Cutting Wisconsin property taxes necessary and possible

So, you’ve gotten your property tax bill. And chances are you are being asked to pay more this year. For many homeowners, it was the biggest jump in their property taxes in a decade. There are a variety of reasons. Residents of the city of La Crosse saw their properties assessed for the first time in years. So even though overall city spending was down, many people’s bills were significantly higher. Statewide, school spending is up, and many communities have approved referendums, further hiking their tax bill. None of us like to pay more. We would prefer to pay less. That could happen. Legislative leaders in Madison say they plan to introduce a property tax cut in the next legislative session. There are no specifics yet, but it is a worthy goal. Governor Tony Evers seems cool to the initial talk of cutting property taxes. He points out there are other options, including spending more to improve the health of our drinking water, or saving the money in a rainy day fund for when the economy goes south again. But if our Governor and our state lawmakers work together, it is possible to do all of those things. That wouldn’t be easy, but should be the goal. Wisconsin’s property taxes are among the highest in the nation, and as we’ve seen with our recent bill, just keep going up.