Oct. 16, 2017 – West Bend, WI – On a vote of 7 – 0 with District 2 alderman Steve Hutchins absent, the West Bend Common Council approved moving forward with an advisory referendum so city officials can have some direction on important budgetary decisions such as how much they should spend on road repair.
District 5 alderman Rich Kasten is the head of the Long Range Transportation Planning Committee (LRTPC).
-“For the most part our east-west corridor is doing pretty well, it’s the north-south corridor that needs major attention.”
-“Some of us are still getting a frequent amount of road complaints…. one of the recommendations we’ve come up with is an advisory referendum. It will give us a taste of what the appetite is for the community
-“Right now we have a series of questions that have yet to be finalized. Should we increase spending to help us borrow to make those major road improvements?”
-“Our idea is to get this on the April ballot.”
-“We’re not here to advocate one way or the other we are just looking for what the appetite is for the constituents.”
District 1 alderman John Butschlick said, “I really do think we should put it out there for the public to let us know just how they feel about the roads.”
-“Wheel tax, I’ve heard negative response. That’s a real touchy situation, a lot of people don’t like wheel tax but the other suggestions, that’s a great job.”
District 3 alderman Mike Chevalier said, “I know it’s the number one complaint I get from my constituents.”
Below is the memorandum from the City of West Bend, Office of Alderman District 5
Mayor Kraig Sadownikow said, “It’s a gutsy thing to do and to my knowledge I don’t know that there’s been anyone in the city to call for an advisory referendum.”
-“But this is the best way to ask the question that we really, really want to know the answer to one way or the other.”
-“I’d also like to ask the question, ‘What do the citizens of West Bend think about cost sharing some of the sales tax with Washington County. Let’s get it out to the public so our local supervisors know the answer and the same folks that elect us elect them and what does West Bend think about the county tax issue?”
-The questions for the advisory referendum still need to be crafted. Aldermen agreed to hold informational meetings to bring the community up to speed on financing and road projects.
-To read about how the advisory referendum questions could potentially look click HERE.
