GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Green Bay City Council could vote tonight on a plan to add a $20 “wheel tax” on vehicles registered in the city as a way to pay for road repairs.
The wheel tax would generate slightly more than $2 million per year for the city.
Currently, the special assessments on residential property owners generates about $750,000, while the non-residential assessments generate $350,000 annually.
That means, according to a staff memo, that the special assessments could be eliminated, the same amount of roadwork completed, and there would be $982,150 available for other programming.
That other programming could include: alley reconstruction/resurfacing, creation of a reserve fund, expansion of how many miles of roads are rebuilt annually, additional maintenance work, a reduction in the property tax levy associated with roads, and rail crossing repairs.
Alderman Mark Steuer tells WLUK….
“Most people when they think of a tax, they’re not real happy about it, in Green Bay, we haven’t raised taxes in about 10 years.”
Steuer explained the money from the wheel tax could be used to pay for road repaving, and road reconstruction.
However, not everyone is board with the idea. Like Alderman Guy Zima.
“In general I’m just against it because it taxes all the poor. Everybody has a car and then of course the big property holders get all their stuffed paved for free.”
Zima said there needs to be a better way to pay for city road projects, without raises taxes.
“The truth of the matter is that they start living within their budgets and start spending their money on the basic things that people need to pay taxes for.”
According to city research, 15 municipalities across the state have the wheel tax.
Of those, 12 have the fee set at $20 per year, two charge $10 per year, and one charges $30 annually. The city of Appleton approved the $20 wheel tax in Sept. 2014.
At the Improvement & Services Committee meeting last week, Ald. Chris Wery and Ald. David Nenning endorsed the plan, while Ald. John VanderLeest and Ald. Andy Nicholson voted against it.
The 2-2 tie means it moves to the full council without a recommendation from the committee.
If approved, the wheel tax would only be charged to those vehicles registered in the City of Green Bay, not to those who live in other communities which are not within city limits but have a Green Bay postal address.
The tax applies to vehicles weighing less than 8,000 pounds, according to state law.
The City Council meets at 7 p.m. tonight in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 100 N. Jefferson St.
