GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Green Bay’s city council passed its 2020 budget late Tuesday night and residents will be paying more in taxes, even slightly beyond what Mayor Eric Genrich had originally proposed.
Genrich had a firm message for city council members before they combed through his first budget proposal.
“If the majority of the people of Green Bay wanted a mayor who would slash city government in order to keep taxes flat, they would not have elected me,” said Genrich.
Under Genrich’s budget proposal, taxes on a $150,000 home would have gone up $43.50. The council decided to push that amount up to $45. Water bills will also be going up $26 for an average home.
The hot budget topic for residents who showed up to city hall was the addition of a diversity and inclusion coordinator.
“I think we should really be focusing on the unity, what makes us strong and unified as a city, state, and nation,” said Brian Higginbotham, a Green Bay resident.
“Our goal, as well, is unity, but unity does not necessarily come by just saying let’s all get along,” said Stephanie Vander Zanden, an employee of Schreiber Foods in the city’s downtown.
“We all have to learn about each other, and these kinds of positions really help to create cultural competencies.”
At a cost of about $65,000, including benefits, the council kept the position in the budget on a 7 to 5 vote.
Another contentious topic was using $231,000 in wheel tax revenue for pothole-filling materials.
“We want more road work done,” said Alder Chris Wery. “Stop the excuses.”
Some alders, like Wery, say the wheel tax was passed to resurface or reconstruct more streets and pothole material should still be paid for through taxes.
“We’ve always said we need more road work done,” said Wery. “1.5% of our roads are disgustingly small.”
“If you didn’t have the $231,000, I guess we just wouldn’t have potholes being fixed and I don’t think that is what we want,” said Alder Barb Dorff.
The council ended up agreeing to use unused wheel tax money from this year to pay for next year’s pothole filling. The money was going to be used to pay off debt, according to Wery.
At the end of the night, the move that ended up boosting taxes beyond Mayor Genrich’s proposal was raising city employee pay by 2%, instead of 1%.
“I think that there were a lot of things we could have done to make the tax rate much more affordable for property owners and for the council to go the other direction was disappointing and very surprising,” said Alder Jesse Brunette.
The council passed the $110 million budget on a 7 to 5 vote. Alders Wery, Vanderleest, Johnson, Nicholson, and Brunette were the opposing votes.
The budget also adds five police officer positions back to the department. 14 positions were eliminated last year.
Three firefighter openings will remain unfilled.
