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Holmen board reviews resolution to list voucher payments on property tax bills
Summary
Board staff presented a draft resolution asking municipalities and the county to add a line to property-tax statements showing levy dollars used for state-funded voucher payments. The draft cites Green Bay as an early adopter and lists Holmen's voucher levy amount in the packet.
Board clerk Maggie Smith and Executive Director of Finance and Operations Julie Hullman presented a draft resolution April 13 asking municipal partners and the county to add a short line on property-tax bills identifying levy dollars used to pay state-authorized private-school voucher costs.
The proposal would add a sentence to the notes section of tax statements that states how much of a property owner’s levy goes to offset state-mandated voucher payments. Staff said the initiative is intended as a transparency measure, not a policy statement for or against vouchers.
"This resolution is not a value statement on private education. It's not a statement for or against vouchers. It's only about transparency about where taxes are going," Maggie Smith said while introducing the draft.
Why it matters: District staff said transparency would help voters and taxpayers understand the local levy’s composition, particularly in communities where voucher-related levy amounts have grown. Staff presented figures from nearby districts and noted that Holmen's packet listed a November voucher levy figure of $1,782,000 for the district.
Implementation steps described by staff would require local municipalities to adopt supporting language on their tax forms (municipality-by-municipality adoption is allowed); counties, which issue the bills, must also be involved. Staff said districts should coordinate messaging with municipal officials and notify private schools in advance to explain that the change is about tax-bill transparency, not a value judgment.
Board members asked whether the change must be universal across municipalities; staff replied that municipalities can adopt the language one at a time and that Green Bay was an early example of local adoption.
Next steps: Staff said the draft resolution will appear on the April 27 consent agenda for board action and, if adopted, will require outreach to municipal and county partners and to private-school stakeholders.
