>> THANKS FOR WATCHING FOR YOUR
TIME.
NOW IS THE TIME LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS CRUNCH THEIR NUMBERS
FOFOR 2024.
STATE'S INCREASE TO SHARED
REVENUE MEANS MORE DESPERATELY
NEEDED MONEY FOR SOME CITIES AND
TOWNS TO PROVIDE BASIC SERVICES,
ALLOWING THEM TO DELAY GOING TO
REFERENDUM TO INCREASE TAX
LEVIES.
FOR OTHERS, THE ADDITIONAL
FUNDING MEANS MORE
OPPORTUNITIES, INCLUDING FOR OUR
NEXT GUEST, WAUSAU MAYOR, KATIE
ROSENBERG.
MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH
US.
>> HELLO.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THE NEW
SHARED REVENUE LAW REPRESENTS A
NEARLY 30% INCREASE IN REVENUE
FROM THE STATE, A TOTAL OF NEW
AND EXISTING NOW OF ABOUT 5.IS
MILLION DOLLARS.
AS MAYOR, WHAT IS IT LIKE AFTER
SO MANY YEARS OF FLAT OR
DECLINING AID?
>> OH, IT'S A BIG DEAL, AND WE
ARE SO GRATEFUL THAT ALL PARTIES
COULD COME TOGETHER AND MAKE AN
AGREEMENT ON THIS, BUT FOR US,
IT'S ABOUT A MILLION MORE
DOLLARS, A LITTLE MORE THAN A
MILLION MORE DOLLARS FOR OUR
BELL THIS YEAR AND NEXT.
SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD
TO BEING ABLE TO PAY FOR THINGS
LIKE HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS.
THAT'S ONE THING THAT EARLIER
THIS YEAR WE WERE LOOKING AT A
25% INCREASE.
REALLY SCARY.
WE WERE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE THAT
DOWN A LITTLE BIT, AND WITH OUR
PARTNERS, SO IT'S NOT QUITE AS
MUCH NOW, BUT WE NEED TO PAY FOR
IT, STILL.
WE HIRED NINE NEW FIREFIGHTERS
WITH THE FEDERAL F.E.M.A. SAFER
GRANT AND WE GET TO PAY THEM
WITH THAT GRANT AND WE KNOW THIS
WILL HELP US PAY FOR THAT MOVING
FORWARD.
>> ARE THERE PROVISIONS IN THE
SHARED REVENUE LAW THAT ARE
RESTRICTIVE AS TO HOW IT HAS TO
BE SPENT AND DOES THAT REPRESENT
ANY KIND OF HARDSHIP FOR LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS?
>> YOU KNOW, I'M SURE THERE ARE
MUNICIPALITIES WHERE THAT KIND
OF EXTRA LEVEL OF MAYBE -- I'M
NOT GOING TO CALL IT
RESTRICTIVENESS, BUT THE
GUIDELINES WE WERE GIVEN MIGHT
BE CHALDZ, BUT FOR US, REALLY,
WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THESE
SERVICES THAT THE PUBLIC EXPECTS
FROM US, PUBLIC SAFETY IS
ESPECIALLY PREVALENT, SO WE
EXPECT TO SPEND A LOT OF THAT
RELATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY,
ESPECIALLY FIREFIGHTING, SINCE
WE DID BRING ON THOSE NINE NEW
FIREFIGHTERS THIS YEAR ALONE.
>> INTERESTINGLY, THERE'S A
PROVISION IN THIS LAW THAT
PROHIBITS LOCAL GOVERNMENT FROM
PREFERENTIAL HIRING BASED ON
PROTECTED CLASSES LIKE RACE.
DOES THAT CHANGE ANYTHING IN
WAUSAU?
>> YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS HIRE FOR
THE BEST FEMALE PEOPLE IT AND T
THE PEOPLE WE HIRE TO BE OF OUR
COMMUNITY.
I DON'T THINK THAT CHANGES
ANYTHING.
