Cities Map Layoffs, Plan Tax Freezes

Transportation 'Enhancements' Get Boost

Campaign Reform in Fall?

By Rich Eggleston

City leaders and common councils in Alliance cities are planning significant layoffs to minimize property tax increases or, in some cases, enable officials to adopt an outright property tax freeze, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Sept. 6.

Reporter Tom Kertscher focused on the largest cities in Wisconsin, but our surveys of our members indicate that smaller cities are experiencing the same budget difficulties, and are planning extraordinary measures to avoid tax increases.  In some cases they are advocating a tax rate freeze and in some cases they are pushing for a levy freeze. Other city leaders are proposing draconian cuts in staff — with cuts in services to inevitably follow.

Eau Claire City Manager Don Norrell says Eau Claire is projecting a budget deficit of $3 million and an overall decrease in personnel of 28.5 full time positions, which includes four fire personnel and two police officers. They also expect increases in fees and charges and decreases in overall service to meet their goal of a 0% tax rate increase.

In Marshfield, Mayor Michael Meyers is proposing a property tax freeze. In Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt is finalizing a budget that must cope with a $5 million deficit — the largest in city history — and still strives toward a property tax "freeze" that, like the vetoed state-imposed freeze would allow a levy increase for growth.

In Beloit, a levy freeze is being discussed, with a reduction in the tax rate a likely result if it is adopted.

But cities' efforts to go places other than the levy to pay increased for state and federal mandates, increased health insurance bills and other escalating costs are meeting with mixed results.

Over some objections, Sheboygan's City Council approved a $3 per month stormwater management fee. See that story here.

But a fire prevention fee was rejected in Green Bay (story here)

and a fire protection fee was rejected in Marshfield (story here).

Beloit is weighing fee increases for trash pickup and leisure services, and a 9.5% increase in ambulance fees. See that story here.

An increase in fees charged by Marinette for such things as building permits, liquor licenses, dog licenses, and boat launches are ways Mayor Doug Oitzinger has proposed raising additional revenue to help the city cope with an estimated $700,000 budget deficit in 2004 (story here).

In Superior, the budget is so tight that Mayor David Ross has proposed dropping out of the Alliance of Cities. See the story here.

That news prompted Alliance executive director Ed Huck to send an e-mail to members.

"Spending reductions will be necessary to hold down property taxes," Huck wrote. "That may mean dues to the Alliance. I understand, but I need a heads-up for planning purposes."

His e-mail prompted this response from Racine Mayor Gary Becker:

For Tom Kertscher's story, which cites Racine's budget difficulties among other Alliance members, look here.

Alliance to Vote on Dues Freeze, Make Do With Vacant Position

Transportation 'Enhancements' Get Boost

The House of Representatives, on a 327-90 vote, passed an amendment co-sponsored by Rep. Tom  Petri (R-Wis.) to retain the requirement in current law that states use 10% of their federal highway money for bike trails, pedestrian walkways and other transportation enhancement projects. The program directs around $600 million a year into trails, transportation museums and restoration of scenic or historic highway sites.

"Congressman Petri deserves a big 'thank you' for influencing Congress to continue balanced transportation funding," said Ed Huck, Alliance executive director. "His leadership is a credit to his district and the entire state of Wisconsin."

"...(T)he federal transportation program should be about providing safer and more convenient transportation options," said Anne Canby, president of the Surface Transportation Policy Project in Washington, D.C. "Clearly, the full House of Representatives agrees with millions of Americans and hundreds of organizations that America needs to 'Stay the Course' in providing successful balanced transportation investments."

The Department of Commerce has launched an e-newsletter. Vol. 1 No. 1 discusses how to grow manufacturing in Wisconsin, fire dues distributions to municipalities are up $2 million, brownfields programs and more. To see the newsletter and subscribe to future issues, click here.

The former town of Pewaukee, now nominally a city, is ending its fire-service agreement with the village of Pewaukee because the village wants to assess costs based on equalized value. Village President Thomas Calder said the decision was "a giant step backward" for consolidation of services.  A formula based on equalized value is "ridiculous," Mayor Jeffrey Nowak said. He said tax-exempt property like nursing homes is located mostly in the village, and city taxpayers shouldn't have to pay toward the services those tax-exempt properties receive. Hmmm. See the story here.

Sprawl is physical as well as geographic. People who live in auto-dependent suburbs rather than transit and foot-travel dependent cities are likely to weigh six pounds more4 than their city cousins, says research published in the American Journal of Public Health and the American Journal of Health Promotion. See Amy Rinard's story here.

Reconstruction of Milwaukee's freeway system is an  endeavor that will gobble up more than a square mile of homes, businesses and wetlands, and that's only the beginning of the impacts that will in turn develop farmland for subdivisions for the people who will fill the freeways to capacity, says James Rowen, policy director to Milwaukee Mayor John O. Norquist, in a guest column in the Capital Times. "This is not a sustainable model, but it is moving full-speed-ahead with the blessing of regional planners, politicians, developers and road builders," Rowen says. See the column here.