Wausau City Hall. MWC file photo.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — A resolution considered a road block to changing fee structures for municipal services has been repealed.
In 2005 a resolution was adopted by the Wausau City Council at that time regarding the process to setting up a new service fee method. The resolution stated that a City-wide referendum requesting citizen authorization must be held to institute a fee for a municipal service.
A request to repeal the resolution from the municipal code came from the Finance Committee as the legislation has hampered the Committee from balancing the budget regarding service fees. Finance Committee Chair and District 7 Alder Lisa Rassmusen explains why the resolution was passed in 2005.
“There were no safe guards at the state level to prevent municipalities from essentially double dipping. Create a fee and continue to tax people the same way. And out of fear of that potential double dip where there would be no reduction in the tax rate, we just all keep paying more, this direct legislation came,”.
But a change in state legislation from the Walker Administration in 2013 has made the local legislation redundant according to Rasmussen. “Any new fee instituted by a municipality has to be met by a commiserate reduction in the levy.
“So if we want a new fee we need to reduce our levy by an equivalent amount. We can’t do this double dipping anymore that people were afraid of. So the state now prevents what the direct legislation was trying to stop,”.
In discussing the potential repeal of the resolution, there was some concern about how potential changes to garbage and storm water fees would impact lower income residents. To focus discussion Rasmussen emphasized the repeal of the resolution was not about any potential municipal service fees.
“A few months down the road if we have a discussion about leveling out garbage fees. And Districts and Alders don’t like what’s happening there, then vote no. And so we just need to focus on the fact that this is about giving ourselves the ability to have conversations about more than just state aid and property taxes,”.
The vote to repeal the resolution did pass on an 8 to 3 vote. A citizen referendum is now not required for the City to create a new revenue source.
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