Unemployment is up to 10.1% according to Gallup but perhaps more significantly, under employment or those working part time but looking for full time work is nearing 20%. This could explain the sharp, 24% rise in food stamp use in Wisconsin over the past year. Clearly things aren't going the right way.
Wisconsin specific unemployment figures won't be revealed until the end of next week. While I expect the Doyle Administration to do everything it can to soften the blow, I don't think they will be able to cushion the impact of rising unemployment enough to save the Democrats this November. Unlike states that have taken steps to improve their economic climate, Wisconsin's Democrat controlled government has made things much worse. Just look at the tax increases that Phil Garthwaite and the Democrat majority voted for over the last two years:
Phone Tax - $107 million
Utility Tax - $18 million
Garbage Collection Tax - $69 million
Gas Tax Increase - $224 million (failed to pass the Senate despite Garthwaite's efforts to pass it into law).
Nursing Home Tax - $71 million
Hospital Patient Tax - $1.1 billion
Meat Tax - TBA
Capital Gains - $242.5
Large Employer Tax - $215 million
New Income Tax Bracket for Small Businesses and "rich people" - 1% income tax increase
E-commerce Tax - $11 million
Forced Property Tax Hike - $1.5 Billion
Look at this list and then think about the top claim Garthwaite makes in his campaign literature: lower taxes. Phil Garthwaite voted for each of the tax increases listed above. That's not rhetoric, that's a fact.
Showing posts with label property taxes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label property taxes. Show all posts
Friday, October 8, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Remember when Phil Garthwaite Increased the Price of the Platteville Police Station by $80,000 in a Single Vote?
As the election approaches, Rep. Phil Garthwaite is running from his record faster than his Madison-Milwaukee high speed rail project is pulling dollars away from Grant County’s infrastructure.
It’s our job to remind him of the poor decisions he’s made over the last two years and the negative impact they are having on our community.
Take the prevailing wage for instance.
Back in 1931 a group of progressive (mostly progressive Republican) Congressman enacted the Davis-Bacon Act creating the first national prevailing wage law. At the time their goal was simple - stop minority workers, mainly southern blacks, from competing with white construction unions.
Over the years prevailing wage laws have evolved. Although they still have the presumably unintended consequence of reducing the number of government construction contracts awarded to minority and women owned firms, this is no longer their primary intent. Today prevailing wage laws are enforced in many states to keep small businesses from underbidding large union shops for public construction contracts. They also dramatically increase costs for Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer.
During the last state budget, Rep. Garthwaite was the deciding vote in favor of a law change that has mandated the use of a much expanded prevailing wage, increasing the costs of public projects statewide by millions of dollars and taking away work from countless struggling non-union construction firms. He was given four opportunities to amend this provision of the budget. He voted not once, not twice, not three times, but four times to keep these prevailing wage changes in the budget.
These four votes along with a fifth, his deciding vote in favor of the state budget, had immediate negative consequences on Grant County. The cost of Platteville’s new police station, for instance, immediately increased by $80,000. Consider that and then think about all the other public construction projects taking place in Grant County. Think about the increased costs to the taxpayer, not to mention the jobs lost by small local firms as larger regional firms stepped in to take over the prevailing wage work. The costs on Grant County have been substantial.
Executive Director of the Platteville Area Industrial Development Corporation, George Krueger, said it best in his July 15, 2009 column in the Platteville Journal:
PAIDC Director Krueger went on to explain that Garthwaite’s vote increased the costs of the Holmen St. project in Platteville by 43% even as they used the exact same contractor to do the exact same work.
How about that for government waste and abuse of power? Garthwaite passed a law that forced a contractor to charge Platteville 43% more for a project and made the city pay. It would be laughable if it weren’t true.
Krueger also explained the state is now applying the prevailing wage to many private projects. It’s not just the taxpayer that is on the hook for increased costs. Private developers are too and that means even less development and fewer jobs.
Take a moment to think about all the projects that aren’t getting done now because the legislature increased costs so dramatically in the middle of a recession. Think about all the jobs lost in Grant County.
