St. Croix County Board approves $1.9 million library levy
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
HUDSON — The St. Croix County Board has approved a library property tax levy of $1,869,030 for the 2025 budget.
The levy reimburses libraries in St. Croix County for residents who live outside of the municipality who use the library, said Paul Berning, county board supervisor, at the St. Croix County Board’s August 6 meeting.
Residents who live in the municipalities with a library pay a tax levy for that library, but they do not pay the county library levy, he said.
The total library levy also includes reimbursements for residents who live in St. Croix County but use libraries in surrounding counties.
The rates are set by the state of Wisconsin, and there are two formulas: one formula to reimburse libraries for library users who are residents of St. Croix County and one formula for library users who live outside of St. Croix County, Berning said.
Dave Ostness, county board supervisor, said he was pleased to see that the library levy includes funding for hotspots so that people who live in areas without good internet access can check out the hotspots from their local library.
Some libraries in the county have a waiting list of two to three weeks for a hotspot, and for some county residents, that is their only alternative for internet access, he said.
The total tax levy for hotspots is $8,706.
Scott Counter, county board supervisor, noted that state law requires the county to reimburse libraries at 70 percent of the cost for residents who do not live in the municipality with a library.
Does St. Croix County reimburse other counties that have residents who use St. Croix County libraries at 70 percent? Counter asked.
For residents who live in St. Croix County but use libraries in an adjoining county, St. Croix County reimburses the other counties at 100 percent, said Ken Witt, county administrator.
For residents who live outside of St. Croix County but use libraries in St. Croix County, the county is sometimes reimbursed at 100 percent, although some counties, such as Pierce County, reimburse St. Croix County at 85 percent of the cost, Witt said.
Berning said he had not realized that all surrounding counties were not reimbursing St. Croix County at 100 percent, even though St. Croix County reimburses other counties at 100 percent.
For next year, St. Croix County should consider changing the reimbursement schedule for other counties so that it is “in kind” rather than reimbursing more than the other counties, he said.
On a vote of 16 to 0, the St. Croix County Board approved the resolution establishing the library levy for 2025.
Reimbursements
Here are the reimbursements that will be paid to the libraries in St. Croix County in 2025 for residents who live outside of the municipality:
• Baldwin — $97,645, plus $756 for hotspot funding, for a total of $98,401.
• Deer Park — $20,213, plus $756 for hotspot funding, for a total of $20,969.
• Glenwood City — $30,530, plus $756 for hotspot funding, for a total of $31,286.
• Hammond — $58,934, plus $756 for hotspot funding, for a total of $59,690.
• Hudson — $512,980, plus $756 for hotspot funding, for a total of $513,736.
• New Richmond — $410,351, plus $756 for hotspot funding, for a total of $411,107.
• River Falls — $254,419, plus $756 for hotspot funding, for a total of $255,175.
• Roberts — $165,784, plus $756 for hotspot funding, for a total of $166,540.
• Somerset — $165,170, plus $756 for hotspot funding, for a total of $165,926.
• Woodville — $33,707, plus $858 for hotspot funding, for a total of. $34,565.
• Total — $1,762,953, plus $8,706 for hotspot funding, for a total of $1,771,679.
• Prior period adjustment for the Glenwood City library — $25,115.
• Out of county reimbursements — $72,236.
• Grand total — $1,869,030.
