STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — The fate of a wheel tax in Portage County will be decided Tuesday evening by its Board of Supervisors.
The proposed $25 fee on most passenger vehicles in the county would be used to help plug a $3 million shortfall in the current highway budget. Leaders say they are beginning to run out of options to cure that shortfall, and that the wheel tax would be used to make up about half of the shortfall.
The money would be used exclusively for county highway projects, no city or state/interstate improvements would be funded from the generated revenue.
RELATED: Portage County leaders spell out need for wheel tax
The funding options are currently in place in eight other counties and dozens of cities/towns/villages statewide. In some cases, such as the City of Milwaukee, residents are paying two separate wheel taxes to both the city and county. Other areas turning to the tax include the Cities of Sheboygan, Appleton, and Janesville. Counties include Iowa, Dane, Chippewa, Marathon, and Lincoln.
The discussion will be part of the annual meeting at 5 PM, where the county budget will also be submitted for approval.
