MONROE - The Green County tax rate will be slightly lower next year than it was this year, despite higher costs and lower revenues in the 2018 budget.
The Green County Board of Supervisors presented the proposed 2018 budget to the public - though none were in attendance - Tuesday night.The proposed budget's 2018 expenditures are slated at about $63.5 million, which is an increase of 12.5 percent over the projected final expenses of $56.4 million in 2017. This is the second straight year expenditures have increased by more than 10 percent.
Revenues have gone down, from a final projected $43.1 million from 2017 to $38.7 million in 2018.
Despite lower revenues and higher costs, the county plans to keep the tax levy close to last year's by offsetting it with sales tax collected in 2016 and cash from the general fund. They made a similar move for each of the last two years - something Finance and Accounting Committee Chairman Dennis Everson noted as unsustainable in the budget report.
Supervisors unanimously approved the county's net tax levy at about $15.8 million, up by 2.86 percent from last year's levy. That translates to a tax rate of 5.52 percent, down from 5.53 percent in 2017, thanks to rising property values. This means that property owners with a home valued at $100,000 would pay $552 in county taxes in 2018.
Property values in the county increased by over 3 percent from last year, which continues a trend. Property values increased by about 4.4 percent the year before.
The largest county expenses in the 2018 budget are health and social services at 24.2 percent. Pleasant View Nursing Home (23 percent), transportation (22 percent) and public safety (12 percent) are the next largest county expenditures.
Twenty-seven supervisors were in attendance, as were various county department heads. The board passed six resolutions, all unanimous, on the tax levy for 2018.
At the same meeting, Supervisor Ron Wolter of the City of Brodhead resigned from his post, citing re-locating to a different district.
The Green County Board of Supervisors presented the proposed 2018 budget to the public - though none were in attendance - Tuesday night.The proposed budget's 2018 expenditures are slated at about $63.5 million, which is an increase of 12.5 percent over the projected final expenses of $56.4 million in 2017. This is the second straight year expenditures have increased by more than 10 percent.
Revenues have gone down, from a final projected $43.1 million from 2017 to $38.7 million in 2018.
Despite lower revenues and higher costs, the county plans to keep the tax levy close to last year's by offsetting it with sales tax collected in 2016 and cash from the general fund. They made a similar move for each of the last two years - something Finance and Accounting Committee Chairman Dennis Everson noted as unsustainable in the budget report.
Supervisors unanimously approved the county's net tax levy at about $15.8 million, up by 2.86 percent from last year's levy. That translates to a tax rate of 5.52 percent, down from 5.53 percent in 2017, thanks to rising property values. This means that property owners with a home valued at $100,000 would pay $552 in county taxes in 2018.
Property values in the county increased by over 3 percent from last year, which continues a trend. Property values increased by about 4.4 percent the year before.
The largest county expenses in the 2018 budget are health and social services at 24.2 percent. Pleasant View Nursing Home (23 percent), transportation (22 percent) and public safety (12 percent) are the next largest county expenditures.
Twenty-seven supervisors were in attendance, as were various county department heads. The board passed six resolutions, all unanimous, on the tax levy for 2018.
At the same meeting, Supervisor Ron Wolter of the City of Brodhead resigned from his post, citing re-locating to a different district.