By Tere Dunlap
tdunlap@themonroetimes.com
MONROE - Senior citizens took advantage of a chance to question Monroe mayoral candidates Friday at Twining Valley Retirement Community.
Bill Ross and Michael Boyce fielded their questions that focused mainly on sustaining support for the senior center; increasing job opportunities for the younger working class; privatizing trash pickup; and the future of the Green County landfill transfer station.
Several residents said they appreciated the question and answer forum.
"I just moved in a year ago," said Wilma Scott, originally from Browntown. Scott said the forum gave her a chance to catch up on the issues in the city.
Roger Lentz, originally from Brodhead, said he was well aware of the problems that the landfill transfer station is facing, partly because he used to sit on the Brodhead council.
"I dealt with that landfill for four years," he said. "The transfer station is a concern for a lot of people."
The forum "helps clear a lot of minds, I'm sure," he added.
Within a mere hour, Ross and Boyce introduced themselves, presented some issues pressing upon the city, and cleared up misconceptions about where they stood on other issues.
Boyce said he never said the Behring Senior Center should be self-supporting, but that the idea was just one under consideration by the Mayor's Ad Hoc committee last summer to restructure city government to save money. Boyce was a member of the committee.
"I believe strongly in the senior center," he said, "and if the city did not use inflated budgetary numbers, there would be more funds to fund the senior center."
Ross said the senior center, with its programming, was an excellent model among Wisconsin cities.
"The city needs to fund the center and keep up the quality of life there" for seniors, he added.
Increasing industry to keep the younger population in Monroe is difficult, according to Ross, who said the question was raised also in 1998 when he ran for mayor. The problem still is partly because of the city's location outside the massive transportation triangle of Madison, Janesville and Milwaukee/Chicago, said Ross.
"We have a great school and great hospital, a great quality of life," he said. But companies want to "pit Monroe against other cities" to defer taxes, and "wanted to hire our rural labor supply at $6 to $8 an hour," he added. "You can't support a family on $6 to $8 an hour, even back then."
Boyce said the city already has businesses that need incentives to expand. "That's where the job creation is coming from," he said, and "the city's north industrial park is running out of space.
"The main driver is to bring Monroe property taxes down," Boyce continued. He pointed out that the number of building permits issued in Monroe was less than five in 2011 and zero in 2010, while "surrounding townships were pulling plenty of building permits.
"Monroe has to be competitive in its tax rates," he added.
An option to privatize trash pickup is once again under investigation, according to both candidates.
Ross said the city has studied the issue twice in the past and found privatizing "would eliminate some city employee positions" and "the overall cost would increase to homeowners."
Boyce said past studies never used any formal bid numbers from private companies, which the city is doing now. He also said the city would not lose any worker positions, because trash collectors would be used by the street department on other projects.
"Citizens would not be responsible for their own service contracts," he added. Private waste collection companies would contract with the city, on three- to five-year terms. Regular rebidding would maintain competition for the contracts and keep costs under control.
Boyce believes the city would save about $1 million in the first year of a private service contract, mostly by not having to purchase new garbage trucks which are coming due next year, but Ross said the city need to look at the long-term costs as well.
Seniors also asked about the candidates' positions on the county's waste transfer station, which is reviewing its future after losing about 70 percent of its business in December, when a private waste collection company chose to use its own private landfill.
Ross said Monroe is still analyzing the cost benefits in its options and noted "Monroe is not an island" when it comes to how its decisions will effect surrounding communities that also use the transfer station.
Boyce said the city is subsidizing the costs of running the station for every other community in the county.
"In Green County every other community has privatized its trash pickup except Monroe and one other community," he said.
In their wrap-up statements, Ross said there are difficult, daunting tasks facing Monroe, and no easy solutions.
"There are a lot of moving parts," he added.
Boyce took time to point out that, contrary to local news reports, members of the common council are not at odds with each other.
