By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
Property taxes will drop by 1.57 percent in the 2013 budget proposed for the Village of Union Grove.
Expenses will rise slightly (1/10 of a percent), while the tax rate will increase by 34 cents, or just over 5 percent.
Also, adding to that budgetary mix of numbers is an overall drop in assessed property valuations of nearly 10 percent.
The village’s 2013 budget proposal will be presented for a vote by electors at a public hearing being held Monday, Nov. 26, 6:30 p.m., at the village municipal center.
The tax rate proposed for 2013 is $6.92 per $1,000 assessed valuation, up 5.17 percent from the $6.58 paid in the 2012 budget.
In 2013, the owner of a village home assessed at $200,000 will pay $1,384 in local property taxes. Under the 2012 budget, the owner of a home assessed at $200,000 paid $1,316.
But assessed valuations of properties in the village have dropped overall by about $25 million, or nearly 10 percent, since the 2012 budget was prepared.
Hypothetically, the owner of a home assessed at $200,000 in 2012 (but now assessed 10 percent lower at $180,000) will need to pay $1,246 in local taxes in 2013.
As is usual, this year’s budgeting process had to deal with new and different challenges that arose.
“As we start each budget, our first goal is to attempt to not spend more than the previous year’s budget,” explained Village Trustee Gordon Svendsen, who chairs the village board’s Administration/Finance Committee.
But accomplishing that goal can often be difficult, he added, as different issues arise that have to be handled in the new budget being prepared.
• For 2013, the village’s contract with the Racine County Sheriff’s Department will increase, Svendsen noted, and Graham Public Library needs additional funding from the village due to new state legislation.
• Expenses are budgeted at $3.629 million, up $3,887 (0.1 percent) from expenses in the 2012 budget of $3.625 million.
• No changes to employee wages or village board member salaries are contemplated at the current time, Svendsen noted.
• Several large items are budgeted in the Capital fund for 2013, including $7,000 for a security gate at the Public Works building to deter thefts of waste oil, and an additional $5,000 for park improvements that have not yet been designated.
• The library budget is proposed to rise by $4,000 in 2013, with Parks and Recreation holding steady.
In comparison, the village’s 2012 budget carried a property tax levy hike of 9 percent, made necessary by borrowing for street projects and improvements needed at the Department of Public Works building.
Svendsen noted that state statutes require that the village provide many mandated services. Also, each year community members come forward to offer suggestions they wish to have included in the budget.
As a result, it can often be difficult to maintain budgeted expenses at the same level seen a year earlier.
“I am pleased to say that the Village again has been able to stay within its budget and will not be spending more than last year’s budget,” he said.
The full budget proposal for 2013 is available for inspection at the Village Clerk’s office weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
Property taxes will drop by 1.57 percent in the 2013 budget proposed for the Village of Union Grove.
Expenses will rise slightly (1/10 of a percent), while the tax rate will increase by 34 cents, or just over 5 percent.
Also, adding to that budgetary mix of numbers is an overall drop in assessed property valuations of nearly 10 percent.
The village’s 2013 budget proposal will be presented for a vote by electors at a public hearing being held Monday, Nov. 26, 6:30 p.m., at the village municipal center.
The tax rate proposed for 2013 is $6.92 per $1,000 assessed valuation, up 5.17 percent from the $6.58 paid in the 2012 budget.
In 2013, the owner of a village home assessed at $200,000 will pay $1,384 in local property taxes. Under the 2012 budget, the owner of a home assessed at $200,000 paid $1,316.
But assessed valuations of properties in the village have dropped overall by about $25 million, or nearly 10 percent, since the 2012 budget was prepared.
Hypothetically, the owner of a home assessed at $200,000 in 2012 (but now assessed 10 percent lower at $180,000) will need to pay $1,246 in local taxes in 2013.
As is usual, this year’s budgeting process had to deal with new and different challenges that arose.
“As we start each budget, our first goal is to attempt to not spend more than the previous year’s budget,” explained Village Trustee Gordon Svendsen, who chairs the village board’s Administration/Finance Committee.
But accomplishing that goal can often be difficult, he added, as different issues arise that have to be handled in the new budget being prepared.
• For 2013, the village’s contract with the Racine County Sheriff’s Department will increase, Svendsen noted, and Graham Public Library needs additional funding from the village due to new state legislation.
• Expenses are budgeted at $3.629 million, up $3,887 (0.1 percent) from expenses in the 2012 budget of $3.625 million.
• No changes to employee wages or village board member salaries are contemplated at the current time, Svendsen noted.
• Several large items are budgeted in the Capital fund for 2013, including $7,000 for a security gate at the Public Works building to deter thefts of waste oil, and an additional $5,000 for park improvements that have not yet been designated.
• The library budget is proposed to rise by $4,000 in 2013, with Parks and Recreation holding steady.
In comparison, the village’s 2012 budget carried a property tax levy hike of 9 percent, made necessary by borrowing for street projects and improvements needed at the Department of Public Works building.
Svendsen noted that state statutes require that the village provide many mandated services. Also, each year community members come forward to offer suggestions they wish to have included in the budget.
As a result, it can often be difficult to maintain budgeted expenses at the same level seen a year earlier.
“I am pleased to say that the Village again has been able to stay within its budget and will not be spending more than last year’s budget,” he said.
The full budget proposal for 2013 is available for inspection at the Village Clerk’s office weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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