Wisconsin Communities Weigh Referendums To Fund Services

The mayor of one northern Wisconsin city is planning to ask the city council and voters for their approval this fall to raise taxes to pay for public safety staff. Some Wisconsin cities have gone to referendum to keep the same level of services.

The city of Superior received $944,962 in 2012 and $436,125 in 2015 through Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The money allowed the city to fully staff its three fire trucks with a four-person crew. However, the funding ran out last year, and open positions have gone unfilled.

Superior Mayor Jim Paine said he wants to put a referendum before voters, asking their support to fund three more firefighters.

“When we need to be fully staffed, we cover that with overtime, which is more expensive than just maintaining full-time staff,” he said. “When we lost that SAFER grant because … the city didn’t have a funding plan to replace that money, we just lost the staff. I think myself, the fire chief and the fire department all agree we need to have those staff.”

Superior Fire Battalion Chief Scott Gordon agreed.

“I think most of us would agree the more people that show up when you’re having the worst day of your life, the better,” he said.

Superior isn’t the only city to seek a referendum to provide for city services, said Curt Witynski, deputy director for the Wisconsin League of Municipalities. Since 2006, there have been 31 communities in Wisconsin that have passed referendums.

“The most common explanation that governing bodies give to the voters for why they think it’s necessary is either to make sure they have sufficient dollars for transportation needs mainly to maintain roads, keep the snow plows going, keep the roads fixed or public safety issues — maintain the same level of response times and staffing for police and fire,” Witynski said. “Those seem to be the two factors that are most used to justify going to a referendum.”

Voters in South Milwaukee approved a referendum last fall that asked to increase the tax levy by roughly $600,000 to maintain emergency services and add two police officers, said Mayor Erik Brooks.

“It got to a point where we just said enough is enough. We cut over the years. We’ve done more with less. We’ve looked to become more efficient,” said Brooks. “At some point, you got to ask yourself, if you want to continue to fund this service the way residents want and expect it to be funded, then how do you do that? To us, referendum was the best choice.”

Witynski said the pressure may be building for communities who are experiencing little growth in light of state restrictions on levy limits.

“If you’re a no growth or slow-growth community — that is you just haven’t experienced new construction whether new subdivisions or commercial buildings — your levy has been frozen for years,” he said. “Yet, your expenses continue to increase just like everyone else.”

Paine said it may be possible for Superior to fund staffing without raising taxes, but he would like voters’ support to protect funding for those positions if a tax increase is necessary

“I would like to present the public with a budget that is responsible enough on the property tax that they feel comfortable supporting our fire department,” Paine said.