A Manitowoc County department is facing a structural deficit.
A Facebook post from County Board Chairman Tyler Martell says after a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors last week, County Executive Bob Ziegelbauer announced the Human Services Department is likely to face a $3.5 million deficit, up from $2.5 million in 2023.
Plus, the county will have to increase costs in other areas of the budget, meaning it could exceed $6 million more than last year.
Ziegelbauer offered two solutions he would be okay with getting approved.
Either raise the County property tax levy by 30% or implement a 0.5% sales tax.
Martell says this is very frustrating and never expected that an emergency like this would ever happen.
The budget has $30 million in it with only about $6 million coming from local property taxes while the rest comes from the state, grants, Medicaid, and other programs.
He continues to express his concern saying more questions need to be asked about why the deficit got so bad to make sure the county reasserts itself as the policy-making body of the county and provide more skeptical oversite.
He’s also in favor of the 0.5% sales tax over the tax levy because if the sales tax is implemented, it will be important going forward to elect conservative leaders, once the budget gap is closed, who will show more fiscal constraint.
