A proposal from Green Bay’s mayor is leaving the leader of at least one neighboring community scratching his head.
Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt wants to expand the city’s borders by the year 2025 to include all addresses with a Green Bay zip code. The move would bring neighbors like Ashwaubenon, Bellevue, and Allouez into the city, which Schmitt says would make for a very strong community with a lower tax base, a more efficient government, and a stronger political voice on the state and national level.
AUDIO: Mayor Jim Schmitt (:17)
The idea has not been as well received as Schmitt hoped though. Ashwaubenon village president Mike Aubinger says convincing those living outside of the city that they should become part of Green Bay would be a tough sell. He says most areas have a lower tax rate than Green Bay already, so there would be little incentive for them to change anything.
AUDIO: Mike Aubinger (:11)
Schmitt recently proposed the consolidation in his State of the City Address. Aubinger says the mayor had mentioned it previously at a meeting of local leaders, but did not tell them he was going to pursue the change. He says most local leaders opposed the idea.
Aubinger says a better solution is for the communities to work together as one region, not as one city. If they don’t, he says the area “is going to be doomed.”
Rick Schuh, WHBY