Talk to a small local contractor. Chances are they’ve lost out on a bid to a larger regional firm because of this law. Think again about all the jobs lost in Grant County.
Think about those jobs that we should have but don’t. Then think about the fact that our very own Representative Phil Garthwaite is responsible.
Scans of Krueger's Column:
It’s our job to remind him of the poor decisions he’s made over the last two years and the negative impact they are having on our community.
Take the prevailing wage for instance.
Back in 1931 a group of progressive (mostly progressive Republican) Congressman enacted the Davis-Bacon Act creating the first national prevailing wage law. At the time their goal was simple - stop minority workers, mainly southern blacks, from competing with white construction unions.
Over the years prevailing wage laws have evolved. Although they still have the presumably unintended consequence of reducing the number of government construction contracts awarded to minority and women owned firms, this is no longer their primary intent. Today prevailing wage laws are enforced in many states to keep small businesses from underbidding large union shops for public construction contracts. They also dramatically increase costs for Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer.
During the last state budget, Rep. Garthwaite was the deciding vote in favor of a law change that has mandated the use of a much expanded prevailing wage, increasing the costs of public projects statewide by millions of dollars and taking away work from countless struggling non-union construction firms. He was given four opportunities to amend this provision of the budget. He voted not once, not twice, not three times, but four times to keep these prevailing wage changes in the budget.
These four votes along with a fifth, his deciding vote in favor of the state budget, had immediate negative consequences on Grant County. The cost of Platteville’s new police station, for instance, immediately increased by $80,000. Consider that and then think about all the other public construction projects taking place in Grant County. Think about the increased costs to the taxpayer, not to mention the jobs lost by small local firms as larger regional firms stepped in to take over the prevailing wage work. The costs on Grant County have been substantial.
Executive Director of the Platteville Area Industrial Development Corporation, George Krueger, said it best in his July 15, 2009 column in the Platteville Journal:
“The State of Wisconsin budget passed recently. It is anti-business, anti-capitol, and anti-development. A big negative impact on economic development is the prevailing wage policy that was passed as part of the budget.”
PAIDC Director Krueger went on to explain that Garthwaite’s vote increased the costs of the Holmen St. project in Platteville by 43% even as they used the exact same contractor to do the exact same work.
How about that for government waste and abuse of power? Garthwaite passed a law that forced a contractor to charge Platteville 43% more for a project and made the city pay. It would be laughable if it weren’t true.
Krueger also explained the state is now applying the prevailing wage to many private projects. It’s not just the taxpayer that is on the hook for increased costs. Private developers are too and that means even less development and fewer jobs.
Take a moment to think about all the projects that aren’t getting done now because the legislature increased costs so dramatically in the middle of a recession. Think about all the jobs lost in Grant County.
Talk to a small local contractor. Chances are they’ve lost out on a bid to a larger regional firm because of this law. Think again about all the jobs lost in Grant County.
Think about those jobs that we should have but don’t. Then think about the fact that our very own Representative Phil Garthwaite is responsible.
Scans of Krueger's Column:
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
2009-10 Session Recap - Garthwaite on Schools
For years Assembly Democrats, especially rural Democrats like Rep. Garthwaite, have been promising to reform school funding in Wisconsin. They claimed that Wisconsin’s system of equalizing aid was broken and that they would fix it at the first opportunity.
Two years ago the Democrats were given that opportunity when the voters of Wisconsin granted them exclusive control over all three branches of Wisconsin’s government. Let’s see how Rep. Garthwaite and the Democrats did.
Class: School Funding Reform
Grade: F
Despite countless promises made in debates and on campaign literature, Rep. Garthwaite failed to pass meaningful school funding reform. One might assume that he and other Democrats tried to work on this vitally important issue but that they were block by Governor Doyle, outside special interests, or simply ran out of time. One would be wrong.
Rep. Garthwaite didn’t even introduce a bill to begin debate on this subject. He didn’t even try.
Class: Union Payback
Grade: A
After gaining complete control of state government, it’s no surprise that Rep. Garthwaite and the Democrats moved quickly to reward their greatest campaign supporter, the teachers’ union WEAC.
