New debt forcing increase in Shawano County property taxes

SHAWANO — Shawano County property owners would pay an additional 30 cents per $1,000 of equalized value on their tax bills under the county’s proposed 2020 budget.

According to County Administrative Coordinator Brent Miller, the increase is entirely due to new debt the county has taken on, including the construction of the Human Services facility, new locks and security improvements at the county jail and an upgrade to the emergency 911 dispatch system.

Some operational costs have also gone up, but, according to Miller, those higher costs were offset by other cuts during the budgeting process.

Health insurance costs are expected to increase by 12% in 2020 instead of the 5.5% previously expected.

Miller said the county is looking at some health insurance alternatives that were slated to be discussed by the administrative committee Tuesday.

The county is also proposing a 2% increase in wages, which wasn’t done in last year’s budget. According to county budget documents, county wages are about 12% lower than surrounding counties.

Under state law, the county’s property tax levy has to be held to either a zero percent increase or an increase equal to the increase in net new construction, which was 1.07% this year.

However, the county can also increase the levy for new debt. The county’s debt service is jumping from $620,771 in 2019 to about $1.8 million in the recommended 2020 budget, an increase of 18.4 percent.

The county budget calls for a levy of $17.3 million, up from $15.8 million in 2019.

That translates to a tax rate of $5.38 per $1,000 of equalized value, a 9.4% increase over this year’s $5.08 cents per $1,000.

That means the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $538 in property taxes compared to the $508 paid this year.

The amount will vary between municipalities, which calculate the tax rate based on assessed values instead of equalized values.

The levy was recommended for approval Monday by the finance committee, with Supervisor Deb Noffke casting the sole no vote.

It goes to the County Board for review and a public hearing Oct. 23.