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County supervisors propose budget cuts

County supervisors propose budget cuts County supervisors propose budget cuts

Responding to complaints from taxpayers about a proposed 9.4 percent levy increase, Marathon County supervisors have submitted 19 budget amendments that would slash spending in various departments, cancel multiple projects and eliminate funding for local non-profit agencies.

As proposed, the county would increase its overall property tax levy by nearly $5 million next year, a hike of 9.4 percent over this year. For an “average homeowner” who owns $193,000 worth of property value, county taxes would go up by $74, according to county budget documents.

At a budget hearing last week Thursday, several county residents objected to the proposed raise in property taxes for 2023, while representatives from various non-profits asked the county board to maintain funding for their activities.

David Dailey, who ran unsuccessfully for county board earlier this year, said last April’s election was a “red wave” that promised to create a more conservative board, but he believes the proposed budget is the product of committees with few conservative members. He questioned whether the proposed increase in spending offered any value for county residents.

“The only thing I see in this budget for the taxpayers is higher taxes, so I ask you to amend the budget and stick up for us,” he said.

Joanne Leonard, Wausau, said she found it “appalling” that the county would submit a budget with a tax increase of over 9 percent. She said salaries are barely keeping up with inflation and citizens are faced with higher costs for everything from gasoline to groceries.

“County taxpayers are finding ways to stretch their budgets,” she said. “I’m asking the county to do the same.”

Leonard said the budget is presented in a way that makes it difficult to “assess where all the fat is,” but she pointed to a 129 percent increase in debt service and a 16.9 percent projected hike for the Conservation, Planning and Zoning Department as places to look for cuts. “There are further details that should be considered before the board approves this budget,” she said. “It is unacceptable in the current economic climate.” Shannon Grabko, Weston, called the proposed tax increase “astronomical” and said she doesn’t understand why county spending is increasing so much. Although she can see the value of the Marathon County Public Library and non-profits that rely on county funding, Grabko said she worries about the impact on taxpayers, especially seniors, during an economic “state of emergency.” She urged supervisors to look at what is “actually essential and what is not” in the budget.

“We don’t want to chase our residents out of Marathon County because our prices, our taxes, are so high,” she said. “This is about the people who live here and pay taxes.”

Non-profits want funding

Representatives of multiple area non-profit organizations spoke to the board about the importance of the work they do and the need for continued county funding.

Kathy Buckli, director of the Keep Area Teens Safe (KATS) youth homeless shelter, said her agency deals with kids and teens who have been victimized by human trafficking, sexual abuse and drug usage. Requesting $370,000 for KATS, she said youth have no other options in Marathon County if they are faced with homelessness or unsafe home environments.

“It is fundamental that our youth have a supportive environment in the aftermath of unsafe situations before they can transition into a safe, longterm housing situation,” she said.

Republican Assemblyman Pat Snyder spoke in favor of the Family Keys pilot program, which uses state grant money to reunite youth with parents who have completed court-ordered drug rehabilitation. Earlier this year, the board rejected the $327,100 grant, but it has been reinserted into the 2023 budget.

Rep. Snyder said the county board has a lot of “misconceptions” about Family Keys, disputing the idea that it’s “some giant government program.” He said pilot programs are meant to determine if the program is going to be successful, and his top priority is reuniting kids with their biological parents so they’re not stuck in foster care.

“If we can get the family unit back to being solid, then we’ll see fewer problems down the road that cost counties and the state more money,” he said.

Wausau Police Chief Ben Bliven also spoke in favor of keeping the Family Keys grant in the budget, saying it will “benefit all residents of Marathon County.”

“We have the ability to put kids back with their parents after they’ve met all of the requirements of our social services department,” he said. “The alternative to that is the kids remain in foster care, which the county pays for.”

An amendment submitted by supervisor Tony Sherfinski, Schofield, would remove the Family Keys grant from the budget.

Bliven also expressed support for the Women’s Community, saying the work the shelter does with crime victims helps the police do their jobs.

Four representatives of the Women’s Community spoke about the benefits of the organization, which provides housing and support for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Jane Graham-Jennings, executive director of the Women’s Community, said the shelter has been partnering with the county for over 30 years and, since 2020, it’s been under contract with the sheriff’s department and district attorney’s office to help victims and provide other services.

Graham-Jennings pointed out that in 2021, there were three homicides related to domestic abuse in the county, which not only resulted in loss of lives but also created the added county expense of police investigations and criminal prosecutions.

