Water rates, storm water utility also expected to rise
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
City of Whitewater residents could see a 1.5-percent increase in the municipal portion of their property tax bills as part of a proposal linked to the municipal 2016 budget that was unveiled recently.
At a Common Council meeting Oct. 7, City Manager Cameron Clapper laid out some of the details in his budget proposal, which will be combed through in the weeks ahead in anticipation of formal adoption next month.
Clapper’s proposed budget clocks in at $9.77 million, which is an uptick from the 2015 budget of $9.47 million. The levy, which is the city’s largest revenue source, is within the state-mandated revenue caps, Clapper said.
In addition to a proposed tax hike, rates across many of the city’s utilities are expected to rise within the next year. The most pronounced is the city’s oft-discussed wastewater treatment plant, which is in the midst of an extensive overhaul. Rate increases for that particular utility remain under review.
Water rates also are expected to rise by about 3 percent or $7 per year for the average resident. The stormwater utility, meanwhile, is expected to raise rates by 59 cents per month per equivalent runoff unit (ERU) to cover infrastructure upgrade costs. A series of calculations are used to determine each property owner’s ERU usage.
Based on the preliminary details unveiled by Clapper, the 2016 budget is described in the words of the city manager as “status-quo” with no major changes on the horizon for any municipal services.
The challenge, Clapper said, is in assembling all of the moving pieces of the budget and ensuring all of the line items are adequately funded.
“We need to look at ways to fund things, which is always a big issue every year,” Clapper said. “Costs go up, and levies stay the same. The reality is we are bumping up against a ceiling that will require changes to how we fund things if we want to be successful in the future.”
Across many of the city’s functions, rising costs are an issue officials have been grappling with each year. The cost of removing solid waste and recycling from the city, for example, is expected to increase by $6,701 next year, bringing that particular line item to $391,575.
Noting it happens almost annually, Clapper said the city is expecting health insurance premiums to rise in 2016. This year’s increase across all employee groups throughout the year is expected to total $41,366.
Also built into the budget is an expected 2-percent wage increase for all employee groups, except for police who continue to have the same level of collective bargaining rights prior to Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10 legislation. The police union continues to bargain its own independent contract and wage structure.
Echoing comments made in communities across the state, the city also is expecting to spend more on election-related costs next year because of a larger number of elections — four, rather than two — and larger than normal turnouts expected in light of the presidential race next November.
The council is expected to begin digging into the budget at its next meeting Tuesday, Oct. 20.
