By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
No significant changes: This was the mantra stated repeatedly at a recent meeting where Whitewater officials began a deeper dive into next year’s operating budget.
Early this month, City Manager Cameron Clapper presented the council with a cursory look into his draft budget, which is expected to total $9.20 million and bring with it a 6.48 percent increase in the property tax levy.
At a council meeting Oct. 18, Clapper and the council discussed several specific areas of the budget, including public safety, information technology, election costs and public works projects.
One change percolating behind-the-scenes is a dedicated fund specifically for elections. Clapper in his recent discussion with the council said the city is planning to change course, starting next year, and budget a specific amount of money each year and dip into the pot on as-needed basis.
This year is a stark reminder that no two election years are identical. Some years offer more elections than others. More over, some years — particularly those with a presidential race on the ballot — bring out larger numbers of voters.
Election years with higher voter turnout inevitably are more expensive. Clapper said he is proposing a $25,000 annual contribution to the election fund.
Another line item discussed briefly at the meeting was the city’s information technology budget, which is expected to increase $7,600, if Clapper’s proposed budget is approved.
The increase, Clapper said, is attributed to the body cameras municipal police officers have been wearing. The city has inked a deal with an electronics firm, Evidence.com, to store video captured from the officers’ pursuits.
The expense was anticipated. When council members signed off on the body camera purchases a few years ago, city officials discussed efforts to procure and store the data gleaned from the equipment.
The city has two remaining budget meetings on tap — one during the next regular council meeting Nov. 1. On Nov. 15, the council will hold a public hearing and could vote on the budget the same night.
