We are among residents concerned with what is going on in our Village of Kewaskum. There was an OPEN RECORDS REQUEST to the village. Records include, but are not limited to, cash compensation including base salaries, bonuses, overtime pay, stipends for vehicle use/mileage, cell phones, benefits and fringe packages, reimbursements of gas, lodging, professional development, meals, village-issued credit card expenses, etc.
We have received a response from the administration and there are fees involved that exceeded the minimum we were hoping it would cost. For just some of the records, those will cost us $341.77. Again, this does not include all the records requested. This GoFundMe is to raise funds to be able to get access to these public records and hopefully put minds at ease. The goal amount is an expectation of total costs. Any funds remaining after paying the administration fees for gathering requested records will be donated to the Kewaskum Community Pantry.
We will keep this updated as new information comes in.
If you support transparency in local government and would like to help make this information available to the public, please consider contributing.
Transparency should not depend on who can afford to ask the questions.
Below is the email requesting the public records and the response from administration.
Dear Clerk Butz,
Pursuant to the Wisconsin Open Records Law (Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31-19.39) Open Records: Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31 - 19.39 | Wisconsin Department of ..., I am writing to request access to and digital copies of public records regarding the total compensation, benefits, and expenditures for all Village of Kewaskum board members, elected officials, and municipal employees.
To ensure complete transparency, please provide itemized records for the past six (6) fiscal years (specifically 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and year-to-date 2026) containing the following details:
Cash Compensation: Base salaries, hourly wages, overtime pay, bonuses, longevity pay, and per diems paid to all employees and board members.
Additional Allowances: Any stipends paid for vehicle/car use, cell phones, clothing, or other personal technology allowances.
Benefits & Fringe Packages: Total monetary value of village contributions toward health, dental, and life insurance, as well as contributions made to the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) or deferred compensation plans.
Reimbursements: Itemized lists of all out-of-pocket expense reimbursements, including mileage, travel, lodging, professional development, and meals.
Credit Cards: Monthly itemized statements and transaction histories for any village-issued credit cards utilized by board members, the village administrator, or department heads.
If these figures are compiled in annual payroll summaries, W-2 summary logs, or budget ledger exports (such as Excel sheets), I am happy to receive them in that format to simplify fulfillment.
As a reminder, Wis. Stat. § 19.35(4) requires a response "as soon as practicable and without delay." If there are any duplication or location fees associated with this request that will exceed $25, please notify me of the estimate before proceeding. If any portion of this request is denied or redacted, please cite the specific statutory exemption enabling you to do so.
Thank you for your time and assistance in keeping our local government accountable. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Carrie Johnson
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Carrie,
The Village has continued its review of your Open Records Request and has worked with our financial software provider to determine the most appropriate reports available to fulfill Items 1 through 3 of your requests regarding:
Cash Compensation
Additional Allowances and Benefits
Fringe Benefit Packages
Based on that review, the most comprehensive report available containing the requested information is a Combined Register – Compensation Report. For the six-year period requested, the report totals approximately 107 pages per year, or 642 pages in total.
Prior to release, these records must be reviewed and redacted to remove information that is not subject to disclosure under Wisconsin's Public Records Law. While compensation paid with public funds is generally subject to disclosure, certain personal information contained within employee payroll records must be withheld where disclosure would constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy or is otherwise protected by law. Such redactions are authorized pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.35(1)(a) and the balancing test recognized under Wisconsin public records law.
Based on a review and redaction rate of approximately one minute per page, staff estimates that review and redaction of the 642 pages will require approximately 10.7 hours. For purposes of estimating costs, this has been rounded to 11 hours. Additional staff time will also be required to fulfill Items 4 and 5 of your requests.
Pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.35(3)(c), the Village may charge the actual, necessary, and direct cost of locating records when the cost exceeds $50. Using the hourly rate of the employee performing the work ($31.07 per hour), the estimated minimum cost to produce the records responsive to Items 1 through 3 is:
11 hours × $31.07/hour = $341.77
Please note that this estimate reflects only the time necessary to locate, review, and redact the payroll-related records. Additional fees may apply based upon the time required to review and redact records responsive to Items 4 and 5.
With respect to Item 4, reimbursement records will require review and redaction of personal information where applicable, including personal addresses and other personally identifiable information. Such information may be withheld pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.35(1)(a) and Wisconsin's common-law balancing test, which recognizes a public interest in protecting individual privacy where disclosure would not advance the public's understanding of governmental operations.
With respect to Item 5, credit card statements and transaction histories will require review and redaction of account numbers, card numbers, banking information, and other sensitive financial information. Disclosure of such information could compromise the security of Village financial accounts and expose the Village and its employees to fraud or unauthorized access. Accordingly, such information will be withheld pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.35(1)(a) and the balancing test, as the public interest in protecting sensitive financial information outweighs any public interest served by disclosure of account numbers or related security information.
Because the actual time required to locate, review, and redact the records associated with Items 4 and 5 cannot be determined until those records are assembled and reviewed, additional charges may be assessed beyond the minimum estimate of $341.77 provided herein.
The Village believes in transparency and provides financial statements to the public through its website at www.kewaskumwi.gov under Departments/Treasurer. Members of the public are encouraged to review these resources, which may provide some of the information being sought without incurring additional costs.
If you wish to proceed with the processing of this records request, the Village requires a deposit of $300.00 toward the estimated costs pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.35(3). Upon receipt of the deposit, the Village will begin locating, reviewing, and redacting the responsive records. The deposit will be applied toward the final cost of fulfilling the request.
Please note that the current estimate of $341.77 reflects only the minimum cost associated with Items 1 through 3. Additional time may be required to locate, review, and redact records responsive to Items 4 and 5, and additional charges may apply. If the actual cost exceeds the amount of the deposit, the Village will provide an updated estimate before proceeding further.
Tammy Butz
Assistant Administrator/Clerk | Village of Kewaskum