Dellona raises taxes 14.3 percent
By Andy Steinke, Dells Events
The town of Dellona will raise its tax levy in 2009 by $20,000 or about 14.3 percent.
About 20 town residents attended an electors meeting Saturday afternoon, and approved the increase. Four residents voted against the additional taxes.
The town board needed the electors' approval to increase the levy by $20,000, because it was more than the state-allowed 2 percent yearly increase.
This year's levy was $140,000, which means the town's 2009 tax levy will be $160,000, or a 14.3 percent increase.
If Dellona had only planned for a 2 percent increase, the levy would have been about $142,800 next year.
The $20,000 increase was approved at an earlier budget hearing, but the resolution needed to be approved by the towns electorate.
The over-the-top levy increase is not unprecedented in the town. In 2007, the town also approved a $20,000 increase for the 2008 budget. The $40,000 increase from 2007 to 2009 is a 33.3 percent jump from 2006 and 2007's $120,000 tax levy.
The additional funds will be used to cover the town's new emergency services, Chairman Duane Brooks said Saturday.
The town voted to have Dells-Delton EMS and Delton Fire serve the eastern half of the town instead of Reedsburg serving the entire town. The switch had been discussed for nearly two years and will finally happen next year.
The change, however, will mean emergency service costs will increase from nearly $23,000 in 2008 to about $44,500 next year.
Town resident Larry Smith asked why the whole town has to help pay for the new emergency services. Why can't residents on the town's east side just pay more?
Brooks said the town can't levy a special assessment on those residents in 2009 because the town doesn't yet know how much the services will cost. A special assessment can't be based on a cost estimate, he said; a bill is needed.
Resident Skip Krueger said he was OK with the increase for 2009, but said he was concerned that if the electors voted to allow the increase in 2009, that the same kind of large increases would continue in following years.