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OK, not scintillating stuff, but it does determine what things we, as a community, are going to spend money on and how much each of us is going to pay. Taxes are the things we all contribute in order to achieve the things together that we can not accomplish separately.
So, it's important, but does that drag it into being interesting? From year to year the vast majority of the budget stays nearly the same, but a few things do change and those get most of the attention.
The Monona budget is developed through a rigorous process beginning with the mayor's directions to staff, staff preparing budgets based on those instructions, and the relevant committees reviewing the departmental budgets. The Mayor then prepares his final executive budget to the council. The mayor and council then meet in committee-of-the-whole sessions. Finally, the budget is brought before regular meetings of the city council.
The Mayor proposes the council disposes. This year the Mayor has proposed a few changes. The levy for the general fund goes up 0%, but the levy for the debt service is going up about 3.5% to pay for roads and utilities mostly. (We are finally making progress on our roads).
Mayor's proposed changes:
- Add a police officer
- Add an emergency dispatcher
- Eliminate the Director of Public Works position and combine it with the City Engineer
- Add a staff engineer
- Use about $200,000 from reserves.
The Council will take up the budget on November 2 and pass it on November 16.
Broadband in Monona
ReplyDeleteIn the discussion about 'net neutrality' the issue of broadband control needs to be brought into Monona. The US is not allowing market forces to bring greater access to broadband throughout the country, especially to smaller communities where little or not competition exists. Monona is a case in point.
Greater access to wireless, to coverage of PEG features, is not present to Mononans. If we want to follow the city council we must subscribe to Charter Cable, with the restrictions that monopoly bring. Why are we restricted to just one cable provider and to its fee structure?
With greater access to broadband, to wireless, to many providers of access Mononans would access Dane County meetings as well as local school and government meetings.
I hope Monona will rethink the franchise for the PEG functions(public, education, government) and move to broaden the band, to encourage more competition in providing services we want and are will to pay for.