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Council authorizes staff to pursue public safety levy referendum for Nov. 3 ballot
Summary
The New Berlin Common Council authorized staff to proceed with a public safety levy-limit referendum to appear on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot, asking staff to prepare cost scenarios for an initial proposal of 12 firefighters plus 1–2 additional positions and options that could include apparatus funding.
The New Berlin Common Council voted to authorize staff to pursue a public safety levy-limit referendum question to appear on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot that would fund additional firefighter staffing and potentially apparatus.
The chair moved to authorize the referendum process; the motion was seconded and the council approved it unanimously. Council discussion clarified that the initial proposal would cover 12 firefighters and one or two additional positions, and members asked staff to prepare alternate referendum configurations (for example, staffing only versus staffing plus apparatus) and detailed cost estimates to support council decision-making.
Members noted that some budgetary pressures—the radio-replacement debt service and expiring contracts—will affect long-term fiscal planning as staff build assumptions for the 2027 budget. The council directed staff to return with cost scenarios and options that could translate into single or multiple referendum questions, and to provide information on potential debt-service impacts of equipment purchases.
Next steps: staff will prepare the requested cost scenarios for council review and report back with recommended referendum language and estimated fiscal impacts before finalizing ballot placement.