The lethality assessment program, a partnership with law enforcement, al- lows the Women’s Community to put high-risk victims in contact with advocates, she said.

“We are literally preventing homicides,” she said. In 2021, she said the Women’s Community provided support to 1,061 victims in the county, but it “costs a lot of money for us to provide these services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” The money contributed by the county, $55,000, is used as matching funds for over $100,000 in grants that would otherwise not be available, she noted.

“And while money is very, very important, there is also the human cost of abuse in our community that we can’t put a pricetag on,” she said. “It destroys lives, it tears families apart. None of us are immune.”

Russ Wilson, president of the Marathon County Historical Society’s board of directors, laid out all of the new programming planned for 2023 and noted that the county has been a major funder of the historical society since 1954. He said the $54,300 allocated by the county accounts for 28 percent of the society’s operating budget and 16 percent of the money used to operate the Yawkey House Museum.

If the county funding were to be cut, he said it would result in a 15 percent reduction in staff, a 15 percent cut to the Yawkey House’s hours of operation and the halting of its online resource program, which provides free access to over 150,000 documents.

Diane Sennholz, executive director of North Central Community Action Program, said the collective impact of their housing programs for the poor is “incredible.” She said NCCAP also works with the court system to find housing for those going through drug court.

“They’re more likely to succeed and stay in drug court, stay sober and conquer their addictions if they remain housed and have supports available,” she said.

Jeff Sargent, executive director of United Way of Marathon County, talked about the “211” call center supported by the county, which provides over 11,000 referrals to community resources that provide basic needs, such as housing, food, clothing, addiction services and mental health counseling. He said the service recently had a caller who was ready to kill himself, but they were able to get law enforcement involved and save the person’s life.

“Your support is life-saving for many people,” he told board members.

An amendment submitted by Chris Dickinson, Stratford, would eliminate funding for the United Way, Marathon County Historical Society, North Central Community Action Program and The Women’s Community.

One speaker offered the board a costfree alternative to a health department program.

Jack Hoogendyk, executive director of the Hope Pregnancy Resource Center, said his organization provides all of the same services, plus more, as the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), which is set to receive $730,000 in county funding next year. He said Hope serves over 130 families with pre- and post-pregnancy care, including medical services.

“For 20 years we’ve been doing this with zero cost to the client – we’ve never charged any client a dime – and we’ve done it at zero cost to the taxpayers,” he said. “All of our funding is privately sourced. We don’t solicit government funding.”

Amendments submitted by supervisors Tim Sondelski, Mosinee, and Gayle Marshall, Weston, would eliminate funding for the NFP.

Supervisors discuss cuts

During board discussion of the budget, Sondelski spoke in favor of the Hope organization’s work, and suggested defunding the NFP.

“I believe it’s irresponsible to pay out over three-quarter of a million dollars to a fund an organization like this Nurse-Family Partnership when we have a privately funded charity that will actually do this service for literally no cost to taxpayers,” he said.

Sondelski said the 9.4 percent tax increase is unacceptably high and he wants cuts to be made for the benefit of taxpayers.

“I will not rubberstamp this budget,” he said. “There is so much waste.”

Supervisor Tony Sherifinski said the proposed 9.4 percent tax increase is over three times bigger than the previously highest increase of about 3 percent. He called it a “slap in the face” to the county’s property owners who pay the tax.

“I think we’re not serving our constituents well,” he said. “I think we need to look at this very deeply and make significant cuts.”

Supervisor Chris Dickinson, Stratford, said he made a spreadsheet and spent five hours trying to reduce the tax levy by a certain percentage, but he found it “tremendously difficult” to cut expenses in a way that actually does that.

“This process has to change,” he said, noting there is not enough time to reach compromises on the budget.

County administrator Lance Leonhard said his “strong recommendation” to the board is to “maximize your operating levy.”

“It is the lowest-cost way for the county to generate revenue to deliver the services to the people of Marathon County,” he said.

Supervisor Jake Langenhahn, Marathon, said he agrees with other board members who want to cut the levy, but he warned his colleagues that lowering the levy for 2023 could make it even more difficult for the county to meet expenses in the future if costs continue to rise. That’s because the operating levy for one year is used as the baseline for how much it can be raised for the following year. “Don’t just act like this is a one-year thing that isn’t going to come back to potentially haunt you,” he said.

The Human Resources, Finance and Property Committee will consider the board’s 19 budget amendments and the full board will vote on the budget during the meeting at 7 p.m. this Thursday, Nov. 10.


Jake Langenhahn
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