Hard Times, High Hopes: Mayors Blamed for Tough Decisions, But Muskego's In Better Shape Than Many

In the shadow of hard times that just won’t go away, mayors in cities and towns across America have a lot to complain about.

Mayors are the new villains of the Great Recession.  They are the people who can’t pass the buck, who feel like the “bad guys” making “tough decisions” to cut services and raise taxes, and whose job it is to help cities ride out America’s economic crisis, according to a recent Reader's Digest survey.

Muskego’s mayor Kathy Chiaverotti makes no such complaints. In the past few years the City of Muskego has cut 19 jobs from its payroll, seen annual tax and utility delinquencies of $1.2 million per year, and, most recently, saw current license and permit revenue drop by about 18 percent, said Sharon Mueller, finance director for the city.

Many of the hardest budget cuts were made before Chiaverotti was elected.  However she doesn’t ask for a pass, either:  Two city building inspectors have had their duties outsourced and jobs lost in the 2012 budget, victims of the economic squeeze that doesn’t play favorites in either private or public sectors.

Chiaverotti doesn’t like tough decisions like those, but is stoic. Because the City has controlled spending, she said, “Muskego is in very good fiscal health.”

That’s a claim many mayors can’t make.  Additionally, Chiaverotti does not see cuts in city services coming down the road, she said, a given for many cities according to the Reader’s Digest report.

Muskego has also received a high-grade rating from Moody’s, which noted the well-managed financial operations, affordable debt levels and healthy reserves of Muskego, Mueller said.  There are many cities that can only hope to achieve that rating, perhaps years from now.

 

What comes next for Muskego?  In the Reader’s Digest Survey, almost all 52 mayors of cities with populations of 20,000 people or more said they “are anxiously seeking new revenue sources other than taxes.”  And one source claims innovation is the road to recovery for cities around the world and in Wisconsin.

Cities are looking for solutions to the Great Recession, and those that have suffered the least have relied on government, education or energy production, according to a Brookings Institute report. 

Cities must “set themselves up for the future,” Chiaverotti says, pointing out a now underway in the city.  The plan will identify strategies for drawing businesses to Muskego and identify underserved “categories” of demand.

There’s no denying the need.  A look at current vacant business sites in Muskego reveals empty shops.  Equally important, local businesses are clustered in overserved markets that include 33 auto and 25 financial services entities (albeit in broad categories), according to popular shopping categories shown on the city’s web site.  Energy products/production is not one of them – a catalyst for healthy recovery in the Brookings report.

However, Chiaverotti points out "When looking at the big picture in the (business) park there are very minimal opportunities. The Muskego Business Park is approximately 215 acres and there is only about 13 vacant land acres available (6 percent) for people to purchase and build new.  There is some buildable acreage on existing 'built' parcels, but that too is limited."

Chiaverotti hopes a new marketing plan will help the city identify “what the community needs to do more of,” she said. In addition,for “future commercial growth,” according to Mueller.

Investing in the community is important, Chiaverotti said, because “living just for today can be a costly decision for the future.”

 

High Hopes for the Future:  If you are struggling to pay real estate taxes, utilities, or make other City of Muskego payments, you can complete a hardship application located on the City’s web site.  For assistance with other services please review the Waukesha County Human Service Guide.