New facility could replace aging City Hall
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
Racine County Executive James Ladwig has earmarked $1.1 million in his proposed 2015 budget for a western Racine County service center to be built in conjunction with the City of Burlington.
“The Service Center will be a shared location for residents to access county services as well as City of Burlington offices,” Ladwig said in his budget presentation to the County Board Tuesday. “This is a cost effective way for the County and the City to offer convenient service to Western Racine County residents.”
The county funds would likely be used along with a much larger city investment to build a new City Hall/County Service Center. City officials just began their budget review process Wednesday and have not made any announcements concerning funds for a new government service center.
However, in 2012, Mayor Bob Miller said he envisions a new three-story facility on the existing parcel between the city police station and the parking structure along Dodge Street.
“A one-stop shop for government services, so to speak,” he said at the time. “That’s my dream.”
Ladwig sees such a facility as good for both local government and residents.
“This is a cost effective way for the county and the city to offer convenient service to Western Racine County residents,” he said.
It was 2010 when Miller and former County Executive Bill McReynolds first discussed the possibility of a shared government service facility. Since then Miller and Ladwig – McReynolds’ successor – have pursued additional partnerships that are mutually beneficial to the city and county.
In 2012 the city began offering several county services – including marriage licenses, birth, death and real estate certificates, and property tax payments – that were formerly offered at the Western Racine County Service Center at 209 N. Main Street.
In exchange, the city received approximately eight hours of human resources services from county professionals each week.
Later in 2012 county Treasurer Jane Nikolai began offering services by appointment in Burlington once a month.
This is the first time, however, that money has been earmarked for a joint city-county government center in a proposed budget.
For a complete story on the possibility of a new government facility in Burlington see the Oct. 16 edition of the Burlington Standard Press.
County levy steady
Ladwig’s county budget proposal does not raise the property tax levy. In fact, it holds the levy at the same level it was in each of the past four years.
“…And we do this once again with no reduction in service,” Ladwig said.
He also touted the budget’s focus on repairing county roads, which have been ravaged by weather extremes in recent years. The budget proposal includes nearly $3.7 million for road repairs, compared to $756,000 earmarked in the 2011 budget when Ladwig took office.
The County Board will now review Ladwig’s proposal before voting on the plan later this fall.
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