APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – In just over 30 minutes, the Outagamie County board adopted its budget for the next year.
After a presentation from the county finance committee, the board voted 29-1 to pass a budget with a $65.9 million tax levy.
“We want to make sure those dollars are spent responsibly,” Outagamie County Board Chairman Jeff Nooyen said. “This budget reflects that.”
Finance director Yvette Mueller discussed the budget and its highlights. It also includes a 26% funding increase for child care services and a 5.3% increase in mental health funding. County Executive Tom Nelson gave a presentation to the board in October.
“We’ve had committee meetings. We’ve had one-on-one meetings to make sure that everyone’s perspective is at least taken into consideration,” Nelson said. “So, my role at least in the last month was to get out of the way and make sure that the county board supervisors have their input.”
Nooyen said it was rare to see such a quick vote. He called it a testament of the strength of the budget and the county.
“While it only took us a half hour to adopt the budget, the heavy lifting had already been done,” Nooyen said. “And I’m guessing at least 20-30 hours of work by the finance committee.”
Nelson shared the same sentiment.
“This is not how the government works at a lot of levels. Here in Outagamie County, we can say that we’re putting our absolute best foot forward.”
The budget includes a 1.9% increase to the tax levy. With a rate of 3.23%, county officials say it puts the public in a good spot compared to other counties. The total amount saw an increase less than the rate of inflation.
“Despite the fact that inflation has gone up eight percent in the last year, the total increase in this budget is just 25% that rate,” Nelson said. “We’re continually able to provide important services.”
The budget includes a base wage increase for county employees. Mueller hopes this makes Outagamie County a top public employer.
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