Levy Limits Resolution

Next week the Executive Board will be looking at a resolution related to levy limits.  the resolution asks the Wisconsin Counties Association to lobby of ending levy limits.  I have very mixed feelings about this resolution.


Concerns I have with levy limits:

• Washington County has the 5th lowest county property tax rate in the state, and has historically always been a frugal and responsible county.  As such, levy limits unfairly punish us.
• Washington County has the lowest property tax rate in 100 years.  our Mill rate now is lower than our mill rate was in 1917, even though our County Government is doing a lot more than it did 100 years ago.
• The federal government and state government frequently give our county ( and all counties) new mandates without funding them, putting us in a position where we have to cut other services to fund the newly-mandates services.
• Levy limits force us to cut more then we might want to cut.  I would prefer to voluntarily reduce the size of county government and reduce taxes at a moderate pace that seems responsible and ensures that we can provide essential services.  In contrast, right now we are forced to involuntarily make larger cuts to the size of County Government that may jeopardize essential services.
• Costs continue to increase every year.  Labor costs go up, equipment costs go up, materials costs go up.  If our income stays flat while our costs continue to go up, it forces us to continue cutting services.

Concerns I have with ending levy limits:

• While Washington County has the 5th lowest County Property tax rates in the state, as a state we have one of the highest property tax rates in the country.  Ending levy limits allows counties like Milwaukee and Dane "free reign" to spend on more nonsense like the boondoggle trolley Mayor Barrett is building (because nobody uses Uber anymore, everyone is switching to using trolleys).  If I was a County Board Supervisor in Milwaukee or Dane County, I could have a field day finding government waste to discard.  I don't trust Counties like Milwaukee and Dane to make good decisions for the taxpayers, and their decisions have a huge impact on the business climate in Wisconsin.
• Any attempt to end levy limits for all Counties will not pass the legislature in Madison, so lobbying for such a change is a waste of time.  The legislators in Madison are looking at the overall situation, that we are a high tax state that needs tax reform.

I am considering how I want to approach this resolution.  I am giving strong consideration to proposing an amendment that would focus on setting some sort of floor for tax levy limits, and allowing counties who reach that floor to manage their own budgets again.  This would reward our historically frugal approach while forcing Milwaukee and Dane county to continue to cut government waste.

Update---The Executive Board shot this resolution down unanimously.  They clearly agree that we don't want to give Milwaukee free reign to spend as they chose. 

After voting it down, the Executive Committee decided to forward it to the full County Board for consideration.  While I would ultimately like to see a floor to levy limits for Counties with a demonstrated outcome of fiscal responsibility and conservatism, I cannot support a blanket revocation of levy limits.  I will most likely vote against the resolution as written.