(Dodge County) State Representative Mark Born has announced several upcoming budget listening sessions in Dodge County. They will be held throughout the month of March at various city, town, and village halls including Beaver Dam, Mayville, Fall River, Juneau, Lomira, Calamus, Burnett, Iron Ridge, and Rubicon.
Born has noted that the governor’s proposed budget will most likely be entirely reworked, noting his issues with the amount of spending in the document.
“We thought last budget the governor’s spending increases were amazingly high and they were just a little under ten-percent,” says Born. “And now we’re at seventeen…eighteen-percent increases. The general fund increases are at 23-percent…I mean those are big numbers. [Tony Evers] spends, general fund-wise, nine-billion-dollars. The state has a seven-billion-dollar surplus and yet he had to go out and find ways to spend even more than an historic surplus.”
Born called the excessive levels of spending “not surprising.” He also pointed out the state’s strong current financial standing and asked why Tony Evers continued to increase taxes.
“I mean how does that make sense…we’re in such fine shape but [Evers] can’t stop finding ways to raise taxes on Wisconsin families and Wisconsin businesses,” says Born.
“He touts his tax cut but in reality he’s cutting a little bit over here for a few people and then finding ways to raise taxes…and not just income taxes but sales taxes. He’s proposing new sales taxes in city’s over a population of, I think, 30-thousand. So, Beaver Dam can be thankful they’re below that.”
Born, who is co-chair of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, says he will not allow that to happen.
The budget listening session meeting schedule is as follows:
| Fall River Friday, March 10th 1:45 PM – 2:15 PM Fall River Village Hall 641 S Main St, Fall River, WI 53932 | Juneau Saturday, March 11th 10 AM – 11 AM Juneau Public Library 250 N Fairfield Ave, Juneau, WI 53039 | Lomira Monday, March 13th 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM Lomira Village Hall 425 Water Street Lomira, WI 53048 |
| Mayville Monday, March 13th 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM Mayville City Hall 15 S School St, Mayville, WI 53050 | Calamus Friday, March 17th 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM Calamus Town Hall W9820 County Road D Beaver Dam, WI 53916 | Burnett Monday, March 27th 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM Burnett Town Hall W6228 W Main St, Burnett, WI 53922 |
| Beaver Dam Monday, March 27th 4 PM – 5 PM Beaver Dam City Hall 205 S Lincoln Ave, Beaver Dam, WI 53916 | Iron Ridge Friday, March 31st 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM Iron Ridge Village Hall 205 Park St, Iron Ridge, WI 53035 | Rubicon Friday, March 31st 12 PM – 12:30 PM Rubicon Town Hall N3864 Co Rd P, Rubicon, WI 53078 |
The Beaver Dam Republican says these meetings provide constituents with the opportunity to ask questions and speak directly with him on issues important to them during the budget-writing process.
