By Correne Martin
For the first time in Prairie du Chien history, according to city administration, the city’s common council failed to pass a proposed budget, during a special meeting Thursday, Dec. 1.
“We cannot leave the building without passing a budget this evening,” City Administrator Aaron Kramer said.
With that understood, an amended budget was ultimately approved, after Mayor Dave Hemmer broke his second tie council vote of the meeting, also a first-ever occurrence.
The entire conversation centered on the stability of the PdC Main Street program, which has faced its share of hurdles in recent years. The entity originally requested a $15,000 contribution from the city for 2017. The finance committee decreased that to $14,000 and, Thursday night, the final motion cut it much further, to $4,000.