Two Manitowoc County Leaders have written op-eds regarding the proposed sales tax increase to pay for the Courthouse restoration project.
Below are the unedited articles written by County Executive Bob Ziegelbauer and District 19 Representative James Falkowski.
Bob Ziegelbauer – Manitowoc County Executive
The Manitowoc County Board is at it again! Some of their members are considering to impose a half a percent county sales tax on top of the Wisconsin sales tax you normally pay.
That would amount to the biggest tax increase in the history of Manitowoc County. This is a dishonest proposal because we don’t need the money. We‘ve held to line on property taxes and we’ll do so in the future.
I’m defending local taxpayers from Manitowoc County looting and stealing their hard earned money. We don’t need the sales tax. The sales tax is cruel, oppressive, and regressive and affects those at the bottom of the economic ladder most. It hurt those more who have the least.
The latest excuse for looking to the sales tax is the courthouse repair project. But the property tax effect is a nominal, one time, less than 2 percent increase in the property taxes for 20 years. The sales tax will generate 4 or 5 times as much from your pocket every year, and the sales tax will last forever. Then, they will waste your money.
The sales tax will be a “long term harm” for a “short term need”. I’m disappointed with County Board Supervisors who say they are conservative and care for the taxpayer but are supporting the largest tax increase in Manitowoc County history, especially when we don’t need it. This is dishonest.
We need to defeat this proposal.
James Falkowski – District 19 Manitowoc County Board Supervisor
The Rorschach test of public funding a capital project and the ‘Tax’ ink blots. When a committee to assess the courthouse dome condition, they delved into studies, and inspection then recommend a pragmatic course of action. This process has been transparent, inviting public participation through open meetings, comprehensive web postings, and board engagement.
Our board has a diverse array of perspectives, and this has sparked a spectrum of ideas—ranging from quick fixes, to full replacements of the courthouse, or even the suggestion of no action to avoided tax increase.The debates recently have centered on cost versus functionality.
However, amidst these deliberations, one incontrovertible fact stands out: our courthouse stands as a historic landmark, legally demanding our preservation and protection. Our obligations don’t merely revolve around aesthetics but extend to critical safety concerns. The engineering evaluation, is crucial for the dome project, and should factor in to consider structural integrity plus ensure precise estimates for project costs.
Unfortunately, some propose fragmenting the capital project to serve personal priorities, seeking to introduce a county sales tax. Yet, when considering the options, it’s clear: a responsible budget is viable using bonds to spread costs judiciously over time. The bonding strategy for the courthouse aligns with successful models in other counties data, ensuring minimal long-term taxpayer impact.
The belief because a county sales tax is distributed and not on your property tax, is a ruse and dishonorable, it will be accumulative plus your property tax. I already heard the gimmicks about sun-setting and how the tax is a visitor revenue capture. When it comes to intrenched philosophy about public revenue, it depends on how much the public pays attention.
Understandably, taxes are sensitive. The proposed sales tax, at 0.5%, appears negligible, but unlike your property taxes that provides a path for a deduction, sales taxes offer no probable federal deduction, disproportionately affecting your taxes. Moreover, the burden often falls on residents rather than visitors, as evident in many counties’ data. Yet, some feel diminished because other counties have the tax and we must lack proficiency extracting more revenue streams from our constituents. Instead of celebrating the good fiscal management of Manitowoc County’s success and stability, some unserious concern how it looks is vs. how it works.
Comparatively, the projected impact of the courthouse project is dwarfed by considering the county’s annual public-school taxes. Over a 30-year period, the proposed courthouse funding pales in comparison to contributions to the principal school districts of the county, at $45 million annually minimally and with $1.3 Billion expended on the same timeline to pay off the whole courthouse capital project.
If the projected revenue from the sales tax is implemented, that amount would be the largest ever tax increase the county taxpayers have experienced. That amount is 25% more than the tax levy now.
Managing our infrastructure and heritage, while minimizing its immediate fiscal implications, the bonding strategy secures our community’s future. Ultimately, it’s an investment in the legacy we leave for generations to come, or ‘leg drag’ and leave this problem for them to criticize the quality of decision making.
While skepticism about tax hikes is valid, recognizing the fiscal management enduring this county foundations, is pivotal. Engage with your county representative to voice concerns about the county sales tax ruse, if you care.
