Wausau City Hall. MWC file photo.
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – The ethics complaint against Wausau Mayor Doug Diny has been a brilliant distraction. The next hearing is October 9th, right in the middle of when the city is supposed to be putting together next year’s budget.
Ethics has crowded out any meaningful debate on Wausau’s spending plan for 2026.
Mayor Diny campaigned on bringing fiscal discipline to City Hall. He promised zero-based budgeting, where each line of spending would be reviewed. In the last budget some department heads simply ignored the mayor’s request for fiscal discipline. “Impossible!” some said. “Nothing can be cut! Everything that’s being spent now must continue!”
Now the challenge of holding the line on spending isn’t even discussed. The process of putting together a budget is merely a fiscal exercise. Here’s what costs have gone up. Here’s how much taxes will need to increase to cover those costs.
Not only has the ethics case crowded out a much-needed debate on the city budget, it’s also sent exactly the wrong message to city department heads. We currently have two department heads, the City Attorney and the City Clerk, have ignored their proper instructions to give deposition in the Diny ethics case. If they are free to refuse, every other department head will feel free to ignore instructions about spending and budget requirements. After all, there are no consequences for disobedience.
So does anyone, anywhere, have a plan at CIty Hall for a no-tax-increase budget?
Crickets. It’s not even being talked about.
Hold onto your wallet.
Chris Conley
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