Waupaca County board asks state to restore 50/50 real estate transfer fee split

The Waupaca County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted Resolution No. 34 (2022–2023) on Jan. 17, asking the State of Wisconsin to revise the current real estate transfer fee revenue-sharing formula so counties retain 50% of fees collected. The board voted 24-0 to approve the resolution.

The resolution notes that counties were required to remit 50% of transfer fees to the state in 1969 and that the remittance rate was changed to 80% in 1981. It records that Waupaca County’s transfer-fee collections over the past five years totaled $3,764,376; the county retained $752,875 and remitted $3,011,501 to the state. According to the resolution, a 50/50 split over that period would have allowed the county an additional $1,129,313 to support local government services.

The resolution also cites fiscal context, stating that the State of Wisconsin had an accrued budget surplus of about $2.5 billion at the end of the 2021 state budget cycle while counties continue to face rising costs and state-imposed levy limits for locally provided services. The board’s language calls on the state to revise the transfer-fee share formula to allow counties to retain 50% of fees collected going forward.

The measure was recommended for introduction by the Waupaca County Finance Committee and the Legislative, Judicial, Ethics, Safety & Security Committee. The board directed that copies of the resolution be sent to Governor Tony Evers, all state legislators representing Waupaca County, the Wisconsin Counties Association and other Wisconsin counties.

No debate or amendments were recorded in the meeting minutes. The resolution passed by voice vote with a recorded tally of 24-0. The board did not set a local implementation date; the resolution is a formal request to state officials and does not itself change county revenue policies.