Community Conversations: Local Budgets- April 4th

The next Community Conversations is scheduled for Saturday, April 4th from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm at the Menomonie Public Library.

The topic will be municipal budgets. Our presenter is Eric Atkinson, City Administrator.

For our next city budget, Menomonie has eliminated financial support for our nonprofits - our food pantry and homeless shelter, our domestic abuse program and shelter, our senior citizen’s program and the Mabel Tainter Theater among others.

Residents of our city have concerns about repair of our city streets with the main obstacle being the financing of needed projects.

Of all governments, local government significantly impacts us - providing for services including water and sewer, rain water runoff, local transportation, garbage and recycling, housing policies and local laws to affect growth of the city, fire protection and ambulance.  We also have the best chance to be heard as our local representatives are our neighbors and friends.

Find out about how funds for the city are limited by the laws of our state government and by a progressive loss in return of our tax dollars from the state.  What is happening to the single most important source of our funds - property taxes?  How does a municipality increase its funding to provide us our local services?  Do our political parties believe in local control?  How much more funding can the city of Menomonie find by doing more with increasing efficiency of services?

This discussion is about more than Menomonie.  All municipalities are affected - townships, villages, and cities throughout Wisconsin.  Bring your questions and suggestions to make this a more impactful discussion.  

All are welcome to attend this conversation.

Community Conversations is a local nonpartisan group started in 2015 to discuss topics that affect our community. Presentations include speakers and videos, followed by conversations afterward about issues affecting the local community and Western Wisconsin.

Submitted information.