Few show for second session on La Crosse wheel tax, questions remain

There will be critics but few of them showed up this week for public information sessions on the proposed wheel tax for the city of La Crosse.

Maybe 20 people overall for two sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

Mayor Tim Kabat wants a wheel tax of $25 per eligible vehicle. He has proposed his tax ending after five years.

The constant feedback he’s received, so far, has been largely about those wanting the city to skip the tax and spend more responsibly.

“That’s been demonstrated by the last couple years that we have actually tapped into other sources for funds to try and increase what we spend on streets,” Kabat said. “We are spending less today overall in our city budget than we did in 2013. We’re taxing less and more of that budget is actually being devoted towards streets.”

Along with the city’s $25 wheel tax, La Crosse County is also proposing a $56 wheel tax.

Kabat, however, has heard plenty about lingering questions about the wheel tax.

“I think there’s still a lot of questions about if a wheel tax is the right approach,” Kabat said. “What we heard from folks, that they feel like they’re paying enough taxes and encouraging the city to look for other options.”

The tax would generate about $1 million a year to go towards street repairs.