A local State Assemblyman believes that a lapse in state spending is hurting Wisconsinites’ wallets.
26th District Assemblyman Joe Sheehan has released a statement after property tax bills were released across the state last week, showing significant increases for many property owners.
In response, Rep. Sheehan said, “In the 2025-2027 Biennial State budget, no new general aid money was given to our districts. As a result, districts across the state were given an impossible choice: increase property taxes to keep up with rising costs, or cut programming. Many districts have had to do both.”
As we previously reported, Sheehan introduced LRB-5599, which aims to secure funding for special education reimbursement.
Despite funding already agreed upon in the 2025-2027 budget, giving a 42% reimbursement rate in 2025-2026 and 45% in 2026-2027, the Wisconsin Department of Instruction says they will only be reimbursing 35% of spending on special education.
Additionally, Sheehan has introduced Assembly Bill 495, which he says, “would help districts meet the revenue limit increase they get each year that are currently passed onto property taxes. According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, this proposal would have lowered property taxes by 4% in 2025-2026 and would lower them by a further 1.1% in 2026-27.”
Sheehan closed out his statement, noting that these two pieces of legislation are aimed at ensuring predictable funding for school districts across the state to prevent steep increases in property tax bills.