"Council members vote 80 to 90 percent of the time unanimously," he said. Where their votes differ is mainly on budget issues, he added.
tdunlap@themonroetimes.com
MONROE - Senior citizens took advantage of a chance to question Monroe mayoral candidates Friday at Twining Valley Retirement Community.
Bill Ross and Michael Boyce fielded their questions that focused mainly on sustaining support for the senior center; increasing job opportunities for the younger working class; privatizing trash pickup; and the future of the Green County landfill transfer station.
Several residents said they appreciated the question and answer forum.
"I just moved in a year ago," said Wilma Scott, originally from Browntown. Scott said the forum gave her a chance to catch up on the issues in the city.
Roger Lentz, originally from Brodhead, said he was well aware of the problems that the landfill transfer station is facing, partly because he used to sit on the Brodhead council.
"I dealt with that landfill for four years," he said. "The transfer station is a concern for a lot of people."
The forum "helps clear a lot of minds, I'm sure," he added.
Within a mere hour, Ross and Boyce introduced themselves, presented some issues pressing upon the city, and cleared up misconceptions about where they stood on other issues.
Boyce said he never said the Behring Senior Center should be self-supporting, but that the idea was just one under consideration by the Mayor's Ad Hoc committee last summer to restructure city government to save money. Boyce was a member of the committee.
"I believe strongly in the senior center," he said, "and if the city did not use inflated budgetary numbers, there would be more funds to fund the senior center."
Ross said the senior center, with its programming, was an excellent model among Wisconsin cities.
"The city needs to fund the center and keep up the quality of life there" for seniors, he added.
Increasing industry to keep the younger population in Monroe is difficult, according to Ross, who said the question was raised also in 1998 when he ran for mayor. The problem still is partly because of the city's location outside the massive transportation triangle of Madison, Janesville and Milwaukee/Chicago, said Ross.
"We have a great school and great hospital, a great quality of life," he said. But companies want to "pit Monroe against other cities" to defer taxes, and "wanted to hire our rural labor supply at $6 to $8 an hour," he added. "You can't support a family on $6 to $8 an hour, even back then."
Boyce said the city already has businesses that need incentives to expand. "That's where the job creation is coming from," he said, and "the city's north industrial park is running out of space.
"The main driver is to bring Monroe property taxes down," Boyce continued. He pointed out that the number of building permits issued in Monroe was less than five in 2011 and zero in 2010, while "surrounding townships were pulling plenty of building permits.
"Monroe has to be competitive in its tax rates," he added.
An option to privatize trash pickup is once again under investigation, according to both candidates.
Ross said the city has studied the issue twice in the past and found privatizing "would eliminate some city employee positions" and "the overall cost would increase to homeowners."
Boyce said past studies never used any formal bid numbers from private companies, which the city is doing now. He also said the city would not lose any worker positions, because trash collectors would be used by the street department on other projects.
"Citizens would not be responsible for their own service contracts," he added. Private waste collection companies would contract with the city, on three- to five-year terms. Regular rebidding would maintain competition for the contracts and keep costs under control.
Boyce believes the city would save about $1 million in the first year of a private service contract, mostly by not having to purchase new garbage trucks which are coming due next year, but Ross said the city need to look at the long-term costs as well.
Seniors also asked about the candidates' positions on the county's waste transfer station, which is reviewing its future after losing about 70 percent of its business in December, when a private waste collection company chose to use its own private landfill.
Ross said Monroe is still analyzing the cost benefits in its options and noted "Monroe is not an island" when it comes to how its decisions will effect surrounding communities that also use the transfer station.
Boyce said the city is subsidizing the costs of running the station for every other community in the county.
"In Green County every other community has privatized its trash pickup except Monroe and one other community," he said.
In their wrap-up statements, Ross said there are difficult, daunting tasks facing Monroe, and no easy solutions.
"There are a lot of moving parts," he added.
Boyce took time to point out that, contrary to local news reports, members of the common council are not at odds with each other.
"Council members vote 80 to 90 percent of the time unanimously," he said. Where their votes differ is mainly on budget issues, he added.