OCONTO — An Oconto city council found another way to reduce residents’ property tax burden before approving its 2025 budget Thursday.
A $100,000 street project grant revenue was obtained to reduce taxes by $100,000.
The adjustments before final approval translated into a savings of about $40 for every $100,000 a property is appraised.
The 2025 tax levy is now $2.41 million, an increase of $34,325, or 1.4%, from the $2.37 million assessed in 2024.
Some of the largest expenditures come from public safety, with the proposed budget increasing that amount by nearly $100,000 while increasing debt service by more than $100,000.
The revaluation of the property tax has consequences for the accounts
The city has undergone a revaluation this year, with many residents’ properties increasing in value. The city property had an assessed value of $213,590,300 for 2024. As of January 1, the value has increased to $364,376,000, an increase of 58.6%.
Due to the dramatic increase in values, the tax rate needed to raise the necessary funds to run the city was reduced from $1.11 for every assessed $1,000 to $0.65. In this case, the owner of a home valued at $100,000 would pay approximately $650.
However, this is only part of the tax bill as Oconto property owners also pay taxes to the Oconto County government, the Oconto Unified School District and the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. It is expected that the combined residents of the City of Oconto will have to pay approximately $1,550 for every $100,000 of assessed value ($686 for the school district, $301 for the county and $56 for NWTC, and then a $150 credit for deduct the state school levy).
“With the revaluation, there will be drastic changes to people’s taxes, both up and down,” said Oconto City Manager Brittney Burruel. “I mean, they’re spread across the board. We’re trying to keep the district as low as possible and not increase it too much.”
More: Tax rate drops, tax levy increases in Oconto County’s 2025 budget
Budget breakdown
Overall, the city’s total expenditures are $7.2 million, which can be broken down as follows:
Government: $657,645, compared to $581,084 from the 2024 budget
Public Safety: $2,660,729, up from $2,577,846
Public works: $1,118,344, down from $1,125,856
Health and Human Services: $1,200, down $3,000
Culture, recreation & education: $365,766, up from $353,089
Conservation and development: $13,853, down $45,500
Airport: $242,850, up from $230,950
Recycling: $94,521, up from $96,599
Library: $309,465, up from $297,380
Crime Prevention: $5,000, and remains the same at $5,000
Campsite: $246,921, up from $232,619
Docks/breakwater: $92,978, up from $83,438
Debt service: $885,017, up from $845,922
K-9: $16,000, down from $20,500
Capital Projects: $440,229, down from $445,500
Fleet: $60,981, no separate budget item in 2024
Postponement of reassessment puts city in ‘crunch mode’
The city finalized its budget later than normal because the Board of Review did not receive the revaluation figures to sign off until Nov. 14. Then a window opened where residents could appeal the assessment.
“So when that last song came in on the 14th, we were in crunch mode,” Burruel said.
Now the process of mailing out property tax bills can begin. The first installment or all full payments are due on or before January 31st.
This article originally appeared in the Green Bay Press-Gazette: Oconto City Council makes final adjustments before approving 2025 budget
