MONROE - In the City of Monroe, problems with city government, whether perceived or real, have been on the lips of citizens and mayoral candidates in recent months.
On Friday, the three candidates to be Monroe's next mayor April 6, each sat down to discuss one issue in depth.
Buddy, can you spare a job?
Mayor Ron Marsh: Marketing is the plan for more job opportunities
"We are visionaries," said Mayor Ron Marsh, who is running for a third term. "Every vision has a goal to start with and a plan to satisfy that goal."
Marsh believes his seven-layer marketing plan, developed early in his first term, is still the answer to promoting economic growth and bringing jobs to Monroe.
"We've done this quietly, without fanfare, on a consistent basis. We're not going to stop as long as I'm mayor of Monroe," he said.
Marsh said producing jobs starts with development within and outside of the city's boundaries.
His plan includes expanding existing businesses and finding ways to get Monroe's youth into those businesses.
Another aspect of the plan is internal development of networking among the various businesses to find available jobs.
"If a professional wants to come into the city, chances are their spouse also wants to work," he said.
The network among businesses and between communities would help locate a job opening in another entity, and hopefully capture a family looking to make the move to Monroe or Green County.
"What we do in Monroe benefits Green County, and if we can't satisfy a company within our city, we know New Glarus or Albany or Browntown can, and we can keep them in Green County" he said. "Isolationism has to come to an end."
Marsh said the city had no marketing plan in place when he took office in 2006.
Since then, the city has published a marketing brochure for businesses looking to partner with the city and produced a DVD and inserts for the marketing folder. Prospective companies are contacted by letter and later a phone call and a follow-up contact in effort to establish a relationship.
"We have the workforce" that large companies are looking for, Marsh said, "but those companies are looking out five to 10 years."
The challenge is to get into the flow of a company's growth, he said.
While the state is not making good offers to companies to come to the state, Marsh said, it pays to keep promoting the city.
Marsh credits his administration for its marketing plan for $129 million in construction in the past three and a half years. The accomplishments include turning a debt-ridden industrial park from a budget-bleeder into a financial donor to other tax incremental finance districts, by adding six more businesses, seven buildings and a 147 percent increase in property value, he said.
A third side of the plan calls for expanding the city's residential neighborhoods.
"Monroe has no where to do any kind of substantial growth in residential areas," Marsh said. "This is part of growth."
All three elements, networking for employment opportunities, physical, industrial and commercial expansion, and residential expansion, need to "mesh together" and be tended to on a daily basis, Marsh said.
Who's Watching the Money?
Bill Ross: (Government) transparency and teamwork mean no (public) surprises
"Five million dollars (in undesignated funds) should not have been a surprise; a 29 percent water rate increase should not have been a surprise," Bill Ross said. "The people, your taxpayers, should have transparency."
Ross is returning for another run as mayor of Monroe. He thought he was stepping out of the spotlight in 2006, after 12 years as mayor, but he didn't like what he is hearing from citizens lately.
Ross said tension and stress are running high, at City Hall and in the city.
He believes everything, and everybody, works better when you take the pressure off and aim for a better quality of life.
Inclusive teamwork, which leads to creative ideas and input, whether from employees in City Hall or communities in the county, benefits everybody, Ross said.
"Department heads are 'boots on the ground,' that know what they need and what is effective, and with a wealth of ideas and how to save. They need a voice," he said.
Ross said he would turn the method of budget planning around to include department heads, aldermen, the mayor and citizens.
"Department heads are more responsive when they feel they have had a part in planning," Ross said.
In response to residents, Ross wants to revisit programs like spring clean-up; and for City Hall, hire a city administrator to free up hours for the city clerk to operate more effectively.
Ross believes small business owners have not had enough attention for their problems and ideas for solutions.
"It's not realistic to bring in big industrial business with $18-per-hour jobs," Ross said.
From his experiences as a past mayor, Ross said big companies want to know what the city would do for them, "pitting city against city."
"Manufacturing is gone (as a source of jobs); the future is in technology and services," he said.
What is practical is promoting the expansion of and opening dialog with small (homegrown) businesses and entrepreneurs, so small businesses can grow and hire more employees, he said.
Ross is looking to put local contractors to work, and added that the city does not always have to accept the lowest bids.
"The lowest bid is not always the highest quality of work," he said.
Ross also wants local businesses and surrounding communities to have the feeling of being a part of making something that works.
He believes Monroe has become an island, but by working through Green County Development Corporation and the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the "grassroots level," and with each other, the various communities in the county can find ways to share for budget savings.
"I also want to bring in state representatives on a quarterly basis to talk about what to expect from the state and the impact on the city," he said.
Ross wants to start work on the budget this summer, not in the fall, because, for state revenue sharing in 2011, the city "hasn't got a clue what it will receive," he said.
Why is NOW the time for change?
Tyler Schultz: A different path is at the crossroads
"The ability to listen is more powerful than experience," Tyler Schultz said.
Schultz wants to return communication and respect for the office of mayor to the people.
Communication between local government and its citizens, young and old, has been deteriorating, he said.
