By Tracy Ouellette
SLN Staff
The East Troy Village Board approved the proposed $2.8 million 2020 budget with a slight increase in the mill rate of from $7.594 last year to $7.607 this year.
“Our tax rate is going up a very small amount, which is good news for the taxpayers,” Village Administrator Eileen Suhm said at Monday night’s Village Board meeting.
The General Fund Expenditures for next year dropped 1.49%, from $2,46,285 in 2019 to $2,803,755 in 2020. The breakdown of expenditures for 2020 are: General Government, $793,705, a 9.42% increase over last year; Public Safety, $1,236,280, a 6.62% decrease; Public Works, $374,770, a .37% increase; Health and Human Services, $225,070, a 1.78% increase; Recreation and Education, $106,740, a 6.58% increase; Conservation and Development, $67,190, a 34.37% decrease, which Suhm attributed to the decreased spending on contracted services for economic development, which the village is handling internally with the Community Development Authority and by hiring a broker to sell and market village property.
Suhm informed the board that the net new construction rate for the village dropped from 1.18% last year to .87% this year, which in turn lowered the amount the village can increase the levy from $2,144,658 last year to $2,170.024 this year.
The full budget can be found on the village’s website at easttroywi.gov under “Village Government” by clicking on “Meetings, Agendas and Packets” and finding the Village Board meeting packet Nov. 4.
Separating powers
The Village Board approved Suhm’s recommendation to separate the village clerk and treasurer positions. Suhm told the board with her increased duties with the village’s economic development and other areas, that Deputy Clerk Lorri Alexander had been taking over more of the village clerk duties.
Suhm proposed separating the two positions, naming Alexander as the village clerk with Suhm taking the role of deputy clerk in addition to her administrator and treasurer duties.
In her memo to the board regarding the agenda item, Suhm wrote, “As I have previously reported to the Board, Lorri has taken on many of the Clerk’s duties over the last several years to allow me more time to focus on management issues and development. She has proven she is more than capable and willing to manage the duties of Village Clerk.”
The board unanimously approved the job title and ordinance change, with Trustee John Alexander, Lorri Alexander’s husband, abstaining.
In other business Monday night, the Village Board:
- Turned down a request from the Triangle Sportsmen’s Club to place a dumpster at 2334 Highway 120 to collect deer carcasses during this hunting season. Village Board President Scott Seager cited village ordinances preventing such a dumpster and suggested the club look into sites in the Town of East Troy or the Town of Troy, which may not have similar limitations;
- Approved the replacement of a pump, which failed unexpectedly, at the Honey Creek Lift Station at a cost of about $11,400; and
- Approved an ordinance banning the sale of fireworks in the village.
