Superior Mayor Calls 2024 Budget Proposal The Best In Decades

SUPERIOR, Wis. — Superior Mayor Jim Paine is touting his 2024 budget proposal as the largest public investment in the city in decades.

Mayor Paine on Tuesday said the city is well positioned to invest in city services and public infrastructure, while decreasing taxes.

Paine said the growing local economy, a restructured budget he and his predecessor designed to function independently, and a significant increase in local government aid (LGA) from the state legislature are forming a big win for Superior in the year ahead.

The following are Mayor Paine’s highlights from his budget proposal:

•             Largest tax reduction since at least 2008 and only the second tax levy reduction in that time.

•             A second Police “Community Response Specialist” position to expand our outreach to our homeless population and address our addiction and mental health crisis.

•             Expansion of the City Parks Crew to improve and maintain our public landscaping and eventually expand our sidewalk clearing operations.

•             A part time social worker for the Superior Public Library.

•             More investment in ConnectSuperior, to speed the development of the City’s fiber internet network.

•             A growing electric fleet for the fire department, including the Twin Ports first electric fire engine.

•             Full remodel of both of the city’s satellite fire halls.

•             Expansion and improvement of the City’s Internet Crimes against Children office.

•             New police interview recording equipment to improve investigations while protecting suspects, victims, and witnesses.

•             Expanded investments in new software to increase city efficiency.

•             Increased investment in street and park infrastructure.

“Probably the most dramatic change in this budget is we finally got an increase in shared revenue from the state, which I point out is still Superior residents’ money. That’s your money going to the state that they haven’t been sending back to us that now gets to stay and invest in our hometown. But it’s the biggest shared-revenue increase in the history of that program. So now that we finally have that support, we get to look forward, we weathered the crises, and we get to actually look ahead and build the city that we really want to have that will be one of the most vibrant cities in Wisconsin and easily the best in the Twin Ports,” Paine said.

Mayor Paine will lay out his entire budget proposal at the next council meeting Oct. 3.  The council will then discuss any possible changes before approving the budget later this year.