May 1, 2022 12:05p
(WGTD)---The Kenosha City Council is expected to vote Monday night on whether to schedule a referendum on a proposal to hire 10 additional police officers and six firefighters.
Voter approval is necessary because the expenditure would exceed state mandated levy limits if nothing would be cut to make up the difference.
The $2.5 million cost of the new positions would result in about a $5.50 property tax increase on a $200,000 home.
In a news release, both the city’s police and fire chiefs said the extra positions are necessary because of an increase in call volume and the complexity in handling some of the calls.
City administration is proposing to schedule the referendum on August 9th, the date of the primary for September partisan races.
A similar referendum in the Village of Pleasant Prairie passed last month by about a four-point margin. In Pleasant Prairie, voters authorized a $1.6 million levy increase in order to add 16 new public safety positions.
-0-