The Winnebago County Courthouse in Oshkosh, July 18 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
WINNEBAGO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors may implement a 0.5% sales tax.
The tax would correspond with a lower property tax rate, according to Winnebago County Executive Gordon Hintz.
The board will vote on Tuesday night whether to draft a resolution to adopt the sales tax. If passed, the final vote would take place this fall with the rest of the budget.
The county would garner about $20 million per year, according to County Board Vice Chairman Chuck Farrey. Of that $20 million, 30% would be redistributed to municipalities based on population size, as outlined in this chart.
An estimated 30% of sales tax revenue would come from non-residents, according to Hintz. It would allow the county to capture revenue from visitors at events like EAA AirVenture and Lifest.
Winnebago County ran a $5.2 million deficit in 2024 and is running an $8.6 million deficit in 2025, per Farrey. The county is currently on the hook for the $1.6 million annual maintenance costs for the former UW-Oshkosh at Fox Cities campus.
Of the 72 counties in Wisconsin, only Winnebago and Waukesha do not charge a sales tax.
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