De Pere quickly approves spending plan De Pere’s property tax rate will increase 20 cents per $1,000 of assessed value By Patti Zarling News-Chronicle Not eager to imitate their indecisive counterparts on the Brown County Board, the De Pere City Council on Tuesday quickly and quietly passed a $14.5 million city spending plan for 2003. So noncontroversial is this budget, Mayor Michael Walsh forgot to call a public hearing before asking the council to approve it. The County Board, on the other hand, had been arguing for days over its proposal. But the De Pere City Council had no complaints, and neither, apparently, did the public. No one came forward when Walsh corrected himself and called a public hearing. The council passed the budget without comment moments later. The spending package calls for the tax rate to increase from $5.20 per $1,000 of assessed land value to $5.40 per $1,000 of assessed value. That means the owner of a home valued at $100,000 can expect to owe $540 for the city portion of their property taxes this year, up from $520 last year. Walsh told the council the city will spend less in 2003 than in 2002, but depressed interest rates mean the city will lose $400,000 from investments. The city anticipates a $275,000 increase in the cost of health-insurance premiums. Settlement of several large claims caused a huge hike in health insurance costs, Walsh said. The city has seen about a 60 percent increase in premium costs for the past two years, but it is expected to be back on track next year, Walsh said. Walsh added the city is losing revenue from West De Pere High School. The school no longer will pay $38,000 a year for nursing services from the city. Walsh said changes were made in the Health Department budget to reflect that. He said the budget calls for few spending increases, and the plan includes no new employees or major capital expenditures. “We told department heads not to expect anything over a 2.5 percent increase,” he said, “and we reminded them that gas and electricity costs are expected to increase 5 and 10 percent, respectively.” The budget does, though, call for $800,000 to be bonded for development of the Southwest Park. The purpose of the proposal is to encourage matching private financing, he said. Without the private investment, the city won’t bond for the additional dollars. Walsh said the budget shifts $21,000 from street improvements to the purchase of playground equipment for Kiwanis Park. “The park hasn’t had any new equipment since its doors opened,” he said. The city needs to make changes in its garbage and recycling efforts to accommodate the county’s decision to place a transfer station in Hobart rather than a landfill in Ledgeview. “We need to acquire a truck that will pick up both garbage and recycling,” Walsh said. “The need to haul waste to Hobart predicates the need for different trucks.” The city should consider replacing its four trucks over the next two years, he said. “I think the city has done a tremendous job in controlling costs,” Walsh said shortly before the budget was approved. “We’ve gone from being one of the highest taxed cities to one of the lowest. “There have been difficult challenges given the nature of the economy and the difficulties of the state. Hopefully things will be on an upswing next year.”