Local Officials Call Budget Repair Bill Insufficient

Local village and school officials called the budget repair bill insufficient Thursday after a 18-1 vote by  Senate Republicians on Wednesday passed an amended version back to the Assembly for a vote today.

“We did the math,” Village Manager Chris Swartz said. “There are some tools but the tools are insufficient.”

Gov. Scott Walker has said the budget repair bill acts as tool to address the reduction in state aid to local municipalities, however local officials said it won't balance their budgets at this point.

"The tools, if we implement as they stated ... just isn't enough," School Board President Paul Zovic said at a School Board meeting Tuesday.

Under the bill, bargaining rights for village and school district employees would be stripped and officials could tell them to pay more for health benefits. Employers would also require employees to pay 5.8 percent toward their pensions.

“It eases the burden of the state aid cuts a little bit, but it doesn’t fill in the budget gap,” Swartz said.

Superintendent Blane McCann said whether the bill passed or not, the district would continue to treat its educators with respect.

Both groups are dealing with budget deficits moving forward as a result of state aid cuts and tax levy freezes.

The Village Board released estimates that it is looking at $407,000 in lost revenue next year from the state aid reduction and freeze on the tax levy.

Swartz said the budget repair bill won’t fill in the gap of more than $400,000.

The School Board announced Tuesday its budget gap will swell from $711,000 to $1.9 million next year under the governor’s biennial budget proposal.

Both boards have voiced their opposition in past weeks to the budget repair bill in resolutions sent to Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills).

The assembly, which passed the budget repair bill last month when it was orignally introduced, will debate it today.