Public Safety Referendums Mostly Fail At Wisconsin Ballot Box

Matty Ring (CC BY 2.0)

Voters in municipalities around Wisconsin rejected public safety referendums Tuesday that would have increased police and fire staffing in their communities,

Referendums in the cities of Muskego, New Berlin and Plymouth all failed to win voter support. The measures would have increased the annual property tax levies to help pay for more police officers or firefighters and paramedics.

Voters rejected similar measures in Grand Rapids, Hayward and Waldwick.

In Muskego, a referendum asked residents to increase the annual property tax levy by $5.9 million to fund 16 full-time and 36 part-time fire department and emergency medical services positions, along with five additional police officers and an additional dispatcher.

But just 35.6 percent of voters supported the plan, according to the unofficial results.

In New Berlin, voters were asked to increase the annual property tax levy by $3.12 million to fund 12 firefighter and paramedic positions, as well as three police officers, two police aides and a crisis worker for the police department. That measure also failed, with 56.2 percent voting against it.

In Plymouth, a referendum to increase the annual property tax levy by $600,000 sought to add three police officers. It also would have paid for two addition squad cars and related equipment. That measure was narrowly rejected, with just over 51 percent voting it down, according to unofficial results. 

Plymouth Police Department Chief Ken Ruggles said the city’s population has been growing for years, but the police department’s staffing levels have remained the same since 1997.

“So we’re still seeing growth, and unfortunately, we’re not seeing growth in the police department to keep up with that,” Ruggles said.

In response to Tuesday’s results, Ruggles said, “We’ll have to go back to the drawing board at this point and try to figure some things out.”

“We’ll keep providing the services we do at this point, and we’ll look for some creative ways to try to get ahead of it,” he said.

The city of Muskego does not have its own fire department, and relies on the Tess Corners Volunteer Fire Department. Muskego Mayor Rick Petfalski said that department is struggling to staff some shifts with volunteers. He said the referendum would have allowed the city to supplement the volunteer fire department.

Petfalski also said the Muskego Police Department has been dealing with more calls for service. He said the police department has been a proactive department.

“And we’re starting to have to be more of a reactive police department and that’s not a good way of maintaining the low crime rates that we currently enjoy,” Petfalski said.

“It was clear that the voters did not like the plan that we put forward, and that’s good feedback,” Petfalski said.

Counties and municipalities rely on the property tax to provide services for residents. But state law limits how much local governments can raise their property tax levies without voter approval.

Some municipalities are still dealing with budget challenges, even after the passage of a sweeping state measure to send more money to local governments.

Petfalski said the state has not been helpful.

“So almost all of our costs of police, fire, public works, all of that comes from local property taxpayers,” Petfalski said.

In a statement Wednesday, League of Wisconsin Municipalities Executive Director Emily McFarland said municipalities are facing growing costs for public safety and other services, and many are turning to referendums to help close the gap.

“These results underscore the need for new solutions to sustainably fund local government services,” McFarland said in the statement.

In New Berlin, the referendum would have helped the police department, “restore staffing levels closer to those previously maintained by the department,” a city webpage about the referendum said. 

A Wednesday statement from the city of New Berlin said the city would continue to evaluate its funding options to address police and fire staffing and service.

Other municipalities also vote down measures

In the town of Grand Rapids, residents voted down a referendum to increase the tax levy for “maintaining and providing general town operations and public safety services, including police protection, fire protection, and emergency services.”

Voters in the town of Hayward rejected a referendum to increase the property tax levy, “for the new construction of fire and highway departments and refurbishing of existing Town Hall,” according to the town board’s resolution. 

A referendum in the Town of Waldwick in Iowa County would have helped pay for a  “full-time patrolman,” according to the town resolution. That measure failed as well.

But not every public safety referendum failed Tuesday. Voters in the town and city of Hudson both approved referendums to help pay for additional firefighters for the Hudson Fire Department. 

Voters in some Wisconsin communities reject public safety referendums during Tuesday election  was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.