>> HOW TO KEEP THE POTHOLES
FILLED, THE PARKS CLEAN AND THE
STREETS SAFE UNDER TOUGH BUDGET
CONDITIONS HAS CITIES ACROSS
WISCONSIN CUTTING SPENDING AND
DIPPING INTO SAVINGS TO KEEP THE
LIGHTS ON.
SUCH IS THE CASE IN THE CITY OF
BAYFIELD, ALONG THE SHORES OF
LAKE SUPERIOR, WHERE THE WORST
CASE UNDER DISCUSSION HAS BEEN
DISSOLVING THE CITY.
BUT IT'S NOT JUST THE PANDEMIC
THAT ADDED TO COSTS AND TOOK
AWAY FROM REVENUE.
GORDON RINGBERG JOINS US FROM
BAYFIELD TO TELL US WHAT'S
HAPPENING THERE AND, MAYOR,
THANKS A LOT FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU, FREDERICA.
>> SO WHAT DOES YOUR 2021 BUDGET
LOOK LIKE AND THERE ARE THOSE
PAIN POINTS IN TERMS OF CUTS AND
DEPLETION OF YOUR SAVINGS?
>> WE DID GET THE 2021 BUDGET
BALANCED THIS YEAR ALTHOUGH IT'S
ABOUT 10% LESS THAN LAST YEAR
AND WE'RE DIPPING INTO SAVINGS.
WE'RE DIPPING -- ABOUT $TOO $200,000
IS COMING OUT OF SAVINGS WHICH
WE WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO USE
FOR NEW INFRASTRUCTURE.
OUR BIGGEST CONCERN IS
EMPLOYEES.
THAT'S PROBABLY OUR LARGEST
EXPENSE IN ANY PART OF OUR
BUDGET, IS EMPLOYEE SALARIES,
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS.
WE DON'T HAVE THAT MANY
EMPLOYEES.
WE'VE GOT ABOUT 14 EMPLOYEES IN
THE CITY AND THEY ALL WORK VERY
HARD AND WE WANT TO KEEP THEM
AROUND.
SO THAT WAS OUR BIGGEST CONCERN
WHEN WE PUT THIS BUDGET
TOGETHER, HOW DO WE KEEP THEM
ON, OUR STAFF.
>> OF COURSE.
AS WE JUST MENTIONED, TORQUES -- TOO,
THE PANDEMIC DIDN'T HELP.
HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOUR CITY?
>> IT WAS VERY INTERESTING.
WE WEREN'T SURE IF WE WERE GOING
TO HAVE TOURISTS COMING IN ALL
SUMMER LONG OR NOT.
MATTER OF FACT, WE WERE VERY
BUSY.
THERE WERE HOURISTS TOURISTS IN TOWN
EVERY DAY.
SOME BUSINESSES WERE VERY BUSY,
THE BOAT OPERATORS WERE EVERY
DAY ALL SUMMER LONG AND MAYBE
HAD THEIR BEST SUMMER YET.
BUT OUR BARS, RESTAURANTS AND
LODGING, THEY'RE DOWN.
SOME BARS DIDN'T OPEN AT ALL
BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID THEY
WERE GOING TO PASS THE PANDEMIC
ALONG.
IT VARIES WHO YOU TALK TO.
WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THE FINAL
NUMBERS AS FAR AS ROOM TAX AND
SOME OF THE OTHER TAXES THAT WE
GET.
BUT I THINK WE'RE DOWN FROM LAST
YEAR, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS WE WERE
EXPECTING.
>> SO A MIXED BAG.
NOW, THE GOVERNOR JUST SPOKE TO
THE NEED ON THE PART OF NOT JUST
THE STATE, BUT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
TO SEE DIRECT FEDERAL AID OUT OF
WASHINGTON.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU'D
LIKE TO BE ABLE TO COUNT ON?
>> IT WOULD BE.
