LTE – Terry Nichols – 1-30-2019
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Dunn County, start cutting services
A recent article in the Dunn Co. News pertaining to a possible Dunn Co. referendum hopefully will be a dead issue. It’s bad enough that passed school district referenda totaled 1.4 billion, with a “B” last November election across the state. School districts are lining up for more referenda again for the spring elections. Not long ago, the Menomonie School District and the Colfax School district had passed referenda. How soon do we forget the tax burden of local property taxpayers.
The Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA) just published their legislative agenda for the 2019-2020 legislative session. The section under taxation is eye opening. A graphic illustrates that homeowners pay two thirds of the property tax in Wisconsin, and the source for this graphic is the Dept. of Revenue. Locally, if we want to talk Net New Construction, where is the net new construction coming from in Dunn County? Is it agriculture related, or is it residential? Dunn County residents will want to know. All recent passed school district referenda does not take into account seniors and others living on fixed incomes and trying to stay in their homes they worked so hard for during their working years. Although our demographic is the 900 lb. gorilla in the room, we are being ignored across the state. The referendum in itself is unfair. While all eligible voters in a school district, or County, can vote; it’s the property taxpayers that get the tab. The County is already borrowing millions to move to the old nursing home on the east side of Menomonie leaving the Government Center downtown basically empty and up for sale. When, and if, the County Board of Supervisors votes on this referendum, I would advise they take into account the 900 lb. gorilla in the room.
Terry Nichols
Town of Colfax