I guess I wrote my letter pointing out the Waupaca city and county property tax increases a week too soon.
Now I read that the Waupaca School District passed a tax rate of $11.16 per $1,000 of equalized value, about 51 cents higher than last year. Like the other taxes, the increase was necessary because state aid to the district was reduced by $357,000.
Local governments and school districts can only reduce services and staff so much until they need more revenue. Rural communities suffer the most, just so Gov. Scott Walker can claim he reduced property taxes.
To paraphrase a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln, “In Wisconsin, you can fool enough of the people all of the time.”
Sandy deBeers
Waupaca