Thursday, October 3, 2024
By Josh Staloch
Staff Writer
ALLOUEZ – The Village Board passed the 2022 budget of $7,892,528 with a unanimous 7-0 vote on Tuesday, Nov. 16.
The 2022 village budget is an increase of $551,305, or roughly 8%, over the 2021 number.
The total levy is $7,294,474 which includes $5,827,680 in general fund levy ($550,884 or about 10% greater than the 2021 levy), $1,387,794 for debt service fund levy (a difference of $45,979 or 3% more than the previous year’s).
$5,827,680, which is $550,842 or about 10% greater than 2021’s levy total of $5,276,838.
This puts the village’s tax rate at $5.95 per $1,000 of property value, down from $7.28 in 2021.
“Well, our police and fire went up about $100,000,” Vilage President Jim Rafter said. “Our utilities, we don’t make money there obviously, they set the rates and we have to live by them,”
Rafter said the village had some challenges this year.
“In previous years, we’ve had, you could say, money from heaven, like from the stadium district or other large sums of money we can use to shore up the budget,” he said. “This year, we didn’t have any of that.”
ARPA funds
Allouez will receive $727,132 in American Rescue Plan Act funds, and village staff is still deliberating on how best to spend the money.
“A decision on how to spend the majority of the funds has not been discussed, we are still accepting input from residents.” Rafter said.
Height ordinance
Current regulations limit building height to five stories, and the developer hoping to build luxury condominiums would like an ordinance change to allow for eight stories.
Public feedback to the board was mixed.
Judy Poh, who resides on Riverside Drive not far from the site, opposes the development and the height ordinance change
“I’m assuming this is going to be a rather large condominium project,” Poh said. “One of my concerns is the traffic situation on Riverside Drive. It can be a real problem to get out onto that highway as it is now. To me, it seems like we don’t have any green space anymore unless you want to go to a park. Most people don’t live right next to a park. It’s like this is all of a sudden becoming all squashed in together to where Allouez is not the Allouez that it used to be.”
Ken Zacharias, a principal at Clifton Larson Allen, LLP, which is a direct neighbor of the site, spoke in favor of the development.
“As a neighbor, I would advocate for increasing the height so they can develop there,” he said. “The real traffic concern is from people coming from De Pere and outward into Green Bay, So, 53 units, and especially the kind of people who are going to be in those condos, I can’t see that it will change the traffic pattern.”
Trustee Chris Sampson, who also lives near the proposed development, said he is in favor of the project.
“This is a perfect spot,” he said. “It doesn’t appear to be infringing on anyone’s views. The scale of it doesn’t bother me and it could be a catalyst for further development.”
Though the project has majority board support, language in the proposal included by the developer asks for exceptions to floor height to go from 12-foot high ceilings to 16 feet. This prompted Rafter to make a substitute motion to delay a decision on the ordinance change until staff can find a more flexible option.
Staff recognition
The board took a moment to thank crossing guard Marlene Stauff for her 40 years of service. Also honored was enforcement officer Mike Lauder, who will retire at the end of the year.
