General Government Departments in the Village include: Police, Municipal Court, Fire & Rescue, Public Safety Communications, Public Works, Parks, Engineering, Building Inspection, Assessing, Information Technology, Finance, Human Resources, Administration and Community Development. These departments receive income from property taxes, loans, grants, impact and other fees, the resale of capital equipment and donations. These funds are then used to cover day-to-day operating expenses, capital purchases or projects, and to pay down General Government debt.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2016
Pleasant Prairie's 2016 General Government Budget will result in an increase in the Village portion of your property tax bill (21% of your total bill). For a home in the Village valued at $191,600 (median assessed value in the Village), this would translate into an $42 increase in the Village portion of the property tax bill, with the total Village tax of $889 for the year. Approximately 69% of the budget dollars will be directed toward public safety and public works operations. The majority of the remaining percentage will be used to pay down debt and support General Government operations (see page two of the PDF attached below).
In 2016, the Village will continue to reinforce core public safety services while also working to keep our community nimble enough to respond to and bounce back quickly from future uncertainties as they arise. With a refined focus on becoming resilient in the face of future challenges, the Village will focus on: protecting infrastructure; 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.
DEBT REDUCTION AND BORROWING
For many years, the Village has followed a conservative borrowing schedule and used debt only for large capital projects and infrastructure that would retain value for our community over an extended period of time. During 2015, the Village continued to pay down General Government debt, including funds borrowed during 2014 to construct Fire Station #1. The General Government Budget did not borrow funds during 2015 but does have plans to borrow funds during the 2016 budget year. During 2016, the Village will replace a ladder truck and construct an equipment storage facility at the Roger Prange Center. The table on page 5 of the December Village Newsletter (attached below as a PDF) shows projects to be completed in our community during 2016 by funding source.
2015