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Council orders informational tax‑bill line showing Green Bay levy tied to private school vouchers
Summary
After extensive public testimony and discussion, the Common Council voted 7–6 to add an informational line on city property tax bills indicating the portion of the Green Bay Area Public Schools levy that is associated with private‑school voucher payments.
The Green Bay Common Council voted April 15 to add an informational line to the City of Green Bay property tax bill showing the dollar amount of the municipal levy that the Green Bay Area Public Schools identifies as funding private‑school voucher payments.
Council members heard more than an hour of public testimony from business leaders, school representatives, parents and residents. Speakers were divided: some argued the line promotes transparency and helps taxpayers understand how local levies are allocated; others warned the change could be misleading given the complexity of school finance and urged the council to push for state‑level “decoupling” instead (moving voucher payments fully to state funding rather than local levies).
What the bill will show: The council adopted a staff‑sourced informational sentence stating the city‑level levy amount for vouchers. At the time of the vote the figure provided to council staff by the school district for the City of Green Bay levy was $8,991,023.65; the council directed staff to include the information with the caveat that the number will change annually and that the school district is the source of the number.
Why it matters: Citizens, council members and school officials said they want clearer information about how local levies relate to school funding flows. Supporters said adding a single line will help residents who examine only the tax bill; opponents said the property tax bill is not a place to explain the full and complex mechanics of school finance and recommended pursuing reform at the state level (decoupling) or expanded explanatory material on district websites.
Council action and votes: After debate the council approved the informational tax‑bill line by a 7–6 vote. Several council members said they supported the measure as a limited, factual disclosure while continuing to pursue broader state and district‑level discussions on school finance and voucher policy.
Next steps: City staff will add the line (using the school district’s published figure for the levy attributable to vouchers) to the informational portion of the city property tax bill. The council and several speakers said they will continue outreach to state legislators about decoupling and clearer statewide accounting for school funding flows.
