For those who may have questions pertaining to this year’s Sun Prairie referendum, it is imperative that we understand the laws governing our municipalities, particularly Wisconsin statute 66.0602.
This law caps municipal taxes based on net new construction, which has significant implications for our communities. Each year, Wisconsin sees a statewide net new construction rate ranging from 1 to 1.7%.
However, when we consider normal inflation, which currently sits conservatively at 2.5% annually, and health care inflation that can rise between 3.5 to 5%, the math becomes troubling. Eventually, it catches up with everyone, and we must address these realities.
Referendums are now an integral part of the financial landscape municipalities face in our state. In 2006, our communities faced four referendums. Fast forward to 2024, where we had 241 school districts alone going out for a referendum, indicating a clear trend.
The odds that this many school districts and municipalities are mismanaging their budgets is very low. This choice becomes not a matter of if, it is a matter of when municipalities and schools will engage in this process.
One question that I would ask if I were a citizen such as yourself is, “What have (local leaders) done as far as their due diligence to make any reductions in the budget going forward?” This year alone we have conservatively reduced our budget by $1 million as a result of not filling vacant positions and moving toward a cost share program for staff health benefits.
The next question that I would ask is, “What will we gain from the referendum if passed?” Safety personnel (police, fire and EMS) comprise 52% of our city budget.
In addition to approving our cost to continue, the referendum would allow us to hire two additional firefighters, one police officer, increase the hourly wage for our part-time firefighters, who put their lives on the line each time they go into a burning building, from $12.50 to $13.50 an hour, and fund a part-time library position.
I am supporting this referendum because I LOVE Sun Prairie and want to continue to enjoy the quality of life here, and I want to provide us with the ability to increase our much needed safety personnel teams to meet the rising demand.
I would encourage our citizens to be informed and prepared, by becoming educated on these issues and understand the implications of our votes.
If your schedule did not allow you to physically attend one of our recent Town Hall sessions, you can go to this link and watch the video that was recorded at the first Town Hall session.
Steve Stocker is the mayor of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
