The Spruce Town Board will discuss a $30,000 tax increase for 2015 when it meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the Town Hall, 9097 County Road B, Oconto Falls.
Town residents will be able to review the town budget and vote on the proposed tax increase.
The tax rate is calculated to jump 30 cents more per $1,000 of equalized value, up almost 23 percent from last year’s rates. The town tax on a piece of property valued at $100,000 will be $30 more, if the proposal is approved.
According to an e-mail from Town Chairman Terry Brazeau, the town estimates it will need an additional $40,000 to cover 2015 expenses. It plans to take $10,000 plus any unexpected expenses from the town’s road maintenance budget.
Taking any more money from road maintenance to cover the 2015 shortfall is not an option, Brazeau said.
“Two very expensive winters depleted our budget, and we cannot maintain roads as needed. If we do not spend at least $108,000 on town roads, we will lose state aids,” he said.
Brazeau said several expenses are putting Spruce over budget, including the following: Oconto Falls Area Ambulance Service, $15,000; assessor, $1,400; and recycling tipping fees, $1,800.
In addition, the town also must fulfill its contracts with the Lena and Suring fire departments, plus pay $3,500 for a town audit.
In 2015, the town will start to repay a five-year loan to cover a settlement with James Webster, who filed an open records lawsuit against the town. Spruce’s 2015 payment is $14,500. The town continues to be charged attorney fees for ongoing litigation concerning Holt Park.
Brazeau said the increasing expenses prompted the Town Board’s proposal to substantially raise taxes for the first time in decades.
“For the last 16 years the Town Board has tried to do the most with the least amount of money by not raising taxes more than the state mandate allowed,” he said.
For more information, call Brazeau, 920-842-2703, or Spruce supervisors Fred Witt, 920-846-2268, or Dennis Race, 920-373-7835.
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