Wausau Friday Facts (3/7)


WAUSAU FRIDAY FACTS #3

Did You Know that the Wausau School District and Marathon County have delivered significant tax savings over the past fifteen years?

Probably not.  It is unlikely that you would not have noticed, given the total on your property tax bill.  Why?  Because the city has raised its taxes so much that it has offset the savings.

At any given time, the City of Wausau, the Wausau School District and Marathon County account for about 95% of city residents' tax bills. Growth, development, and inflation all raise the property tax base, creating opportunities to lower the mill rate periodically and still take-in more money. Here is the fifteen year history:


As you can see, the schools and the county have lowered your tax rate four times for every one time the city council has done so. 

What does this add up to?  Of course, individual circumstances vary, but a simple example may be helpful.  Say you owned a house in Wausau that was worth $160,000 in 2010, and the value of the property grew at roughly the rate of inflation.  Then you could expect to have a house worth about $240,000 in 2025.  Here is how your taxes would have changed:


Unbelievably, the school district is now charging people less than the city charged them fifteen years ago! Why such a difference? The city, the county, and the schools all buy labor and health insurance in the same Central Wisconsin market.  All three participate in the Wisconsin Retirement System.  We should have expected all three of them to have similar cost trajectories. 

More importantly, the city should be looking at these numbers.  It should plan corrective measures when they are out of alignment.  This form of analysis is called benchmarking.  You compare your outcomes with the outcomes of others in similar circumstances. Wausau should incorporate this type of analysis in its budget process and should strive to have outcomes as good or better than those of the county and the school district.

Do you agree or disagree? Feel free to register your comments on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/wausaudistrict6/

Wausau Friday Facts is a once-a-week presentation of factual data to inform residents about their city government. It is put out by the Friends of Keene Winters, Cathy Winters, Treasurer.

For more information about Keene Winters and his policy positions, please go to: https://www.wausaudistrict6.com/fridayfacts

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