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First budget look: Gap of $525,000
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MONROE - The Monroe Common Council will have to deal with a new state statute and a projected health insurance cost increase as it determines how to eliminate an estimated $525,000 budget deficit for 2010.

The Finance and Taxation Committee got its first look at next year's city budget Wednesday during its meeting inside City Hall.

A new state law mandates all municipalities are prohibited from reducing the money spent on police and fire protection services, said Cathy Maurer, city comptroller/treasurer.

"Fire and police are your two biggest budgets," she said during the meeting.

Next week, the city is expecting to receive an analysis of next year's health insurance costs, which Maurer said were not factored into the budget projection given to the committee Wednesday. She said it's likely the increase won't as high as the jump from 2008 to 2009, but it will inflate the projected deficit.

To help make up for reduced aid, the state's biennial budget approved this summer allows cities to increase the property tax levy by 3 percent this year rather than 2 percent. Committee Chairman Kent Kallembach said he'd like to get the levy down to 3 percent first, then look at hitting the 2 percent mark.

The biggest reason for the initial deficit is a drop in revenue, Maurer said.

"There is just a lot of different revenue losses in a lot of different areas," she said.

State aid, for example, is down from $1.74 million in 2009, to $1.6 million in 2010, Maurer said. In addition, the city also has issued fewer building permits, and thus collected lesser fees, so far in 2009, she said.

The first tax levy estimate for 2010 is about $6.6 million, up from about $6.2 million in 2009, according to the budget projection.

While the state Legislature might be protecting public safety by securing budgets for police and fire services, the onus then is put on the municipalities to find other ways to balance their budgets, which means in some cases raising taxes, committee member Dan Henke said.

"We end up being the bad guys," he said.

The initial meeting was conducted for the first time in recent memory without the assistance of city department heads, committee member Mark Coplien said.

"We did this last year, why aren't we doing that this year? Don't you agree we need to bring in each department head individually and ask the what they want?" Coplien asked the committee.

Without the department heads present, and with several unanswerable questions about the health insurance increase, the committee meeting ended abruptly when Charles Koch made a motion to adjourn that met unanimous agreement.

Monroe's city budget typically is finalized and approved at the second council meeting in November.

The committee has not yet scheduled a meeting to continue discussing the budget.

However, before the meeting disassembled, two ideas were presented as possibilities to increase city revenues aside from a property tax levy increase. Among others, Maurer presented a possible wheel tax, while committee member Thurston Hanson floated the idea of job cuts.

"Last year we avoided personnel cuts, but this is something we have to look at this year," he said.

Also Wednesday, the committee voted to approve spending $9,300 to pay for a portion of an easement for the 8th/9th Street construction project. The city set a baseline payment for each section of easement at $5,400, but any value appraised more than 15 percent of that amount must come before the Finance and Taxation Committee and the Common Council for approval. This is the first piece of property to meet that requirement, Public Works Director Kelly Finkenbinder said, to the committee.
Law of the Month: Plan ahead to prevent impaired driving this holiday season
December Law of the Month: Impaired driving
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MADISON — December is here, and with it, another season of holiday celebrations. Don’t cut the party short by driving impaired - it is dangerous, reckless and never the only option.

Wisconsin State Patrol’s December Law of the Month brings attention to impaired driving laws and encourages motorists to find safe ways to get to their destinations this holiday season.

“Across the state, Wisconsinites are celebrating the holidays and the end of another year,” Wisconsin State Patrol Superintendent Tim Carnahan said. “We encourage everyone to take responsibility and plan ahead if you plan to celebrate. Designate a sober driver ahead of time, take public transit, or use a rideshare program to keep yourself and others safe on the roads. There is never an excuse for driving impaired.”

On average, someone is injured or killed in an impaired driving crash every two hours in Wisconsin. In 2023, there were over 7,700 impaired driving crashes that claimed the lives of 186 people on Wisconsin roads.


Drive sober: It’s the law

In Wisconsin, drivers are prohibited from operating any vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of more than 0.08. Under Wisconsin’s “not a drop” law, drivers under age 21 are prohibited from having any detectable amount of alcohol in their system. Drivers may not have any illegal drugs in their system when behind the wheel.

Motorists who refuse a blood/breath alcohol test will lose their license for at least one year and may have their vehicle impounded.


Taking action

Wisconsin law enforcement works hard year-round to encourage safe driving and prevent impaired driving.

Over 7,500 law enforcement officers across the state are trained in Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE). This helps law enforcement detect impaired drivers and get them off the road.

With almost 400 Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) across the state, Wisconsin is helping lead the nation in eliminating drug-impaired driving. DREs help prevent tragedies by identifying the signs of drug-impaired driving and securing convictions to keep them off the roads.

The Wisconsin State Patrol is continuing to highlight the danger that impaired driving poses throughout the holiday season with its Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Running from Dec. 13, 2024, through Jan. 1, 2025, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over is an annual holiday partnership with local law enforcement to keep Wisconsin roads safe and free of impaired drivers.


Stay safe, make smart choices

Driving impaired carries serious consequences. Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) charges can cost you around $10,000. Stay safe and save money on the road this holiday season:

●  Select a sober designated driver ahead of time. If you’re feeling impaired, you are likely over the 0.08 Blood Alcohol Concentration limit and should not drive.

●  Remember you have options: take the bus, call a taxi, use a rideshare or ask a sober friend to drive you home.

●  If you have a friend who is about to drive under the influence, step in. Take away their keys and get them home safely.

●  If it’s your turn to be the sober driver, take that job seriously. 

●  If you suspect a driver is impaired, safely gather as much information as you can about the vehicle, driver and location. Then call 911.

View the December Law of the Month video and news release online: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/about-wisdot/newsroom/law/lom.aspx.