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Supervisors review 2021 budget

Waupaca County’s tax rate remains steady

By Robert Cloud


Waupaca County’s proposed 2021 tax levy may increase 2.3%, to $29 million.

As recommended by the Finance Committee, the 2021 levy would increase by $657,000 over the 2020 levy.

The county projects its total 2021 property tax rate at $6.69 per $1,000 of equalized value.

The tax rate in 2020 was $6.70.

A home valued at $142,300 – the median value in Waupaca County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau – will have a tax burden of $951.52 in 2021.

Waupaca County’s total equalized value, excluding tax incremental financing districts, is now more than $4.34 billion, a 2.57% increase from the 2019 valuation.

According to County Finance Director Heidi Dombrowski, although Waupaca County’s equalized value increased by $108.7 million in 2020, net new construction in the county only increased by $246,382 or 1.04%.

The county plans to levy $23.8 million in general taxes, $4.05 million for debt services, $1.1 million for libraries and $53,000 for county bridge aid.

Other revenue sources

Other sources of revenue in the 2021 budget are $4 million in sales tax, all of which will be allocated for county road construction projects.

Until recently, the county relied on borrowing $4 million annually to pay for its highway projects.

For the past decade, Waupaca County sales tax collections have increased from $2.69 million in 2010 to $4.09 million projected in 2020.
Although the revenues from the county’s sales tax have experienced growth in the past, sales tax revenues in the 2021 budget remain the same as 2020 due to concerns about COVID-19’s impact on the economy.

State and federal revenues account for $13.55 million, or 18.45% of the county’s 2021 operating revenues.

This represents a decrease of about $1 million from the 2020 amended budget.

The 2020 amended budget also included more than $850,000 for the county’s share of the one-time Routes to Recovery funding related to COVID-19 expenses.

Fines and penalties account for $234,450 of the county’s operating revenues.

Service fees, such as Solid Waste, inmate charges and Health and Human Services case management fees, account for $8.1 million, or 11.1% of the county’s operating revenues.

Intergovernmental charges for service account for $14.32 million, or 19.5% of Waupaca County’s operating revenues. Most of these revenues are allocated in the Highway Operations Enterprise Fund.

In 2020, the county budgeted $502,000 in revenues from interest on investments.

Actual interest revenues was about $352,000 in 2020, about $150,000 under budget.

For 2021, the county plans to budget interest revenues of $95,000, a 58.7% drop from the 2020 budget.

Moving forward

The county will hold the first reading of its 2021 budget on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and a public hearing on the budget on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

Both meetings begin at 9 a.m.

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