Wednesday, September 14, 2011

City of Beloit Prioritizes Needs for 2012


City facing tough budget.  (Beloit Daily News, 9/13/2011)

Excerpt: Due to financial constraints, the City of Beloit may have fewer employees on its payroll in 2012.

City Manager Larry Arft said a combination of higher costs and lower revenues is creating pressure for next year's operating budget, and likely will result in lost staff positions as part of strategies to balance the books.

Some positions are already vacant, he said, and may not be filled. Other staff reductions, Arft said, could be made through retirements and attrition.

Additional methods of savings could include adjusting hours or shuffling workers between multiple departments, he said.

"It's a squeeze every year," Arft said. "We're doing our best to put together a budget within the parameters available."

What's available, Arft said, is less than in years past. In 2011, the city's budget totaled $93.3 million, which was a 1.3 percent jump over 2010.

But due to decreased revenues and increased costs 2012's budget will be tighter, he said.
Health care costs have risen dramatically over the past decade and represent a significant portion of the city's increased expenses.

Arft, Beloit Finance Director Paul York and others have been working for several months to prepare the 2012 document. In recent weeks, meetings with individual department heads were held to prioritize needs for next year
.

Other Wisconsin county and municipal budget news.
Facing $2.5 million shortfall, La Crosse considers fees.  (9/14/2011)
100 show up at Dodgeville budget hearing.  (9/12/2011)
Zero percent increase for Prairie du Sac department budgets.  (9/7/2011)
City of Ashland looks at projected shortfall of $329,000 in 2012 budget.  (8/26/2011)
Dodgeville city council to hold listening session on 2012 budget.  (8/26/2011)
Shawano budget deficit at $504,800.  (8/25/2011)
City of Ripon facing $110,000 budget deficit for 2012.  (8/25/2011)
Long list of cuts on table for Racine city services.  (8/25/2011)
Dodge County Administrator:  "Governor Walker does not speak for Dodge County".  (8/25/2011)
Longevity bonuses in Portage might become a thing of the past.  (8/24/2011)
Declining property values pose a challenge to Columbus budget development.  (8/24/2011)
Whitewater council looks at 0% tax levy increase.  (8/24/2011)
Janesville residents asked to make tough choices in online budget scorecard.  (8/24/2011)
Village of Darien officials ask for input on 2012 budget.  (8/24/2011)
City of Marshfield has some wiggle room in its 2012 budget development.  (8/24/2011)
Soglin on 2012 Madison budget:  "Every service we rely on is vulnerable".  (8/23/2011)
With a ballooning budget deficit, Marathon County considers a tax increase.  (8/23/2011)
Sheboygan's Strategic Fiscal Planning Committee to determine what city will look like.  (8/19/2011)
Brown County Exec looks at same tax levy, impact on services to be determined.  (8/18/2011)
City of Shawano wrestles with $128,000 deficit.  (8/16/2011)
Possible double whammy for Shawano City-County Library.  (8/15/2011)
Portage County Executive looks to "create a bridge to a new design, a way of functioning on less".. (8/15/2011)
Antigo cuts fire, police positions.  (8/15/2011)
Adding up the budget numbers in the Fox Valley.  (8/14/2011)
Sauk County officials ask for input.  (8/12/2011
Marathon County ranks services to address $500,000 budget shortfall.  (8/12/2011)
City of Beloit faces a challenging budget process.  (8/8/2011)
Fond du Lac city manager sez Governor's tools not enough to offset cuts.  (8/2/2011)
Manitowoc mayor asks department heads for 10% budget cuts.  (8/2/2011)

No comments: