Marathon County logo. MWC file photo.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The promise of additional shared revenue from the state is welcome news for Marathon County Board Chairman Kurt Gibbs.
“In 1987 the state was providing 46% of the county’s funding,” said Gibbs. “In 2019 that had fallen to 26%. That difference has to fall on local taxpayers in some way. Whether that be property tax or fees for services. It has to come from somewhere if those services are going to be continued.
Gibbs would like to see Evers’ plan of marking 1% of the state’s sales tax for shared revenue, which would tie the fund to how well the economy is doing. “Historically, we have seen a fixed dollar amount. Some programs have seen increases [such as] infrastructure and highway funding, but to tie it to the success of the economy I think would be welcome.”
It’s too soon to tell exactly how much the state plans to send back to the 72 counties and nearly 2,000 towns, cities, and villages. That also means it’s too soon to tell if the county’s portion of that funding will be enough to offset the wheel tax or make for a lower tax bill in future years.
Estimates show if the 1% plan is implemented it could mean an extra $500 million to be split between those entities. Gibbs also notes that new data is showing that the state’s projected budget surplus from the last two years is about to eclipse the $7 billion mark, up from a projection of about $6.6 billion just a few months ago.
Ultimately Gibbs says it will be he and the rest of the county’s Supervisors that decide how the money is allocated. He says he would like to see extra funds for mental health services through North Central Health Care, a need that he is very familiar with through his role with the North Central Community Services program board.
“There is plenty of need to go around, it is just a matter of how do we prioritize it,” added Gibbs.
Comments