Rep. Garthwaite supported three major gifts for WEAC as part of the state budget.
1. Repeal of the Qualified Economic Offer – QEO
For years the union’s top priority has been to repeal the QEO. The QEO was a state law that guaranteed teachers a 3.8% compensation increase each year. If a local union got into a lengthy arbitration dispute with a school district, the district could invoke the QEO as a ceiling and resolve the dispute. This rarely happened and teachers usually received much, much higher total compensation. Thus Wisconsin remains ranked as the 4th highest taxing state when it comes to property taxes according to the non-partisan Tax Foundation.
Sit back for a moment and try to imagine a private sector worker in this economy complaining about a 3.8% minimum raise? Most people are losing hours, seeing their salaries cut, or losing their jobs altogether. Not only do WEAC members have 100% guaranteed job security but they also had guaranteed raises of 3.8%. That wasn’t enough for them so they had the law repealed.
In future years look for large property tax increases or the cutting of school programs as the increased costs of teachers’ salaries and benefit packages continue to outpace funding thanks to this repeal.
2. Find ways to increase property taxes to pad WEAC’s pockets
The best tool Wisconsin’s citizens have to keep property taxes down is called the revenue cap. The legislature put the revenue cap in place to keep local school districts from increasing property taxes by double digit percentages year after year.
The union’s second greatest priority has been to eliminate or weaken the revenue cap to feed its large appetite for higher property taxes.
In the 2009-10 state budget, Rep. Garthwaite voted to exempt several school expenses from the revenue cap. The affect will be visible in December when your property taxes go up by a bit more than they have in past years.
3. Give the union more power in arbitration
Unions exist to seek the best wages and benefits they can for their members by collectively bargaining (and to get Democrats elected to public office). This is all fine and dandy on an open and level playing field but that playing field no longer exists in Wisconsin thanks to sneaky changes that Rep. Garthwaite helped tuck into the state budget.
State law now prohibits an arbiter from considering local economic conditions first when negotiating contract disputes. School districts facing declining revenues due to high unemployment and declining property values (like most in Grant County) can’t go to the union and say, “Hey, we just can’t afford to give you a 6% raise and free Viagra this year because our community is hurting and they can’t afford it.”
This change will cause cuts to core educational services and property tax increases in the communities that can least afford them.
Rural School Funding
Grade: F
Rep. Garthwaite let the Milwaukee Democrats walk all over rural Wisconsin when it came to school funding.
He voted for a budget that cut state aid to many rural districts by as much as 15% but only hit Milwaukee with a 0.5% cut.
As a result, Southwest Wisconsin school districts are raising property taxes by record amounts:
Mineral Point – 24.4%
Lancaster – 8.3%
Schullsburg – 19.8%
Platteville – 7.4%
River Valley – 15.5%
Darlington – 22.4%
In contrast, what is Garthwaite’s school budget doing to the taxpayers in Democrat Milwaukee? Not much. They’re only seeing a 2.5% increase on their bills.
Two years ago the Democrats were given that opportunity when the voters of Wisconsin granted them exclusive control over all three branches of Wisconsin’s government. Let’s see how Rep. Garthwaite and the Democrats did.
Class: School Funding Reform
Grade: F
Despite countless promises made in debates and on campaign literature, Rep. Garthwaite failed to pass meaningful school funding reform. One might assume that he and other Democrats tried to work on this vitally important issue but that they were block by Governor Doyle, outside special interests, or simply ran out of time. One would be wrong.
Rep. Garthwaite didn’t even introduce a bill to begin debate on this subject. He didn’t even try.
Class: Union Payback
Grade: A
After gaining complete control of state government, it’s no surprise that Rep. Garthwaite and the Democrats moved quickly to reward their greatest campaign supporter, the teachers’ union WEAC.
Rep. Garthwaite supported three major gifts for WEAC as part of the state budget.
1. Repeal of the Qualified Economic Offer – QEO
For years the union’s top priority has been to repeal the QEO. The QEO was a state law that guaranteed teachers a 3.8% compensation increase each year. If a local union got into a lengthy arbitration dispute with a school district, the district could invoke the QEO as a ceiling and resolve the dispute. This rarely happened and teachers usually received much, much higher total compensation. Thus Wisconsin remains ranked as the 4th highest taxing state when it comes to property taxes according to the non-partisan Tax Foundation.
