Waukesha City Taxes Could Go Up 0.2%

City taxes could increase 0.2 percent if the Common Council approves the amended budget during its meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 201 Delafield St.

While it still doesn’t meet the goal of some city leaders of having a zero percent tax increase, it’s still less than the originally proposed tax increase of 2.32 percent.

Residents will be able to weigh in on the spending plan during a public hearing during the Tuesday council meeting.

But the proposed budget may not include taxes for the Business Improvement District. The downtown properties are assessed the extra taxes to fund the BID’s operations. But with the BID being in upheaval and unable to operate since its board of directors quit earlier this year, City Administrator Ed Henschel is recommending the city’s budget be approved without the BID’s budget included in the spending plan.

“We do not have a BID board that cannot recommend a BID budget for adoption,” Hesnchel told the Common Council on Thursday.

The BID’s tax bills can be sent out separately from the city property tax bills, which are mailed in December. For example, the BID taxes were sent out in January this year, according to Henschel.

Eleven board members resigned from the 13-member board in September following a controversial resignation letter and a council woman's request to remove the entire board.

The controversy stems from a resignation that letter that former Executive Director Meghan Sprager submitted in August that cited hostile working conditions from two BID board members as the reason for her departure.

Properties in the downtown area are taxed a special assessment to fund services of the BID, such as marketing, special events and business recruitment and retention.

The BID still does not have a board because the mayor and the Common Council can’t come to an agreement on who should be appointed to the board.