Property taxes have fallen slightly on average statewide.
That's according to an analysis by the Wisconsin Budget Office. Governor Jim Doyle's property tax freeze is touted as the reason why. Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton says Doyle's freeze was “responsible” — maintaining the state's two thirds commitment to funding public education. “And by putting reasonable limits on, we have been able to keep property taxes down,” says Lawton, adding that “we don't expect to see any increase at all on most homes.”
But, would homeowners have fared even better, under the freeze proposed by Republicans in the Legislature? Ryan Parsons with the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance says that under that GOP freeze, revenue limits for school districts would have been slightly lower, “which would have lowered school district property taxes a little bit more.” Parsons also says limits on municipalities and counties would have been a little bit stricter.
Doyle's Republican challenger, Mark Green, issued a statement in which he said he'd have signed the Republican freeze, and claiming state taxes overall remain among the nation's highest. There will be variations, but the Budget Office analysis found on average, property taxes on the median value home will decline in December — by about three dollars (from $2,730 to $2,727).
Related web sites:
Governor Doyle press release
Mark Green statement
Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance analysis