The Jefferson County Finance Committee voted on Thursday to set the framework for the 2025 Jefferson County Budget, according to information released by the Office of the Administrator.
According to the release, the 2025 budget — estimated at $109.4 million — represents a 2.8% increase over the prior year. The Finance Committee vote followed a week of hearings, reviewing all of the budgets within each of the county’s departments.
“For the second year in a row, this proposal includes a reduction in both the debt levy and the mill rate,” the release read.
Outgoing County Administrator Ben Wehmeier kicked off the first meeting with a presentation on the challenges presented by the 2025 budget, the release noted.
The release cited “rapidly increasing costs for technology and insurance,” which it stated, “have put pressure on every department. Slowdowns in state aid and sales tax collections statewide are also holding revenues flatter than in recent years.”
Still, the release noted, “prior budget decisions … have freed up funding to offset some of these challenges.
“The County Board’s decision to pay off debt early has resulted in more than $1 million in savings, including $588,812 in the upcoming budget. Pro-growth policies and a highly regarded quality of life led to a 7.2% increase in equalized value across the county, allowing for a mill rate cut of 8.4%. This has put Jefferson County in a position to reduce taxes for the second consecutive budget.”
The budget focuses on accomplishing priorities set by the county in each department’s “short-term plans,” and the county’s 10-year strategic plan, according to the release.
For example, the release read, the county will complete its 20-year highway plan, achieving “unprecedented high ratings in pavement quality.”
Additionally, to recruit and retain its workforce, the county will propose a 3% cost-of-living increase and funding for annual performance-based step increases of roughly 2.5%, the release continued.
“The Finance Committee voted to recommend a budget that we can all be proud of. Every budget requires tradeoffs, but in this plan we continued a longterm trend of smart budgeting with an eye towards the future,” Dick Jones, county board supervisor from Waterloo and chairperson of the Finance Committee was quoted as saying in the release.
The Finance Committee, along with Wehmeier, will introduce the recommended budget at the County Board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8. The board will hold a public hearing on the budget proposal, open to all members of the public, at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 311 S Center Ave., Jefferson. The final vote on the budget will be held Nov. 12.
Details of the proposed 2025 budget, as viewed by the Finance Committee Thursday, are here: https://apps.jeffersoncountywi.gov/Supplemental/2024/09162024/Finance%20Committee%20Budget%20Hearings%20-%20Sept%2019,%202024%20(Thursday)%20Packet.pdf.
Richard Jones
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