Sturgeon Bay Mayor David Ward says city staff and council members put in a lot of hard work and had productive discussions while crafting the city's proposed 2027 budget.
The Common Council reviewed the finer details of the budget during its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, which also included discussions about potential fee increases for municipal services, City Hall, and fire department services.
Ward estimates the city's property tax levy will increase by 3%. He says city officials worked to trim approximately $500,000 from the proposed budget to keep the increase below the rate of inflation.
Ward expects to get a better picture of the impact of the city's Premier Resort Area Tax next week. The revenue could help ease budget pressures if collections are on pace to exceed the $400,000 the city budgeted for the tax's first six months.
The Sturgeon Bay Common Council approved several municipal services fee increases, including those for boat slips and launch passes. However, Ward says the council sent proposed fire department and City Hall fee increases back to the Finance Committee for further discussion.
