FdL County budget will include tax increase

SOURCE: Fond du Lac Reporter
Residents of Fond du Lac County should expect to see a modest increase in the county portion of their property tax bills. Early projections are that residents with a home valued at $100,000 would see a $20 increase in the county portion of their bill over last year. Fond du Lac County Executive Allen Buechel continues to put finishing touches on his 2010 budget presentation. He said the tax rate is expected to increase by 20 cents — from $5.02 to $5.22 per $1,000 of valuation. He will address the budget when the Fond du Lac County Board of Supervisors meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27. The meeting will take place in Legislative Chambers of the City County Government Center, 160 S. Macy St. The public is welcome to attend. In addition, regular meetings are televised live on Charter cable Channels 21/980.

Furloughs
Buechel said most county employees will be asked to take one to five furlough days. The plan does not include those working 24-hour-staffed positions, such as corrections officers or nurses at the Health Care Center. Clerical staff and managers would be among those affected.

Retirement incentive
Persons close to retirement age are being offered one year of paid medical insurance as incentive for early retirement. The offer is for those in positions that could remain vacant for 2010. It is estimated 2-4 employees may take advantage of the offer.

Sales tax
The half-cent county sales tax to be implemented in April will not help balance the budget — though it's tempting, Buechel said. "The funds will be used to make a first payment on the ($50 million) Mercury loan and a half-million will go to the FCEDC (Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation) for its revolving loan fund," he said. Proceeds from the sales tax will continue to provide funds for the Mercury loan to reduce the amount of borrowing needed. "This is the toughest one I've done," Buechel said of his 17th consecutive county budget. "The challenges are that costs keep going up and the state is cutting our funding. They keep cranking out the (unfunded) mandates and they're just using us as a cash machine."

Tuesday's agenda is jammed with presentations, reports and resolutions, including a resolution awarding the sale of $20 million in taxable general obligation promissory notes for Mercury Marine.

Additional Facts
How to attend - The Fond du Lac County Board of Supervisors will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, in Legislative Chambers of the City County Government Center, 160 S. Macy St. The public is welcome.