City of Kenosha Tax Phenomenon

The Kenosha tax phenomenon has Kenosha city residents facing a problem that very few other Wisconsin residents are facing.

Kenosha city residents are now paying more out in municipal taxes than they are in school taxes. The phenomenon is almost unheard of in most Wisconsin cities, villages and towns.

A little background to help folks understand Kenosha. Kenosha County was a solid blue county that in the last few years has been fading. It is now considered a lite blue county. Still liberal, just not as solidly liberal as before.

Kenosha city government is solidly blue and has been for years and years. We have had 48.5 % in tax increases since 1998 to prove it. For years, the liberal leaders of Kenosha have stated that it was the schools fault for all of the tax increases.

As I said something has changed in the last few years. Kenosha city taxes have now risen so much, that most folks are paying as much in municipal taxes as they do in school taxes.

Kenosha residents paying their taxes will pay on average:

City- $1385.30 minus lottery tax credit of $85.60 equals $1299.70

Schools- $1472.64 minus school tax credit of $223.27 equals $1249.37

On average the city of Kenosha is charging it's residents $1299.70 in municipal taxes per year and $1249.37 on school taxes.

In comparison, Pleasant Prairie residents pay $797.38 in village taxes and $2019 in school taxes. Bristol pays $651.80 in town taxes to $1784.31 in school taxes.

This is a staggering blow to every single Kenosha resident. It is no longer a fair assumption to believe that the high taxes in Kenosha are solely the fault of our school systems. For years, the schools have taken the heat.

Somehow our mayor and our alderman have just skated without being asked the tough questions.

Certainly our city has more expenses than do the smaller towns and villages. Some of this is understandable.

There comes a point that where these high municipal taxes are no longer reasonable. Especially when residents are told that they are paying almost $10 million for a civil war museum that they never asked for.

With a record number of people running for alderman and mayor in our city, clearly the people of Kenosha are fed up.

For years the liberal government of Kenosha has lead us down a path of historically high taxes. It is almost as if the city and the schools are racing to see who can raise our taxes higher and faster.

To all those who may squawk and balk at the level of taxes in Kenosha, they are considered evil and diabolical. After all, the money is for the children. These liberal leaders believe that Kenosha's residents should just shut up and pay it.

So Kenosha, are you going to just shut and pay or are you ready to fight back?