Nicole Pollack & Chris Rickert:
Brent Schultz, with his 2-year-old granddaughter, votes in Tuesday’s election at the Fitchburg Community Center. Voters in Fitchburg and Sun Prairie, two of the fastest-growing cities in Wisconsin, have both rejected operating referendums in recent years that city leaders said were needed to keep services in line with population growth.
In Sun Prairie, the vote wasn’t even close: The city’s $3.95 million operating referendum failed Tuesday by nearly 17 points.
The city of about 40,000 asked voters to increase their property taxes to continue city services at current levels, add a police officer and two firefighters and increase wages for part-time firefighters to accommodate a growing city.
With state revenue limits preventing the city from simply raising taxes on its own, failure to pass the referendum would mean “cuts to programs, services and staffing,” Mayor Steve Stocker warned.
Of the 11,735 Sun Prairie residents who voted on the question, 58.4%.rejected it compared to 41.6% voting in favor.