with that low of a tax burden ??
Salem was a “Town” forever until Paddock Lake didn’t want to play nice and started annexing our northern border. So we worked off and on for ten years or more to become a village. It was going to cost over a million dollars just to go through all the legal processes the state required but instead we capitalized on Silver Lake failing and we all know that story.
And here we are with the same low taxes, trying to act like a village. With everything more expensive.
Go ahead and blame this board. Go ahead and blame this administrator. But she’s just the messenger. Telling us how far behind in investment in our community infrastructure we are. Our sub par wages in all village employees from the village hall on down to the rookie firefighter.
State limits on how much the village can raise taxes each year. Maybe now but not for many years past has the state allowed increases kept up with inflation.
Rita hired a very knowledgeable administrator who because of where she lives and who she knows and because her family has been in “their” town for so long, she gets run over on every story because she letting us see behind the curtain !
Telling us that we need to build, build, build to increase our tax base so we can pay for all these overpriced maintenance projects. And upgrading our fire department with both equipment and personnel. (Water park not with standing)
Remember a meeting before Pete was appointed where he outlined the sewer project in ValMar ?
The millions that is going to cost for some of the lowest price houses we have ??
Things age. Things wear out. Replacement gets more expensive each year !
The Village is not allowed to just raise taxes to what we need. They have to cut projects to pay for other projects. Keep pay as low as possible so we have more bodies in the trucks. You think things are bad now? Wait till Nobody is watching the books !
We are not who we were 30 years ago. Or even 20.
Do I want my taxes to go up ? No ?
But I know in turn I can’t sell and go somewhere else because I’m just affording where I’m at now.
She telling us that we need a shot in the arm of new money to get us over a hump in being behind.
This “extra money” is just that, extra. Not a new plateau going forward.
Salem is behind not because we screwed up but because we didn’t keep up. And now we need to pull that trigger.
Cassandra is only the messenger. Get rid of her if you want but the next person, guy or gal is going to tell you the same thing. Get ready for it.
Much of what’s been said rings true—but the budget tells its own story. Spending appears to be up by potentially millions compared to last year. That’s well beyond inflation and potentially a record increase. If savings were found, they clearly weren’t enough.
The Fire Department contract with Paddock Lake poses a serious threat to the 2026 budget. How much will the department need to cut while still maintaining services? The ultimate contract value likely exceeded $700K once insurance reimbursements are included. Blaming Paddock Lake doesn’t help—Salem Lakes must take responsibility for its own decisions. Their job is to protect their citizens, and PL did what they thought was best for them.
When common ground isn’t at the heart of negotiations, failure is predictable. Cassandra isn’t solely at fault, but her approach fits a big-government model that many here feel we simply can’t afford. Her tactical missteps have led to criticism. Whether fair or not, it’s the reality she now faces. I believe much of it is fair criticisms.
Above all, we must not forget our neighbors on fixed incomes. They’ve contributed to this community for decades. They shouldn’t be priced out—they should be prioritized.
You are correct. They did what was best for them. And as a Town, whatever those boundary negotiations were in 2006 were what we ended up with.
Did PL want more and we stopped them? Or did we just give them everything they asked for with the promise to not come for more ?
Either way they had the power and we didn’t. I guess we’re just lucky they didn’t annex the whole Town
“Rather than fixing long-standing infrastructure problems like roads and storm drains—issues residents say have been ignored for years—the new plan leans heavily on new spending and expansive goals, all without a clear consensus from taxpayers.”
This could be said of the City of Kenosha as well.
Is she burning the place down before she leaves?? She’s like a bad tenant getting kicked out of a building and destroying the house before they are evicted!!
Please, please give us a break Board!!!!
Perfect timing for her to go on vacation. Drop a sh*t bomb and go bicycling … again. How many trips does she take a month?!
The unmitigated gall of this entire board is repulsive. I don’t even attend the meetings, because I would
be thrown out or arrested immediately! Salem used to be a beautiful, quiet, rural area. It has become a complete shithole!
And you want me to foot the bill? FUCK YOU ALL!!! Especially some piece of shit that not only doesn’t live in Salem,
she lives in ILLINOIS!! These floaters all need to be flushed!! Long term residents have had it!!!!
If police officers have to reside within a certain limit of their district, AND LIVE IN THE STATE THEY SERVE, then WTF does Salem Lakes allow nonresidents to serve on any board in any capacity. First order of business is to change that! She has no skin in the game, period!
Because she’s Not on the board. She’s a hired hand. Maybe even a hired gun so to speak.
Casey lived in Illinois. Some of our employees live in surrounding communities. All allowed.
Where do you work ?
I am voting everyone out enough already!!
But nobody is running against to fill those seats.
Well not nobody but not enough to create a challenge.
Do you remember the last time we had enough to have a primary for village board ? February of 2023.
And 2018 before that.
I don’t even remember not seeing Dennis Faber up there. And I’ve been around over 20 years
Who’s going to fill those seats ?
Say good bye to Our little Salem Lakes. Prepare for much higher taxes and bureaucracy.
It all is very unfortunate. Everyone wanted to quickly get rid of the old boad. Granted, most needed to be replaced, but they were better than the present boad. No one checked into the backgrounds or listened to the warnings posted about the Admin and the Pres. How much research was done about the board members past or the Fire Chief? I’ll bet not much. Just hurry and replace what’s there. Remember the saying…grass is not greener on the other side…this sure holds true in this case. This is no longer a small rural town. There are millions of dollars that are handled to run this village, industry growth and increased population. We need people who are educated on running a village, handling growth in the best interest for the community, problem solving issues that arise but most of all, working together and communicating, with eachother on the board, with the surrounding towns and villages and most of all, the ones that live in this Village. I hope there will be qualified people who are compassionate of the Village to step up and run for office to help get it back on track to make it a place to be proud of to call home.
Amen!!!
Despite what people think, the Village hasn’t really grown at all, maybe a hundred more people in the last 8 years. I think that’s for the best. New Hiller Admin wants 10,000 more in the next 5 years, look out. Time to deport her back to Illinois quickly.
I was thinking about moving to Salem, but after reading what is going on with the board there and the president of it, I think i will decline. Looks like a board that isn’t for the residents and likes spending money and raising taxes! No thanks.
Come move here and run for a seat on the board !
We change 3 seats every two years and the other 4 the every other two years.
If you are so interested in the area to think about it then think just a little more. Get involved and
Make Salem Better
The reality is that people are moving from the city – west. We cannot run from this. Why do you think schools in the cites are losing numbers and the schools in the county are growing.
We need a golden dome over Salem Lakes. Rather pay more in taxes than look at what Hiller and Bucur think is beautiful.
What is wrong with those board members??? I understand that there needs to be growth, but, Salem has already grown so much in the last thirty years. I think it’s time to fix the issues that are real issues-the roads and the existing infrastructure. So many of the newer people that live in Salem have their income coming from Illinois. These board members have to remember that there are people that live in Salem that have lived and worked in the area all of their lives! There are a lot of retired people in the area. Pensions and social security are fixed amounts. Not everyone can work overtime to make up the added expense this borrowing will bring. Ms. Hiller, if you want to work for Milwaukee, then GO to Milwaukee and leave Salem alone. I think Bill and Peter are the only sensible board members. Dennis Faber needs to get off the damn fence!!!!