A real battle is brewing over Wausau’s city budget.
Wausau Mayor Doug Diny held a press conference Monday afternoon to make clear he plans to veto any budget that includes more than a 2.5% levy increase, and said that means the city needs to cut $300,000 from its budget.
But he was unclear when asked by The Wausonian whether that included the $191,000 the city’s Finance Committee already cut from the budget — which grew to $260,000 after the committee moved one of the firefighter positions from the levy to a grant fund pool.
It turns out, it did include those cuts, which put the levy increase at 2.69% — pretty close to Diny’s proposal.
Diny also said he would veto any proposal that included a wheel tax that wasn’t properly offset and any that included closing a pool.
Neither of those proposals were taken up by the city’s finance committee, though they were included in a list of possible cuts the committee worked from.
The Finance Committee plans to have one more session Monday before it adopts its final recommendations. That could lead to a budget battle on the council floor. Diny could veto a budget he doesn’t approve, but council members with eight votes could override that veto.
This week The Wausonian dove into the Wausau City Budget. That meant five hours of meetings and a whole lot on top of that.
And then on Monday Wausau Mayor Doug Diny held a press conference on the budget, so The Wausonian took the opportunity to ask him about a DOJ raid on his home, which he confirmed.
And your Wausonian founder appeared on the Wausau Business Show, to interview them on their own show.
What else in Wausau?
A mayoral appointment fails: Mayor’s appointments typically get passed with little discussion. But a Doug Diny appointment now failed for the second council session in a row. Diny’s appointment of Vylius Leskys to the Police and Fire Commission failed 6-4 this week. Leskys, who ran for District 4 sparking a primary before he dropped out, would have replaced William Harris, who resigned after getting a new job.
Dude, where’s my bus?: Wausau should see new technology in its bus system that will help riders have peace of mind, if a plan to implement it goes well. The city will soon put out requests for contractors to implement technology on the buses that will help the transit system, and riders, track buses in real time. That includes an app riders can use to see where the bus is. And automated stop announcements to tell riders what stops are coming up. Transit Director Arran Hersey told the transit committee that it needs to go out for bid for six months, which means the technology could be implemented later next year.
Motorcycle fatality: Police say a 49-year-old man was killed after the motorcycle he was driving crashed with a van at the intersection of Third Avenue and Rosecrans Street. Douglas Norlock died of his injuries from the crash, and his passenger, a 44-year-old woman, was hospitalized with injuries. None of the van’s occupants were hurt in the crash, police say.
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Entertainment
Thurs-Sat., Oct. 24-26: I really like that the Wausau Community Theater has been thinking outside the box on how and where to conduct some of its shows. One of the newest venues for the group is Whitewater Music Hall, which has helped keep costs down and provides a unique experience. This time WCT is putting on True West, Sam Shepard’s blistering, hilarious tale of two sparring brothers who are always trying to one-up each other. 7 pm all three nights. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Check out the event page for more.
Saturday, Oct. 26: Who says trick or treating is just for kids? The adult version is the bar crawl, where you prowl the streets in costume and the treats are of the adult beverage variety (or maybe it’s a Forward Beverage or two for you non-alcohol drinkers or designated drivers). The Official Wausau Halloween Bar Crawl features hundreds of fellow bar crawlers. 2-3 drinks/shots per person included, drink and some food specials, a national costume contest, a custom keychain lanyard, professional photographers and more. Group tickets are $20, single tickets are $25 and $30 the day of the event. Starts at the Hiawatha. See the event page for more details and tickets.
Tuesday, Oct. 29: Malcom and Umoja, the brother duo behind this group, are often hailed as “innovators of sound” and “masters of musical fusion.” The siblings, who incorporate reggae and modern pop through the lens of their violins, are one group you will have a hard time classifying. Backed with a crazy good drummer and DJ this show promises to be a powerhouse and unlike anything you’ve previously seen at the Grand Theater. 7:30 pm. $10-$50. See the event page for more info.
Looking for kids/family events? Check out the family-oriented listing from The Wausonian’s partner Wausau Mama, who puts together a weekly listing of children/family activities.
Sports
Football: No one has been able to stop D.C. Everest, which plowed through Eau Claire Memorial Thursday 62-22 to finish the season unbeaten. The Evergreens carried a perfect 6-09 conference record as it heads into the playoffs. Wausau West finished the season 3-3 after beating River Falls 27-21 Friday.
Volleyball: D.C. Everest sent SPASH packing in five sets Thursday, finishing the conference season at 10-2, second only to Marshfield (12-0). Wausau West finished the season 4-8 and Wausau East in last place at 0-12.
Boys soccer: Wausau West made a strong case for the top spot in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, but came up short in its bid to challenge D.C. Everest. The Evergreens defeated the Warriors 3-2 Thursday, finishing in the top spot to end the conference season with a 7-2 record.
Girls tennis: Wausau West’s Mia Bailey won her first two matches pretty handily, only losing five games total in the two wins, but lost her quarterfinals match to West DePere’s Lexia Hanjel 6-0, 6-1 Friday. Lilly Wittwer of West lost her opening match 6-0, 6-3 to Mekenna Verhagen of Arrowhead Thursday.
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