Six Ways to Make a Difference in YOUR Community

February 18, 2024

February 2024

You can make a difference in your local community, and the Rock County First Political Fund is here to help!

The important Spring election is April 2, and you will help make it a success!  Here are six ways to play!

  1. Sign up for RCF Political Fund Super Saturday door-knocking events – March 23 and 30
  2. Share important educational and financial freedom issues with family and friends, such as information on Rock County property taxes and school districts
  3. VOTE and encourage others to vote on April 2. Share important voter information. Print and share the Spring Voter Guide (available on or by March 6), & take it to the polls
  4. Please support your local candidates by volunteering or donating to their campaigns
  5. Meet the endorsed candidates in Beloit (March 6) or Janesville (March 13)
  6. Stay in touch with RCF, informed about the election by signing up for e-updates

    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.