Bend Over, Waukesha County...Lucy's Moving the Football

Dan Vrakas, a protege of Scott Jensen, didn't really mean all that stuff about "reducing taxes."

That's the only way to read his comments and those of other Waukesha County Board members in yesterday's paper.

In recent weeks, Vrakas and his top staffers have signaled that the 2007 budget proposal would include a property tax increase around 2%, which would amount to $1.8 million.

[Tax-increase opponent] Lufter pointed out that the county executive campaigned last year by promising to "reduce your tax burden" and enact "real property tax relief" - phrases that were featured in his campaign literature and still appear on his Web site.

"No matter how he wants to slice and dice that after the election, he campaigned on freezing taxes," she said. "He needs to come forward with a zero- increase budget."

Vrakas, of course, sees it differently:

Under criticism from some who felt betrayed, the 50-year-old county executive turned to his sports analogy, saying he would move the county toward tax relief slowly rather than attempt one dramatic maneuver known in football as a "hail Mary pass."

So, at some undefined point in the future, Waukesha County's tax-take will stop increasing, maybe, kinda, sorta.

I have a sports analogy, too:

Charlie Brown's difficulty with Lucy's hold.