A Not So Beautiful Balloon

The headline of this past weekend's WSJ Sunday Opinion article is, "Up, up and away Dane County tax levy must come down ". Those old enough will surely remember the song our parents listened to (that's right, WE didn't listen to it; that would have been square, man), "Up, Up and Away (in My Beautiful Balloon)", by the 5th Dimension. Well, the property taxes are certainly ballooning, but there's no beauty to it.

What is interesting is that the WSJ Opinion is all up in arms about what amounts to a $38 increase for the average Madison home. If that's got their unmentionables in a bunch...and more importantly, they want US to get our unmentionables in a bunch...how should we feel about a Sun Prairie Area School District tax levy increase of 12.54% that will cost the owner of a $200K home an additional $264.

So now, people, add another $38 onto your property tax.

Thank goodness the Sun Prairie City Council is looking to hold the line on the mill rate.
Wish our elected school board members had similar concerns for the people that elected them.

"This is an increase that I am not comfortable with."
That's what Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said last week about her proposed 7.9 percent hike in county property taxes.

If Falk is anxious about the biggest jump in county property taxes in more than a decade, just imagine how struggling home and business owners must feel.

And it could get even worse.

County employee unions - especially the Dane County Deputy Sheriff's Association - are balking at 3 percent pay cuts to help the county get through its financial
crisis.

If the deputies get their way - and other unions fight off any pay reductions - the county property tax levy could jump by 12 percent.

That's nuts.
--Wisconsin State Journal "Sunday Opinion" 10-4-09

Gee...our school board is rising the tax levy 12.54% and we didn't hear a single board member express dismay or shed a tear. At least Falk is acting like she's concerned.