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Oshkosh council advances 2025 budget framework, plans roughly $3.5 million fund‑balance drawdown to lower levy
Summary
At a Nov. workshop the Oshkosh City council reviewed staff spreadsheets that trim the proposed 2025 levy, agreed to a planned drawdown of fund balance (estimated around $3.5 million) to reach the council's levy target, and left two potential enhancements — police additions and senior‑center clerical support — for final action next week.
The Oshkosh City council on [date not specified in the transcript] reviewed staff recommendations for the 2025 operating and capital budgets and signaled support for a fund‑balance drawdown to lower the tax levy. Finance Director Julie Combs told the council she had not prepared the formal public‑hearing slide presentation because the draft notice changed after recent council direction but offered spreadsheets and one‑on‑one answers: "I did not prepare a presentation."
Why it matters: The council is balancing short‑term tax relief against longer‑term budget pressures. Staff said the package discussed after last week’s workshops would reduce the levy compared with last year while using one‑time fund balance to soften immediate taxpayer impact, a move that could require renewed adjustments in 2026.
What staff presented: Combs showed a version of the budget labeled "before enhancements" and then the items added at council direction. Additions already reflected included eight firefighters/paramedics, a police officer and a social worker; later workshop changes added a police sergeant, higher parking‑ticket revenue projections and a park‑maintenance worker. Combs also described small shifts in projected levy rates caused by changes in assessed manufacturing value and showed the working levy rate (the spreadsheet's bottom line) at about 8.1396.
Fund balance and contingency: Combs said the draft included a $5.3 million miscellaneous revenue line to balance the budget on paper but estimated the realistic fund‑balance drawdown would be closer to $3.5 million once vacancy savings and contingencies are accounted for. She described that approach as an attempt to preserve "expenditure‑restraint potential" in future years while meeting the council's goal of a lower levy.
Enhancements still in play: Staff identified two remaining enhancements under council consideration: a net $455,200 police‑department package (which the spreadsheet would add roughly 8 cents to the levy) and two part‑time clerical positions for the senior center (about a third of a cent). Several councilmembers said they were reluctant to increase levy or rely on additional fund balance.
Ambulance procurement tied to budget adoption: Council asked about a planned fourth EMS unit; Fire Chief Stanley confirmed the city and contract townships are bound through 2025 and the agreement runs through Dec. 31, 2026, and that staff had not ordered the vehicle yet but would begin procurement after the council adopts the budget.
Next steps: Staff will prepare the formal resolutions for next Tuesday — approving the levy, tax rate, budget and CIP — with the figures discussed in the workshop. Combs said she will update the CIP and deliver final documents for the council's vote.
