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Shorewood finance team presents 10-year long-range plan; board urged to focus on 2026–2028 window
Summary
Finance staff reviewed a 2026–2035 long-range financial plan, warning of a steep spending jump in 2027 tied to the public works building and urging the board to prioritize short-term (1–3 year) decisions while continuing long-range monitoring.
The Village of Shorewood finance team reviewed its 10-year long-range financial plan with the committee of the whole and the full board, asking trustees to focus deliberations on the near term (2026–2028) while retaining a bird’s-eye view of projected needs through 2035.
Finance staff outlined the plan’s assumptions and projections, saying a significant expenditure scheduled for 2027 — the public works building, currently planned to be financed with general obligation debt — produces a pronounced $20 million spike in projected expenditures that year. Staff said other capital projects will be financed either by bonds or with property tax levies and reminded trustees that fund balance could be used to offset future levies if the board chooses.
The presentation urged trustees to treat years beyond three as illustrative: “If you start going out beyond, these are just projections,” a finance presenter said, noting that projections become less accurate the further they extend. The memo included a range of levy scenarios: continuing recent practice near 2 percent or using more of the village’s levy capacity (up to about 5 percent in staff scenarios).
Trustees pressed staff on service-level reviews, staffing comparisons with peer communities and timing. Staff said department heads have reviewed operations and will present narratives during the 2026 budget process describing service lines and any potential efficiency or service-reduction options. Trustees requested clearer choices be presented in budget materials (for example, discrete options that would reduce service, close hours, or reorganize department workloads) so the board can make informed tradeoffs at budget time.
Trustees and staff also discussed utility rates, noting a table in the plan that compares Shorewood’s water and sewer charges to peer communities; staff said a water rate case is in process and that the next budget will include a 10‑year retrospective of rate changes to give historical context.
Staff said the next deliverable will be an updated schedule and a compiled report of department-level efficiency work that feeds into the formal 2026 budget timeline. Trustee comments at the meeting emphasized short-term budget discipline and transparent presentation of options to the board and public.
The discussion was advisory only; no formal budget vote was taken at this meeting.
