MONROE - The mayoral contest in Monroe this April will see Ward 3 Alderman Michael Boyce taking on incumbent Mayor Bill Ross for the city's top elected position.
Ross served as Monroe's mayor for six terms before sitting out for four years, and then returned in 2010 to reclaim the office.
Boyce, who is wrapping up his first term as alderman, is also on April's ballot for re-election in Ward 3. If he wins both elections, he may only serve in one position.
The city has seen the two men butt heads more than once over the past two years. Ross appointed Boyce as chairman of the Finance and Taxation Committee in April 2010, only to remove him later that fall, just as the budget process got started.
Also in late 2010, Boyce objected to Ross taking point on hiring now-City Administrator Phil Rath over the Salary and Personnel Committee's - and council members' - first-pick candidate.
Now, in this upcoming election, Ross said the core issue for the city is economic development "and keeping the citizens foremost in our minds."
Boyce declined to be interviewed for this story, saying his answers to The Monroe Times' candidate profile questions will stand for his comments to the public. (Those profiles appear on Page A3 of today's edition.) Boyce was told that the interview questions were not the same as those in the profile; neither candidate was told the subject matter of the questions before being interviewed.
Ross said economic development is starting to have a "good showing of growth in Green County now," and the city has taken steps to eliminate the suffocating factor of building permit process toward that end.
"There is an urgency to streamline to be business friendly," he said. "The permitting process had taken about six to nine months. With the Chamber's help, we are cutting that time down. That's the way it should be."
But there are still lingering financial concerns on the city's shoulders, dating back to 2009, and new laws that hinder a quick solution for recovery.
State law, for 2011 and future budgets, does not allow a municipality to increase its levy over the amount it levied in the prior year, except by the percentage increase in equalized value from net new construction.
Net new construction in Monroe for 2011 allowed the city to add only about $50,000 to its $6 million tax levy. While the added levy amount would not have increased the tax rate significantly, the council overwhelmingly rejected it.
"It was the perception, not the amount," Ross said. "Some folks are really hurting; they're angry and it becomes personal. They have mortgage payments, and they're underwater (home values compared to mortgage debt). Their job is the only thing that stands between their home and homelessness."
Tax increment district No. 7 is struggling greatly under the weight of its debt, and the 2012 city budget includes about $220,000, using surplus funds, to cover the TID's annual debt payment of about $277,000. Its assessed value has not gotten the bounce up, after a $4 million infrastructure and landscape reconstruction in 2009, that the city would like to see, but neither has the value dropped as much as other TID values.
Trying to pay off the district's loan balance would require breaking up the city's $3.2 million committed working capital reserves of $3.1 million, plus eating up $1.4 million in reserves that are as yet not earmarked.
Ross said he is not in favor of paying off that debt. "I've always been against it," he said. "It's taken years to build up a fund balance.
"You have to take the long view," he said. "Economic cycles never stay up and always come back. I don't expect this cycle to continue for the next 10 years."
Ross said there are "strong opinions" on the council about paying off the TID No. 7 loan, but he added that refinancing has its advantages. One repayment option presented to the council could save about $350,000 over the life of the TID, if the debt is refinanced now, with interest rates dropping form 5.5 percent to about 0.7 percent. The Finance and Taxation Committee is also considering paying off a portion of the debt before refinancing.
Boyce has noted in city committee meetings that he would like to see the city save about $14,000 to $20,000 a year, by putting unused reserved funds toward the debt, rather than toward vehicle small purchases, in which interest would accumulate to that same amount in about four to six years.
Ross is concerned about keeping the money for bigger-ticket items in the budget, particularly, infrastructure and road construction. The Engineering Department was been short-changed for several years. Partly because so many of its budget and line items appear so large at budget time, Finance and Taxation Committee members tend to shave them to cover little obligations. Last fall the road construction account was squeezed to pay for some services, such as economic development. In previous years, the parking ramp maintenance and repairs have been pushed off.
"Infrastructure has been suffering year after year," Ross said. "There is a cost to that in the future when street repair turns into street construction."
This year, it seems that politics has become overtly contentious, more so than in the past. The City of Monroe Common Council has become known for its episodes of in-fighting, and some observers are calling the election one of "dirty politics" at the local level.
Ross said he has heard similar charges - mostly about the aldermen. He believes this perception of the council is why many citizens do not run for a seat.
"There isn't a sense of teamwork and working for the best for Monroe," Ross added. "There is a political climate of unrest. People are happy Ross is running, but they wouldn't do it themselves.
"The city is set up for a weak mayoral system. When you get mayors and alders in there to trump that, it runs counter to the way the city charter is set up," he said.
Ross said he stays away from "the politics" as mayor. The future of politics in Monroe should remain non-partisan, without trying to bring national politics into local politics, he added.
"Issues have opinions, and there is always sway between public opinion and alder opinion," Ross said. "I do not perceive my role as a mayor to do that. The mayor's role is to promote the city; the alders is where the heavy lifting is done. Any time the mayor has any say in anything is in the veto vote."
Ross also said the city is trying to resolve a divergence that has developed between long-term employees' pay scales and new, incoming personnel salary levels being paid at closer to local market values, which will help the feeling of unfairness among employees.
