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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 advisers laid out the referendum case: continuing the 15 positions would cost roughly $1,554,000 and could not be sustained under current levy and expenditure-restraint constraints without a voter-approved increase. The city consulted financial advisers Ehlers and met with Miller Communications to discuss outreach. Committee members were told that a full communications program might include a community survey, targeted information campaigns and a budget for professional outreach; staff noted timing constraints if the city wanted to include public polling before a ballot.
Council members questioned whether some public-safety positions could be covered by attrition or by shifting one-time funds. The committee reviewed an existing resolution (read in part during the meeting) that had authorized two temporary police officers funded with grant and donation offsets; staff said the grants and ARPA funding currently cover the positions through the 2026 budget but that ongoing funding would require a levy increase or referendum. Public-safety members suggested revisiting whether both downtown-focused officers will be needed after a planned shelter move, noting that the shelter’s relocation “may dissipate” some downtown concentrations of people.
Timing and process questions occupied much of the discussion: staff outlined a tentative schedule to publish the proposed budget in mid-October, hold a public hearing in late October (October 28), and adopt the budget in the second November meeting (November 11). The committee discussed a possible committee-of-the-whole meeting this Thursday to review communications options and whether to sole-source Miller Communications for outreach support. Committee members expressed interest in seeing detailed amendment lists before the next budget workshop so they could prepare motions.
Ending: The committee did not resolve funding choices at the meeting. Staff will bring a detailed list of one-time savings and previously proposed cuts, work with advisers on referendum communication options if requested, and follow up with the police chief and fire leadership about operational needs and attrition possibilities before the next meeting.
