Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RICHARD JENKINS
Hurley — The Iron County Board of Supervisors’ Finance Committee approved a tentative 2017 county budget as presented Thursday, which includes an increased millage rate.
According to Iron County Clerk Michael Saari, while the budget still needs to be approved by the full county board, the expected county millage rate will be .00476 — which translates to $4.76 for every $1,000 of taxable value. He said this is roughly a 40-cents-per-$1,000 increase from 2016, or an additional $291,353.
While the county-wide rate is increasing, Saari said the impact on individual property owners will be dependent on what town they live in.
“Depending on the equalized valuation of your town, in percentage to the entire county, your tax bill can go up or down,” Saari told the Daily Globe after the meeting. “The county levy total is going to be 40 cents higher per $1,000 than last year. That doesn’t mean you’re going to get an increase at your home, that doesn’t mean you’re going to get a decrease. Each town is different, because the state estimates what your town is worth in comparison to the full county. Every year it changes.”
The millage rate is calculated by taking the county’s equalized value of $944,579,400 — meaning the value of property in the county — and dividing it by the allowable levy rate of $4,499,944.
According to information presented at the meeting, the four primary funds used by the county — human services, highway department, debt payments for projects like the courthouse expansion and other county departments — are projected to have $14,030,509 in expenses in the proposed 2017 budget and generate $9,530,565 in revenues.
The $4,499,944 levy makes up the difference between the revenues and the expenses, Saari explained.
Included in the $9.5 million revenue projection is $1,156,301 in stumpage money from the general fund.
Saari said the amount of stumpage money used to offset the increase in expenses rose by $387,205 from 2015. The increase is part of a trend in recent years, which committee members agreed couldn’t be sustained over a long period of time. While the county appears to be fine for 2017, it appears clear the county can’t continue its trend of increasing expenses and relying on there being enough excess stumpage to offset the difference without passing the burden to taxpayers.
In other action:
—The finance committee voted to give raises to several administrators who requested salary increases. It follows the committee’s recent policy that raises would have to be requested at budget time, rather than throughout the year.
While raises were given to most of the administrators who asked, the committee didn’t necessarily give them the amounts requested.
Judicial Administrator Ilene Giacomino and Emergency Management Director Stacy Ofstad were each given a $1-per-hour raise, Veterans Service Administrator Erick Nasi received a 75-cents-an-hour raise and the Land Conservation Administrator Heather Palmquist’s salary was increased by $5,728 to $53,768 per year. Several of the officials have part, or all, of their salaries reimbursed by the state.
Undersheriff Donna Klawitter will receive a 70-cents-an-hour raise with the county’s road deputies, as stipulated in the existing contract.
—The committee approved $9,500 in overtime pay for the time worked by the highway, forestry and emergency management administrators following the July 11 storm. Some of that money will be reimbursed by the state. Per resolution passed last month, the overtime request will now go to the full county board for approval.
—The committee agreed to a tentative five-year lease with GogebicRange.net for tower space on the county’s new Radar Hill tower in the town of Anderson. While the company will present more detailed information at the county board meeting, the lease rate is expected to be roughly $100-a-month for the first year and then renegotiated yearly based on customers served.
—The committee agreed to advertise for a new zoning administrator to replace Tom Bergman, who was hired as Ironwood’s community development director.
—The committee approved hiring Rebecca Holm as office manager for Iron County’s University of Wisconsin-Extension office. The current manager, Joyce Gayan, is retiring at the end of the year.
