The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.
Opening your property tax bill is never a fun experience, but 2025 was especially jarring for many Wisconsin homeowners. On average, Wisconsin property taxes went up this year by nearly 8%. For some of my constituents, it was even higher. As stunned homeowners search for answers, many are being given false narratives, scapegoats, and solutions which will neither improve education nor lower your tax burden. Wisconsinites are honest people, and they deserve an honest explanation for why their property taxes are so high.
The biggest cause of rising property taxes in our state is Governor Evers’ 400-year veto. Using his veto pen, the Governor locked in an annual $325 per-student increase levy limit for the next 400 years. This means that school districts will be able to raise your property taxes every year until 2425. This year was the first affected by the veto, and the results speak for themselves.
In theory, school districts don’t have to levy up to their limit. In practice, almost all of them do. Of the 421 school districts in our state, only 58 levied less than their maximum amount. Of those, 7 levied only a single dollar less than the maximum. Assuming this continues, Wisconsin school spending could increase by $57 billion in just 20 years. That’s more than the whole state budget spends in a year, and the bill will fall on homeowners.
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But why are our schools levying so much? Are they teaching more students? In fact, enrollment is down, has been going down steadily for over a decade, and is projected to continue declining. Nevertheless, schools across Wisconsin have hired thousands of new employees in the last few years.
Worse, much of this hiring was done using one-time Covid relief funding. Of the 1.49 billion in emergency Covid relief Wisconsin schools received, 41% was spent on hiring new staff and salary increases. With Covid long since over, and the emergency funding gone, districts have to make up for it through your property taxes.
Of course, Democrats have a different explanation. They blame this year’s painfully-large property tax bill on supposed funding cuts in the budget we passed in July. The problem with this is there were no cuts. In fact, our budget delivered a responsible increase, just as every budget has since 2012. Even Governor Evers called our budget “a win for Wisconsin’s kids, families, and communities.”
The solutions they propose are just as absurd. Rather than joining Republican efforts to help school districts face the reality of declining birthrates and enrollment and to end literally 400 years of locked-in property tax hikes, these lawmakers recommend lowering property taxes by, naturally, raising your taxes elsewhere. They have even proposed reintroducing the death tax.
None of this will reverse declining enrollment. It definitely won’t lead to more responsible spending. We cannot spend our way out of these challenges, and Wisconsinites cannot afford the price of Democrat delusion. The 400-year veto must be repealed, and no governor should be able to force that kind of burden on Wisconsinites again. Our government must be open, honest, and responsible with how it spends your money. As we resume this session, this is what I will continue to fight for. And who knows? With so many outraged homeowners across our state, perhaps some Democrats might join me.
– Jacobson, R-Mosinee, represents the 87th Assembly District.
