Mayor Hails Property Tax Bottom Line: 1.45% Increase for Average Madison Home

Madison – Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said today that when all taxing jurisdictions and property tax credits are taken into account, taxes on the average City of Madison home will increase by only 1.45% this year, well below the 3.7% rate of inflation and other key measures of income growth. “This is good news for city taxpayers,” said Cieslewicz. “This very modest overall increase in property taxes is the result of fiscally responsible budget decisions made by the City, in conjunction with other local units of government and the state. Even when our costs for expenses, such as fuel, increased substantially, we were able to limit the degree to which those costs were passed on to property tax payers.” For City of Madison taxpayers, the taxes on the average home valued at $239,449 will increase by $65.99, to $4,601.41 - an increase of 1.45%. This includes property taxes paid to the City of Madison, the Madison Metropolitan School District, Dane County, the State of Wisconsin, and the Madison Area Technical College. Within this environment of fiscal restraint, the recently enacted City of Madison budget includes substantial new funding for initiatives such as: · Ten new police officers and seven new detectives. · Planning resources for a new west side fire station in 2007, with construction in 2008. · More resources for park maintenance. · A new automated trash pickup service beginning in September to mirror the highly successful automated recycling service. · New resources for after-school programs, neighborhood centers and job mentoring, plus a nearly 50% increase in childcare assistance for low-income families. · A series of economic development initiatives that have the support of both the business community and Council progressives.