Levy limits slapped on county governments a few years back have somewhat paid off, according to a report by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance.
Researcher Kyle Christianson says the growth of tax increases has slowed since the limits went into effect. He says pre-2005 increases averaged about 5.7-percent per year. Following the limits, they’ve been held to about 3-percent.
However, Christianson says there’s a downside to levy limits, since spending by counties has actually gone up since they began in 2006. He says those increases are being funded through more borrowing by county governments and increases in “user fees” for parks and other services.