Mayor’s Column March 4th, 2023
Rohn Bishop, Mayor of Waupun
Hello Waupun,
I’m back! I spent four days out in Washington, D.C. meeting with our federal elected leaders about the important issues affecting communities with municipal power, like Waupun. It was a cool experience to have the opportunity to advocate for Waupun in our nation’s capital! We take it for granted that when we flip the switch our lights come on, but there’s a lot that goes into getting that electricity, and those were the issues we discussed. Power supply, transporting that power, the grid, and of course the supply chain issues affecting all of it. Cheap and reliable power is key for economic growth in our area as we are a heavy manufacturing area, and as we transition to more electric powered vehicles, we’re going to need even more electricity.
As demand for electricity goes up, so will the cost, unless we get better regulations dealing with the production and transportation of power. Hopefully, our advocacy work will help break some of the gridlock in Washington.
In other news…..
Since the completion of the 2023 budget last fall, you’ve been hearing me talk a lot about the state’s broken funding system and how it’s affecting Waupun. The two ways the state funds our city is through shared revenue and Mutual Service Provider Payments. Both have been flat for over a decade while cost have risen. At the same time, the state has imposed limits on how much a city can spend and tax.
This isn’t all bad. It has forced cities all across Wisconsin to “tighten the belt” and cut waste. It has forced local elected officials to prioritize, and it’s good that local elected officials are held to account for every penny of your hard-earned money we spend.
However, shared revenues actually declined a little for 2023 and the state has been underfunding Waupun close to $400,000 on the Mutual Service Provider Payments since they capped them in 2011. This messed up funding system has led to real cuts to our city’s budget. In order to balance our budget for 2023 Waupun had to reduce services including:
1. We cut a half time economic development position ($35k)
2. Reduce sealcoating budget for streets by half ($15k)
3. Reduce mill and overlay by 11% ($30k)
4. Postpone maintenance for the museum ($62k)
5. Slow the implementation of sidewalk replacement, including ADA upgrades.
6. Delayed street reconstruction
7. Delay buying a ladder fire truck
8. Delay buying showers for the firefighters
9. Painting the streets is cut to every other year
10. Cut $19k from the police budget
The state mandated levy limits, and spending controls, also hurt. You’re not going to believe this, but because of the reevaluation of Waupun last year, we will actually be bringing in LESS tax revenues! Yes, you read that right, less revenues. Why? Because that state mandated reevaluation is shifting the tax burden from commercial to residential, so when the new mill rate takes effect, we will bring in less revenues.
All this is happening at the same time that Waupun is facing some “growing pains.” We’re adding streets, but taking away DPW personal. We expect fire protection, but are having fewer and fewer volunteers available at key times. We want EMS service, but are seeing more missed ambulance calls because Lifestar is often busy. We want to preserve our historic city hall but we’re close to not being able to afford to do so!
We want a high quality of life with nice parks, youth sports, and trails, yet the city is forced to spend money on “Outdoor Recreational Plans” instead of just spending the money fixing up McCune. Sometimes I think our staff spends more time filling out reports than actually providing residents services!
It’s enough to pull your hair out! If you’re lucky enough to have hair, ha!
Had the state’s shared revenues just kept pace with inflation since 2005, we’d have an additional $1,328,391. That’s just keeping up with inflation, and that’s not counting the $400,000 in missed MSP payments from the state.
So why our legislators argue over a $6 billion surplus, cities like Waupun continue to be overlooked. The state will continue to grow the size of government while suffocating smaller cities that are just trying to provide basic services. And as you can see from our list, we’re running out of things to cut.
I am planning a Waupun listening session with Senator Feyen and Representative Schraa, and I hope you’ll attend. Both are good guys and friends of mine, but I do want them to understand that Waupun’s challenges are real. We’re not some big city that waste millions of dollars, we’re Waupun, and every good Hollander knows how to stretch a buck!
Waupun has always been a progressive city, and that’s why we have such a rich history and strong economy and a community pride. We’ve also always been conservative and frugal. We’re now being punished for our conservative budgeting values and that’s not right.
The state is just beginning the budget process as the legislature hasn’t even met in February, so I plan on being a friendly pain in their butt as I fight for Waupun! I’d appreciate your help and support.
Thank you and God Bless,
Mayor Rohn
