Most residents are paying less this year, officials say
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff Writer
If there has been one constant in City of Burlington Treasurer Steve DeQuaker’s life recently, it’s that people are surprised that their tax bills are likely lower than expected.
That, and everyone seems to like the visual aid item in the City Hall.
“They love the penny thing on the counter,” joked DeQuaker Wednesday, referring to the penny graph that staff member Meghan Watkins constructed to show where money on the tax bill goes.
The breakdown of the average city tax bill is as follows, with tax amounts presented as per $1,000 of property value. Figures have been rounded up or down to the nearest whole number:
• The Racine County portion of the tax bill is $3.16, or 14 percent.
• The county handicapped portion is 14 cents, or 1 percent.
• The City portion is $7.39, or 34 percent of the bill.
• The Gateway Technical College portion is $1.38, or 6 percent.
• The Burlington Area School District portion is $9.60, or 44 percent of the tax bill. That amount is a drop because the city’s tax base expanded mainly due to the closing of a tax incremental financing district.
• And the state portion is 16 cents, or 1 percent.
The city tax bill adds up to approximately $21.83, or $4,366 for a $200,000 home.
“What I’ve been hearing from people is not too much,” said DeQuaker about comments on the tax bill. He did say people are happy to see the tax bills dropping, which for many means a refund from their escrow account.
Town tax down
In the Town of Burlington, Town Administrator Diane Baumeister said the average tax bill seems to have dropped slightly.
“Mostly it’s people are surprised that it was down a little,” said Baumeister. “And that they’re surprised that they get a refund (from their escrow).”
The town tax bill breaks down as follows, with amount of tax presented as per $1,000 of property value:
• $2.56 for Town of Burlington taxes.
• $1.50 for Gateway Technical College.
• $3.72 for Racine County taxes.
• 14 cents for handicapped school taxes.
• 16 cents for the state.
• $10.43 for Burlington Area School – a drop of about 26 cents.
Without factoring in any of the Town’s sanitary districts, the average bill is about $18.51 per $1,000 of property value, or $3,702 for a $200,000 home.
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