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Thoughts on city contracts, budget

By GREG PECK ( Contact ) Friday, October 5, 2012 - 1:48 p.m.

We were struck by the words of Scott Wasemiller, president of the Janesville Professional Police Association, in last Saturday’s Gazette:

“When you get reduced shared revenue, and you got a property tax freeze, income is limited,” Wasemiller said. “We understand that. Nobody in our department is looking to burden the city.”

Police and firefighter unions aren’t covered by Wisconsin Act 10, which all but erased collective bargaining for most public employees. That controversial law stands in legal limbo—pending certain appeals—after a Dane County judge struck down nearly all of it Sept. 14.

Still, as negotiations begin, Janesville City Manager Eric Levitt suggests it’s reasonable to ask police and firefighters to contribute to their pensions because employees covered by Act 10 are doing so.

As The Gazette reported Thursday, in previewing Levitt’s budget, that property taxes for the average homeowner can inch up just $2 or $3 because of state-imposed limits that allow increases only in the case of rising assessed value or new construction.

We’ll share our perspectives on Wasemiller’s words and Levitt’s budget in our editorial Sunday.

Greg Peck can be reached at (608) 755-8278 or gpeck@gazettextra.com. Or follow him on Twitter or Facebook

reader COMMENTS

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(6)

Sigma40
Oct 8, 2012 at 12:30 p.m.
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LaborParty - I would love to see where the money goes. I think they need a website with an itemized list. If they can blow money on a worthless DUI website they can do this.

Professor
Oct 7, 2012 at 12:30 p.m.
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I don't have a dog in this fight, as I don't live in Janesville. Sooner--or, likely later--everyone has to realize that A)taxes will have to go up, and B)you can't have a healthy economy while continuing to ask employees (public or private) to keep working their way down the ladder of success.

billnewbie
Oct 6, 2012 at 10:49 a.m.
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That's a low blow, Sigma. The folks at McDonald's didn't deserve that!

Sigma40
Oct 5, 2012 at 3:16 p.m.
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My thoughts are the people currently in charge of finances and budgeting are as good with money as Mcdonalds is with dieting.

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