Varkas presents Waukesha County budget proposal

Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas presented his 2010 budget proposal tonight that included borrowing for the start of a new $36.6 million Health and Human Services building, planning for the long awaited completion of the Waukesha bypass and Courthouse remodeling that ends the use of public hallways to escort jail prisoners in chains to court hearings.

The Vrakas budget contains a $98.5 million tax levy, up 2.8% from the $95.8 million last year. The operating budget was up 3.5%.

“This is a budget that will not give us heartache next year,” Vrakas said in an interview. He unveiled his budget to the County Board of Supervisors.

The levy means a 1.2% increase in property taxes. The average homeowner will see a $5 rise in the county portion of tax bills, he said.

The levy is comprised of two segments. Vrakas is asking for a general levy of $95.7, and $2.8 for the Federated Library System, bringing the total levy to $98.5 million.

For a home valued at $272,199, the tax this year would be $508, as opposed to $503 for a comparable home last year.

A $1 million spending cut was achieved by eliminating of the equivalent of 15 full time positions, Vrakas said. Each employee will be asked to take a two-day furlough next year.

The county has kept 40 jobs unfilled this year to cut personnel costs, he said.

Vrakas said his biggest concern about maintaining this budget and preventing it from bleeding red ink next year is that a continued economic downturn would prevent tax payers from working and forcing them to turn to already overtaxed county services.

The county needs property values to rebound and home sales to heat up, which brings revenue in the form of real estate transfer fees, he said.

The county lost at least $2.5 million in revenue, according to the budget proposal document, including $775,000 in transfer fees, $425,000 in community aids for Health and Human Services, $400,000 in investment income and $167,000 in state aid for transportation.

Construction of a new Health and Human Services Building is set for 2012 and $1.7 million is being set aside to separate the public from inmate movement in the Courthouse.

Vrakas boasted that Waukesha County is currently the only county in Wisconsin with a AAA bond rating. Dane County recently lost the coveted rating used to borrow money.