Despite economic “black clouds on the horizon,” La Crosse County Board Chairman Steve Doyle said Tuesday he’s optimistic about county government’s ability to weather a recession without significant tax increases or service cuts.

Doyle told 26 members of the board gathered for an annual planning retreat at Forest Hills in La Crosse that as families and businesses suffer, “the need for government services grows, yet the ability to pay for those services diminishes.”
This board will be judged, Doyle said, on how it meets this challenge.

County Administrator Steve O’Malley said because of state property tax caps, the county will get a 2 percent increase in 2009, which works out to an additional $500,000. At the same time, it will cost the county “well over $2 million” more for higher health insurance costs and raises in union contracts.

Walworth County, which is similar to La Crosse but has fewer employees, will be able to raise its taxes by twice as much, O’Malley said, because it historically has higher taxes.

Doyle plugged the county’s low taxes compared with similar-sized Wisconsin counties. La Crosse County has the third-lowest per capita spending in the state, according to the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance.

“Take out your property tax bill and look at the line for county taxes, then add 45 percent,” Doyle said. “That’s how much your county taxes would have to increase — $11.7 million countywide — to equal the average tax levy of the eight Wisconsin counties closest in population to us.”

The county has been thrifty during the past few decades and has saved up about $16.5 million — the equivalent of 55 percent of its general fund budget. The county needs a lot of that money for fund balance, but there’s a chance some of it could go to plug budget holes in 2009.

The board members spent part of the afternoon setting priorities for the coming year.

Economic development received the most votes, followed by collaboration with other governments, sustainability initiatives and developing a regional transit system.

More of the 35 members will be present at Monday’s county board meeting, and they’ll get another chance to vote on top priorities.

Other goals receiving votes were “helping vulnerable populations,” completing the jail expansion by developing programs and going to a county-wide property tax assessing system.

Reid Magney can be reached at (608) 791-8211 or rmagney@lacrossetribune.com.

Advertisement