May 4, 2022 6p
(WGTD)---The Kenosha City Council voted this week to ask the voters whether the city should be allowed to raise levy limits in order to hire an additional 10 police officers and six firefighters. Proponents say the additional personnel is needed because the city is expanding geographically, and some call volumes are up.
Newly-elected Alder Dave Mau was the lone dissenter. "We have out-of-control spending in other areas," Mau said. "Raising taxes I don't think is the answer--reallocating funds is."
Salaries and benefits for 16 additional emergency personnel along with related equipment would cost $2.5 million.
Alder Dave Bogdala argued that kind of money won’t be found in the budget, unless draconian cuts would be made elsewhere. "As somebody who does take the budget with a fine-tooth comb every year for the 14 years I've been on this body--and I'm going to continue to do it--I know that the services that are in our budget are things that we need--are things that are citizens need," he said. "What are we going to do--say we're only going to pick up trash every other week?"
The levy limit referendum will be held in conjunction with the Aug. 9th primary for the November partisan elections.
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