Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budgets topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Joint Committee recommends 2025 budgets, sets tax levy and forwards utility budgets to Utility Board
Summary
The Joint Committee of the Whole voted to recommend acceptance of the library levy, approve non‑represented wages for 2025, set the tax levy, and forward the proposed 2025 water and sewer budgets to the Utility Board; members also approved the capital improvement budget and several administrative items. Motion votes carried on each item.
The Joint Committee of the Whole on Nov. 25 reviewed and recommended approval of multiple 2025 budget items and administrative proposals, forwarding several items to full council or the Utility Board and carrying each motion without dissent.
The committee, chaired by Council President Tetzlaff, recommended that the council accept the Muehl Public Library levy after discussion; Alderperson Gerbers moved the recommendation and Alderperson Krull seconded. The committee also approved a motion, moved by Alderperson Gerbers and seconded by Alderperson Hurkman, recommending approval of proposed 2025 non‑represented wages.
Alderperson Hurkman moved — and Alderperson Schaumberg seconded — a motion recommending that the council set the tax levy; the motion carried. The minutes do not specify the levy amount.
On utilities, the committee reviewed the proposed 2025 Water Utility budget and moved, via Alderperson Krull with a second from Alderperson Gerbers, to recommend approval to the Utility Board. It took a separate, similar vote to recommend the proposed 2025 Sewer Utility budget to the Utility Board (moved by Alderperson Hurkman; seconded by Alderperson Gerbers). The minutes record that those motions carried; the transcript does not include budget line amounts or vote tallies.
Members also reviewed the proposed 2025 Capital Improvement Budget and noted a vendor change for the radios from Motorola to Kenwood and the addition of new garage doors. Alderperson Gerbers moved that the committee recommend council approve the CIP; Alderperson Schaumberg seconded and the motion carried.
The committee reviewed the payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes amount remitted by the Water Utility to the General Fund and recommended the Utility Board approve that payment (moved by Alderperson Krull; seconded by Alderperson Gerbers). It also reviewed an engineering proposal from McMahon and Associates for reconstruction of Morrow Street; Alderperson Schaumberg moved that the committee recommend council approve the proposal, Alderperson Krull seconded and the motion carried.
The committee reviewed and recommended acceptance of appointments to the Muehl Public Library board (moved by Alderperson Hurkman; seconded by Alderperson Krull). City Administrator Sean Hutchison thanked department heads for frugality that he said allowed the levy to remain unchanged this cycle, and said the city does not expect a further levy decrease in 2026 and anticipates an increase in 2027.
All motions recorded in the minutes are noted as “motion carried.” The minutes do not provide roll‑call vote tallies or dollar amounts for the levy, the utility budgets, or the CIP; where the record omits numeric details, those amounts are not specified in this report.
The committee adjourned after the items above; Clerk‑Treasurer Christy Stover signed the minutes.
