Is it time for Waukesha County to have a conversation about a half-cent sales tax?
It's one of the few counties in Wisconsin without one.
TMJ4 has learned the county wants a task force to look at its budget needs for the next decade and if an additional sales tax is necessary.
Chief Political Reporter Charles Benson asked County Executive Paul Farrow why now and what Waukesha taxpayers think about the idea.
Waukesha County is a rare island in Wisconsin. it's only one of four counties without a .05 sales tax.
But as it looks to the future - retired school principal Ryan Champeau says a conversation about a county sales tax might be a good idea.
"Waukesha county is a growing county and becoming much more a metropolitan player in Southeast Wisconsin, said Champeau, and we need to take a look at what that means for us.
County Executive Paul Farrow wants to know as well.
Farrow is looking to set up a task force to take a deep dive into the county's long-term budget needs and he wants the conversation to include a county sales tax. Why?
I think what it is, is that balance between the level of services that people expect from a county and what we can provide with every dollar that we have ", said Farrow.
Farrow says the task force will look at what are the county's biggest needs - for services and what revenue options are available to meet those services.
The Health and Human Services Department is the biggest part of the budget - but some of that is offset by federal and state money. The Waukesha County Sheriff's Department is the biggest cost to the tax levy.
Property taxes make up about a third of the county's budget but Farrow says a half-cent county sales tax could generate an additional $50 million a year.
"I think one of the big things people need to realize and that's what we want the task force to look at, is yeah, we can get some new money, but part of state laws requires us to reduce our property taxes with that new revenue, said Farrow. So, we would have to figure out how to balance that whole picture out."
He says his biggest cost over the next ten years will be to hire and retain county workers. "Our biggest driver of that is usually our Sheriff's Department"
Waukesha resident Gordy Weiss tells TMJ4 News he's a hard no on the idea. "I think the county does not need it." Weiss worries the county would "start building things we don't need," with the additional money.
Farrow says 35-40 people will be on the task force and it will include business and community leaders in the county. He also wants the task force to look at what benefits a sales county tax could capture on people who work or visit the county.
"If everything that we have is bridled on property taxes, we're missing out on individuals that are utilizing our services, our roads, everything else, that we don't have a sales tax to capture that."
Tarik Akmut sees potential benefits of county sales like more public transportation options, good government services are only provided through taxation.
68 Wisconsin counties have a half-cent sales tax. Milwaukee County's jumped to .09% this year.
Waukesha, Racine Manitowoc, and Winnebago Counties are the only four without the tax.
If the County Board approves the task force idea next week, Farrow says public input will be available at four hearings in late May and early June.
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