MONROE - After predicting a possible hike in city taxes and cutting away at community-based support, the Monroe Common Council was able to pass a budget for 2018 with a decrease in the levy while still contributing to area organizations like the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Green County Development Corporation.
In a recent change following a recommended proposal from the Finance and Taxation Committee, the city identified $36,000 of increased revenue and roughly $70,000 across all departments in funds not likely to be spent by the end of the year, City Administrator Phil Rath said.
With the additional $100,000 in funds, Monroe was able to provide the standard financial support to GCDC, the Monroe Chamber, Main Street Monroe and the Green County Humane Society. It could also provide $5,000 for the proposed UniverCity program through GCDC, which will be implemented next fall.
Homeowners in Monroe will see the city tax rate drop by 8 cents compared to 2017. The levy will be $6.872 million, resulting in a rate of $10.47 per $1,000 of home value, which is a decrease from the 2017 rate. This would save homeowners just over $8 per $100,000 of property value compared to last year. With the 0.52 percent decrease, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $1,047 to the city in taxes annually.
Alderman Michael Boyce, who lost in a vote against adoption of a budget which slightly raised taxes last year, expressed contentment at the 2018 proposal. He said a budget that is able to reduce property taxes while also meeting the needs of city employees was a positive one. The vote to approve the 2018 budget was 8-1, with alderman Charles Koch voting against its adoption.
"I think we could have done more with it," Koch said, referring to the severance agreement signed with records supervisor Debra Arnsmeier and the choice not to fill positions. "We shouldn't be trying to balance our budget on the backs of employees."
Despite the general agreement about a lower tax rate and sustained program support, the outlined budget still caused disagreement among council members. Aldermen Chris Beer and Ron Marsh both proposed cuts be added back to the budget, though only one motion succeeded.
Beer requested $4,000 be utilized for an integrated video system for council meetings, which was able to be funded through roughly $10,000 recovered from a proposed severance agreement also passed during the meeting. Marsh asked that the item eliminating $40,000 in contingency funding be reinstated. A roll-call vote failed with aldermen Koch, Tom Miller, Rob Schilt and Marsh supporting the proposal, while Richard Thoman, Brooke Bauman, Jeff Newcomer, Boyce and Beer voted against it.
Miller also expressed disdain for how the budget was put together, citing open meetings laws as a hindrance to the understanding of council members because they have to worry about possibly breaking the rules by attending committee meetings, where initial decisions are made.
Beer said the city needed to work toward sustainability, which other aldermen echoed. Rath said planning like capital savings will help make that possible in future years.
The Finance and Taxation Committee was originally tasked with making up for a shortfall in the proposed budget. Initially expenditures were roughly $11.1 million, revenues were just $10.3 million, leaving a $750,000 gap. Even the possibility of raising the city levy by $300,000 - increasing it to the highest legal limit - would still leave a $450,000 hole to fill. The committee solicited advice from Rath, Mayor Louis Armstrong and various department heads with distinct insight into their respective departments.
Eventually, the expenditures were culled down. Partially because members agreed to reduce the city's contribution to the humane society by $10,000 and the other groups, Main Street, GCDC, Chamber and the UniverCity program, by $5,000. Roughly 26 people were in attendance to see the contributions added back to the budget Tuesday.
Bauman, who serves as a member of the finance committee, pointed out that the budget was a good compromise, even if the entire body of nine could not necessarily agree on each proposed cut or program.
"You're not going to like everything in it, but I think it is something we can work with," Bauman said.
Some discussion took place regarding how to work toward future practicality, during which Armstrong pointed to salaries and budgets as something that needed to be changed.
"I don't think we're spending wisely there," Armstrong said.
He expressed disagreement with negotiations over the maximum percentage of cost of living increases put forward by the Wisconsin Economic Development Association. Bauman said the city will need to evaluate how its staffing operates, echoing Beer's point that with retirement and "attrition," positions should be re-evaluated. Bauman said steps need to be taken now, not over time.
In a recent change following a recommended proposal from the Finance and Taxation Committee, the city identified $36,000 of increased revenue and roughly $70,000 across all departments in funds not likely to be spent by the end of the year, City Administrator Phil Rath said.
With the additional $100,000 in funds, Monroe was able to provide the standard financial support to GCDC, the Monroe Chamber, Main Street Monroe and the Green County Humane Society. It could also provide $5,000 for the proposed UniverCity program through GCDC, which will be implemented next fall.
Homeowners in Monroe will see the city tax rate drop by 8 cents compared to 2017. The levy will be $6.872 million, resulting in a rate of $10.47 per $1,000 of home value, which is a decrease from the 2017 rate. This would save homeowners just over $8 per $100,000 of property value compared to last year. With the 0.52 percent decrease, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $1,047 to the city in taxes annually.
Alderman Michael Boyce, who lost in a vote against adoption of a budget which slightly raised taxes last year, expressed contentment at the 2018 proposal. He said a budget that is able to reduce property taxes while also meeting the needs of city employees was a positive one. The vote to approve the 2018 budget was 8-1, with alderman Charles Koch voting against its adoption.
"I think we could have done more with it," Koch said, referring to the severance agreement signed with records supervisor Debra Arnsmeier and the choice not to fill positions. "We shouldn't be trying to balance our budget on the backs of employees."
Despite the general agreement about a lower tax rate and sustained program support, the outlined budget still caused disagreement among council members. Aldermen Chris Beer and Ron Marsh both proposed cuts be added back to the budget, though only one motion succeeded.
Beer requested $4,000 be utilized for an integrated video system for council meetings, which was able to be funded through roughly $10,000 recovered from a proposed severance agreement also passed during the meeting. Marsh asked that the item eliminating $40,000 in contingency funding be reinstated. A roll-call vote failed with aldermen Koch, Tom Miller, Rob Schilt and Marsh supporting the proposal, while Richard Thoman, Brooke Bauman, Jeff Newcomer, Boyce and Beer voted against it.
Miller also expressed disdain for how the budget was put together, citing open meetings laws as a hindrance to the understanding of council members because they have to worry about possibly breaking the rules by attending committee meetings, where initial decisions are made.
Beer said the city needed to work toward sustainability, which other aldermen echoed. Rath said planning like capital savings will help make that possible in future years.
The Finance and Taxation Committee was originally tasked with making up for a shortfall in the proposed budget. Initially expenditures were roughly $11.1 million, revenues were just $10.3 million, leaving a $750,000 gap. Even the possibility of raising the city levy by $300,000 - increasing it to the highest legal limit - would still leave a $450,000 hole to fill. The committee solicited advice from Rath, Mayor Louis Armstrong and various department heads with distinct insight into their respective departments.
Eventually, the expenditures were culled down. Partially because members agreed to reduce the city's contribution to the humane society by $10,000 and the other groups, Main Street, GCDC, Chamber and the UniverCity program, by $5,000. Roughly 26 people were in attendance to see the contributions added back to the budget Tuesday.
Bauman, who serves as a member of the finance committee, pointed out that the budget was a good compromise, even if the entire body of nine could not necessarily agree on each proposed cut or program.
"You're not going to like everything in it, but I think it is something we can work with," Bauman said.
Some discussion took place regarding how to work toward future practicality, during which Armstrong pointed to salaries and budgets as something that needed to be changed.
"I don't think we're spending wisely there," Armstrong said.
He expressed disagreement with negotiations over the maximum percentage of cost of living increases put forward by the Wisconsin Economic Development Association. Bauman said the city will need to evaluate how its staffing operates, echoing Beer's point that with retirement and "attrition," positions should be re-evaluated. Bauman said steps need to be taken now, not over time.