MONROE - If your taxes were higher this year, join the club.
Across Wisconsin, 2008-09 tax levies for schools, technical colleges and counties all were up, the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance reports. The fourth component that makes up the local tax bill - the municipal levy - also is expected to rise. In all, WTA expects the average Wisconsin tax bill to increase about 4.3 percent over last year.
Who has it worst? Here's a quick look at some of the bigger increases in the area:
SCHOOL TAXES
The largest chunk of property taxes come from local school tax levies. Across the state, school tax levies were up 5.2 percent in 2008-2009 over the year before. That represents $4.28 billion being collected to pay for public schools, up from $4.07 billion last year.
Monticello, with a levy of $1.92 million this year, posted one of the state's largest percent increases in tax levies, at 27.8 percent. Iowa-Grant's levy of $2.53 million posted the largest percent increase at 40 percent.
Beloit cut its levy 13.9 percent to $11.77 billion, the largest percent decrease in the state.
COUNTY TAXES
Lafayette and Green counties led the state in the percent increases in county property taxes. For 2008-2009, Lafayette County's taxes increased 9.7 percent and Green County's increased 9 percent that same year, according to WTA.
That's well above the average of a 3.1 percent increase for all 72 counties in Wisconsin. In actual dollars, that means taxpayers across the state paid $1.86 billion in taxes just for county government - up from $1.80 billion the year before.
Also in the top five were Adams (8.3 percent), Sauk (7.4 percent) and Kewaunee (7 percent). More metropolitan counties had more modest increases: Dane County increased its taxes by 4.6 percent, while Milwaukee County went up 3.1 percent. Sheboygan and Washington counties had a decrease in their levies, by 1.2 and .5 percent, respectively.
TECHNICAL COLLEGES
Property taxes also go to support state technical colleges. Blackhawk Technical College, which serves most of Green and Lafayette counties, has one of the smallest levies in the state at $20.63 million. BTC's levy grew 4.9 this year, just shy of the 5 percent average increase in technical colleges across the state.
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in Fennimore had the largest percent increase at 16.3 percent. However, its levy is the smallest at $14.12 million.
Madison Area Technical College, by comparison, had an increase of 5.8 percent to bring its levy to $87.43 million. The largest technical school levy, $146 million, in the state is for Milwaukee Area Technical College. That school saw an increase of 4.8 percent in its levy this year.
MUNICIPALITIES
Municipal tax levy information is not yet available, but the WTA estimates the average increase in municipal levies across the state will be 3.5 percent over last year. Using that 3.5 percent increase, the WTA estimates total gross property taxes will increase an average of 4.3 percent across the state.
The City of Monroe's levy for 2009 is about 2 percent more than was levied last year.
Across Wisconsin, 2008-09 tax levies for schools, technical colleges and counties all were up, the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance reports. The fourth component that makes up the local tax bill - the municipal levy - also is expected to rise. In all, WTA expects the average Wisconsin tax bill to increase about 4.3 percent over last year.
Who has it worst? Here's a quick look at some of the bigger increases in the area:
SCHOOL TAXES
The largest chunk of property taxes come from local school tax levies. Across the state, school tax levies were up 5.2 percent in 2008-2009 over the year before. That represents $4.28 billion being collected to pay for public schools, up from $4.07 billion last year.
Monticello, with a levy of $1.92 million this year, posted one of the state's largest percent increases in tax levies, at 27.8 percent. Iowa-Grant's levy of $2.53 million posted the largest percent increase at 40 percent.
Beloit cut its levy 13.9 percent to $11.77 billion, the largest percent decrease in the state.
COUNTY TAXES
Lafayette and Green counties led the state in the percent increases in county property taxes. For 2008-2009, Lafayette County's taxes increased 9.7 percent and Green County's increased 9 percent that same year, according to WTA.
That's well above the average of a 3.1 percent increase for all 72 counties in Wisconsin. In actual dollars, that means taxpayers across the state paid $1.86 billion in taxes just for county government - up from $1.80 billion the year before.
Also in the top five were Adams (8.3 percent), Sauk (7.4 percent) and Kewaunee (7 percent). More metropolitan counties had more modest increases: Dane County increased its taxes by 4.6 percent, while Milwaukee County went up 3.1 percent. Sheboygan and Washington counties had a decrease in their levies, by 1.2 and .5 percent, respectively.
TECHNICAL COLLEGES
Property taxes also go to support state technical colleges. Blackhawk Technical College, which serves most of Green and Lafayette counties, has one of the smallest levies in the state at $20.63 million. BTC's levy grew 4.9 this year, just shy of the 5 percent average increase in technical colleges across the state.
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in Fennimore had the largest percent increase at 16.3 percent. However, its levy is the smallest at $14.12 million.
Madison Area Technical College, by comparison, had an increase of 5.8 percent to bring its levy to $87.43 million. The largest technical school levy, $146 million, in the state is for Milwaukee Area Technical College. That school saw an increase of 4.8 percent in its levy this year.
MUNICIPALITIES
Municipal tax levy information is not yet available, but the WTA estimates the average increase in municipal levies across the state will be 3.5 percent over last year. Using that 3.5 percent increase, the WTA estimates total gross property taxes will increase an average of 4.3 percent across the state.
The City of Monroe's levy for 2009 is about 2 percent more than was levied last year.