Wausau Mayor Threatens to Veto Entire 2026 City Budget

Friday, October 17th, 2025 -- 8:01 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) Wausau Mayor Doug Diny is threatening to veto the 2026 city budget, saying the City Council needs to get spending under control.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, Diny announced the potential veto in a press release on Wednesday, stating that he wants the announcement to serve as a starting point for discussion among the alders.

“My hope is that the veto will force the spendthrift majority to incorporate some of the ideas of the minority to arrive at enough votes to override the veto. It is the job of a mayor to use his or her veto to curb excesses,” added Diny.

“In addition, I hope the following vetoes will serve as a wake-up call.” He says he offered potential cuts early in the budget process, which were dismissed with little consideration.

Diny’s press release also indicated that he will veto the hire of a public relations firm to create an informational campaign for a potential public safety referendum on the spring 2026 ballot. Diny says he’s against that proposal because “the council is considering no other alternatives besides raising taxes.

“The reality is that we cannot keep attempting to solve problems by throwing money at them. In the last decade, we have added 40 new positions to city staff, an increase of 13%, to serve a city that has not grown in population,” added Diny.

“We cannot keep growing government faster than the tax base and local economy.”

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