WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (WSAU) — Wisconsin Rapids’ Mayor Shane Blaser is pleased to hear that Governor Tony Evers plans to work with Republicans in the state Legislature on an increase in shared revenue.
Details are still being worked out on how much that could mean for communities and how it would be distributed, but Blaser says he wouldn’t be hard-pressed to find projects that could be completed with a few extra bucks in the city’s bank account.
“For me, it would be about putting in more road projects,” said Blaser. “Because we know infrastructure is always going to be a struggle. So any extra money should go to fixing our roads or doing a pavement replacement or a mill and overlay. Something to improve ride quality.”
He says it would also be possible to use the money to reduce the amount of borrowing they have to do for road projects, but that would depend on the timing and any possible stipulations tied to the money. Blaser adds it would be nice to do something “nice and fluffy” but without knowing specifics like would the money be ongoing or a one-time windfall it’s hard to commit to something like that.
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Last week Governor Evers told reporters that increasing shared revenue is one of his priorities for the new budget, which will be written this spring, it’s just a matter of how much. “The good news, no matter what happens, is there will be increased revenue for municipalities and counties,” said Evers. “That will happen.”
Other topics Blaser discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- Winter road maintenance
5:15- Possibility of increased shared revenue and what that could mean for the city
12:00- Dog park updates
