The Whitewater Finance Committee met March 24 to review a range of financial and operational issues that the city is facing, including downtown partnership agreements, adjustments to the city’s borrowing schedule and staffing challenges within the Fire and EMS departments.
It was recently discovered that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in 2021 between the city and Downtown Whitewater Inc. had been previously overlooked. Some provisions were followed, while others were outdated.
The city currently allocates $25,000 annually to Downtown Whitewater Inc., but officials explained that coordination within the local organizations has been disconnected.
“You had these people kind of working in the same direction, but weren’t necessarily sharing resources,” committee member Patrick Singer said.
Officials stated that collaboration between downtown organizations, tourism and the Chamber of Commerce has improved over the past 15 years, but they believe further coordination would be beneficial for economic development. Members noted that while downtown Whitewater has significantly improved over the past decade, there is still room for growth.
The committee also discussed adjustments to the city’s borrowing schedule. Director of Finance and Administrative Services Rachelle Blitch said the city typically borrows every other year, but supply chain disruptions led to changes in borrowing plans.
“We were supposed to borrow again in 2025 for those projects,” Blitch said. “The only upside to this is that we initially needed $1.3 million to borrow; now we only need about $500,000, so that saves a lot of money.”
Officials added that rising interest rates also played a factor in the revised budget approach. While they do not recommend repeating this borrowing approach, the situation presents a short-term advantage. No formal action was taken.
The committee then reviewed financial projections for the Innovation Center. The balance is expected to increase by $74,000 by the end of 2026 and is projected to be $72,000 in 2027.
“We are still negotiating a lease extension with iButton. I did send a proposed renewal,” Community Development Director Mason Becker said.
The committee also discussed a potential down payment assistance or incentive program aimed at supporting the Fire and EMS Departments. Officials said that Fire Chief Kelly Freeman has identified two main concerns, including difficulty in recruiting full-time paramedics.
The department’s operational fund, which ranges between $600,000 to $700,000, is budgeted for a fully staffed department. Officials said that shortages have prompted consideration of reallocating about $100,000 towards incentives designed to retain personnel within the Whitewater community. The proposal remains in the early stages and will be discussed at future meetings.
Committee members signaled that issues surrounding downtown coordination, borrowing and EMS staffing will remain a topic of conversation in the upcoming months. The agenda and meeting packet are available on the city’s website. The next Finance Committee meeting will be April 28 at 5 p.m. in the municipal building’s Cravath Lakefront room.
