A 2018 budget of just under 11 million dollars ($10,880,500) was adopted by members of the Sturgeon Bay City Council during a special meeting Monday afternoon. The session in the council chambers at city hall took less than a half hour to complete. The tax levy, as approved, is $6,779,717. The mil rate is dependent upon the school district a resident lives in, Sturgeon Bay, Sevastopol and Southern Door, along with state, county and NWTC segments. Mayor Thad Birmingham thanked city staff for their cooperative effort in the budget building process. Birmingham said the state and its budget policy was not doing the city any favors and it was the cooperative effort of staff-members on the local level that brought about a budget that meets state criteria and still provides local services. Prior to adopting the budget, council-members acted on two changes. In order to fall under the state’s expenditure restraint program, the budget’s general fund can increase by no more than 3% over the 2017 number. The council made that happen by adjusting the general fund contingency line item by just over $192,000. The action does not impact the tax levy and will bring about $200,000 in state revenue. Numbers related to the city’s tax incremental districts were adjusted. Finance Director and City Treasurer Val Clarizio said the new figures reflect hard numbers and updated estimates that are closer to the final numbers she expects to see.
