Pat Garrett:
See how much three major policy changes could cost you and your family
In the years leading up to 2010, property taxes in Wisconsin were on a steady upward trajectory, with residents paying roughly 20 to 30 percent more than the national average. Those trends put Wisconsin near the top nationally in property tax burden.
That trajectory began to shift in 2011. Reforms such as Act 10 and tighter limits on local spending were enacted to slow the growth of major cost drivers affecting local governments and school districts and ultimately reduce pressure on property taxpayers.
For more than a decade, those reforms delivered results. Property tax growth stabilized, and Wisconsin moved closer to the national average on a per capita basis. The figure below demonstrates that progress. Wisconsin still ranks 10th nationally in property taxes as a share of home value, so there is still work to be done. But the trend shows that we’ve made meaningful progress over time.
But that progress is now at risk.