GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The Green Bay City Council will hold a vote on the proposed 2020 budget tonight.
After committee meetings and seeking opinions from the general public, a proposed budget has been finalized. Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich is looking forward to the discussion on the budget he believes addresses the needs of the community.
“It better funds our police department, funds our fire department, and makes sure we’re able to maintain and fix our roads – maintain all of the great amenities and services that people have come to enjoy in the City of Green Bay,” says Genrich.
The budget would allow for the hiring of five additional police officers after last year’s budget cut about $1 million from the department.
Alderman Randy Scannell says there is some opposition within the chamber to pieces of the budget, but he’s optimistic for a good debate.
“I know there are some alders who are concerned about a couple of items here and there, and I don’t know if they’ll pull them and try to make a change in the full council. But I would expect we’re going to pass it just as is,” says Scannell, “the points that people are going to bring up are probably about the Sustainability Coordinator and the Diversity Coordinator and I think those are both positions we really need in this city if we’re going to keep growing as a city. If you’re not growing, you’re dying. And those kinds of problems, I don’t want to face.”
The budget proposal includes a tax rate increase of approximately 3.2% over last year. You can read the entire proposal yourself on the city’s website.