"I think everybody cares," he said. "But how much they pay (in taxes) alters how much they get involved. Young people are busy with work and socializing, but once they buy a house and put down roots, they learn about the property taxes and the extra assessments for the sidewalks. Taxes are too high for the jobs they have," he said.
Schultz wants to hold different hours at the mayor's office to give people who work a chance to contact City Hall and talk.
"When something hits home, this comes into play for people to have a connection," he said.
Schultz is championing young citizens' return to Monroe and bringing a family atmosphere back to town, but also with his eye on the benefits for the elderly.
Schultz finds the current approach of marketing to boost economic growth to be ineffective for job growth.
"How many jobs did that really bring in - a minuscule fraction of what is needed," he said. "For young people to come back, they need a chance to come back to jobs, but there are no jobs for them. When the youth leave, that leaves the tax burden to fall on the elderly."
Schultz wants to offer manufacturing companies incentives, such as property tax exemptions for a limited time based on employee hire numbers, to locate in Monroe. Retail and restaurants, he said, do not offer a living-wage rate.
"The mayor and council need an aggressive plan of (initial) opening offers to companies, and go after these companies," he said.
Schultz believes tourism could help support small businesses.
"Tourism can be good cornerstone for the Monroe economy," he said. "I would press the new governor for a new (tourism promotion) program and approach.
There's a lot we can do to promote Monroe, when high-speed rail goes to Madison, by getting the Monroe name out along the Chicago-to-Madison route during the week to promote weekend visits, he said.
"Tourism can be a two-way street. While Chicago has diverse food and attractions, Monroe has its charm and hospitality - that's not found in Chicago," he said.
Budgeting is a matter of using common sense and living within your means, Schultz said, and the city's slightly lower mil rate in 2010 did not impress him.
"Lowering the mil rate by 3 cents, what's that - $3 on a $100,000 house?" he said. "It's great that the current mayor paid off the loans, but the cycle for (replacing) city equipment needs to extended. People notice when the trucks go by, they notice how new or shiny it is. I grew up around vehicles and other equipment, I know how long things can last, and the city has a great maintenance shop."
Some smaller services need to stay, however, and some larger ones could be scaled back, according to Schultz.
"Spring clean-up - it's the sense of the city's beautification, not stuck in the attic or garage, or hopefully not in front of the house. Pretty sure we could find cuts and other ways to pay for it," he said.
"The fire station was a gross misuse of funds. I'm in favor of a second station but not as extravagant (as is being planned)," he said.
Schultz said funds from $5.1 million "that popped up in undesignated funds" was "fine and dandy to use, but they have no plans to replenish it."
On Friday, the three candidates to be Monroe's next mayor April 6, each sat down to discuss one issue in depth.
Buddy, can you spare a job?
Mayor Ron Marsh: Marketing is the plan for more job opportunities
"We are visionaries," said Mayor Ron Marsh, who is running for a third term. "Every vision has a goal to start with and a plan to satisfy that goal."
Marsh believes his seven-layer marketing plan, developed early in his first term, is still the answer to promoting economic growth and bringing jobs to Monroe.
"We've done this quietly, without fanfare, on a consistent basis. We're not going to stop as long as I'm mayor of Monroe," he said.
Marsh said producing jobs starts with development within and outside of the city's boundaries.
His plan includes expanding existing businesses and finding ways to get Monroe's youth into those businesses.
Another aspect of the plan is internal development of networking among the various businesses to find available jobs.
"If a professional wants to come into the city, chances are their spouse also wants to work," he said.
The network among businesses and between communities would help locate a job opening in another entity, and hopefully capture a family looking to make the move to Monroe or Green County.
"What we do in Monroe benefits Green County, and if we can't satisfy a company within our city, we know New Glarus or Albany or Browntown can, and we can keep them in Green County" he said. "Isolationism has to come to an end."
Marsh said the city had no marketing plan in place when he took office in 2006.
Since then, the city has published a marketing brochure for businesses looking to partner with the city and produced a DVD and inserts for the marketing folder. Prospective companies are contacted by letter and later a phone call and a follow-up contact in effort to establish a relationship.
"We have the workforce" that large companies are looking for, Marsh said, "but those companies are looking out five to 10 years."
The challenge is to get into the flow of a company's growth, he said.
While the state is not making good offers to companies to come to the state, Marsh said, it pays to keep promoting the city.
Marsh credits his administration for its marketing plan for $129 million in construction in the past three and a half years. The accomplishments include turning a debt-ridden industrial park from a budget-bleeder into a financial donor to other tax incremental finance districts, by adding six more businesses, seven buildings and a 147 percent increase in property value, he said.
A third side of the plan calls for expanding the city's residential neighborhoods.
"Monroe has no where to do any kind of substantial growth in residential areas," Marsh said. "This is part of growth."
All three elements, networking for employment opportunities, physical, industrial and commercial expansion, and residential expansion, need to "mesh together" and be tended to on a daily basis, Marsh said.
Who's Watching the Money?
