Lower tax bills in Waupaca

By Angie Landsverk

City of Waupaca taxpayers will see a lower city tax rate when they receive their tax bills in December.

They will also notice their overall tax bill is a bit lower.

That is because while the other local taxing entities either increased or maintained their tax rates, higher credits will result in lower tax bills for Waupaca’s taxpayers.

The city’s tax rate will be $9.63 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

That is a .41 percent decrease from the present mill rate of of $9.67.

The $9.63 rate is a few cents lower than the $9.66 rate initially estimated by city staff.

The bill city taxpayers receive will also include the tax rates of Waupaca County, the Waupaca School District and Fox Valley Technical College.

The county’s rate went from $6.71 to $6.92, the school district’s from $11.08 to $11.38 and FVTC’s stayed the same at $1.11 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

The School Levy Credit, which was $1.77, will be $1.80.

When that $1.80 credit is deducted, the total mill rate for city taxpayers is $27.25 per $1,000 of assessed valuation compared to the present rate of $26.80.

While the new mill rate is higher, the owner of a $100,000 home in Waupaca will actually pay $13.59 less in taxes.

That homeowner will pay $2,464.70 in total taxes, compared to the $2,478.29 paid to support the 2018 budgets of the city, Waupaca County, Waupaca School District and FVTC.

This is because like the School Levy Credit, the Lottery and First Dollar credits are also higher.

The Lottery Credit will be $184.38 compared to $128.36, and the First Dollar Credit will be $75.92 compared to $73.35.

The credits are also deducted on property bills.

Those higher credits will result in a $100,000 homeowner in the city paying $13.59 less in overall taxes, said Kathy Kasza, the city’s finance director and treasurer.

She updated the Waupaca Common Council on the credits when it met on Nov. 20.

On that evening, the council approved the city’s 2019 expenditure budget of about $7 million by a vote of 9-0.
Mary Phair was absent.

The budget will be supported by a $3.25 million levy, down $68,854 from the city’s present levy of $3.3 million.

The $3.25 million levy includes $1.8 million for the General Fund, $339,554 for the Library Fund, $10,000 for the Transit Fund, $60,000 for the Airport Fund and $1.07 million for the Debt Service Fund.

A public hearing on the city’s 2019 budget took place prior to the council meeting.

No members of the public spoke during the hearing.

“The resolution is exactly what was presented last meeting,” Kasza said.

Mayor Brian Smith said city staff and the common council worked to keep the city budget in line.