Sit back for a moment and try to imagine a private sector worker in this economy complaining about a 3.8% minimum raise? Most people are losing hours, seeing their salaries cut, or losing their jobs altogether. Not only do WEAC members have 100% guaranteed job security but they also had guaranteed raises of 3.8%. That wasn’t enough for them so they had the law repealed.
In future years look for large property tax increases or the cutting of school programs as the increased costs of teachers’ salaries and benefit packages continue to outpace funding thanks to this repeal.
2. Find ways to increase property taxes to pad WEAC’s pockets
The best tool Wisconsin’s citizens have to keep property taxes down is called the revenue cap. The legislature put the revenue cap in place to keep local school districts from increasing property taxes by double digit percentages year after year.
The union’s second greatest priority has been to eliminate or weaken the revenue cap to feed its large appetite for higher property taxes.
In the 2009-10 state budget, Rep. Garthwaite voted to exempt several school expenses from the revenue cap. The affect will be visible in December when your property taxes go up by a bit more than they have in past years.
3. Give the union more power in arbitration
Unions exist to seek the best wages and benefits they can for their members by collectively bargaining (and to get Democrats elected to public office). This is all fine and dandy on an open and level playing field but that playing field no longer exists in Wisconsin thanks to sneaky changes that Rep. Garthwaite helped tuck into the state budget.
State law now prohibits an arbiter from considering local economic conditions first when negotiating contract disputes. School districts facing declining revenues due to high unemployment and declining property values (like most in Grant County) can’t go to the union and say, “Hey, we just can’t afford to give you a 6% raise and free Viagra this year because our community is hurting and they can’t afford it.”
This change will cause cuts to core educational services and property tax increases in the communities that can least afford them.
Rural School Funding
Grade: F
Rep. Garthwaite let the Milwaukee Democrats walk all over rural Wisconsin when it came to school funding.
He voted for a budget that cut state aid to many rural districts by as much as 15% but only hit Milwaukee with a 0.5% cut.
As a result, Southwest Wisconsin school districts are raising property taxes by record amounts:
Mineral Point – 24.4%
Lancaster – 8.3%
Schullsburg – 19.8%
Platteville – 7.4%
River Valley – 15.5%
Darlington – 22.4%
In contrast, what is Garthwaite’s school budget doing to the taxpayers in Democrat Milwaukee? Not much. They’re only seeing a 2.5% increase on their bills.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
2009-10 Session Recap - Garthwaite on Property Taxes
With the election just around the corner, it's time to start looking back on Rep. Garthwaite's record from the 2009-2010 legislative session.
Let's start with property taxes.
The non-partisan Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance recently released their assessment of property taxes for 2010.
According to the group, net property taxes increased 4.9% this year and now claim 4.5% of personal income - the highest percentage they have claimed since 1996.
We all know that ever increasing property taxes are harmful to our pocket books, even to renters, and especially during a recession. Based on Rep. Garthwaite's campaign promises from the last two elections, he knows this too.
When Rep. Garthwaite first ran for office in 2006 he promised to pass legislation to reduce Wisconsin's high property tax burden. He touted a Democrat plan called HOPE, which would have eliminated a portion of the property taxes homeowners pay on the first $60,000 in value of their home. To pay for this property tax reduction, Garthwaite's plan would have eliminated an unspecified number of sales tax exemptions on items such as groceries, gasoline, manufacturing and farm equipment, legal services, and other things that are not currently subject to the sales tax.
During the 2007-08 session, the HOPE plan failed to gain traction in the legislature and Rep. Garthwaite was unable to deliver on his promised property tax relief.
When the 2008 election came around, Assembly Democrats altered the HOPE plan. It would still grant homeowners a tax break for the first $60,000 in value of their home, however, it would not be paid for with new sales taxes. Instead, the Assembly Democrats' new HOPE would shift property taxes from single home owners to the owners of rental, vacation, or business properties.
