City of Marshfield Council Discusses 2025 Budget Cuts

MARSHFIELD, WI (OnFocus) – At a special council meeting held on October 21, Marshfield city officials discussed key budgetary adjustments for 2025, focusing on cuts that could affect community services, including the library, street maintenance, and street lighting. As the city grapples with financial constraints, the council worked to prioritize essential services while making difficult decisions about where reductions should be made.

Library Hours and Staff Reductions

One of the more community-impactful cuts discussed during the meeting was the proposed cut to Marshfield’s public library. The 2025 budget includes a reduction of Sunday library hours, which would result in the elimination of one full-time staff position. Marshfield residents may feel the impact of these changes, particularly those who rely on Sunday access to library resources.

Other positions being cut include Development Director, Administrative Associate in the clerk’s office, Civil Engineer I position, and Equipment Operator I position. These positions are currently vacant.

Public Safety Referendum Under Consideration

In light of ongoing challenges in maintaining adequate public safety staffing, the council also floated the idea of a public safety referendum. This referendum, which may be on the ballot as early as April 2025, could allow voters to decide whether to allocate additional funding to fill two long-vacant firefighter/paramedic positions and provide necessary resources for the police department. (This potential comes as voters face a school district referendum on November 5.)

Street Lighting Charge Revisited

A portion of the discussion centered around the potential introduction of a street lighting charge. Alderman Mike Feirer proposed a motion, seconded by Alderman Brian Giles, to approve the controversial street lighting charge that would be added to residents’ utility bills. The charge, intended to cover the city’s $260,000 street lighting costs, was pitched as a way to free up funds for employee wage increases. However, the idea sparked immediate skepticism from several council members

Feirer’s motion, which essentially sought to shift the burden of street lighting costs directly onto Marshfield residents via their electric and water bills, would have imposed an additional financial burden on taxpayers already grappling with rising living costs, all to patch a gap in the city’s budget.

Despite support from Alderpersons Tompkins, Varsho, and Giles, the motion was rejected in a 5-4 vote, with Wehrman, Stauber, Spiros, O’Reilly, and Reigel voting against it. Opponents saw the charge as a quick fix that could harm residents rather than addressing the deeper structural issues in the city’s finances. By tacking on yet another fee to utility bills, the city would be pushing costs onto taxpayers in a way that felt more like a band-aid than a well-thought-out financial strategy.

Staffing and Wages: Struggling to Retain Key Personnel

The council also addressed the challenge of maintaining competitive wages for city employees. As part of the ongoing budget negotiations, the council discussed increasing the wage scale adjustment from 1% to 2%, which would cost an estimated $30,000. A proposal to cut Health Savings Account contributions by $20,000 was also debated, with council members expressing concern about how these changes would affect employee retention.

City officials stressed the importance of retaining full-time staff, particularly as several key positions, including a community development director and civil engineer, are currently vacant. The use of consultants to fill these roles temporarily was discussed as a potential short-term solution, though this would come with its own set of costs.

Other Budget Adjustments

In addition to the library and street lighting, the council reviewed various other budgetary cuts, including a $212,000 reduction in the fire department’s budget by holding open two firefighter paramedic positions. Cuts in Parks and Recreation, such as eliminating Sunday hours for the Pickle Pond warming house, were also highlighted as part of the city’s cost-saving measures.

Additional discussion focused on a paint truck is scheduled to be purchased in 2025 at a cost of $249,000, using money from the 701 Fund.

With only a week left before the budget must be finalized, council members expressed a sense of urgency to find solutions. Alderperson Rebecca Spiros shared frustration with some of the expenses that have been approved recently.

“I just want to reiterate that somewhere, somehow, I want to find the $30-35,000 minimum to at least increase the pay for all the employees up to 2%,” she said. “[Fellow Alderperson] Mike [O’Reilly] is exactly right – that’s the exact amount that we just passed a few weeks ago to pay for some lights in a pickleball court. Then I wanted to also just make a comment because I don’t feel like I cannot do this: we still are not going to fill those firefighter positions for a cost of $225,000, so I would ask my colleagues to please rethink when you’re saying ‘yes’ to everything and especially when we came very close to approving $250,000 for a bathroom.”

The council will reconvene next Monday to continue reviewing the 2025 budget.

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