The City of Wausau Budget
I hid this at the bottom of the other post, but this time I thought I would put it right here at the top:
- The Wausau Capital Plan (PDF)
So, I encourage you to take a look at it. It is, at the end of the day, the budget that will, as I am told, dictate your property tax. We want to make sure it has a place of greater prominence, rather than be buried at the end of some rant I put together.
While the city may be guilty of many things, the withholding of the budget is not one of them. It is available at City Hall in its printed form and online. But rather than force you to slog through the city’s difficult website, I thought I’d put it up here right away.
Note: the mythical 8 million dollars for the pool renewal are not in this budget. As explained, the city does not intend to do that work in 2008.
Marcus Nelson said:
Am I reading this correctly, the city is going to spend $1.8 million dollars on acquiring Sherman Street properties? How much land can that be?
November 15th, 2007 at 7:07 pm #
Jim Rosenberg said:
The problem with right of way acquisition projects in developed areas is that it’s not just land that we’re talking about. Land is purchased on a cost per square foot basis and it can be more or less, depending on the zoning, what remains in terms of remnants, etc. Then there are houses and buildings. There is relocation compensation. There are temporary construction easements, which are also paid for. All of this is governed by a formal process to protect the interests of the property owners and things can ultimately end up in condemnation proceedings if mutually agreeable settlements can’t be reached.
In the case of Sherman Street, the right of way will be purchased along the south side of the street. If you take the additional width required and cut up that ribbon of land to make it into a nice rectangle, it’s a pretty decent-sized piece of land in an area that is adding value rapidly because of its proximity to an interchange on a major interstate. The law requires that everyone receive just compensation for what they’re giving up, which is as it should be.
November 15th, 2007 at 11:11 pm #
timothyp said:
I by no means am an economist, but from what I saw throughout the whole budget were the lack of huge projects that are unneccesary as you may see in other towns and cities compable to a place the size of a growing Wausau.
Being originally from Milwaukee, I saw rampant spending with no thought to incurring debt and to whom ultimately would have to foot that bill. Our elected officials have done a great job of keeping expenses down and addressing a few larger projects that will benefit the community as a whole well into the next couple of decades. They did their job well and I personally would like to thank them for a well thought out budget and for keeping spending to a minimum.
November 16th, 2007 at 3:34 pm #
Jim Rosenberg said:
“A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives roses.” ~Chinese Proverb
Generous remarks, timothyp.
November 16th, 2007 at 5:34 pm #
Marcus Nelson said:
Thank you Jim - This is why you’re involvement is so important in this community!
Ever thought of starting a “City Politics” page here? Maybe it could be more of a City Meetings and Info page? What do you think?
November 18th, 2007 at 3:15 pm #
Barry Liss said:
I read through the budget. Is it fair to imply that the budget doesn’t pay much heed to transitions in energy sources? The vast majority of the budget is built around the automobile - construction of roads and their maintenance. The sprawling grid was a part of the twentieth century - it won’t work for the twenty-first.
Can one say that this budget a green document? I searched for the words energy, environment, and green but got nothing. Park expenditures (p. 14) for acquisition and maintenance are projected to go down. Though, it looks like the River’s Edge Trail has been funded for 2008. The federally mandated reduction in solids entering the river is a large deferred part of the budget. If the feds mandate it - shouldn’t they help pay for it?
I dunno…maybe I’m just a curmudgeon.
Barry
November 19th, 2007 at 9:46 am #
Jim Rosenberg said:
The recently initiated “Commission for a Greener Tomorrow” in the City of Wausau represents an opportunity to more effectively bring these issues to the fore. As policy priorities are identified, they will certainly find their way into future budgets. It’s true that we have a long way to go, but there is also cause for optimism about our ability to impact these important areas in light (compact fluorescent) of recent moves in that direction.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:15 am #
Barry Liss said:
Thanks Jim - those are level-headed words.
This is a personal budget issue - tangentially related to the city budget. I just saw on CNN that the cost of food for Thanksgiving dinner went up 11% from last Thanksgiving to this Thanksgiving. 11%.
Barry
November 20th, 2007 at 4:37 pm #
Dino Corvino said:
I would like the city to talk publicly about the LITTLE things they do. For example, does the city recycle paper? Does the city purchase light bulbs with being effecient in mind?
I think that instead of the ad nauseum talk we have right now about the god for saken 400 block (which will never make everyone happy), or the mayor race, or the voting block…I want to know what the city does.
Does the city have a health initiative for its employees?
Does the city reward property developers for developing green?
How much water was used watering city lawns this year?
What does the city do with the large yard waste collect? Is it composted? Or just landfilled?
Does the river fall under the purview of the city or the state?
November 20th, 2007 at 4:50 pm #
Barry Liss said:
Do you get a sense Jim that your colleagues on the City Council are on the forefront of these environmental issues? Do you think they have enough knowledge of the problem to make caring and meaningful decisions? It seems like the political institutions are have difficulty adapting to grass roots green movements.
I hate driving - I can’t afford it, it’s dangerous, unhealthy and boring. My family wants safe and affordable alternatives. I want a tram around town, and trains from Wausau to Point, Madison and Minneapolis. I want each of YOU to pay for it as penance.
Barry
November 21st, 2007 at 8:14 am #
Jim Rosenberg said:
Barry, I think that there are a lot of citizens who are well ahead of government at all levels on these issues. My hope is that the sustainability effort will provide a venue for some of that awareness to be shared and translated into policies and practices that are more tuned in to these things going forward. “Government of and by the people” is the way it is supposed to be. By creating a new channel that is dedicated to sustainability, we will have an improved opportunity to bring this issues out and act upon them. I’m encouraged by the early response.
November 22nd, 2007 at 10:05 am #