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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – If I were to give you a gift of $5,000, it would be a bad decision for you to go out and buy a $50,000 sports car. The gift money would cover the monthly payments for awhile, but eventually you’d have to dip into you other cash. Your car payments would be competing with the money you need for rent, bills, and food.
That’s what Wausau did three years ago. The city spent one-time COVID grant money – money that runs out in 2026 – to beef up the staffing at the fire department. Now that the money is running out, the city expects you and me, the taxpayers, to pick up the extra expenses.
This was a horrible budgeting decision made by former mayor Katie Rosenberg and by the big-spenders on the city council – many of whom are still in office today. They figured that either the city’s tax base would grow over three years, which is unlikely considering Wausau has the highest property taxes and the highest water rates in the area, or that the taxpayers would reluctantly say ‘yes’ when the bill came due.
The funding, about $1.2-million, will likely come up for a referendum in April. I urge you to vote ‘no’.
But won’t the fire department be understaffed? Well, no more understaffed than it was three years ago. But what if you need a paramedic or someone to put out a fire? I would remind you this: the number one factor in response time isn’t staffing. It’s how close you live to the nearest fire department. If the fire station is around the corner, response time will be fast. If you live further away, it will take longer.
Even when it comes to public safety, taxpayers can only afford what they can afford. The voters need to send a clear message to the big spenders in Wausau city hall: don’t make obviously bad budget decisions and then try to pass the bill onto us.
Chris Conley
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