Washington County lowers tax rate another dime | By Jamie Ludovic

November 15, 2019 – Washington Co., WI –  The Washington County property tax rate was reduced by 10 cents when the Washington County Board of Supervisors adopted the 2020 recommended budget and tax levy.

Washington County’s general levy property tax rate will decline from $2.39 per $1,000 in 2019 to $2.29 per $1,000. The budget reduces the tax rate for the sixth consecutive year while the levy itself, the amount of total taxes collected, remains lower than a decade ago. The table below shows the 2020 tax reduction for average home values.

“All new property taxes collected, plus some, in this budget have been allocated to the Sheriff’s office., said County Administrator Joshua Schoemann. “Our highest priority is ‘safe and secure communities’ so we invested in public safety. We also reallocated property taxes from parks. Now users of the parks pay for new amenities ready to be built in 2020.”

These budget also is designed to:

·         Ensure all roads are adequately maintained through a fully-funded thirty-year plan

·         Not issue any new debt

·         Invest in opioid treatment and a new drug treatment court

·         Partner with the state on new prosecutors

·         Maintain a one-day mental health evaluation for uninsured or state insured residents

·         Utilize park fees to add new amenities and increase investments into our park system

·         Increase funding for elderly meal programs providing a safe, nutritious lunch

·         Provide safety and new programming for our children in foster care

·         Reduce the reliance on the County’s savings account

The County also has a local bridge aid and library services levy; both of which remain flat and also see a reduced tax rate.

The 2020 budget summary and full adopted budget is available HERE.