Appleton superintendent: property-tax burden down as share of income; April referendum would add about $75 to example bill

Greg Hartjes, superintendent for the Appleton Area School District, told viewers in the third video of a property-tax series that school property-tax levies and overall state and local tax burdens have fallen as a share of personal income in recent years.

Hartjes presented two state-level graphs and said, “your total burden has gone down to be at 9.6% in 2024,” arguing that although property-tax bills have risen in dollar terms, they have not grown as fast as incomes. He said a graph of school levies as a percentage of personal income has fallen over the last four years and is at a historical low.

To show how that looks locally, Hartjes cited two homeowner examples. He said a Grand Chute resident’s property tax was $2,142 in 2010 and that, after year-to-year ups and downs, the long-term difference to 2024 was modest; Hartjes also said that this year that taxpayer’s bill rose to $2,615 because Grand Chute conducted a market revaluation after residential values increased “which municipalities are required to do.”

Hartjes compared actual bill histories to a hypothetical scenario in which property taxes rose at a 3% annual inflation rate. He said that under that hypothetical the Grand Chute homeowner would have paid roughly $3,336 this year—higher than the actual amount—illustrating his point that recent changes were below what inflationary growth would have produced.

He gave a second example from a City of Appleton resident, saying that person paid $1,494 in 2015 and paid $23 more total by 2024. Hartjes said that a steady 3% annual increase over that period would have produced roughly $1,950 this year, again framing the actual rise as smaller than a straight inflation comparison.

Hartjes warned viewers that, if the referendum on the district ballot in April passes, the Grand Chute example taxpayer who paid $2,615 this year could expect a bill of about $2,690 next year—an increase of about $75. The video and transcript do not specify the referendum’s dollar amount, detailed scope, or whether the projected increase applies equally to all taxpayers.

The superintendent closed by thanking viewers and noting more videos will appear as the district approaches the referendum.