MONROE - After reading the proposed state budget for 2011-2013, Monroe City Administrator Phil Rath expects the state to reduce its shared revenues to municipalities by about 8.5 percent.
"There are challenges ahead," said Rath.
The city stands to lose a portion of its shared revenues under those cuts, but Rath said he can't be sure yet how much that amount will be.
The city may receive a bit more or less, as other items are factored into the shared revenue equation, such as population, number of employees and their participation in benefit packages. But City Treasurer Cathy Maurer is hoping for not more than the average percentage in reduction, noting that small cities like Monroe are less able to absorb reduced revenues.
The city is expecting to receive more than $1.64 million in shared revenue for 2011 - about $36,000 less than in 2010. The new proposed budget cuts will not affect the coming revenue for this year.
Rath also sees a 10 percent reduction in transportation aid, with cities and villages being affected more than towns. General transportation aid to Monroe has been decreasing over the past three years, from about $494,000 in 2008 to about $477,000 in 2011.
"It also appears that the city will be losing its recycling grant," said Rath, "but at the same time, it looks as if the (state) recycling requirements are being eliminated."
The city's state recycling grant has been more than $100,000 annually for the past three years.
A small piece of good news, Rath said, was that the requirements on phosphate levels and total suspended solids in stormwater are being reduced or municipalities are being given a longer time frame to meet standards, which means relief from that immediate expenditure.
Tax levy increases are also going to be frozen at zero percent or at the gain in value from net new construction, Rath said. With the restriction on raising taxes and loss of state aid, he said, the city will have to focus more on expenses to balance the budget, starting in 2012. But he does believe the challenging task ahead can be accomplished.
"The revenue side is going to be restricted, so we will have to create more efficiency with the services we have now, which the staff has been working on the last few years as revenues have tightened," he added.
At the county level, Green County Clerk Mike Doyle said there are a lot of unknowns in the budget at this time.
"So much is up in the air," he said.
Doyle suspects shared revenues may drop by 24 percent over the next two years, including a 10 percent reduction in highway funding.
The county received about $430,000 in total shared revenues this year.
"Employees' contributions (to health care and pension plans) still have to pass," to make the state budget plan work, he said.
Green County postponed approval of its union contract agreement with AFSCME until March 8.
Lafayette County Clerk Linda Bawden is also unsure of the specific impact state cuts will have on her county's budget.
"It's not going to be good - of course, it's going to affect our county," she said.
Lafayette County has settled its union contracts through 2012.
"There are challenges ahead," said Rath.
The city stands to lose a portion of its shared revenues under those cuts, but Rath said he can't be sure yet how much that amount will be.
The city may receive a bit more or less, as other items are factored into the shared revenue equation, such as population, number of employees and their participation in benefit packages. But City Treasurer Cathy Maurer is hoping for not more than the average percentage in reduction, noting that small cities like Monroe are less able to absorb reduced revenues.
The city is expecting to receive more than $1.64 million in shared revenue for 2011 - about $36,000 less than in 2010. The new proposed budget cuts will not affect the coming revenue for this year.
Rath also sees a 10 percent reduction in transportation aid, with cities and villages being affected more than towns. General transportation aid to Monroe has been decreasing over the past three years, from about $494,000 in 2008 to about $477,000 in 2011.
"It also appears that the city will be losing its recycling grant," said Rath, "but at the same time, it looks as if the (state) recycling requirements are being eliminated."
The city's state recycling grant has been more than $100,000 annually for the past three years.
A small piece of good news, Rath said, was that the requirements on phosphate levels and total suspended solids in stormwater are being reduced or municipalities are being given a longer time frame to meet standards, which means relief from that immediate expenditure.
Tax levy increases are also going to be frozen at zero percent or at the gain in value from net new construction, Rath said. With the restriction on raising taxes and loss of state aid, he said, the city will have to focus more on expenses to balance the budget, starting in 2012. But he does believe the challenging task ahead can be accomplished.
"The revenue side is going to be restricted, so we will have to create more efficiency with the services we have now, which the staff has been working on the last few years as revenues have tightened," he added.
At the county level, Green County Clerk Mike Doyle said there are a lot of unknowns in the budget at this time.
"So much is up in the air," he said.
Doyle suspects shared revenues may drop by 24 percent over the next two years, including a 10 percent reduction in highway funding.
The county received about $430,000 in total shared revenues this year.
"Employees' contributions (to health care and pension plans) still have to pass," to make the state budget plan work, he said.
Green County postponed approval of its union contract agreement with AFSCME until March 8.
Lafayette County Clerk Linda Bawden is also unsure of the specific impact state cuts will have on her county's budget.
"It's not going to be good - of course, it's going to affect our county," she said.
Lafayette County has settled its union contracts through 2012.