Bill Ross: (Government) transparency and teamwork mean no (public) surprises
"Five million dollars (in undesignated funds) should not have been a surprise; a 29 percent water rate increase should not have been a surprise," Bill Ross said. "The people, your taxpayers, should have transparency."
Ross is returning for another run as mayor of Monroe. He thought he was stepping out of the spotlight in 2006, after 12 years as mayor, but he didn't like what he is hearing from citizens lately.
Ross said tension and stress are running high, at City Hall and in the city.
He believes everything, and everybody, works better when you take the pressure off and aim for a better quality of life.
Inclusive teamwork, which leads to creative ideas and input, whether from employees in City Hall or communities in the county, benefits everybody, Ross said.
"Department heads are 'boots on the ground,' that know what they need and what is effective, and with a wealth of ideas and how to save. They need a voice," he said.
Ross said he would turn the method of budget planning around to include department heads, aldermen, the mayor and citizens.
"Department heads are more responsive when they feel they have had a part in planning," Ross said.
In response to residents, Ross wants to revisit programs like spring clean-up; and for City Hall, hire a city administrator to free up hours for the city clerk to operate more effectively.
Ross believes small business owners have not had enough attention for their problems and ideas for solutions.
"It's not realistic to bring in big industrial business with $18-per-hour jobs," Ross said.
From his experiences as a past mayor, Ross said big companies want to know what the city would do for them, "pitting city against city."
"Manufacturing is gone (as a source of jobs); the future is in technology and services," he said.
What is practical is promoting the expansion of and opening dialog with small (homegrown) businesses and entrepreneurs, so small businesses can grow and hire more employees, he said.
Ross is looking to put local contractors to work, and added that the city does not always have to accept the lowest bids.
"The lowest bid is not always the highest quality of work," he said.
Ross also wants local businesses and surrounding communities to have the feeling of being a part of making something that works.
He believes Monroe has become an island, but by working through Green County Development Corporation and the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the "grassroots level," and with each other, the various communities in the county can find ways to share for budget savings.
"I also want to bring in state representatives on a quarterly basis to talk about what to expect from the state and the impact on the city," he said.
Ross wants to start work on the budget this summer, not in the fall, because, for state revenue sharing in 2011, the city "hasn't got a clue what it will receive," he said.
Why is NOW the time for change?
Tyler Schultz: A different path is at the crossroads
"The ability to listen is more powerful than experience," Tyler Schultz said.
Schultz wants to return communication and respect for the office of mayor to the people.
Communication between local government and its citizens, young and old, has been deteriorating, he said.
"I think everybody cares," he said. "But how much they pay (in taxes) alters how much they get involved. Young people are busy with work and socializing, but once they buy a house and put down roots, they learn about the property taxes and the extra assessments for the sidewalks. Taxes are too high for the jobs they have," he said.
Schultz wants to hold different hours at the mayor's office to give people who work a chance to contact City Hall and talk.
"When something hits home, this comes into play for people to have a connection," he said.
Schultz is championing young citizens' return to Monroe and bringing a family atmosphere back to town, but also with his eye on the benefits for the elderly.
Schultz finds the current approach of marketing to boost economic growth to be ineffective for job growth.
"How many jobs did that really bring in - a minuscule fraction of what is needed," he said. "For young people to come back, they need a chance to come back to jobs, but there are no jobs for them. When the youth leave, that leaves the tax burden to fall on the elderly."
Schultz wants to offer manufacturing companies incentives, such as property tax exemptions for a limited time based on employee hire numbers, to locate in Monroe. Retail and restaurants, he said, do not offer a living-wage rate.
"The mayor and council need an aggressive plan of (initial) opening offers to companies, and go after these companies," he said.
Schultz believes tourism could help support small businesses.
"Tourism can be good cornerstone for the Monroe economy," he said. "I would press the new governor for a new (tourism promotion) program and approach.
There's a lot we can do to promote Monroe, when high-speed rail goes to Madison, by getting the Monroe name out along the Chicago-to-Madison route during the week to promote weekend visits, he said.
"Tourism can be a two-way street. While Chicago has diverse food and attractions, Monroe has its charm and hospitality - that's not found in Chicago," he said.
Budgeting is a matter of using common sense and living within your means, Schultz said, and the city's slightly lower mil rate in 2010 did not impress him.
"Lowering the mil rate by 3 cents, what's that - $3 on a $100,000 house?" he said. "It's great that the current mayor paid off the loans, but the cycle for (replacing) city equipment needs to extended. People notice when the trucks go by, they notice how new or shiny it is. I grew up around vehicles and other equipment, I know how long things can last, and the city has a great maintenance shop."
Some smaller services need to stay, however, and some larger ones could be scaled back, according to Schultz.
"Spring clean-up - it's the sense of the city's beautification, not stuck in the attic or garage, or hopefully not in front of the house. Pretty sure we could find cuts and other ways to pay for it," he said.
"The fire station was a gross misuse of funds. I'm in favor of a second station but not as extravagant (as is being planned)," he said.
Schultz said funds from $5.1 million "that popped up in undesignated funds" was "fine and dandy to use, but they have no plans to replenish it."