CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Wausau’s city newsletter arrived in your mailbox last week. The lead article had the headline ‘It’s budget season’.
Hold onto your wallets. This is the time of year that your city leaders will decide how much your taxes will go up. Only this year, they shouldn’t go up at all.
Of course, they shouldn’t go up at all. Your city or town, wherever you live, received a historic increase in shared revenue from the state as part of this year’s budget. In Wausau, it’s $1.1-millon. Surely that level of new money will cover whatever spending increases your local leaders can dream up. The Wausau School District, which received a once-in-a-lifetime increase is school aid, managed to cut property taxes by only $8 if you own a $100,000 home.
But maybe not. Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg, whose desire to spend is legend, was quick to point out in an earlier interview that the city’s finance committee – not the mayor – set the city’s budget. She’s quick to stake out the political ground that she’d like to, perhaps, see property taxes down… if only the city council would go along.
So beware of pet projects that will be trotted out now that there’s extra money in the kitty. In Wausau, it’s solar projects. You’ve heard about the liberal’s dream of powering the new water works plant with solar power. Perhaps you didn’t know that other solar projects, like at the city’s new public works garage, are also being discussed. Solar projects have huge upfront costs. The break-even point for solar panels is 10 years after they’re installed. Do not believe the lie that you’ll save money then. The city’s big spenders will take those savings and spend them on other things.
We’ve already seen this unfold with COVID money. Wausau, fearing this was use-it-or-lose-it money, spent the federal cash on new LED streetlights. Ask your city leaders, considering how devastating and unnecessary the COVID shutdown of our economy was, how saving a few pennies on streetlighting costs is helping the city recover.
In many communities, there are elected officials who have pet projects. They think, “if only we had the money for – blank.” Don’t let them squander the tax break that should be yours.
Chris Conley
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