Altoona Budget Committee Meeting – October 30, 2024

The Budget Committee met at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, in the Council Chambers at Altoona City Hall. Mayor Brendan Pratt called the meeting to order; committee members reviewed the second draft of the 2025 General Fund budget and TIF/TID budget projections. Staff reported that a balanced 2025 budget had been achieved only after all departments made cuts, and final tax-bill figures were deferred until state worksheets and credits become available.

Roll Call and Attendance

• Present: Mayor Brendan Pratt; Councilpersons Dale Stuber, Matthew Beeran, and Susan Rowe; Finance Committee member Mark Willer. Staff included Police Chief Kelly Bach, Fire Chief Mark Renderman, Planning Director Taylor Greenwell, City Clerk Cindy Bowers, and Parks and Recreation Director Chad Durka.
• The agenda lists the City Clerk as Cindy Bauer; the transcript refers to Cindy Bowers. Absent from the roll call: Councilpersons Timothy Lima, Dylan Green, and Caitlin Leopold.

Discussion Items

• 2025 General Fund budget: Tina, who led the budget presentation, called it her most challenging budget. An earlier draft would have used $450,000 from fund balance, above the normal $400,000; after a day of department-head cuts, the budget was balanced without that higher draw. A proposed $150,000 General Fund transfer into TID #4 was not included.
• Positions: Eight full-time positions were requested, but only two full-time positions were included in the budget: one police supervisor position and one grant-funded affordable-housing position. The affordable-housing position will be paid primarily by the affordable-housing fund and utilities, with minimal General Fund cost. Police Chief Kelly Bach said her 2025 budget increased 1.15% and that she funded most of the supervisor through cuts, including building, part-time staffing, and equipment accounts. She said the supervisor was needed because the city’s growth has not been matched by staffing, and after losing a longtime detective. The budget also includes reclassifying the building inspector to building official, part-time utility help, and additional part-time parks help.
• Police and fire: Fire Chief Mark Renderman said the fire department received no new positions despite rising call volume. He said calls for service were about 1,000 per year seven years ago and are estimated at just under 1,700 this year, with more expected next year. The 2025 EMS contract with the City of Eau Claire is projected to increase by $38,000. The city is awaiting a fire/EMS operations study and is considering regional EMS innovation and planning grants.
• Transit: A proposed expansion of Altoona bus service was estimated at $197,000, compared with the current budgeted amount of $116,000. The expansion was cut from the 2025 budget; the existing route will continue at $116,000. Work is underway with Eau Claire Transit to study more efficient routes, first/last-mile connections, and microtransit options.
• Mill rate and revenues: The preliminary proposal assumes a 3.15% property tax levy increase, an equalized mill rate of 5.40, and an assessed mill rate of 5.47. The city projects only $146,000 more in local tax revenue than last year, and transportation aids decreased slightly. After revaluation, the city is assessed at 98.63% of fair market value, which staff said supports a fairer levy.
• TIF/TID budgets: The agenda listed TIF 2, 3, and 4, but TIF #2 was previously closed with $239,000 distributed. TIF #3, created December 13, 2001, is in its final year; staff plan to close it early and keep it open one additional year to capture an estimated $6.3 million in one-year increment for an affordable-housing fund, with 70% required for affordable housing and 30% for general housing support. About $5 million remaining at closure would be distributed among taxing jurisdictions. TIF #4, near the manufacturing area, helped pay $1.5 million for wells 7, 8, and 9, is projected to generate about $600,000 in increment, and may close in 2028 with roughly $1.7 million remaining.
• Future planning: Councilperson Matthew Beeran asked how the city will address future staffing needs and retirements; staff acknowledged that succession planning is needed and said the discussion should begin early in 2025.

Miscellaneous Business and Communications

• Officials reported very high in-person absentee turnout for the upcoming election, with lines wrapping through City Hall.
• The container park project will have its five core units set in the next week, with a possible April or May opening.
• The next regular council meeting is November 7, 2024; the next budget meeting, followed by the council meeting and budget hearing, is scheduled for November 21, 2024.

Key Outcomes

• The committee received a balanced 2025 General Fund budget; no formal motion or vote is reflected in the transcript.
• Final tax-bill estimates, including the state TIF worksheet, school levy credit, lottery credit, and first-dollar credit, will be presented at the November 21 meeting.
• A statutory budget notice will be published, and the line-by-line budget book will be posted online.
• The current bus route is retained for 2025; the proposed route expansion was not funded.
• TIF #3 closure and one-year extension resolutions will need council adoption before April 15, 2025.