The Lambeau Tax Refund Appropriation Project/The Bellevue Municipal Forest
"A field currently standing empty could be purchased and reforested by the board for less than $100,000.00 and would, over the next 100 years save the village more than a billion dollars in storm run off costs, soil erosion prevention, and could earn more than $500,000.00 in carbon offsets, responsible lumbering and property improvement."
-The Bellevue Municipal Forest Proposal
In 2016, a group of students at my high school, including myself where asked to assist the Village of Bellevue by making recommendations for the appropriation of around $850,000.00 received in a village wide tax refund. I was assigned to make a full recommendation on exact budgetary appropriations for each project, and to create a project. In the end, my proposal included full funding of all of the other projects needs, and included a billion dollar investment opportunity that would work to beautify the community, decrease pollution, help handle storm surges, and create a scholarship fund for students.
The project included responsible forest management, and the growth of cash crops to subsidize overall village needs, and would have payed for itself in total benefits within a decade. Additionally, the project would have created an incubator for youth learning, as well as allow for the management and reintroduction of endangered species and wildlife within brown county.Â
Found below are the documents presented on the proposal, including the infographic created for public consumption.
