Finance Articles
Shorewood’s Consulting Extravagances
Are consulting services worth the time and money when 80%-90% of the recommendations are never implemented and administration, council members and even mayors rotate out every few years?
Cities waste so much money on elaborate consulting ideas that are never implemented.
This needs to stop.
Shorewood’s Top-Heavy City Operations
Have you ever wondered how Shorewood’s expenses and revenue compares to other equivalent sized cities?
So did we.
We researched 5 other comparable sized Minnesota cities by households and population and summarized the findings.
Shorewood’s “Planning Dept.” Aberration!
Why is Shorewood’s Planning Department similar in size to Victoria’s?
Victoria does approximately 15x the volume of zoning permits and 10x the volume of new build applications as Shorewood.
Surprisingly, Victoria’s budget is even less than Shorewood’s!
City Council Fails To Act on State Law
Minnesota’s Paid Family and Medical Leave law provides paid leave for medical needs or family care funded by an employee/employer payroll tax.
On December 8, Council members learned that a staff-run benefits committee voted not to tax themselves, so the .88% PFML tax will be paid 100% by taxpayers.
$45.9M Capital Expenses Projected in Shorewood
Street reconstruction, water projects, new trucks, skid-steers, mowers and park equipment are a few items that the city wants residents of Shorewood to believe are in desperate need of replacement.
The city is planning to spend $45.9M in Capital Expenditures (CapEx) over the next 10 years.
Essential Reading:118% Tax Increase
Shorewood resident Barry Brown has analyzed the Long Range Financial Plan (2026 – 2035) for Shorewood. It shows the Tax Levy skyrocketing from $7.5M in 2025 to $16.4M in 2035 – a 118% increase. Also, the city plans to increase its bond debt by another $21.6M between 2026 and 2031.
