Horicon Adopts Budget With One-Time Jump In Tax Rate

(Horicon) Property owners in Horicon will see a one-time spike on their tax bill next month. The city council this week unanimously approved the 2019 city budget. The $3.8-million-dollar document increased roughly $100-thousand dollars from the 2018 budget. The $2.3-million-dollar levy is up 1.4-percent.

But that is not the reason for the two-dollar and 16-cent ($2.16) spike in the $11.89 mill rate. City Clerk-Treasurer Kristin Jacobson says last year the Wisconsin Department of Revenue did not include the new John Deere expansion in the city’s new Tax Increment Finance District calculations.

In order to compensate, this year the state is allowing a one-time adjustment to the city’s equalized values. That means this year, the equalized value is calculated lower due to the over-inflation of last year’s number and taxpayers are making up the difference. The Horicon School District adopted a budget last month with a similar impact on their mill rate; a 98-cent increase from last year.

Mayor Jim Grigg says the city will defer major projects like road reconstruction until 2020 to help offset the tax burden and help maintain a balanced budget.

One citizen spoke during the public hearing.  Michael Beekman says that although this was a state error that someone has to pay for it.  Beekman expressed surprise that he alone was speaking up against the tax increase and called on the council to take additional actions to relieve the taxpayers of the burden.

The approved budget includes a two-percent increase in city employee wages.