Proposed budget calls for 1.5 percent increase in tax levy
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Whitewater officials continue to comb through the proposed 2016 municipal budget of $9.77 million as the countdown to formal adoption draws closer.
City Manager Cameron Clapper continued his line item-by-line item review of the budget Oct. 20, which calls for a 1.5 percent increase in the property tax levy to continue funding operations.
During the second of three formal review sessions, Clapper and the council hashed over a series of different areas of the budget, including the library, parks and recreation, public works and the wastewater treatment plant.
Compared to prior years, where city officials extensively debated participation in Janesville’s Innovation Express program, this year’s budget has largely been described as “status quo.” No significant changes are planned in the 2016 budget, compared to the one minted in 2015.
The second comb through did not yield any significant discussion, though chatter about the upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant did ensue. The city continues to plan the specifics of the project.
The wastewater utility’s rates will increase in the year ahead, though the specific amount remains under discussion.
Clapper’s proposed budget clocks in at $9.77 million and represents an uptick from the 2015 budget of $9.47 million.
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.
The council will have one final review of the budget Nov. 3 before final adoption and a formal public hearing is held in mid-November.
