Where are the measurables?

By Bonnie Roe

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝟭𝟯 𝗔𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝗴 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 sent out his weekly update, inviting residents to a “Budget Engagement Event” on May 29th! … That is pretty late in the process. Capital budget agency requests will already have been due and the agency briefings with the mayor will already have happened. This is a one-way, skewed, informational meeting only. Why have a meeting? …  Alder Evers goes on to try to clear up some “misunderstandings.”

𝘼𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨,” he says, “𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙭 𝙞𝙩. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝘽𝙍𝙏, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨.”

While the $218 million for the BRT is federal grant money into the capital budget, you must know that the increase in Metro Transit’s operating budget (funded by the general fund) is significant. You have added 4 additional Metro Transit Chief-level FTEs for a total of 5. … Not even the police or fire department have more than one chief, though they manage a lot more employees and complex scenarios. Why do you need 5 highly paid, 21-Comp Group level supervisors in Metro Transit? …

You will soon significantly increase the contract for attorney fees for the new parking ramp/bus facility downtown. All this, added to the $27 million deficit. … Why does the City start with an incremental, cost-to-continue budget instead of zero-based budgeting? … Begin building expenses from the ground up based on efficiencies. . …

Where is the budget analysis?  At the previous Council meeting, you voted to spend $1.9 million to hire 8 additional Metro Transit FTEs and some other expenses by saying community partners will cover 100% of those expenses. Anyone see a contract for that $1.9 million in 2024 (this is an expenditure from the operating budget) before voting? … 

The North-South BRT line is set to receive $118 million in federal grant money, but that covers just 78% of the startup costs. We will have to foot the rest of the expenditures, most of which will be coming out of the general fund’s debt service. (The second largest expenditure out of the general fund, after personnel costs, is debt service). Not to mention no federal funding can go toward any of these rapidly growing operating expenditures. 

This is not good management

… Obviously low-income housing doesn’t fully come out of the operating budget, but are you forgetting the $424,000 in additional operating budget money that you all just approved for the residents that remain at Tree Lane and Rethke after the (predicted) abysmal failure of “Housing First?”

Significant raises you recently passed for non-commissioned city employees added about $10 million to the 2025 deficit. … You can’t blame this on the State legislature, which actually gave more in state shared revenue than we were projected to get (by about $3 million) when the budget was formed last October/November. You must realize that $18 million in one-time funds (ARPA, TIF, etc) were used on ongoing expenses (against the advice of the federal government) and now need to be replaced in 2025. … Spending and revenue are significantly out of balance, yet you continue to spend more and more. 

Our triple A bond rating is in jeopardy … and will make all this debt much more expensive to finance. “Solving” this deficit through a referendum alone will ensure this drop in rating, and cause it to happen sooner. … You voted to give more funds for the Public Market because a contractual deadline was missed for the work to be done?  No one seems willing to consider cutting funding to nonprofits. Is there even an effectiveness study being done, on any of them? Where are the measurables?

Where is the public accountability?

Do we fund so many, year after year, that you don’t have time to evaluate and make some cuts to those that aren’t performing? Is there really no consideration being given to cutting any expenditures? … Looks like … you will just balance the budget through a full referendum (if it passes) and now maybe pursue a state sales tax?

Our sewer/ storm water bills are likely to rise $20 annually for the average customer as well. Our rents are growing faster than any other city in the country. … Our property values are sky high and continued zoning changes will ensure they continue to rise. Which will also ensure that our share of shared revenue stays low because we have so much compared to other Wisconsin communities. …

This body needs accountability over its spending. I’d suggest bringing Dave Ramsey or any other budget expert in (or meet with them personally) to help you learn to say no to what the City can’t afford right now. Maybe an objective outside source not tethered to the city’s narrative. … This is irresponsible spending and irresponsible leadership. The mere illusion of a public meeting when it’s too late for actual input is classic. 

— excerpted from the NextDoor piece by Bonnie Roe, District 11