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• Hudson school mill rate expected to drop
• Woman questioned in connection with funeral home murders files claim against the city of Hudson
• Hudson hat trick beats Old Abe kickers

By Jon Echternacht

In a time of uncertain financial markets and state budget woes, taxpayers in the Hudson School District have received a ray of hope.

The board of education was presented with the 2002-03 estimated budget at its annual meeting Monday night, which projected a drop in the mill rate from the previous year.

Arnie Fett, director of fiscal operations, told the board and a sparse crowd of some two dozen citizens that the budget would increase by $1.9 million, but the mill rate on local property taxes was expected to drop from 10.36 last year to 9.54.

An increase of property valuation of 13.63 percent, to more than $2 billion, was a main factor in the drop along with a steady increase in enrollment.

Local taxes account for about 46 percent of the district's general fund while state aid contributes 53.5 percent, Fett reported.

The local property tax bill is expected to be $15.9 million compared with $14.9 last year, and the state's equalization aid is projected at $18.6 million compared with $17.5 million last year.

The general fund revenues for 2002-03 total $35.5 million.

Salaries account for the biggest piece of the expenditure pie at $17.18 million followed by benefits at $7.13 million for some 636 full- and part-time staff members.

A jump of 35 percent in health insurance caused an increase in the cost of benefits by more than $1 million. Salaries increased by $688,000 with the addition of several supervisors on the staff, Fett said.

The board passed a resolution for a $19,882,119 property tax levy by a 5-0 margin. Board members Peter Bear and Mark Kaisersatt were absent.

The board also passed a resolution by a 5-0 margin to accept a portion of $35 million statewide from a TEACH Block Grant.

The final action by the board set Monday, Sept. 8, 2003, for the next annual meeting.

By Randy Hanson

The Hudson City Council last week denied a claim for $410,000 in damages by a woman who police investigated as a possible suspect in the Feb. 5 murders of Daniel O'Connell and James Ellison.

Kathryn Padilla of Augusta, leader of a small religious group known as The Rest of Jesus Ministry, filed the claim with City Clerk Patricia Dotseth in early June.

Padilla, 56, said she suffered injuries when a SWAT team from the Eau Claire County Sheriff's Department and unnamed Hudson police officers arrested her at a rural Augusta residence on Feb. 8.

Two other individuals who apparently were at Padilla's residence when police conducted the raid filed identical notices claiming $410,000 each in damages. Duane Kaufman, Fairchild, and Grace Strong, Altoona, filed the other two claims, which the City Council also denied. Strong is a minor.

All three allege that the police used excessive force during the raid. They claim to have suffered bodily injuries and "severe emotional distress."

They are each demanding $10,000 for future medical and hospital expenses, $200,000 for future pain, suffering and disability, and $200,000 for future loss of earnings and earning capacity.

Filing a notice of claim is the first step in seeking payment for damages from a municipality. If the governing body rejects the claim, the claimant often responds with a lawsuit.

The action rejecting Padilla's and her followers' claims was part of the council's consent agenda and was approved along with other actions. Council members didn't discuss the claims.

Padilla became a suspect in the Hudson murders because of letters she sent to funeral homes warning them to stop the practice of embalming bodies. Police say the O'Connell Family Funeral Home, where O'Connell and Ellison were shot to death, received one of the letters about a year before the murders.

According to news reports last February, Padilla said God commanded her to tell funeral directors that embalming bodies is an abomination. The letters included a passage from the Bible that authorities interpreted as a threat. It stated: "Thus saith the Lord 'because you have heard not the words of the Lord, I take from you your sons and daughters into early graves. And prepare for burial yourself.' Amen."

Padilla was charged with two counts of stalking and two counts of disorderly conduct in connection with letters received by Eau Claire funeral homes on Feb. 6 and 7. The two misdemeanor stalking charges were dismissed in April. She entered a deferred prosecution agreement on two disorderly charges, according to court records.

A hat trick by midfielder Dale Weiler, including one goal in the final minutes that broke a tie, was just enough to beat Big Rivers Conference rival Eau Claire Memorial.

Hudson opened the scoring eight minutes into the contest, and goalie Brian Toll was scarely tested in the early-going. The game stood at 1-0 partway into the second half, and the Raiders held on for a 3-2 win.