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO
HIRING THE BEST PEOPLE THAT WILL
DO THE BEST JOB IN OUR
COMMUNITY.
>> ANOTHER PROVISION IN THE LAW
ALLOWS FOR WHAT ARE CALLED
INNOVATION GRANTS, WHEREBY THIS
EXCHANGE TO CONSOLIDATING
SERVICES AND SAVING MONEY, YOU
COULD GET MORE MONEY, IS THAT
SOMETHING THAT WAUSAU IS
AVAILING ITSELF OF.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE HAVEN'T DONE IT FORMALLY YET,
BUT WE ARE REALLY EXCITED TO
MOVE FORWARD AND CONSIDER HOW WE
CAN CONTINUE PARTNERING WITH OUR
PARTNERS, THE COUNTY, OTHER
MUNICIPALITIES OF WE'VE DONE A
LOT OF THAT OVER THE LAST 10
YEARS, AND ESPECIALLY SINCE THE
RECESSION, WE'VE FIGURED OUT
WAYS TO CUT COSTS AND WORK
TOGETHER BETTER, BUT WE'RE
EXCITED FOR WHAT THE LOOKS LIKE
FOR THE FUTURE.
CAN WE PARTNER TOGETHER TO DO
SPECIALIZED TRAINING THAT WILL
GIVE ALL OF OUR COUNTY THE BEST
LEVEL OF SERVICE, BETTER THAN
WHAT THEY HAVE NOW?
SO WE'RE THINKING THROUGH WHAT
THAT LOOKS LIKE AND ALSO ASKING
CLARIFYING QUESTIONS.
>> DO YOU HAVE A DOLLAR AMOUNT
IN MIND THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO
PUT IN FOR FOR THAT?
>> I FEEL LIKE IF I TOLD YOU
ANYTHING, WE ARE CONSIDERING --
WE'RE TALKING TRAINING
SPECIFICALLY.
WHEN I BROUGHT THIS UP WITH OUR
TEAMS, OUR FIREFIGHTING TEAM, IF
YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, THEY'RE
PRETTY AGGRESSIVE, BUT THEY WERE
REALLY EXCITED ABOUT TRAINING.
WE DON'T HAVE A TRAINING
FACILITY IN OUR COUNTY, AND SO
IT WOULD REALLY LIFT THE LET'S
LOOK OF CARE IN OUR COUNTY AND
ALL OF THE SURROUNDING
MUNICIPALITIES IF WE WERE ABLE
TO DO THAT.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
>> YOU TELL US STILL THE BIGGEST
ISSUE FOR YOU REMAINS THE WATER.
HOW SO?
>> YES.
THAT IS MY NUMBER ONE ISSUE.
SO I'M SURE YOU'VE BEEN
FOLLOWING ALONG FOR OUR ENTIRE
TWO-YEAR JOURNEY SO FAR, AND
WITH P.F.A.S.
WE ARE REMOVING OUR P.F.A.S.
TEMPORARILY.
OUR PERMANENT SOLUTION WILL BE
YOM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ON-LINE
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER NEXT
YEAR AND SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING
TO ACCELERATE THAT.
IT'S EXPENSIVE.
WE'VE ASKED OUR COMMUNITY TO
INCREASE THEIR RATE 65% TO HELP
PAY FOR THIS, AND SO I'M REALLY
DIGGING IN THE COUCH CUSHIONS
AND TALKING TO OUR PARTNERS
EVERYWHERE, HOW IT WE PAY FOR
THIS WOULD IT GOING BACK TO THE
REPAIRS, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY A
HEAVY LIFT FOR OUR ENTIRE
COMMUNITY.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON.
WE PAID FOR ABOUT HALF OF OUR
GRANULAR ACTIVATED CARBON
SOLUTION WITH GRANTS AND AWARDS,
SO I'M REALLY EXCITED.
STILL LOOKING FOR MORE, THOUGH.
>> ALL RIGHT.
DIGGING IN THOSE COUCH CUSHIONS.