YOU KNOW, IN OUR COVID-19 DIRECT
COSTS WERE VERY SMALL.
WE GOT ABOUT $7,000 FROM THE
CARES ACT, THROUGH THE GOVERNOR,
THAT WE USED FOR OUR EMTs AND
POLICE OFFICERS AND FIRE
DEPARTMENT AND GENERAL CLEANING
SUPPLIES.
REALLY, THOUGH, I NEED MORE HELP
FROM THE GOVERNOR LONG-TERM
FINANCING FOR THE CITY.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD A REDUCTION
IN SHARED REVENUE OVER THE
YEARS, REDUCTION IN -- ACTUALLY
LIMITATIONS ON HOW WE CAN
INCREASE OUR LEVIES TO PAY FOR
THE THINGS THAT WE NEED.
AND OUR LEVY HAS NOT KEPT UP
WITH INFLATION.
>> AND SO THE REVENUE THAT YOU
HAVE COMING IN, EITHER FROM
PROPERTY TAXES OR SHARED
REVENUE, IS NOT KEEPING PACE
WITH YOUR COSTS.
AND THIS IS NOT UNIQUE TO YOUR
CITY.
THIS IS ACROSS THE STATE, I
TRUST.
>> JUST ABOUT EVERY MAYOR THAT I
TALK TO IS GOING THROUGH THE
SAME PROBLEMS, FROM US BEING THE
SMALLEST CITY IN THE STATE TO
MILWAUKEE BEING THE LARGEST CITY
IN THE STATE.
WE'RE ALL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO THE
FUTURE AND MAKE IT WORK.
>> AND YET THESE HAVE BEEN
LONGSTANDING KIND OF ISSUES,
THIS IMBALANCE AS DESCRIBED
BETWEEN INCOMING REVENUE AND
RISING COSTS.
WHAT MAKES YOU BELIEVE THAT THE
STATE WILL COME FORWARD AT THIS
POINT AND FIX THIS?
>> I'M NOT REALLY SURE.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE AND
OTHER CITIES HAVE BEEN ASKING
THE PEOPLE IN MADISON TO HELP US
WITH FOR A LONG TIME.
THERE SEEMS TO BE A -- YOU KNOW,
JUST A REALLY HARD POINT ON
RAISING TAXES, WHICH I
UNDERSTAND WE DON'T WANT TO PUT
ANY BURDEN ON OUR TAXPAYERS THAT
WE DON'T NEED TO.
BUT WE HAVE TO BE REALISTIC.
LIKE ANY FAMILY, WE HAVE
EXPENSES THAT GO UP AND WE HAVE
TO FIND WAYS TO INCREASE
REVENUE.
THE STATE HAS RELIED ON PROPERTY
TAX TO FUND CITIES AND VILLAGES
FOR A LONG TIME AND THAT JUST
DOESN'T SEEM TO BE REALISTIC
ANYMORE.
WE HAVE TO LOOK FOR MORE
CREATIVE WAYS TO BRING MONEY
INTO OUR CITIES AND
MUNICIPALITIES.
>> WE JUST HAVE ABOUT 30 SECONDS
LEFT, BUT I WANT TO ALLOW YOU TO
RESPOND TO THE WORST CASE
SCENARIO THAT HAD BEEN KINDS OF
FLOATING OUT THERE AS DISCUSSION
OF DISSOLVING THE CITY.
THAT'S NOT PARTICULARLY
REALISTIC.
AM I RIGHT?
>> NO.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT POPPED UP
IN A BRAINSTORMING SESSION.
IF IT'S ON THE TABLE, IT'S
BOTTOM OF THE LIST.
I WOULD HATE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.
BUT IF WE CAN'T FIGURE SOMETHING
OUT IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, IT
MIGHT BE OUR LAST RESORT.
>> WOW.
WE DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT
THAT.
BUT GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND YOUR
CITY.
MAYOR GORDON RINGBERG, THANK