Wauwatosa officials are discussing the 2024 city budget. Here's what you need to know.
Budget season is back in Wauwatosa. Throughout October, officials have spent public meetings discussing Mayor Dennis McBride's proposed executive budget of nearly $77 million.
The 2024 spending plan includes funding for additional mental health resources for police and other first responders, including adding a "facility dog," and additional spending on election equipment.
The yearly city budget process might seem complicated, but it's important to understand, especially since the operating budget impacts residents' property taxes and spells out how Wauwatosa spends its money on public services.
Here's what you need to know to about Wauwatosa's 2024 city budget process:
How does Wauwatosa's budget process work?
The budgeting process starts with staff in each city department looking at what they need. Departments complete and submit their own budgets, and based off those requests, the Wauwatosa mayor and the city administrator develop and submit an executive budget to the Financial Affairs Committee.
The 2024 executive budget was first introduced on Oct. 3 at the Committee of the Whole meeting. Throughout October, members of the Financial Affairs Committee, made up of alders, reviewed the executive budget at public meetings. On Oct. 31, the Financial Affairs Committee will suggest any amendments, or changes, they think should be made to the proposed budget.
Residents can weigh in on the proposed budget at a public hearing on Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall in the Council Chambers. Then, at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 21, the Common Council reviews the recommended budget, votes on amendments brought up through the process and adopts the final 2024 budget. Details can be found on the city meeting portal website.
What does the City of Wauwatosa budget for?
The full executive budget can be found on the city's website. Here are the main categories and departments the city pays for:
General Government: Includes the Mayor, Common Council, Clerk and Elections, Municipal Courts, Administrative Services, Youth and Senior Commissions, Assessor, Finance and Information Systems and Reserve
Public Safety: Includes the Police Department, Fire Department, Crossing Guard
Public Works: Includes services like forestry, solid waste management, electrical and the Parks Reserve
Utilities: Includes services like water, sanitary sewer reserve, storm water management
Health and Human Services: Includes the Public Health Department
Culture, Recreation and Education: Includes the tourism commission and the Wauwatosa Public Library
Development: Includes Historic Preservation, City Planning, Community Development Block Grant, Building Regulations and Code Enforcement
Benefits: Includes the Wisconsin Retirement System, Social Security, Worker’s Compensation
Other Funds: Includes Tax Increment Districts
Key investments for 2024 involve elections, mental health
The 2024 proposed budget prioritizes more mental health resources, particularly for the Wauwatosa Police Department and other first responders, and election equipment.
The police department will add a mental health check-in for all employees during their eleventh month of employment. That's when sworn officers complete field training and enter patrol work.
The budget also allocates funds for a “facility dog” named Jordan to provide additional mental health support for Fire and Police Department employees who experience crises or stressful conditions in their work. Care for Jordan would cost about $8,800 annually, plus $2,158 in 2023 for start-up costs.
Ahead of the election-heavy year, the proposed city budget would fund $40,000 for nine additional Badger Books, the electronic poll book authorized for use in Wisconsin elections, placing one at each Wauwatosa polling site. The budget also allocates funds for $67,450 of tax levy for ExpressVote machines, which are a touch-screen accessible voting system.
The executive budget also had proposed the one-time purchase of a high-speed ballot tabulator that would enable poll workers to count 600 ballots per minute ― nearly 86 times faster than the 7 per minute rate for the current tabulators. The city is still buying it, but instead of funding it through the operating budget, it will be purchased through the city's capital budget, which will be discussed next month, according to Wauwatosa city clerk Steve Braatz. The machine would cost about $65,000, officials said at a meeting Oct. 3.
What didn’t make it into Wauwatosa’s 2024 proposed city budget?
As always, there were a number of requests the city decided not to fund in the proposed 2024 budget. Changes, or amendments, may still be made before the Common Council votes on the budget Nov. 21.
The city did not fill most requests from departments to fund more staff, including the following:
The Department of Public Works and the Common Council asked the for the budget to fund a Sustainability Manager position.
The Fire Department requested an Emergency Medical Services coordinator and a full-time office assistant. According to the budget overview, the city's human resources department will conduct an analysis and plan to provide resources with existing staff.
The Municipal Court requested a full-time Office Assistant, but the city initially said it will provide the necessary resources with existing staff. Krista G. LaFave, Wauwatosa's municipal judge, asked the Financial Affairs Committee Tuesday to consider making an amendment to the budget to fund a full-time clerk. She said her court and staff are already working at maximum capacity to meet the increased demand.
How does the Wauwatosa city budget affect homeowners and their tax bills?
About 67% of the city’s revenue comes from property tax. The rest of the money comes from grants, state aid or other revenue.
Based on the proposed budget for 2024, the average single-family home, assessed at $273,000, would pay $2,004 in property taxes for city services, according to Eva Ennamorato, the communications manager for the City of Wauwatosa.
That means $41 more, or an increase of 2.11%, in the city portion of Wauwatosa residents' property tax bills. The Wauwatosa School District, Milwaukee County, MMSD, and MATC are entities that impact residents' total tax bills.
Wisconsin state law allows for the city to increase the property tax levy if they reach a certain level of “net new construction.” This is calculated by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue's Equalization Bureau.
The majority of Wauwatosa's new value in net new construction comes from renovations at existing commercial buildings like the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, as well as some residential buildings, according to a note from Mayor Dennis McBride in the 2024 executive budget.
Wauwatosa’s net new construction in 2023 was 3.05% of its property tax base, according to McBride. This allows the city to increase the levy slightly, adding 0.55% to the city's levy capacity for a future year.
Contact Bridget Fogarty at bfogarty@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here's what to know about Wauwatosa's 2024 executive city budget