In other words, under Garthwaite's 2008 plan if you owned one home, your property taxes would have been reduced. If you lived in an apartment building, your rent would have gone up. If you owned a second home, your property taxes would have gone up. If you owned rental property... You get where this plan was going...
While I could understand why Democrats like Garthwaite would want to increase property taxes on people who are wealthy enough to own a vacation home, I could never get why they wanted to shift a greater burden of property taxes to renters. It truly baffled me. Why would Democrats, who purport to represent the underprivileged classes of society tout a proposal that would dramatically increase the cost of housing on renters? Perhaps that is why the bill never gained any traction.
Despite having a total lock on state government (the Democrats currently control the Governor's office, the State Assembly, and the State Senate), Rep. Garthwaite's party did not advance HOPE or any other property tax relief proposal. In fact, they accomplished quite the opposite by cutting state aids to local governments and schools by 15%. In effect, Madison politicians like Garthwaite made the locals make the tough decisions that they were unwilling to make. No wonder Wisconsin has a multi-billion dollar deficit.
To Recap:
1. In the 2006 campaign, Rep. Garthwaite promised property tax relief.
- He did not deliver.
2. In the 2008 campaign, Rep. Garthwaite promised property tax relief.
- He did not deliver.
3. Due to Rep. Garthwaite's votes in Madison, property taxes are now the highest they have been in 14 years.
Let's start with property taxes.
The non-partisan Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance recently released their assessment of property taxes for 2010.
According to the group, net property taxes increased 4.9% this year and now claim 4.5% of personal income - the highest percentage they have claimed since 1996.
We all know that ever increasing property taxes are harmful to our pocket books, even to renters, and especially during a recession. Based on Rep. Garthwaite's campaign promises from the last two elections, he knows this too.
When Rep. Garthwaite first ran for office in 2006 he promised to pass legislation to reduce Wisconsin's high property tax burden. He touted a Democrat plan called HOPE, which would have eliminated a portion of the property taxes homeowners pay on the first $60,000 in value of their home. To pay for this property tax reduction, Garthwaite's plan would have eliminated an unspecified number of sales tax exemptions on items such as groceries, gasoline, manufacturing and farm equipment, legal services, and other things that are not currently subject to the sales tax.
During the 2007-08 session, the HOPE plan failed to gain traction in the legislature and Rep. Garthwaite was unable to deliver on his promised property tax relief.
When the 2008 election came around, Assembly Democrats altered the HOPE plan. It would still grant homeowners a tax break for the first $60,000 in value of their home, however, it would not be paid for with new sales taxes. Instead, the Assembly Democrats' new HOPE would shift property taxes from single home owners to the owners of rental, vacation, or business properties.
In other words, under Garthwaite's 2008 plan if you owned one home, your property taxes would have been reduced. If you lived in an apartment building, your rent would have gone up. If you owned a second home, your property taxes would have gone up. If you owned rental property... You get where this plan was going...
While I could understand why Democrats like Garthwaite would want to increase property taxes on people who are wealthy enough to own a vacation home, I could never get why they wanted to shift a greater burden of property taxes to renters. It truly baffled me. Why would Democrats, who purport to represent the underprivileged classes of society tout a proposal that would dramatically increase the cost of housing on renters? Perhaps that is why the bill never gained any traction.
Despite having a total lock on state government (the Democrats currently control the Governor's office, the State Assembly, and the State Senate), Rep. Garthwaite's party did not advance HOPE or any other property tax relief proposal. In fact, they accomplished quite the opposite by cutting state aids to local governments and schools by 15%. In effect, Madison politicians like Garthwaite made the locals make the tough decisions that they were unwilling to make. No wonder Wisconsin has a multi-billion dollar deficit.
To Recap:
1. In the 2006 campaign, Rep. Garthwaite promised property tax relief.
- He did not deliver.
2. In the 2008 campaign, Rep. Garthwaite promised property tax relief.
- He did not deliver.
3. Due to Rep. Garthwaite's votes in Madison, property taxes are now the highest they have been in 14 years.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Will Garthwaite Support Doyle Property Tax Hike?
