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Green County passes 2014 budget
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MONROE - County supervisors unanimously approved the 2014 budget as proposed with few questions and no public comment Tuesday, Nov. 12.

The budget will increase the county's tax rate for next year by 6 cents, from $5.78 in 2013 to $5.84 per $1,000 of property value. This means the owner of a $100,000 home will pay $584 in county taxes in 2014, up $6 from $578 this year.

The tax rate increased by the same amount from 2012 to 2013.

Total expenditures for 2014 are projected to be $44,369,363, or about $328,000 less than what the county expects for expenses by the end of this year. The county is reducing a preliminary tax levy of $16,818,759 by using 2013 sales tax collections in the amount of $2 million, bringing the net levy to $14,818,759.

In other business at the monthly meeting Tuesday:

n Supervisors approved a 1.66 percent wage increase for all county employees with the exception of law enforcement positions. One supervisor, Gordon Klossner, raised questions about the cost to the county and dissented on the vote.

The raise goes into effect Jan. 1 for about 390 employees.

n Supervisors unanimously approved a meals contract for the Green County Jail with Catering by Marlin's, Inc. The average meal cost is set at $2.75, with total annual cost estimated at $151,250 for about 55,000 meals.

What does an inmate get for $2.75?

"It's really about the same as we're giving them now," Chief Deputy Richard Wyttenbach told the supervisors.

But the county will be saving about $125,000 annually by eliminating the current kitchen staff positions and using the contracted caterer, he said.

Catering by Marlin's, Inc., aka CBM Foods, is a South Dakota-based company and has meals contracts with other county jails in Wisconsin. The Lafayette County Jail switched to CBM in 2011.