Ross served as Monroe's mayor for six terms before sitting out for four years, and then returned in 2010 to reclaim the office.
Boyce, who is wrapping up his first term as alderman, is also on April's ballot for re-election in Ward 3. If he wins both elections, he may only serve in one position.
The city has seen the two men butt heads more than once over the past two years. Ross appointed Boyce as chairman of the Finance and Taxation Committee in April 2010, only to remove him later that fall, just as the budget process got started.
Also in late 2010, Boyce objected to Ross taking point on hiring now-City Administrator Phil Rath over the Salary and Personnel Committee's - and council members' - first-pick candidate.
Now, in this upcoming election, Ross said the core issue for the city is economic development "and keeping the citizens foremost in our minds."
Boyce declined to be interviewed for this story, saying his answers to The Monroe Times' candidate profile questions will stand for his comments to the public. (Those profiles appear on Page A3 of today's edition.) Boyce was told that the interview questions were not the same as those in the profile; neither candidate was told the subject matter of the questions before being interviewed.
Ross said economic development is starting to have a "good showing of growth in Green County now," and the city has taken steps to eliminate the suffocating factor of building permit process toward that end.
"There is an urgency to streamline to be business friendly," he said. "The permitting process had taken about six to nine months. With the Chamber's help, we are cutting that time down. That's the way it should be."
But there are still lingering financial concerns on the city's shoulders, dating back to 2009, and new laws that hinder a quick solution for recovery.
State law, for 2011 and future budgets, does not allow a municipality to increase its levy over the amount it levied in the prior year, except by the percentage increase in equalized value from net new construction.
Net new construction in Monroe for 2011 allowed the city to add only about $50,000 to its $6 million tax levy. While the added levy amount would not have increased the tax rate significantly, the council overwhelmingly rejected it.
"It was the perception, not the amount," Ross said. "Some folks are really hurting; they're angry and it becomes personal. They have mortgage payments, and they're underwater (home values compared to mortgage debt). Their job is the only thing that stands between their home and homelessness."
Tax increment district No. 7 is struggling greatly under the weight of its debt, and the 2012 city budget includes about $220,000, using surplus funds, to cover the TID's annual debt payment of about $277,000. Its assessed value has not gotten the bounce up, after a $4 million infrastructure and landscape reconstruction in 2009, that the city would like to see, but neither has the value dropped as much as other TID values.
Trying to pay off the district's loan balance would require breaking up the city's $3.2 million committed working capital reserves of $3.1 million, plus eating up $1.4 million in reserves that are as yet not earmarked.
Ross said he is not in favor of paying off that debt. "I've always been against it," he said. "It's taken years to build up a fund balance.
"You have to take the long view," he said. "Economic cycles never stay up and always come back. I don't expect this cycle to continue for the next 10 years."
Ross said there are "strong opinions" on the council about paying off the TID No. 7 loan, but he added that refinancing has its advantages. One repayment option presented to the council could save about $350,000 over the life of the TID, if the debt is refinanced now, with interest rates dropping form 5.5 percent to about 0.7 percent. The Finance and Taxation Committee is also considering paying off a portion of the debt before refinancing.
Boyce has noted in city committee meetings that he would like to see the city save about $14,000 to $20,000 a year, by putting unused reserved funds toward the debt, rather than toward vehicle small purchases, in which interest would accumulate to that same amount in about four to six years.
Ross is concerned about keeping the money for bigger-ticket items in the budget, particularly, infrastructure and road construction. The Engineering Department was been short-changed for several years. Partly because so many of its budget and line items appear so large at budget time, Finance and Taxation Committee members tend to shave them to cover little obligations. Last fall the road construction account was squeezed to pay for some services, such as economic development. In previous years, the parking ramp maintenance and repairs have been pushed off.
"Infrastructure has been suffering year after year," Ross said. "There is a cost to that in the future when street repair turns into street construction."
This year, it seems that politics has become overtly contentious, more so than in the past. The City of Monroe Common Council has become known for its episodes of in-fighting, and some observers are calling the election one of "dirty politics" at the local level.
Ross said he has heard similar charges - mostly about the aldermen. He believes this perception of the council is why many citizens do not run for a seat.
"There isn't a sense of teamwork and working for the best for Monroe," Ross added. "There is a political climate of unrest. People are happy Ross is running, but they wouldn't do it themselves.
"The city is set up for a weak mayoral system. When you get mayors and alders in there to trump that, it runs counter to the way the city charter is set up," he said.
Ross said he stays away from "the politics" as mayor. The future of politics in Monroe should remain non-partisan, without trying to bring national politics into local politics, he added.
"Issues have opinions, and there is always sway between public opinion and alder opinion," Ross said. "I do not perceive my role as a mayor to do that. The mayor's role is to promote the city; the alders is where the heavy lifting is done. Any time the mayor has any say in anything is in the veto vote."
Ross also said the city is trying to resolve a divergence that has developed between long-term employees' pay scales and new, incoming personnel salary levels being paid at closer to local market values, which will help the feeling of unfairness among employees.