Since incorporation in 1989, the Village has taken a consistent and steady approach to balance economic development, residential growth and recreational resources. The goal of this approach is to foster financial, social and environmental sustainability in order to make the Village a better place to live, work and enjoy life over the long-term.

With the slow recovery of our national economy since the last recession, the Village has considered a slightly different context when planning for near-, medium-, and long-term needs. In recent years, department heads were asked to consider events or circumstances that could potentially occur that would have a negative impact on their departmental budgets and their ability to provide service, such as a severe storm with devastating effects. Staff was then asked to consider whether their budgets could manage the financial impact of such events without compromising the provision of services.

Village Administrator Mike Pollocoff explained, "Given some of the experience we've gained in recent years related to the economy, levy limits, and severe weather, a sustainable approach alone is no longer enough. It is time to draft a budget in such a way that we can modify as we go based on the challenges we encounter in a given moment." Pollocoff continued, "We looked out several years and tried to anticipate the types of challenges or pitfalls we may face, financially or otherwise, and how we can become nimble enough to accommodate challenges without compromising our stability. We don't just want to respond to challenges in the moment, we want to be resilient and nimble enough to recover from them quickly and fully, while making sure that the budget can keep pace with the increasing expense of providing services."

PROVIDING SERVICES GOING FORWARD
"As a municipal government, our work is to provide services to our citizens. By its very nature, it's a labor intensive undertaking," explained Pollocoff. "We work to create a high quality community, and we get this done with high quality staff - front line staff that provide the services, and support staff to help the front line operations. With this budget and others going forward, the Village will focus on three areas to build resiliency and enable our community to deal with uncertainties as they arise. They are: maintaining high quality staff; ensuring that new development will add value to the Village; and ensuring that any remaining developable land in the Village achieves its highest and best use in order to help the Village maintain its value in the long term."

The second and third focuses above relate directly to a core philosophy that Village leadership has followed for many years - that new growth or development should pay its own way and not become a burden to existing taxpayers. "We feel very strongly that new development must pay its own way. Existing taxpayers should not have to pay for the service demands created by new growth."

The Village Board, department heads, and staff remain committed to: safeguarding municipal investments and operations in a cost effective and realistic manner; attracting new economic development in order to supplement the tax base and provide a balanced, stable financial environment; and continuing to focus on high-quality public safety services and cost efficient public works/roadway improvements.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2016 BUDGET
Village staff presented a proposed budget to the Village Board for their consideration on Monday, October 26. You can find the budget information presented to the Board posted to PleasantPrairieOnline.com under Boards & Commissions/Village Board/Meetings. There you can find the information in the October 26 2015 Village Board e-packet. You can also find more detailed budget information at the same website under Assessments & Taxes/Finance Department. The Village Board made a determination on the 2016 budget during its meeting in mid November. Please watch your December Village Newsletter for more information related to the 2016 General Government Budget.