Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Shawano County Board members have advanced a 2017 county budget proposal that would increase property taxes by more than $100,000.
The county’s finance committee voted Friday to recommend approval of the budget, which would increase property tax collections from $15,400,972 to $15,545,534.
It would be the third consecutive year that property taxes have gone up for county government, since an estimated $150,000 decrease occurred in 2014.
The tax rate next year would increase by one cent, from $5.28 to $5.29 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. That means the owner of a typical $100,000 property, for example, would contribute $1 more to county government, up from $528 to $529 for the year.
The budget proposal next goes before the full County Board, which is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposal Oct. 26 and then take final action.
Spending on county services overall would total $50.1 million next year, down from $51.8 million this year.
Members of the finance committee voiced support for the budget Friday and indicated that they felt the $144,562 property tax increase was reasonable.
County Board Chairman Jerry Erdmann, a committee member, noted that county expenses are on the rise in some areas, while property values are projected to remain relatively flat.
“I think we did a good job,” Erdmann said of the budget.
Under the 2017 plan, spending would increase most significantly in public safety, which includes the county sheriff’s department. The budget calls for $10.9 million for public safety, up $1 million from this year.
Other spending increases would occur in public works, conservation and development, and health and human services, while spending would decrease in debt service and culture, recreation and education.
The committee endorsed the tax increase and moved the budget forward unanimously Friday, although some confusion occurred later when Supervisor Deb Noffke elected not to record her vote. Noffke said she had just received a copy of the 315-budget proposal earlier Friday and had not gotten a chance to review it.
Colleagues asked Noffke if she wanted her vote recorded as a “no” vote or just left blank.
“Do what you want,” she said.