Posted: Oct. 27, 2009 |(0) Comments

Muskego — A proposed reduction of 4.5 full-time-equivalent employees next year leaves Muskego about as lean as it can be without noticeable service reductions, Mayor John Johnson said.

A total of 20 positions have been eliminated mainly through attrition in the last three budgets, including the proposed 2010 budget.

"We're at a point where we can't do much more," he said.

At 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9 in the City Hall, the proposed 2010 budget will be presented to taxpayers for their input. The property tax rate is expected to increase seven cents per $1,000 of assessed value, or 1.69 percent. The property tax rate would be $4.41 per $1,000 of assessed value for city purposes.

The 7 cent increase would mean that the owner of a home assessed at $300,000 would pay $21 more in property taxes for city services. The schools, county, state and Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District have their own levies and property tax rates.

The Common Council plans to approve the 2010 budget at its regular Nov. 10 meeting.

The proposed levy is $11.8 million, compared with $11.5 million this year.The total proposed budget is $21,084,296, which is 4.5 percent higher than the $20.2 million 2009 budget.

But the proposed operating budget of $13.4 million is a 0 percent increase, and debt service, at $2,955,030 is actually $62,048 less than in 2009. Those are the only two areas of the budget that are supported by property taxes.

Larger increases are posted in the two other areas of the proposed budget. Capital projects would go up a proposed 84.6 percent to $1.6 million, mainly because of the huge Durham Road reconstruction project.

"We don't anticipate significant changes in service levels," Johnson said of the 2010 proposed budget.

But clerical support at City Hall took a hit, so he said, "People may spend a longer time at the counter, and some people may not be available to get information right away."

Plowing, police, fire, park and recreation and road work will be basically the same, he said.

Also, the assistant library director position would not be filled next year. In the Police Department, a replacement officer will not be hired until summer and the crime prevention officer position would be cut from full- to half-time.

Raises next year will average 1.5 percent. Merit increases have been dropped.

To save money, the city will shop around for a better deal on workers compensation and liability insurance.

The city declared no unpaid days off for 2009 and proposes no such furloughs next year.

"Furloughs are a one-time tool to be used in emergencies," Johnson said. "But this is not a one-time situation."

He wants to get the city ready for a potentially grim budget situation in 2012. That is when state legislators will no longer have more than $2 billion in federal stimulus money available to help balance its biennial budget as it did this year, he said.

Now is the time to get ready for the bottom to drop out, Johnson said.

"My goal in 2010 is to simply get us in a position so in 2011, we are OK and can maintain services," Johnson said.

Complicating the 2010 proposed budget situation is a $100,000 hit for an unexpectedly high increase in health insurance. The Common Council was slated to deal with the more than 24 percent increase on Tuesday after NOW's press deadline."We only budgeted for a 15 percent increase, which we thought was sufficient," he said. Indeed, leaders of other communities he contacted said their increases were in the teens."

NEXT STEP

WHAT: public hearing on the proposed 2010 Muskego city budget

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9

WHERE: City Hall, S8200 Racine Ave.