A Little Reading is Necessary

Wisconsin budget law requires the City to prepare an annual budget and hold a public hearing on it. The budget document should list anticipated revenues from all sources and the proposed appropriations for each department. The law also requires the budget to show, for comparative purposes, the actual revenues and expenditures for the preceding year and the estimated revenues and expenditures for the current year based on at least six months of actual experience. The budget document should also show any outstanding indebtedness as well as any anticipated surplus.
State budget law does not identify the content of the budget beyond that described above. Budgets for local governmental units may vary from a single page document consisting of summary listings of expenditures and revenues to a many-paged text providing detailed information on the proposed appropriation for each municipal agency. It is up to the local governing body and the citizens it represents to determine what information should be presented in the budget document.
The City of Lake Mills budget document is about 210 pages.