The city of Gillett plans to purchase a squad car for the Police Department and lawn mower for public works in 2016, yet keep taxes stable.
The City Council adopted its 2016 budget and set the tax levy on Nov. 30, after holding a budget hearing that no one from the public attended.
The city budgeted $12,000 for the down payment of a squad car and plans to secure a loan for the remaining half of the purchase. The city also applied for a grant from the USDA to help cover the purchase of a lawn mower, a salt spreader and a skid steer, which will be shared with the utility department.
Clerk/treasurer Beth Rank said the 2016 budget changed little from 2015, with the exception of the capital project fund, which will be used to purchase the squad car and public works machinery. The city budgeted $38,424 in its capital projects fund for 2016, almost three times the amount budgeted in 2015.
Staff changes freed up the funds, Rank said.
The city in March released its head of public works, shifting the responsibilities to the head of the utility department and combining the two departments. Two other senior employees left the city’s payroll — a police sergeant on Dec. 5, 2014, and the deputy clerk/deputy treasurer on July 31.
The city promoted a part-time police officer to full time to fill the police department vacancy and hired a part-time deputy clerk/deputy treasurer to replace the full-time deputy.
Rank said these changes in employment accounted for the 12 percent drop in general government expenses, from $412,482 budgeted in 2015 to $361,817 budgeted for 2016.
The city employs seven full-time and 14 part-time employees, not including fire department personnel or elected officials.
Overall, the city will collect $391,432 in property taxes, compared to $387,275 last year. An owner of a $100,000 home will pay $758 in city taxes, about $4 more than last year.
Unlike the city of Oconto Falls, which experienced a 7 percent increase in equalized value due to new construction, the city of Gillett’s equalized value is down 3 percent.
New for 2016, the city budgeted $23,500 for its recycling contract and $22,000 for its refuse contract with Great American Disposal, which will begin collecting trash and recyclables in 2016. The city handles garbage and recycling pickup, but decided to outsource the service because of its cost and the age of the garbage truck. The city’s 15-year-old truck is past its life expectancy.
The City Council finalized its contract with GAD on Thursday.
Mayor Irene Drake said low gas prices are benefiting the city, most evident in the public works and police departments.
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