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Yes.
Milwaukee Public Schools’ property tax levy would increase 30% if voters approve an April 2, 2024, referendum, and K-12 taxes on a $200,000 Milwaukee house would increase 27%.
It would allow MPS to collect $252 million in additional revenue over four years.
According to MPS:
The 2023-24 levy, $320.2 million, would rise to $417.6 million in 2024-25. That’s an increase of $97 million, or 30.4%.
The MPS portion of the property tax bill on a $200,000 home would rise 27%, from $1,588 in 2024 to $2,020 in 2025, according to a Wisconsin Policy Forum estimate based on referendum figures provided by MPS.
Subsequent levy increases are about $10 million per year through 2027-28.
Viewed another way, the first-year mill rate increase would be 27%, from $7.94 to $10.10 per $1,000 of equalized value.
The Policy Forum noted “a huge unanswered question is whether the referendum amount is predicated on plans to continue expanding educational offerings to students … whether it is the estimated amount needed to maintain the status quo; or whether it already accounts for right sizing plans.”
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
milwaukeepublic.ic-board.com: Referendum Proposal January 2024
Wisconsin Policy Forum: The ABCs of the 2024 MPS Referendum
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