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City levy increase could hit 1.84%; mayor would like to hold the line
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By: Eric Quade
| 10/31/2009 |
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The 2010 budget proposal for the city of Barron includes a levy increase of 1.84 percent, but there is pressure to scale back the tentative budget even further.
Mayor Dave Vruwink said he's asked other city officials to reexamine budget requests to make sure no more options for savings exist.
"I'd like each of the council members, their committees, to take a good look again at their budget and any ways we can trim back," he said. "I feel for people ... we've got to keep the costs down there just to survive."
Vruwink said that there's a push for keeping the levy flat compared to last year, but rising costs for health insurance and drops in shared revenue from the state are making that task more difficult.
Last year, Barron's levy took a dip of approximately $200,000. Most of that was because fire protection fees were taken off the tax rolls and placed instead on utility bills.
City Clerk-Treasurer Tony Slagstad said the proposed budget for 2010 is largely unchanged from last year. A notable change includes a drop of approximately $95,000 in Barron's capital outlay budget, meaning the city doesn't expect to do a lot of big projects next year. There is doubt that Barron will secure the federal stimulus funding originally sought to revamp LaSalle Avenue. Improvements at the city's industrial park are expected to go through next year, but that's receiving 100 percent funding through an appropriation secured by Rep. Dave Obey.
Slagstad said the mill rate in the city's budget for 2010 will drop because of higher assessed values on Barron properties. Assessed values were updated this year.
The city's proposed budget also shows a decrease of approximately $30,000 in shared revenue from the state. There have been rumors circulating at the state and county levels of government that Wisconsin might soon follow Minnesota's lead and no longer distribute these monies to local municipalities. The prospect of losing that revenue has fueled discussions about how local government would respond to such a cut.
Slagstad said that shared revenues from the state are estimated at approximately $788,000 for Barron in 2010. Losing that amount of revenue in the city's budget "would be a disaster," he said, and municipalities would likely be able to compensate for it by exceeding current levy limits. If shared revenue and other reimbursements from the state weren't dropping in 2010, then Barron's proposed budget could have enjoyed a 15 percent levy decrease instead of a 1.84 percent increase, the clerk-treasurer said.
Vruwink said that there is a movement at state and local levels of government to find savings and reduce duplication of services. "Consolidation" is a word that frequently comes up. The mayor said that Barron has in the past looked at consolidation possibilities in city government, but there are no current proposals for mergers.
"But you're always looking for ways to save money, you know, to make yourself more efficient, to make government more efficient," Vruwink said, adding that some businesses nowadays are resorting to laying people off. " ... They scaled down their operation and made them more efficient. I guess government's going to have to do the same."
A budget hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall. There, the public is invited to voice any concerns they might have about the proposed budget for 2010. Barring an unforeseen obstacle, Barron officials expect that the city's budget will be finalized that same evening.
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©Barron News Shield 2009
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