Financial Freedom

March 15, 2024

March 2024

Rock County property taxes are in the top 3% of all (3143) US counties, and are even higher than in Dane County property taxes, based on percentage of property value!

Financial freedom is less about financials and more about personal freedom. In Rock County, your property taxes are assessed by the county and Blackhawk Technical College, as well as your city/municipality and school district. It is your elected representatives who oversee these local governmental bodies and are resposible for setting their tax levies. This is what drives your individual property taxes. If you would like to speak to your local elected officials directly, you can find their contact information HERE.

So the point is, fair taxation has to take into account the citizen’s ability to pay the taxes, among other factors. Our local elected officials on county, municipal and school district boards are entrusted to maintain FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.

Collectively, these boards have led to this high taxation issue in Rock County. So as a citizen, your role is to elected officials who will be focused on FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, and have proven so through action.

 

According to 2024 Tax-Rates.org, Rock County property tax comparison to US:

● MEDIAN PROPERTY TAX: If Rock County median property taxes, as a percentage of median income, are 255th out of 3143 counties across the US, this puts Rock County property taxes in the TOP 8% in the US!

● PERCENTAGE OF INCOME: If Rock County property taxes, as a percentage of income, is 143 of 3143 counties across the US, this puts Rock County property taxes in the TOP 5% in the US!

● PERCENTAGE OF PROPERTY VALUE: If Rock County property taxes, as a percentage of property value, is 100th (1.96% of property’s assessed fair market value) out of 3143 counties across the US, this places Rock County property taxes in the TOP 3% in the US!

Rock County property tax vs Dane County:
● Rock County property taxes (1.96%) are even higher than Dane County
(1.8%) property taxes, based on a percentage of property value!

Do You Really Have Financial Freedom?

Other Articles From Our Blog

Local Spending is Unsustainable

Local Spending is Unsustainable

Are you tired of your property taxes increasing every year while your household income doesn’t? Local government is an interesting entity. We all know that we can’t spend more than we make and expect our neighbors to make up the difference. In the governmental view, however, that doesn’t appear to be true. So what is one to do? Don’t let them get away with it. You don’t have to. You can do your homework on current Rock County Board Supervisors and see how they vote. (You can obviously do this at your local municipal level as well). Better still, seek out board members and ask some questions right now. You might ask why the county has continually allowed a budget process that ends in the result of spending growth outpacing the county resident’s ability to pay for it, or the growth of our community. You could ask what your county board supervisor is doing to drop Rock County’s status as one of the top four percent highest taxed counties in the nation (relative to personal income). You could ask them about upcoming budget items they plan to support and those they would not support funding with taxpayer dollars. Your board supervisors might be your neighbors, but is their hand out to help you, or to grab even more of your hard earned money? (BTW: ALL County Supervisors are up for re-election next April).
Rock County Unsustainable Debt and Expenditure Growth

Rock County Unsustainable Debt and Expenditure Growth

Key takeaways: It is the 2026 budget season for local governments. Time to learn about how much you are taxed, locally, and get engaged with your local representatives to ask questions. This document is meant to help you to have these conversations! County debt and expenditures are outpacing Rock County citizen’s ability to pay, and the growth in population in the county. Unsustainable! As reported in a previous RCF Did You Know (DYK) document, property taxes in Rock County are out of proportion with the citizen’s ability to pay, due to a systemic lagging personal income in Rock County. More specifically, Rock County’s property taxes are higher than 96% of ALL counties in the US, relative to personal income. This inequity is created primarily by county, school district and municipality taxing authorities assessing tax levies which collectively do not adequately take into account Rock County citizen’s abililty to pay - in relation to the average personal income in the county.
FINAL REPORT: Rock Co. School Districts – Updated with Cost per Student

FINAL REPORT: Rock Co. School Districts – Updated with Cost per Student

WHY DOES THE DPI SCORING MATTER? Like any successful business or individual, there needs to be some method to measure & compare performance and progress over time. The WI Department of Public Instruction (DPI) provides the only method for parents and citizens to track the performance and progress of their school district over time, as compared to other school districts. The DPI Scorecard is not a perfect tool to accomplish this objective, but it is the best available method today. Since parents and taxpayers deserve to have this accountability, and since DPI believes this program is not effective to measure and compare performance and progress, then it is incumbent on DPI to develop and provide a better assessment program and to make it consistent from one year to the next.