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Janesville council adopts 2026 city and library budgets and sets tax levy
Summary
The council unanimously adopted the proposed 2026 city and Hedberg Public Library budgets and passed a resolution establishing the 2025 tax levy and resulting mill rates; staff said typical median‑home tax impact is modest but a larger increase is driven by school‑district differences.
The City of Janesville Common Council unanimously adopted the city and library budgets for 2026 on Nov. 24 and approved a resolution setting the 2025 tax levy and establishing mill rates for the fiscal year.
Finance Director Dave Godak presented the proposed budget and an impact analysis. Using the presentation’s median assessed home figure of $224,900, Godak said the property‑tax effect on the typical residence would be about $30.62 annually, while combined utility increases (water, wastewater, stormwater and solid‑waste management) were estimated at about $107.72 per year, with most of the utility increase attributable to water rates and an ongoing rate case with the Public Service Commission.
Godak also showed differing impacts by school district; for homeowners in the Janesville School District he reported larger total increases, citing a figure of approximately $218.17 for the median Janesville‑district home when school tax changes are included. After the hearing, the council voted to adopt the budget and later passed file resolution 2025‑2392 to set the levy: the general‑fund levy was reported as $42,652,979 and the Hedberg Public Library levy as $4,000,123.87.
Godak said staff will continue the PSC rate‑case process for water and will report further details as they become available. Council members thanked department heads for work on a tight budget; no amendments were offered at the meeting and the adoption passed unanimously.
The adopted budget and the levy resolution will guide the city’s 2026 spending and tax collections; staff said implementation details and utility‑rate public hearings will follow as needed.
