St. Croix County public safety referendum
Hudson, WI — As St. Croix County continues to grow, the demand for public safety services rises with it – creating a need for additional personnel that current funding levels cannot support. On April 4, 2023, voters in St. Croix County will see a Public Safety Referendum question on their ballot asking whether or not they support an increase in the County’s annual tax levy to cover costs for 24 needed public safety positions. The positions include:
• 8 – Sheriff Deputies
• 4 – Correction Deputies
• 3 – Investigators
• 2 – Pre-Trial Case Managers
• 2 – Support Staff
• 2 – Deputy Clerk of Courts
• 1 – CHIPS (Child in Need of Protection and/or Services) Attorney
• 2 – Mental Health Co-Responders
The positions involved in this referendum work closely together to keep the people who live, work, and visit St. Croix County safe. The number of personnel it takes to provide the level of service we need has not kept up with the demand of our growing County.
To help put the need in perspective, in 2022, St. Croix County became the fastest growing County in Wisconsin when looking at our 5-year growth. Since 2007, calls for service to our Sheriff’s Office have increased by 18%. Even with this increase in population and calls, we only have one more patrol deputy on staff now than we had in 2007. When compared to nearby counties, with data from 2021, our County has the highest number of calls for service per deputy and the lowest number of deputies per jurisdictional population.
This referendum will also help address the increasing workload on our Circuit Courts and District Attorney’s (DA) Office. In 2022, there were 8,909 cases filed in St. Croix County Circuit Courts. The general increase in number of cases and the complexity of felony cases puts a strain on the time and resources of our DA’s Office. Their office saw a 30% increase since 2019 in the number
of crimes referred from our Sheriff’s Office. If the referendum is approved, an attorney will be added to the Corporation Counsel’s Office to represent CHIPS (Child in Need of Protection and/or Services) cases, which are currently handled by the DA’s Office. This resource will give the DA’s Office more time to focus on the increasing complexity of felony cases and cases with a digital element.
What is the Cost to Address These Public Safety Needs?
To pay for the additional 24 public safety positions, property taxes would increase starting in 2024 based off your equalized property value. The increase per $100,000 of equalized value is $24.97. The proposed levy increase spread out throughout the County is $3,536,507 each fiscal year going forward.
Learn More About the Need for Public Safety Services
St. Croix County is holding two open houses for residents to meet with County staff and ask questions about the need for public safety resources. These open houses will be held at the St. Croix County Government Center – 1101 Carmichael Rd. Hudson, WI
• March 14 from 4-7 p.m.
• March 30 from 4-7 p.m.
More information about the referendum can be found on the St. Croix County website:
• Referendum Information: sccwi.gov/referendum
• Voting Info: sccwi.gov/vote
