Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says Dem Gov. Tony Evers would have to help Republicans reverse his 400-year veto before they entertain any effort to address property tax bills.
“One of the things that has to happen is we need Governor Evers to admit he made a mistake,” the Rochester Republican told reporters Tuesday during a pre-session availability.
Evers told reporters Monday that state revenues are on pace to come in nearly $1 billion more than what was expected when he signed the budget six months ago. He called on lawmakers to put that money toward $1.3 billion in property tax relief that he proposed in the 2025-27 state budget – a plan Republicans rejected.
Evers used his partial veto in the 2023-25 budget to extend by 400 years an annual increase in the per pupil spending limit of $325 per student. The 2025-27 state budget included no new state aid in the formula impacted by that spending limit. That allowed districts to raise property taxes to account for the additional spending authority.
>> WisPolitics is now on the State Affairs network. Get custom keyword notifications, bill tracking and all WisPolitics content. Get the app or access via desktop.
Republicans are pushing SB 389/AB 391, which would end that per pupil increase after the 2026-27 school year, and it cleared an Assembly committee last week.
“So hopefully he would work with us to say, assuming we do property tax relief, we can’t just keep putting more water into a bucket full of holes. We need to fill the holes and then make sure that the bucket has the ability to deliver the relief,” Vos said.
The Senate in November signed off on its version of the bill to halt the annual per pupil increase.
“Now that everyday people are feeling the impact of his 400-year mistake, Governor Evers is desperately trying to pass the buck,” said Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg. “If the governor really cared about lowering property taxes, he would sign our proposal to eliminate the automatic 400-year property tax increase he unilaterally created.”
Ahead of Tuesday’s floor period, Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, declined to say if there’s any support in her caucus for repealing the 400-year veto.
“We want to fund our public schools, and we want to address the real challenge that Wisconsinites are facing of increased property taxes,” she said. “We’ve put forward a bill to fund general aids that would hold the line on property taxes and make sure that our schools are able to function. That’s the bill we’re going to be advocating for.”
