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Council approves 2021 city budget
Boscobel Common Council
Boscobel City Hall

BOSCOBEL - The Boscobel Common Council passed its 2021 budget Monday night, which increases city spending by nearly 19 percent to $3,265,770. However, those numbers are slightly deceiving because it includes five city building projects costing $218,400. Of that amount, $133,000 is to reimbursed by the state from Community Development Block Grant funds leftover from the LeGrand Street Improvement Project.

“It shows up as an expense, but is offset on the revenue side of the budget by the grant dollars to be received,” said Director of Public Works Mike Reynolds. “It’s a worthwhile project.”

The new projects are possible because they are automatically eligible for the grant monies since they are for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

The projects include the installation of automatic door openings at the Tuffley Center, Blaine Gym, Blaine Theater, City Hall and the Swimming Pool. The pool project also includes expansion of the changing room and bathrooms at a total cost of $116,000. The other four projects cost about $20,000 each.

The largest city budget item is Public Works at $702,617—an increase of 17.5 percent from last year. That is followed by Police at $637,410 (+2 percent), Finance, $460,441 (+44 percent) and Debt Service, $306,239 (+31 percent).

While the city tax levy is set at $1,254,252—and 8.53 percent increase over last year—City Administrator is still waiting on Grant County and available tax credits to set the total tax levy. That should be available by the end of the month.

“Taxes are going up some, but they’re not going up nearly enough to cover all our expenses with fewer staff,” Molzof said. “We do offer a lot of amenities for city residents, like the library, airport, Tuffley Center, parks and the pool.”