MONROE - Fixed costs in the 2009 budget are giving city leaders a reality check.
Unable to control salary levels, health insurance and increasing fuel costs, the city is proposing to strike the yet-unfilled city administrator's position from next year's budget.
"You have to say, where is this money coming from?" Mayor Ron Marsh said Tuesday.
The city budget has to stay within a 4.5 percent overall increase, or the city will lose its shared state and federal revenues, and the state limits the operating budget to a 2 percent increase.
The total administrator budget was expected to be about $105,500 for 2009, down from $136,000 in 2008.
Marsh said the city can no longer afford to leave money sitting.
"We can't just literally say leave it there, and say six months down the road we have to use this money," he said.
Marsh cut his office budget by 11 percent.
"I do adhere to my own ways," he said.
Council members had postponed their work of refilling the administrator position until after budget work was done.
"We wanted an administrator this year, but it's not fiscally possible. It's a cut we can make," Alderman Mark Coplien, Finance & Taxation Committee member, said about the 2009 budget. "I realize we need a city manager or administrator, but you can't have what you can't afford ... this is reality. I wish we could take funds from someplace else."
Alderman Jan Lefevre did not realize the budget was over by $490,000. She said the city needs an administrator, but has "no problem holding off" hiring a new one.
"As long as the council members and the mayor were doing a good job, if it saves money for the taxpayers and balances the budget," she said.
But Alderman Paul Hannes doesn't like the administrator budget funds being dispersed to other departments.
"I think the money should be left there," he said.
"We could manage," Hannes said about the city doing without an administrator. "But a good administrator is worth his weight in gold, and can put us on the right path and in new directions."
The 2008 administrator budget included $81,000 for salary and $42,000 for "fringe" benefits, which includes health insurance.
Some funds from the administrator, community development and Monroe Main Street budgets may be redirected and merged into an $87,800 marketing budget to cover the city's share of costs for Green County Development Corporation (GCDC), Main Street and Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).
An option for the Finance & Taxation Committee to fund its $25,000 portion of Monroe Main Street is to use funds out of TIF #7, which committee chairman Kent Kallembach said is doing "very well."
The city contributed $29,800 to the GCDC, based on per capita, in 2008.
The city just entered into a contract with MCCI for economic development services provided by their executive director. That annual amount, $12,500, plus $2,500 for expenses, was expected to be drawn from the administrator budget.
"I wasn't in favor of the (MCCI) agreement, when we pay Green County Development to do the same work," Hannes said. "I don't know whether we're going to drop one or pay both now to do the same work, which we can't afford to do."
Marsh said department heads are "more closely involved" with setting the 2009 budget, and have stepped up to work on behalf of the city.
"I think it is working very well, and we have moved down the road," Marsh said about the city government since the termination of its one and only administrator, Mark Vahlsing.
"The mayor and council members have stepped up. We have aldermen and a mayor going above and beyond ... you don't realize how much time we spend with administrator issues," Coplien said.
Coplien hopes the administrator budget can be a part of the 2010 budget.
"The mayor seems to be dragging his feet about getting a new administrator," Hannes said. "I think we should get to work and get a new one. But everybody doesn't seem to agree with me on that."
"There was no resolution that changed the format" of city government three years ago, with the council and mayor still being elected, Marsh said. The administrator position was an employment agreement between the city and the administrator, he said.
"We have to face reality now - do a reality check," Marsh said. "This (proposed budget) is a wish list; we'd love to have everything in it."
Unable to control salary levels, health insurance and increasing fuel costs, the city is proposing to strike the yet-unfilled city administrator's position from next year's budget.
"You have to say, where is this money coming from?" Mayor Ron Marsh said Tuesday.
The city budget has to stay within a 4.5 percent overall increase, or the city will lose its shared state and federal revenues, and the state limits the operating budget to a 2 percent increase.
The total administrator budget was expected to be about $105,500 for 2009, down from $136,000 in 2008.
Marsh said the city can no longer afford to leave money sitting.
"We can't just literally say leave it there, and say six months down the road we have to use this money," he said.
Marsh cut his office budget by 11 percent.
"I do adhere to my own ways," he said.
Council members had postponed their work of refilling the administrator position until after budget work was done.
"We wanted an administrator this year, but it's not fiscally possible. It's a cut we can make," Alderman Mark Coplien, Finance & Taxation Committee member, said about the 2009 budget. "I realize we need a city manager or administrator, but you can't have what you can't afford ... this is reality. I wish we could take funds from someplace else."
Alderman Jan Lefevre did not realize the budget was over by $490,000. She said the city needs an administrator, but has "no problem holding off" hiring a new one.
"As long as the council members and the mayor were doing a good job, if it saves money for the taxpayers and balances the budget," she said.
But Alderman Paul Hannes doesn't like the administrator budget funds being dispersed to other departments.
"I think the money should be left there," he said.
"We could manage," Hannes said about the city doing without an administrator. "But a good administrator is worth his weight in gold, and can put us on the right path and in new directions."
The 2008 administrator budget included $81,000 for salary and $42,000 for "fringe" benefits, which includes health insurance.
Some funds from the administrator, community development and Monroe Main Street budgets may be redirected and merged into an $87,800 marketing budget to cover the city's share of costs for Green County Development Corporation (GCDC), Main Street and Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).
An option for the Finance & Taxation Committee to fund its $25,000 portion of Monroe Main Street is to use funds out of TIF #7, which committee chairman Kent Kallembach said is doing "very well."
The city contributed $29,800 to the GCDC, based on per capita, in 2008.
The city just entered into a contract with MCCI for economic development services provided by their executive director. That annual amount, $12,500, plus $2,500 for expenses, was expected to be drawn from the administrator budget.
"I wasn't in favor of the (MCCI) agreement, when we pay Green County Development to do the same work," Hannes said. "I don't know whether we're going to drop one or pay both now to do the same work, which we can't afford to do."
Marsh said department heads are "more closely involved" with setting the 2009 budget, and have stepped up to work on behalf of the city.
"I think it is working very well, and we have moved down the road," Marsh said about the city government since the termination of its one and only administrator, Mark Vahlsing.
"The mayor and council members have stepped up. We have aldermen and a mayor going above and beyond ... you don't realize how much time we spend with administrator issues," Coplien said.
Coplien hopes the administrator budget can be a part of the 2010 budget.
"The mayor seems to be dragging his feet about getting a new administrator," Hannes said. "I think we should get to work and get a new one. But everybody doesn't seem to agree with me on that."
"There was no resolution that changed the format" of city government three years ago, with the council and mayor still being elected, Marsh said. The administrator position was an employment agreement between the city and the administrator, he said.
"We have to face reality now - do a reality check," Marsh said. "This (proposed budget) is a wish list; we'd love to have everything in it."