Jobs added to Eau Claire's fall referendum

Andrew Dowd, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·3 min read

Jul. 27—EAU CLAIRE — Two more jobs were added Tuesday afternoon to a referendum the city government will put to Eau Claire voters on Nov. 8.

Before approving the wording of ballot question, the City Council added another police officer and firefighter/paramedic to the list of positions that would be funded by new property tax dollars.

"I know finances are tight, and I'm not trying to make our community pay any more than what they'd like to," Councilman Roderick Jones said, "but I think it's important that when we're talking about police and fire that we're doing as much as we can."

The council voted 8-0 — council members Emily Berge, Andrew Werthmann and Joshua Miller were absent Tuesday — on a referendum asking voters for $1.45 million annually to pay for 15 new public safety jobs.

Those positions are six firefighter/paramedics, six police officers — including a sergeant, two full-time civilian community service officers and an associate position in the 911 dispatch center.

If approved by voters, the referendum would add about $44 to the property tax bill on a $194,000 home, which is the current median residential property value in Eau Claire.

Going into Tuesday's meeting, City Manager Stephanie Hirsch had proposed a $1.25 million referendum with 13 jobs for the council to consider. That would've added about $38 to the tax bill on a median-valued home.

However, council members indicated they'd heard more about the strain that stagnant staffing levels in the police and fire departments have had on current employees who handle emergency calls in a growing city.

"We can't continue to push to ask more and demand more without some support from this community," council President Terry Weld said.

He called the referendum "a fair amount" for the safety and peace of mind provided by people who look out for city residents during every hour and every day of the year.

Councilman Charlie Johnson said he agreed to add the two positions to the referendum to get closer to what the police and fire departments need for staffing. Johnson added that also means the city wouldn't come back a few years from now to ask voters to fund more positions.

"I kind of view the referendum as a one-time option," he said.

Now that the council has set the wording of the fall referendum, the city's elected officials said they will be heading up an effort to inform voters about the need for the new positions.

In addition to the city referendum, the Nov. 8 election is also anticipated to include a ballot question from the Eau Claire school district as well as numerous local, state and congressional seats on ballots.

Other business

Also during Tuesday's council meeting:

—Country Jam USA's plans to relocate to land at the southwest corner of Highway T and 20th Avenue gained unanimous approval from the council in the form of a rezoning vote. The music festival's owners are planning to host additional outdoor concerts there, but agreed Tuesday to limit those events to a maximum of 20 days of outdoor music per year in response to neighbors' concerns about noise.

—Phoenix Parkside II, a five-story apartment building planned in a downtown redevelopment lot, will get $2.6 million in city assistance through a tax increment financing district. A development agreement approved by the city requires the building's developer to guarantee the property value will be at least $26 million and 20% of the apartments will have rents affordable to people making 80% or less of the county median income.