This. Is. Incredible.
But there's more punishing blows on the way.
According to a Janesville Gazette story on this week's school board meeting, the board voted unanimously to increase the local budget levy by 8.6% and pay down some notes that will "save" the school district $500K in debt service. That increase came despite declining enrollment and a last minute $2M injection in state aid.
The Gazette takes the usual soft approach beginning with "Taxpayers might not notice an increase in their tax bills come December" and how the district "held the line" on the tax rate keeping it nearly flat from last year at 8.48 per 1,000. But with property assessments going up an average 25% this year and residential at 31%, the flat tax rate is expected bump up the school tax portion of the bill the same percentage of our assessments. That translates to an average 25% increase for homeowners and renters. It's either 8.48 per 1,000 means 8.48 per 1,000, or it doesn't. Unless there was a huge mathematical error, typo or pile of unicorn dollars left uncounted in their figures, this is going to hurt a lot.
Meanwhile on social media, school supporters say the district did their part and are not to blame for the massive increase. Others claim if you don't like it ...move.
For the past six months, I've been warning about a perfect storm of devastating tax hikes resulting from a historic tax shift of wrongheaded economic development policies, dark store value lock ins and assessment decisions by the city. But even this doesn't add up.
The city has nearly zero countable new construction since most of it is quarantined in TIF Districts. So the city-wide average assessment bump of 25% acts as quasi-growth. How that plays out and whether it limits the school district's tax hike could be significant. The district, for their part, appears to be using the citywide assessment as a convenient backdoor for a a substantial revenue increase.
Yet soon after the school hike uproar, the Gazette wrote it's a mystery, and everyone should keep calm.
Link: Janesville School Board OKs 8.6% tax levy increase
10 comments:
We are on a fixed income and we’re moving cant afford an additional 2k due to poor financial planning by the city and school.
Don't forget about the 50% increase in the water bill as well!
Janesville homeowners and renters are facing a perfect storm of crushing tax hikes and fees. It didn't have to be that way. The city is run by self-serving outsider mercenaries completely mismanaged from top to bottom under the direction of Forward Janesville's trickle-down inverted growth policies and their country club donor cult.
That might sound over the top but it's not. Very few Janesville people are in city management. More than half the city is not represented. The people are powerless. By the time they wake up, it will be too late.
I moved out of that dead city long ago, between Beloit moving into Janesville and the crime rate and drug use going up with it, and the fact no decent jobs it was just time to go,
I find the Unknown comment funny (not) The article is about Janesville and you have to bring Beloit into it. How is Beloit moving into Janesville? Hardly any construction or growing has been done on the south side. Janesville is their own city as Beloit is. Your crime rate and tax increase is your own.
Wisconsin under Walker and Republican legislature cut and cut their responsibility for local costs, did you not know somebody had to make up the difference — so local taxes have to rise
As a senior citizen with no kids in school, I find the raise is our water service, and now the raise in school district taxes of great concern. Like lots of folks my age I live from month to month always right at the edge. This could tip me over.
Ellipsis, I don't see it that way. Raising local taxes to these levels is not a substitute or remedy for cuts in state aid. They didn't do this during Walker's eight years. Everything is still intact including Act 10. Evers increased state money for schools by $630M over last year. With extra state money while Janesville school enrollment is down, local residents should have seen steep cuts in property taxes. Not hikes.
You are not alone MG Mary. The county, school board and city council's priorities are helping Fortune 500s and connected developers, not seniors or those struggling to stay afloat.
Time for a Wealth Tax on Janesville residents earning more than $200,000, and for other creative ways to recapture wrongly awarded one-percent welfare.
How about charging a special "Trickle-Down Fee" on all activities conducted by Forward Janesville (The cabal that hosted a Forum featuring that Ayn Rand-lover Paul Ryan)? Because whopping conceits and smug delusions aren't free...
Janesville is turning into a feudal estate, a dystopia run by sociopaths.
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