>> THANKS FOR WATCHING FOR YOUR TIME.

NOW IS THE TIME LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CRUNCH THEIR NUMBERS FOFOR 2024.

STATE'S INCREASE TO SHARED REVENUE MEANS MORE DESPERATELY NEEDED MONEY FOR SOME CITIES AND TOWNS TO PROVIDE BASIC SERVICES, ALLOWING THEM TO DELAY GOING TO REFERENDUM TO INCREASE TAX LEVIES.

FOR OTHERS, THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING MEANS MORE OPPORTUNITIES, INCLUDING FOR OUR NEXT GUEST, WAUSAU MAYOR, KATIE ROSENBERG.

MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.

>> HELLO.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THE NEW SHARED REVENUE LAW REPRESENTS A NEARLY 30% INCREASE IN REVENUE FROM THE STATE, A TOTAL OF NEW AND EXISTING NOW OF ABOUT 5.IS MILLION DOLLARS.

AS MAYOR, WHAT IS IT LIKE AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF FLAT OR DECLINING AID?

>> OH, IT'S A BIG DEAL, AND WE ARE SO GRATEFUL THAT ALL PARTIES COULD COME TOGETHER AND MAKE AN AGREEMENT ON THIS, BUT FOR US, IT'S ABOUT A MILLION MORE DOLLARS, A LITTLE MORE THAN A MILLION MORE DOLLARS FOR OUR BELL THIS YEAR AND NEXT.

SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO PAY FOR THINGS LIKE HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS.

THAT'S ONE THING THAT EARLIER THIS YEAR WE WERE LOOKING AT A 25% INCREASE.

REALLY SCARY.

WE WERE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE THAT DOWN A LITTLE BIT, AND WITH OUR PARTNERS, SO IT'S NOT QUITE AS MUCH NOW, BUT WE NEED TO PAY FOR IT, STILL.

WE HIRED NINE NEW FIREFIGHTERS WITH THE FEDERAL F.E.M.A.

SAFER GRANT AND WE GET TO PAY THEM WITH THAT GRANT AND WE KNOW THIS WILL HELP US PAY FOR THAT MOVING FORWARD.

>> ARE THERE PROVISIONS IN THE SHARED REVENUE LAW THAT ARE RESTRICTIVE AS TO HOW IT HAS TO BE SPENT AND DOES THAT REPRESENT ANY KIND OF HARDSHIP FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS?

>> YOU KNOW, I'M SURE THERE ARE MUNICIPALITIES WHERE THAT KIND OF EXTRA LEVEL OF MAYBE -- I'M NOT GOING TO CALL IT RESTRICTIVENESS, BUT THE GUIDELINES WE WERE GIVEN MIGHT BE CHALDZ, BUT FOR US, REALLY, WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THESE SERVICES THAT THE PUBLIC EXPECTS FROM US, PUBLIC SAFETY IS ESPECIALLY PREVALENT, SO WE EXPECT TO SPEND A LOT OF THAT RELATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY, ESPECIALLY FIREFIGHTING, SINCE WE DID BRING ON THOSE NINE NEW FIREFIGHTERS THIS YEAR ALONE.

>> INTERESTINGLY, THERE'S A PROVISION IN THIS LAW THAT PROHIBITS LOCAL GOVERNMENT FROM PREFERENTIAL HIRING BASED ON PROTECTED CLASSES LIKE RACE.

DOES THAT CHANGE ANYTHING IN WAUSAU?

>> YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS HIRE FOR THE BEST FEMALE PEOPLE IT AND T THE PEOPLE WE HIRE TO BE OF OUR COMMUNITY.

I DON'T THINK THAT CHANGES ANYTHING.

WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HIRING THE BEST PEOPLE THAT WILL DO THE BEST JOB IN OUR COMMUNITY.

>> ANOTHER PROVISION IN THE LAW ALLOWS FOR WHAT ARE CALLED INNOVATION GRANTS, WHEREBY THIS EXCHANGE TO CONSOLIDATING SERVICES AND SAVING MONEY, YOU COULD GET MORE MONEY, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WAUSAU IS AVAILING ITSELF OF.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

WE HAVEN'T DONE IT FORMALLY YET, BUT WE ARE REALLY EXCITED TO MOVE FORWARD AND CONSIDER HOW WE CAN CONTINUE PARTNERING WITH OUR PARTNERS, THE COUNTY, OTHER MUNICIPALITIES OF WE'VE DONE A LOT OF THAT OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, AND ESPECIALLY SINCE THE RECESSION, WE'VE FIGURED OUT WAYS TO CUT COSTS AND WORK TOGETHER BETTER, BUT WE'RE EXCITED FOR WHAT THE LOOKS LIKE FOR THE FUTURE.

CAN WE PARTNER TOGETHER TO DO SPECIALIZED TRAINING THAT WILL GIVE ALL OF OUR COUNTY THE BEST LEVEL OF SERVICE, BETTER THAN WHAT THEY HAVE NOW?

SO WE'RE THINKING THROUGH WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND ALSO ASKING CLARIFYING QUESTIONS.

>> DO YOU HAVE A DOLLAR AMOUNT IN MIND THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO PUT IN FOR FOR THAT?

>> I FEEL LIKE IF I TOLD YOU ANYTHING, WE ARE CONSIDERING -- WE'RE TALKING TRAINING SPECIFICALLY.

WHEN I BROUGHT THIS UP WITH OUR TEAMS, OUR FIREFIGHTING TEAM, IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, THEY'RE PRETTY AGGRESSIVE, BUT THEY WERE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT TRAINING.

WE DON'T HAVE A TRAINING FACILITY IN OUR COUNTY, AND SO IT WOULD REALLY LIFT THE LET'S LOOK OF CARE IN OUR COUNTY AND ALL OF THE SURROUNDING MUNICIPALITIES IF WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT.

THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

>> YOU TELL US STILL THE BIGGEST ISSUE FOR YOU REMAINS THE WATER.

HOW SO?

>> YES.

THAT IS MY NUMBER ONE ISSUE.

SO I'M SURE YOU'VE BEEN FOLLOWING ALONG FOR OUR ENTIRE TWO-YEAR JOURNEY SO FAR, AND WITH P.F.A.S.

WE ARE REMOVING OUR P.F.A.S.

TEMPORARILY.

OUR PERMANENT SOLUTION WILL BE YOM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ON-LINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER NEXT YEAR AND SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO ACCELERATE THAT.

IT'S EXPENSIVE.

WE'VE ASKED OUR COMMUNITY TO INCREASE THEIR RATE 65% TO HELP PAY FOR THIS, AND SO I'M REALLY DIGGING IN THE COUCH CUSHIONS AND TALKING TO OUR PARTNERS EVERYWHERE, HOW IT WE PAY FOR THIS WOULD IT GOING BACK TO THE REPAIRS, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY A HEAVY LIFT FOR OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON.

WE PAID FOR ABOUT HALF OF OUR GRANULAR ACTIVATED CARBON SOLUTION WITH GRANTS AND AWARDS, SO I'M REALLY EXCITED.

STILL LOOKING FOR MORE, THOUGH.

>> ALL RIGHT.

DIGGING IN THOSE COUCH CUSHIONS.