Proposed 2025 Rock County Budget – Do They Really Want to Help Taxpayers In Their Time of Need?

October 30, 2024

November 2024

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?  

Financial freedom from a local perspective is largely driven and controlled by local taxation.  Most notably property taxes – School District, County and City – are a major expense of Rock County homeowners. Most people in Rock County know their property taxes are high, but few overburdened taxpayers know, Rock County’s property taxes are higher than 96% of ALL counties in the US!  This is based on the percentage of income, or people’s ability to pay (Source:  https://www.tax-rates.org/wisconsin/rock_county_property_tax).  

Suffice it to say that all local taxing authorities need to ‘tighten their belts,’ just as the citizens are forced to do in today’s inflation-ridden economy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

    • Rock County Supervisors are finalizing their proposed $238M 2025 budget – which will impact your 2025 property taxes!
      • This is $1,451 per Rock County citizen!
    • The proposed 2025 budget County includes a 2.4% increase in the tax levy in 2025.  On average, the recommended tax levy increase would raise the County portion of the property tax bill by $8.22 on a $100,000 home.
    • The brief highlights and lowlights of the proposed 2025 budget:
    • The HIGHLIGHTS:
          • Modest reduction in headcount: 30.25 employees (17 were vacant positions)
    • 2% increase in the share County employees pay for their insurance
          • Rock Haven county funding decrease of 42% due to additional Medicaid revenue
          • Proposed modest tax levy increase in 2025 of 2.4%
    • The LOWLIGHTS:
          • Mounting debt service (amount of interest and principal owed by taxpayers) has increased +107%/+$8.1M over the past five years (2020-2025)
              • Largely driven by the new County Jail debt service – $13M in 2025, over $14M in 2026 and about $13.6M in 2027
              • Debt service will increase +19.3%/$2.5M in proposed 2025 budget, versus 2024, and is not expected to be below $10M until 2032
      • All while the county’s population has increased only about +.4%/+613 over the past 5 years! (Roughly 160,000 to 164,000 residents)

      THE ISSUES:

        • If you make a major purchase on credit, do you have to lower your discretionary spending in order to make the payment?  Of course!  But why didn’t the County do as they both increased the debt burden (with purchase of new jail) while also increasing county expenditures.

      Source:  https://www.tax-rates.org/wisconsin/rock_county_property_tax

      • Prices are up 20% on average over past four years – Rock County citizens financially hurting

      EASY SOLUTION – SHOT DOWN:

      • Pay down the debt service with interest earned on taxpayer money
        • Supervisor Debi Towns, of Edgerton, introduced the resolution to lessen the tax burden on taxpayers in 2025 by applying earned interest to paying off debt.
          • Bill Wilson – District 5
          • Mary Mawhinney – District 6
          • Dave Homan – District 8
          • Philip Gorman – District 14
          • Yuri Rashkin – District 16
          • RJ Sutterlin – District 18
          • Mark Bobzien – District 21
          • Kathy Schulz – District 29
          • Instead of cashing in interest earned on taxpayers money in order to deliver lower taxes, these eight County Supervisors voted against the Resolution:
        • See the Gazette Article HERE for more details

      CALL TO ACTION:

      • Attend public hearing on proposed 2025 budget
          • October 30th at 6PM
            • Rock County Courthouse
            • 51 South Main Street
            • Janesville, WI 53545
      • Attend County Board Meeting where they will vote on the 2025 budget
        • November 12th at 6PM (Rock County Courthouse)
        • At least 20 of 29 Supervisors must vote to approve the budget
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