New Berlin's budget comes to the rescue
Funding adds staff to west-side fire station
Nov. 21, 2011 | 5 comments
New Berlin - Under the New Berlin budget for 2012, fire engines and ambulances will get a head start on emergencies on the west side of the city beginning next year.
"It's really a positive thing that will drastically improve service on the west side," Fire Chief Lloyd Bertram said.
Currently, the department can only staff the station at 5120 S. Racine Ave. with three firefighters/paramedics about 30 percent of the time, Bertram said. Starting next year, that will rise to 100 percent, with the $115,000 additional funding.
Two fighters may not sound like much, but they can jump on an engine, get to a fire and begin setting up until additional help arrives, he said, noting that station 3 was built anticipating growth in western New Berlin.
Favorable budget picture
Overall, the budget calls for the owner of a home assessed at $250,000 to pay $8 more in city property taxes.
Mayor Jack Chiovatero, who noted that he has vetoed just about every budget the Common Council approved since he was elected mayor, said that will not happen this year.
Although it's a tight budget, there are no layoffs and no loss of services, he said, praising department heads for budgeting so tightly that the council made only minor tweaks, including adding money for station 3 staffing.
"The department heads did an excellent job of putting a strong budget together," Chiovatero said.
What helped them do that was the state Legislature enabling the city to require all employees except police and firefighters to pay 15 percent of health insurance premiums.
Currently, those not in unions already pay 15 percent, but unionized workers pay 10 percent. In addition, city employees except police and firefighters will pay 5.9 percent toward their pensions, because of flexibility granted by the state government.
Reserved decision
But the relatively good times might be short-lived, said Treasurer Ralph Chipman.
Chipman repeated his warning to aldermen that the budget is balanced with $1.2 million from reserves and being able to use reserves will end, and fairly soon.
The city can use another $1 million from its reserves to balance the 2013 budget, but that's it, he said. Reserves cannot be used in 2014 and still keep the reserve fund at 15 percent of the operating budget, the level the council has set as policy, Chipman said.
The mayor's 2012 budget used $1 million of reserves and the council added $200,000 to that before sending it on to the mayor.
Another change the council made was to restore $9,900 in funding for the Fourth of July celebration. Thinking that the organizers could get along using some of the $110,000 cushion it has in its account, the mayor proposed cutting the usual funding in half. But the council voted to restore funding to $19,158.
AT A GLANCE
2012 budget: $34,251,175
2011 budget: $33,996,903
Difference: $254,272, up 0.75 percent
2012 levy: $23,997,115
2011 levy: $23,763, 953
Difference: $233,162, up 0.98 percent
Estimated tax rate: $5.01 per $1,000 of assessed value, up 0.62 percent from $4.98 per $1,000 for 2011.
Owner of average home: assessed at $250,000 will pay $8 more next year, or $1,252 for municipal purposes
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5 COMMENTS
mindyerownbizness - Nov 22, 2011 5:54 PM - Report Abuse
And you're going to be paying MORE tax this year, not less, despite our leadership dipping into the city's fund balance to the tune of 1.2 million dollars. Keep lowering that fund balance and the credit rating of the city goes to hell. But city council and the mayor saw fit to make a 1.2 MILLION dollar withdrawal. Where did that savings go?
This city cannot withstand a spending spree like this, even if taxes were to drop a little. With the savings from the new legislation regarding health care and retirement funding and a 1.2 million dollar draw from our savings account, our mayor and aldermen still managed to raise the bill for property tax holders in this city, at a time when it should have been dramatically reduced.
Not acceptable.
That fund balance cannot be allowed to drop any more. We taxpayers cannot allow these elected officials the latitude to spend more than we make. It's really that simple.
Given our mayor's history of spending, it's no surprise to me that he did not veto this budget. It's not even a surprise that the inexperience of Liska and Horbinski surfaces in their vote for this act of robbery, and Karvala's too busy making sure her kids get their Halloween parade to really understand the gravity of her decision, but what the hell happened to our usual sensible common council core of Harenda, Ament, Hopkins, and Seidl??? You four know better and could have stepped up to stop this madness.
Busby - Nov 23, 2011 12:55 PM - Report Abuse
"said Common Council President Ken Harenda, but there are efficiencies and cost savings to be had. He is against the proposed levy increase, he said."
so the result of Harenda's opposition to the increase is increasing it more.
Highly disappointing.
It seems like they traded fire station staffing in turn for not seriously addressing the spending. Sad and disappointing.
Im Taxed Too Much - Nov 23, 2011 5:25 PM - Report Abuse
The savings from those employees for retirement is about $300,000. In comparison to 2011 the debt service for 2012 increased by $690,000 and revenues from investments and permit fees are down substantially.
The aldermen increased the amount from reserve by $200,000 over the $1 million that the mayor proposed. $115,000 was to fund staffing the Racine fire station promised by the Council when the station was built and the rest to keep our tax increase down to only $8.
Staffing the station on Racine provides a more balanced coverage throughout the city and it should allow the city to consolidate 2 stations that should provide cost savings next year to return the $200,000 to reserve, providing the mayor doesn't spend it.
I agree that we need to keep the pressure on them to keep spending and our taxes down. I intend to contact all of them!
NewBerlinJ - Nov 26, 2011 1:34 AM - Report Abuse
So, for all the haters that thought the protective class was getting a free pass. Nope, they actually got treated worse. They were told they were being protected, when actually they got used.
Yes it is very disappointing how this city goverenment has acted again, but in no way a surprise. We are allowing our city to run it's self into the ground. What happens when their is some event that requires city workers to respond to work, but they are working second or third jobs?? The citizens have been telling them they want thier quality of life maintained. But personal attacks on city workers from top to bottom have been the result. I just hope the current admin. will still be living in the city long enough to see the results of what they have done. They have no accountablity, they just retire or don't run again when people figure it out. Leaving the mess for the next most popular person. When will this city get some people to use their heads and their common sense to do what is right, not what they think will get them elected to the next chair over.
mindyerownbizness - Nov 27, 2011 6:47 PM - Report Abuse
[url]http://media.jsonline.com/documents/scrima1125veto.pdf[/url]
What a shame that our aldermen and our mayor don't get it and are writing checks that this city will not be able to cash.
Unacceptable.