Wausau City Hall. MWC file photo
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Earlier this month Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg told us it would be a “challenging” budget season. Translation: expect a property tax increase.
City government, school districts, and counties are all experiencing the 8% inflation that you and I are. But they, of course, can vote to raise your taxes to cover their higher costs. The idea of cutting costs, delaying projects, and controlling expenses barely enters the conversation.
Last week the city green-lighted an expensive redesign of 17th Avenue on Wausau’s west side. It’s a perfect example of a project that could be delayed or scaled back. Each morning traffic backs up in the area from drivers turning into the Starbucks drive-thru. That’s the reason for the rebuild. A right-hand turning lane would keep the backing-up traffic on its own part of the road. A low median and a turning lane in the other direction would make it easier to make a left-turn into Starbucks. Of course, the fundamental problem is that Starbucks doesn’t have enough space on its own property to accommodate all of its customers. The city’s own accident data shows that this intersection is a choke-point, but is not unusually prone to accidents.
This is a perfect example of an expensive project that can be delayed. At a time when taxpayers are strapped for cash, why does this have to be done in the summer of 2023? Why not 2024 or 2025? And why not approach Starbucks and ask them to cover the costs? They might say no. And the city might tell them we’ll put up traffic cones each morning to keep left-hand-turn traffic into your business from backing up onto our road.
This is just one example of many. Wausau PD is in line for new squad cars. Maybe we need to hold onto our used cars for an extra year to two, just like families do.
City employees are getting pay raises. Can the taxpayers afford that? They already have health and retirement benefits that are better than private sector workers.
And this comes on top of the potential $100 water bill increase, and the 28% increase in winter heating costs.
Who at City Hall will say the people who pay for all this stuff can’t afford it?
Chris Conley
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