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Politics & Government

The Best of Patch: November

A month-by-month look back at the top stories of 2011.

As the year comes to a close, we all tend to look back at what exactly we've accomplished over the past 365 days.

Village residents got two pieces of good news from the Village Board in November. The board approved a plan to fix sewers and, in addition, approved a budget with the lowest hike in property taxes in a decade during the month.  

Saying they need to send a message to residents that they are serious about addressing Shorewood’s sewer woes, village trustees approved a comprehensive sewer plan with a $34.1 million price tag. 

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Shorewood trustees approved a budget that called for a 1.75 percent increase in the property tax levy — the lowest hike in a decade. After months of workshops and navigating the error, which could have added more than $1 million to the levy, the Village Board adopted a $24.1 million budget, a decrease of 1.9 percent from last year, and a $9.6 million levy.

State officials granted Citgo in Shorewood — in the village’s sewer system — an extension on developing a plan to clean up contaminated soil near his business.

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A 49-year-old Shorewood man was arrested in November and charged with six federal charges: three counts of production of child pornography; and one count each of transportation of a minor across state lines to engage in a sex act, distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. David Foley was also charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court with five bail-jumping charges, as he is currently serving an 18-month sentence at Fox Lake Correctional Institution for an unrelated identity theft conviction. 

Supporters of Excellence in Educational Development (SEED), a local non-profit educational foundation, kicked off their annual fundraiser effort and revealed the strategy for tackling . Called "every family matters, and every gift counts," the goals for the SEED Foundation's new season are to raise a total of $200,000 in donations, with 100 percent of funds coming from local families, to help assist the .

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