Waukesha Council Adopts Budget Hearing Schedule

Work is significantly under way for the Waukesha’s 2012 budget and the work will continue until the budget is adopted Nov. 15 by the Common Council.

The Waukesha Common Council approved last week the budget hearing schedule. The budget proposal from the city administrator, which by the time the budget process begins will be Interim City Administrator Steve Crandell, will be completed in September, according to the schedule. City Administrator Lori Luther, whose last day in Waukesha is Aug. 5, already has begun work on the budget and Crandell will complete the process.

The  Finance Committee will overview the capital improvement plan budget on Sept. 13, and the 2012 executive budget is expected to be given to the Common Council members on Sept. 23. That kicks off a series of budget review meetings in October where the Finance Committee goes through the entire document, which is hundreds of pages, asking questions about line items and making determinations about spending.

The capital improvement plan will go before the Common Council for a public hearing on Nov. 3. The Common Council will approve or deny the spending for major projects at that meeting.

Another budget review meeting is scheduled for Nov. 8 for the entire Common  Council to look at the budget. The public hearing on the budget is scheduled for Nov. 15 and the Common Council is expected to adopt the budget that night.