BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – During a time when costs have been rising, Brown County has been able to lower the amount it collects from property owners.
That’s the case again this year as Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach unveiled his budget proposal Monday.
He says the county would have its lowest property tax rate in recorded history under his plan. Streckenbach says it’s possible because of the decision seven years ago to adopt a half percent sales tax.
“It’s working exactly the way we outlined it,” said Streckenbach.
The proposed property tax rate for 2025 is $2.80. That is a nearly 8% decrease from last year and down $1.76 compared to 2018 when the sales tax took effect.
Streckenbach says the county’s annual debt payments have also been cut about in half in that time.
While Brown County residents are paying more on the goods and services they buy through the sales tax, Streckenbach points out visitors, like the ones this weekend from Minnesota, are now helping in paying for things like roads, updated libraries and other county infrastructure.
“If I’m not mistaken, maybe one or two of them spent the night at our county jail,” said Streckenbach. “They get to help pay for that jail stay. To me, that is a good way to properly maintain and pay for our services in Brown County.”
Brown County Executive 2025 Budget Proposal
Click here to view the PDF file.
Supervisor James Pyle says rural communities are also reaping the benefits.
“With the municipalities that we’re working with like Pulaski is going to get a new library,” said Pyle. “This stuff has been in the books for like 10 years, but finally we’re getting it through.”
The hope is to improve things even more by trying to get the state to provide more resources. The county estimates the state’s inability to pay for more prosecutors and judges is costing local taxpayers millions of dollars to house crime suspects longer and build new jail pods to keep them all. Construction next spring on a $15 million pod is part of the budget proposal.
The county board will have the final say on the budget.
If it’s passed as proposed, a property valued at $250,000 would see a $60 reduction on the county portion of their tax bill.
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