Wausau City Council approves; Diny denies 2026 budget

The Wausau City Council this week approved the city’s 2026 budget.

At its meeting Tuesday, the council approved the proposed budget, which sets the tax levy for next year at roughly $38 million.

Council President Lisa Rasmussen said developing the budget wasn’t easy.

“The Finance Committee really took a deliberative and collaborative approach to filling what were some pretty serious gaps,” Rasmussen said.

The budget restores some services that were initially proposed for cuts, including keeping all three city pools open and maintaining funding for the animal control program.

District 2 Alder and Finance Committee Chair Michael Martens said next year’s budget is close to flat compared with this year’s.

“What has happened is with 4% cuts we are only seeing a three-cent increase on the mill rate over last year, so basically in essence that’s a neutral impact to the homeowner,” Martens said.

Mayor Doug Diny vetoed the budget Wednesday, as he indicated he would last month. This means the proposal is sent back to the council.

The council can override the veto with a two-thirds majority of eight votes.

The council also discussed a proposed contract with Mueller Communications to help educate the public about a possible public safety referendum.

The referendum would ask voters to permanently fund 12 firefighter-paramedic positions by raising $1.4 million annually. It would appear on the spring ballot.

Diny, who has expressed opposition to the referendum, said the measure would likely draw public attention.

“You’ll have the advocates, you’ll have the yes signs out there, you’ll have the no signs out in the yard. The city has no part in that type of discussion,” Diny said.

“This is not going to be an unknown entity out there once we formulate the question. So ultimately it’s going to be a political item.”

The measure to approve the Mueller Communications contract received six votes in favor, but because it would involve a budget modification, it failed to meet the two-thirds majority required for passage.

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