The Whitewater\nCommon Council on Tuesday revealed the proposed 2020 city budget. This new budget\nis around $9.8 million which is a 2.5 percent increase from last year\u2019s budget.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The money for\nthe budget will come from mainly property taxes and intergovernmental revenue\nfrom the State of Wisconsin. The rest comes from fines and fees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
City Manager,\nCameron Clapper stated that gradually they are shifting funding from state\nfunds to the city\u2019s tax base. He said this process will continue to happen as\nlong as state laws remain the same regarding different revenue streams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This shift will cause the tax levy to progressively\nrise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur residents\nover time will be asked to contribute more and more of that tax base versus the\nintergovernmental revenues that come into the city,\u201d Clapper said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The city\u2019s expenditures mainly include general\noperations, public safety, public work and transfers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
City employees\nmight see a wage increase coming soon. There will be up to 1.5 percent in\nadditional budget dollars that could be allocated to wage adjustments for\npositive performance reviews. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet, Clapper\nnoted that there will be a 4 percent increase that is around $60,000 in\nadditional costs for health insurance coverage in 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a\nbalanced budget, but there are still some challenges that remain. In the\nupcoming weeks, the Finance Review Committee will take a look at the proposed\nbudget and make necessary changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Nov. 5 there\nwill be a final presentation to the Common Council and on Nov. 19 there will be\na public hearing and a vote of approval to set the budget in stone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Palmyra-Eagle school\nissue<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nPalmyra-Eagle school district may be broken up. If approved, the changes would\nnot take effect until July 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark\nElworthy, Whitewater district administrator and Matthew Sylvester-Knudtson,\nWhitewater School District business manager presented an update on the\ndissolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nPalmyra-Eagle school board voted July 1 to dissolve. The dissolution of\nPalmyra-Eagle still needs to be approved by the state School District Boundary\nAppeal Board and will have to make a decision by Jan. 15, according to Sylvester-Knudtson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If\napproved, the School District Boundary Appeal Board will redraw the boundaries\nof the districts. The Whitewater school district could inherit a piece of the\nPalmyra-Eagle district. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sylvester-Knudtson\nsaid, \u201cwe started planning internally for a couple of different scenarios\u201d and\nthey have been meeting with the seven school districts around the Palmyra-Eagle\narea as well as the Department of Public Instruction to get guidance on the\nprocess and funding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In\nother action Tuesday:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more\ninformation on the Whitewater Common Council, meeting agendas or meeting\nbroadcasts visit: https:\/\/www.whitewater-wi.gov\/308\/Common-Council<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Whitewater Common Council on Tuesday revealed the proposed 2020 city budget. This new budget is around $9.8 million which is a 2.5 percent increase from last year\u2019s budget. The money for the budget will come from mainly property taxes … Continue reading