Facing a squeeze, Willmar asks residents for a top 10 list

One of the purposes of the Ground Level blog is to throw light on communities that have both challenges and residents who are trying to figure them out. Quickly moving into focus this summer as a prime issue in many Minnesota cities is the coming squeeze on local government finances being driven by the recession and the tax climate.

It will be interesting to see how communities have the conversation about this as they head toward budget time in the fall. MPR News reporter Nancy Lebens, who has joined the Ground Level project, provided the following after talking with Willmar leaders about how they're doing it:

Willmar's budget writers want the public to get specific: which services do you need? And which are more of a luxury in this difficult economic climate?

A new survey on the city's website encourages residents to choose Willmar's top 10 budget priorities from a list of 32. Ice arena programming, airport maintenance, Willmar Fests, storm water management are on the list, as are some more general government activities such as land-use and zoning . There's also a category for "other". Survey respondents also may say how to pay for services: higher fees, taxes, or what can be cut.

Willmar councilman and finance committee chair Denis Anderson hopes 20 to 25 percent of city residents respond. The responses won't be binding, but will help guide the council as it makes its budget this summer.

"The last thing we would want to cut is police and fire. We have the pride of plowing all of our streets in eight hours. Well, maybe we can't have that luxury. We might need to take longer," Anderson notes.

Like most cities, Willmar is looking at its budget and coming to terms with how much it relies on Local Government Aid from the Minnesota state government. Willmar's LGA funding makes up about 28 percent of its general operating revenue. The city is looking at cuts this fiscal year of about $1.5 million. Previous LGA cuts have so far been absorbed into the budget, according to city administrator Michael Schmit. But no one really expects LGA to continue at previous amounts, nor is there a lot of stomach for increased property taxes.

A recent report by the League of Minnesota Cities and the Humphrey Institute projected most cities will be in debt by 2015 if they make no changes in how much they spend or bring in from government, taxes or fees. The report lists what it sees as the painful options: more money spent in taxes or goodbye to senior centers or ice rinks. Some cities are asking, are those the only options?

This isn't only a Minnesota problem. Here's a Denver Post story from Sunday on the bus services cut, street lights turned off, and pools closed in Colorado Springs. Note this comment from a former Minnesotan:

"I came from Minnesota -- from the overtaxed to the undertaxed," said Gary Kulbitski, 43, playing with his kids at the Julie Penrose Fountain, a sculptural wading pool that no longer receives city money. A nonprofit has kept it flowing.

"I'm a conservative, but I think shutting down parks and stuff is a mistake," he said. "I don't think people understood their kids wouldn't be able to go swimming."

During the next several months, we'll be looking how cities of various sizes are trying to hold on to the quality of life or even re-defining what that quality of life looks like when the overall economy is so tough.

What do you think of Willmar's survey? Have you suggested ways your city can cut back or improve services? What's the best idea you've seen to do more with less?

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