Fitchburg Finance Committee Opens 2024 Budget Review With Mayor's $31 Million Proposal

FITCHBURG — October 3, 2023 — Fitchburg Finance Committee begins two-night review of Mayor Julia Rodarte-Frada's first proposed $31 million city budget. The mayor presented a balanced general fund proposal on October 3 that carries a 6.78 percent levy increase but projects an estimated tax rate drop from $6.73 to $6.67 per $1,000 of assessed value, leaving the average $381,000 home's city tax bill roughly flat at approximately $2,548 annually. The budget directs $1,815,000 in new state shared revenue primarily toward public safety — adding one career firefighter, reclassifying two lieutenants to captains, converting a vacant police records position to an executive assistant, and raising pay-on-call firefighter base wages from $9 to $12 per hour — and includes a 2.5 percent COLA plus 1 percent merit pay for all employees. Nine department heads presented their fiscal year 2024 requests, with Public Works Director Tim Volker and Alder Gerhardt flagging a $259,000 increase in Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District costs, with near-double-digit MMSD increases expected to continue for years; Gerhardt warned, "I don't know how aware people are of this forthcoming change." Metro transit service costs rise from $1.4 million to $1.9 million following the June 2023 system redesign, and a $900,000 city-wide software package covering payroll, budgeting, and contract workflow is expected to be purchased in fiscal year 2024 using ARPA and TID closure funds.