Galesville council approves lower spending, taxes in 2024

The City of Galesville plans to spend slightly less money in 2024 and collect less in taxes.

The Galesville City Council on Thursday unanimously approved its annual budget for next year, which comes with a 1.66% decrease in spending and a 0.61% decrease in money earned from property taxes.

The city will have $1.43 million available in 2024, a decrease from this year’s $1.46 million budget.

Galesville expects to gather $775,938 in property taxes in 2024, slightly less than the $780,736 it made in 2023, according to council documents.

A countering boost will come from revenues that are shared with the municipality from the state, as Galesville will see a 17% bump to bring its state-shared revenues to $427,270.77 from this year’s $365,012.20.

One of the biggest spending drops in the budget comes in capital outlay funds, which are used to maintain or extend the life of city vehicles, buildings and other items—Galesville budgeted to reduce its capital outlay spending from $109,131.15 this year to $33,030 next year, a decrease of nearly 70%.

A spending boost will come in the city’s conservation/development account, with Galesville set to spend an additional $7,669.67 in this area. 

Other departments given more money in next year’s budget include public safety (a 13.86% increase of $64,698.03) and public works (a 20.63% increase of $42,461.53).

The sewer usage rate for residents in Galesville will increase by 3% to offset inflation after city council approval last Thursday.

A unanimous 6-0 vote confirmed the increase, which brings the rate to $10 per 1,000 gallons of water used.

The increased rate will begin with first quarter water bills for 2024.