SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Sheboygan County residents may be seeing a reduction in their property taxes next year.
The first look at the 2017 budget was presented last night at county board, and county staff are working out next year's tax levy. Initial projections coming into this year indicated that the county would need to make up for a $1.7 million dollar budget shortfall, but staff and department heads have helped cut that number to around $762,000.
County administrator Adam Payne says the budget is getting a boost from the sales tax. "Not only does the transportation proposal, the half percent sales tax, help us in that we can now address the transportation needs we have, that allows some flexibility for the rest of the budget development process." Payne says funding from the sales tax will be used for direct property tax relief and will over time remove the county's need to borrow money to pay for road projects.
There's also improvements in the county's valuation. Current state law restricts the county from raising it's levy any more than ear to year increases i nthe value of the county, but the completion of a tax increment district is adding more value to the tax rolls. Payne says that, combined with some paydowns in the debt service for he county will mean a lower levy and rate. "So we're in a position right now to deliver about a one percent reduction in the properly tax levy and a two percent reduction of the property rate for 2017."
The budget is in its very early stages at this point and may undergo more revisions.