NOTICE OF REFERENDUM City of Wausau April 7, 2026

NOTICE OF REFERENDUM City of Wausau April 7, 2026 Referendum Election Details At an election to be held in the City of Wausau on April 7, 2026, the following Resolution of the City Council will be submitted to a vote of the people: WHEREAS, the State of Wisconsin has imposed limits on town, village, city, and county property tax levy under Wis. Stat. § 66.0602; and WHEREAS, the law limits the increase in the local property tax levy using a formula that starts with the previous year's levy and incorporates the percentage increase in equalized value due to new construction as the primary basis for the following year's increase; and WHEREAS, IN 2021 AND 2022, THE City of Wausau Common Council approved hiring, 12 firefighter/paramedics to meet increasing service demands and call complexities, with 3-year funding provided by the FEMA SAFER grant and ARPA Grant; and WHEREAS, the grant expiration will create a funding shortfall for these positions and result in the city exceeding the maximum allowable levy for the 2027 budget; and WHEREAS, the City of Wausau Committee of the Whole met on November 3, 2025, and approved an April 7, 2026, referendum to exceed the state levy limit by a greater percentage than allowed by statute to retain 12 firefighter/paramedics to meet existing service demands and offset expired grant income; and WHEREAS, the City of Wausau Finance Committee met on January 13, 2026, to review and recommend the referendum question; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Common Council of the City of Wausau, Marathon County, do hereby support an increase in the city tax levy for tax year 2026 (collected in 2027) to exceed the state levy limit. The Common Council intends that the levy increase be applied on an ongoing basis thereafter by including it in the base used to calculate the limit going forward. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Common Council directs that the question of increasing the city tax levy for tax year 2026 (to be collected in 2027) by 3.956°/o, which would increase the city levy by $1,450,000 over the past year's levy, for a city tax levy of $38, 106,773, shall be submitted to the electors in a referendum election to be held on April 7, 2026, in the following form: Ballot Text The question will appear on the ballot as follows: Under state law, the increase in the levy of the City of Wausau for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, 2027, is limited to 3.544°/o, which results in a levy of $36,106,773, and on an ongoing basis, include the increase of $1,450,000 for each fiscal year going forward?" Explanation The City Council of the City of Wausau, Marathon County, Wisconsin, recognizes that a Governing Body has control over the City's property tax levy up to the limits imposed by Wisconsin State Statutes. The City does not have the tax levy capacity under these limits to increase property taxes to fund the 12 firefighter/paramedic positions that were created and funded by the expired 3- year FEMA Safer Grant and federal COVID Grant. The City Council desires to put this question to the voters in the form of a referendum on the April 7, 2026, Spring Election ballot to determine whether voters are willing to pay an additional $1,450,000 in property taxes per year to retain the 12 firefighter/paramedic positions. The referendum election ballot will ask City of Wausau electors to vote "yes" or "no" on the referendum election question as set forth above. A "yes" vote on the question means that the elector is in favor $1,450,000 of additional taxation by the City of Wausau through an ongoing increase in the annual property tax levy to maintain current staffing levels at the Wausau Fire Department. A "no" vote on the question means that the elector is not in favor of $1,450,000 of additional taxation to maintain current staffing levels at the Wausau Fire Department. Done in the City of Wausau, on March 24, 2026 Kaitlyn A. Bernarde City Clerk WNAXLP Publication Dates LWIX0489530