SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (WHBL) - A proposed half percent sales tax for Sheboygan County is on the books.
The county board approved that tax last night on a vote of 18 to 7. A vote last week at a combined meeting of the finance and executive committees modified the sales tax proposal to require the county to do a full study of the tax every seven years in order to determine if the tax is still needed.
Several opponents came up to speak against the bill, including Sheboygan Alderman John Belanger. The most vocal opponent of the evening was supervisor Fay Uryanar who told the board that she feels the county is raising the tax in order to pay for the proposed new Transportation Complex and to supplement and grow the enterprise road construction that the county's been handling.
Supervisor Brian Hoffmann voted in favor of the tax, and says the money to repair the roads is needed. "The money's got to come from somewhere, and this is the only place we could think of to find it. So reluctantly, I voted for it." He noted that the state's reduction in shared revenue and the caps on property taxes have stifled community efforts to grow and maintain services.
The tax is estimated to bring in around $9 million a year for the county which would be able to pay for around 30 miles of repairs each year. A vote last week at a combined meeting of the finance and executive committees modified the sales tax proposal to require the county to do a full study of the tax every seven years in order to determine if the tax is still needed.