I heard Rep. Garthwaite say on the radio today that he was proud of Governor Doyle's State of the State speech. I certainly hope that this doesn't mean that Garthwaite plans to support the major property tax hike proposed by the unpopular Governor in that speech.
Here is a portion of a release from the non-partisan Wisconsin Property Taxpayers Inc. on Doyle's property tax proposal:
Rep. Garthwaite campaigned on a similar tax shift scheme in the last election that he called HOPE so I expect that he will support the Governor on this plan. A quick search of the legislature's website seems to confirm this. Rep. Garthwaite is a lead author of AJR 24, the bill to increase property taxes on farmers, renters, and small businesses in order to subsidize others.
Here is a portion of a release from the non-partisan Wisconsin Property Taxpayers Inc. on Doyle's property tax proposal:
GOVERNOR CALLS FOR UNFAIR TAX AMENDMENT: WPT CALS FOR REJECTION
The Uniformity Clause of Wisconsin’s Constitution requires fairness in property taxation: equal taxes on equally valued properties, regardless of their classification.
In his State of the State address, Governor Doyle asked you to “begin the process of amending our Constitution…so we can direct property tax relief where people need it the most – on their homes.”
While the Governor was not specific about the amendment he was calling for, there are currently two Uniformity Clause amendments under consideration: AJR-8 and AJR-24/SJR-7. Under both amendments, renters, commercial, farm, and other business property owners would pay more than equally valued homes and more than under current law. (See April 9, 2009 LFB Memo to Rep. Ballweg)
Renters would pay more than owners of equally valued homes
Under both amendments, more than 633,000 hard working Wisconsin families and individuals who rent their homes and apartments would pay more than the owner-occupants of equally valued homes and condominiums next door or across the hall. Instead of receiving more property tax relief , those who rent would end up paying more property taxes on their homes under these amendments.
Tax shift could eliminate jobs, hamper recovery
According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, AJR-24/SJR-7 would have increased 2008(09) business property taxes by more than $200 million, the equivalent of 4,024 medium wage jobs. Increasing businesses’ property taxes when many are struggling to meet their payrolls could result in more business failures and job losses. This would tend to slow our recovery rate and reduce the impact of the Governor’s jobs initiatives.
Agricultural property taxes would increase
According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau AJR-24/SJR-7 would have increased taxes on undeveloped, forest and agricultural forest land by 23.8% in 2008(09). This could lead to abandonment of thousands of acres and hundreds of farmsteads due to inability to pay taxes on their woodlands.
Homeowners’ taxes subject to Legislature’s whims
AJR-8 would allow future Legislatures to tax homeowners more or less from year-to-year. When school and local government spending increases more than state revenues, the Legislature could increase instead of lowering taxes on principal residences – the main source of property tax revenue - to help schools and local governments fill their revenue/spending gap.
Rep. Garthwaite campaigned on a similar tax shift scheme in the last election that he called HOPE so I expect that he will support the Governor on this plan. A quick search of the legislature's website seems to confirm this. Rep. Garthwaite is a lead author of AJR 24, the bill to increase property taxes on farmers, renters, and small businesses in order to subsidize others.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Milwaukee Public Schools estimates property tax increase of less than 3%
Check out this article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Looks like Milwaukee residents can only expect a 2.74% school property tax increase next year. Rep. Garthwaite sure did a great job protecting those property taxpayers. I wonder how much the tax bill is going to increase in Platteville or Boscobel? I bet it is a heck of a lot more than 2.74%.
Looks like Milwaukee residents can only expect a 2.74% school property tax increase next year. Rep. Garthwaite sure did a great job protecting those property taxpayers. I wonder how much the tax bill is going to increase in Platteville or Boscobel? I bet it is a heck of a lot more than 2.74%.
Garthwaite Devastates Cassville Schools but Spares Milwaukee
DPI just released their School Aid Payment Estimates for the next year.
