Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
Shawano’s 2015 tax levy would be relatively unchanged from this year under the proposed city budget that will get a public hearing later this month.
The tax levy as proposed would remain stagnant at roughly $4.5 million, according to the budget summary.
This year’s tax levy went up roughly 1.52 percent from $4.43 million in 2013. The tax rate rose to about $8.77 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2014; a 16-cent increase over 2013.
The impact on the 2015 tax rate was still being calculated Friday.
The city will hold a public hearing on the budget at 6 p.m. Nov. 19 at City Hall, 127 S. Sawyer St.
One of the things that has been under discussion, according to City Administrator Brian Knapp, is adding a detective position to the Shawano Police Department. The department has no detectives.
Woody Davis, Common Council president and Finance Committee chairman, said there hasn’t yet been a vote on whether to add a detective position.
The department will, however, have a vacancy to fill among its police officers next year, with Officer Adam Bieber’s election Tuesday as Shawano County sheriff.
The budget has gone through the Finance Committee but has not yet been seen by the full Common Council, so changes could still be made.
“Every year there are things we have to decide on, and we try to get the budget down to where we won’t have to raise taxes much at all,” Davis said.
Total revenues and expenditures for next year are projected to be unchanged from 2014 at $6.6 million.
Projections for state revenue are in line with what the city received this year, according to city officials, and there will be no increase in insurance rates for 2015.
Also still being calculated is the total tax levy and rate with all other taxing entities included — the county, state, school district and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.
This year, property owners paid a total tax rate of $24.63 per $1,000 of assessed valuation compared to about $24.10 per $1,000 last year.