City proposes $6.66M budget
By Kay James, Dells Events
Drawing from premier resort tax and tax incremental financing funds, a few cuts, tax increases and delays of some projects, the city of Wisconsin Dells arrived at a balanced budget.
City Clerk/Treasurer Dale Darling presented information to the finance committee Oct. 20 showing how the budget could be balanced, and the committee accepted the proposed budget to send it to the city council for its November meeting. That meeting will also include a public hearing on the budget.
In all, the city will have a budget of $6,662,597.
Under the proposal, city rates will increase in Sauk County from $8.38 per $1,000 to $8.71 per $1,000 and from $7.46 per $1,000 in Juneau County to $8.01 per $1,000. In Columbia County, the increase will be from $8.28 to $8.99 per $1,000, and in Adams, the rate will go from $7.46 to $8.01. Darling said the increase in the Adams County section of the city was due to decrease in valuation of property there.
In presenting the city’s tax rates, Darling noted that Baraboo residents will have a $9.30 per $1,000 rate next year. He said the city was doing a good job with its tax rates, lowering them, until the economy came to the halt.
To meet the state’s municipal tax limits, city expenses had to be cut in the operating budget. The two biggest cuts were made in the public works department and for EMS. The EMS and part of the public works department budget will be funded with premier resort taxes. The public works budget will also be funded with $100,000 from a garbage collection fee planned to go on the city’s utility bills next year.
The city expects to receive $950,000 in premier resort tax of which half will go to the public works department for salt, street repairs and equipment. The department will also receive $95,000 from those taxes for garbage and recycling services.
Other expenses funded with premier resort taxes include police squad car leases, airport, Fourth of July and Christmas celebrations, interstate signs, depot, ball field repayment to the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau, communications upgrade for the Kilbourn Fire Department, $75,000 for an economic development fund and $10,000 for consultation on maintenance on the ball fields. The city will have $50,715 remaining from the premier resort tax after the planned expenditures.
With the premier resort tax fund, the city would have some very difficult challenges and decisions to make, Darling said. “It’s a nice lifeline for the city.”
The budget calls for the city to use tax incremental financing district to fund computer replacements in the police squad cars, squad lighting, an aerator and ambulance replacement. In all, the city will take $47,000 from the TIF funds.
One of the cuts, $552,000 proposed by Darling was for a new bathhouse and pool compliance.
Parks and Recreation Director Thad Meister said the city has to comply with the federal Virginia Graham Baker Act that requires upgrades to pool drains to prevent drowning. Meister said without the upgrade, the pool would not be able to open next summer. He said the upgrade of mechanicals in the bathhouse and the drain changes were budgeted at $52,000 and were not separate from replacing the bathhouse.
Darling said once Meister had actual estimates of what the drain replacements would cost he should bring them to the finance committee and could have money from building funds.
The committee praised both Darling and Assistant Clerk Nancy Holzem for their work on the budget.