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Wausau officials say referendum likely needed to sustain 15 public-safety positions; committee reviews timeline and communications plan
Summary
Mayor and finance staff told the Finance Committee that ongoing constraints from state levy limits and expenditure-restraint rules make a referendum the likely solution to preserve 15 public-safety positions funded temporarily by ARPA/SAFER grants. The committee discussed hiring a communications firm, the referendum timeline and whether some one-t
Wausau leaders told the Finance Committee on Monday that a referendum will likely be required to sustain 15 public-safety positions — 13 firefighters and two police officers — currently supported with one-time grant and ARPA funds.
"We were faced early on with a $4,000,000 deficit," the mayor said, explaining that citywide staff and department heads worked through multiple scenarios and reduced the projected shortfall to about $1.9 million because of higher-than-expected shared revenue and lower health-insurance costs. The mayor and finance staff described a package of one-time fixes and temporary hires in the proposed budget; they said those fixes still leave a structural gap in 2027 when one-time funding ends.
Staff and…
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