Rep. Garthwaite voted to cut Cassville’s schools by 15.6%. Conversely, he only voted to cut Milwaukee’s public schools by 0.84%. That is going to mean that the Cassville’s school board will have to raise property taxes by the maximum amount allowable under law. It also means that they will have to go to referendum to ask the voters to raise property taxes even more.
So next time you hear the Greater Wisconsin Committee on the radio thanking Garthwaite for “protecting schools,” just remember that they are talking about Milwaukee Schools. Rep. Garthwaite didn’t do a thing to protect Grant County’s schools or us property taxpayers.
...more to come on Rep. Garthwaite's assault on local K-12 education...
Rep. Garthwaite voted to cut Cassville’s schools by 15.6%. Conversely, he only voted to cut Milwaukee’s public schools by 0.84%. That is going to mean that the Cassville’s school board will have to raise property taxes by the maximum amount allowable under law. It also means that they will have to go to referendum to ask the voters to raise property taxes even more.
So next time you hear the Greater Wisconsin Committee on the radio thanking Garthwaite for “protecting schools,” just remember that they are talking about Milwaukee Schools. Rep. Garthwaite didn’t do a thing to protect Grant County’s schools or us property taxpayers.
...more to come on Rep. Garthwaite's assault on local K-12 education...
Monday, June 22, 2009
Rep. Garthwaite votes for $1.48 billion property tax increase
According to the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB), Rep. Garthwaite voted to increase property taxes by $1.48 billion over the next biennium. This translates to about a $300 increase on the average homeowner in SW Wisconsin
Despite the fact that homeowners will face declining home values over the next two years, Rep. Garthwaite’s property tax plan calls for increases of 3.1 and 4.5 percent, respectively over the next two years. The following table lays out the tax increase homeowners can expect to face under Rep. Garthwaite’s property tax plan.
Home Value ----- Tax Increase ----- Tax Bill
$175,000 ----------- $318 ----------- $3,138
$200,000 ----------- $366 ----------- $3,603
$225,000 ----------- $410 ----------- $4,068
$250,000 ----------- $459 ----------- $4,532
$275,000 ----------- $506 ----------- $4,997
$300,000 ----------- $549 ----------- $5,460
For more information on this tax increase please see this memo from the LFB.
In addition to these increases, Rep. Garthwaite’s budget also calls for the elimination of the Qualified Economic Offer or QEO. The QEO is one of the best tools the state has to keep property taxes for school districts in check. According to the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB), repealing the QEO, “will compel boards to rely more heavily on referendums to pay for maintenance, technology and other critical costs that can no longer be afforded.” The long term affect of the QEO repeal will be more referendums and significant increases in property taxes.
When an amendment to maintain the QEO was introduced on the floor of the Assembly during the budget debate Rep. Garthwaite voted against the amendment, which failed 51-47.
For more information on the repeal of the QEO, please see this column from WASB or this editorial from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Despite the fact that homeowners will face declining home values over the next two years, Rep. Garthwaite’s property tax plan calls for increases of 3.1 and 4.5 percent, respectively over the next two years. The following table lays out the tax increase homeowners can expect to face under Rep. Garthwaite’s property tax plan.
Home Value ----- Tax Increase ----- Tax Bill
$175,000 ----------- $318 ----------- $3,138
$200,000 ----------- $366 ----------- $3,603
$225,000 ----------- $410 ----------- $4,068
$250,000 ----------- $459 ----------- $4,532
$275,000 ----------- $506 ----------- $4,997
$300,000 ----------- $549 ----------- $5,460
For more information on this tax increase please see this memo from the LFB.
In addition to these increases, Rep. Garthwaite’s budget also calls for the elimination of the Qualified Economic Offer or QEO. The QEO is one of the best tools the state has to keep property taxes for school districts in check. According to the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB), repealing the QEO, “will compel boards to rely more heavily on referendums to pay for maintenance, technology and other critical costs that can no longer be afforded.” The long term affect of the QEO repeal will be more referendums and significant increases in property taxes.
When an amendment to maintain the QEO was introduced on the floor of the Assembly during the budget debate Rep. Garthwaite voted against the amendment, which failed 51-47.
For more information on the repeal of the QEO, please see this column from WASB or this editorial from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
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