The Marathon County Extension Education and Economic Development Committee unanimously approved a substitute resolution that directs the county’s representative on any future tax incremental district (TID) joint review board to vote to set termination dates consistent with state law and county and taxpayer interests.

The substitute resolution, presented and read by Vice Chair Feifrick, summarizes county TID statistics and asks that the county representative oppose TID termination dates that would effectively extend a TID beyond a specified cap. The substitute language retains the committee’s intent while streamlining earlier draft whereas clauses, Feifrick said.

Public comment and background: Earlier in the meeting, Peter Weinshank urged the committee to forward a draft proposal based on the work of a county TIF task force and to adopt a “10 standards” approach for creating any new TID. Weinshank highlighted three figures he said support the change: an estimated $321.13 average TIF-related tax paid by the average Marathon County homeowner in 2023, about $1.4 billion of property value inside county TIDs and an average projected TID lifespan of nearly 26 years. Weinshank told the committee the proposal “puts into play Department of Revenue best practices for TIF” and would not restrict municipal use of TIF within state law.

Finance staff summarized recent joint review board activity and routine reviews of several village and city TIDs prior to the resolution discussion. Sam Fenske, identified in the meeting as finance director, briefly reviewed recent joint review board meetings and annual reviews of existing TIDs.

Resolution details and numbers: Vice Chair Feifrick told the committee he updated the draft to remove language he considered opinionated and to refresh statistics from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. The substitute whereas clauses cited: 40 active Marathon County TIDs in 2025; a combined 2024 increment value of $1,294,624,600; an average projected TID lifespan of 25.85 years; and that 35% of active TIDs in the county have had their lives extended.

Action taken: Feifrick moved to approve the substitute resolution and Supervisor Hagen seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The resolution directs county leadership to instruct the county’s joint review board representative to vote on TID termination dates in a manner “consistent with existing law and that benefits county government and property taxpayers,” and it includes language limiting any supported termination date to not exceed 38 years beyond creation as set in the substitute text.

Committee follow-up: Administrator Leonard noted he incorporated the public commenter’s draft language into the packet and made non-substantive wording changes to operationalize county engagement with municipalities. The committee requested staff ensure communication to municipalities and prepare reporting language for county board review.

The meeting record shows the committee moved this item after a public comment and staff finance updates; no additional budget appropriation accompanied the resolution.