On November 2, Village staff presented the proposed 2021 General Government Budget to the Village Board. The budget proposes raising the tax levy from $12,652,261 in 2020 to $13,296,940 for 2021, an increase of $644,679. The levy change will have a small impact on the property tax bill. An average home in the Village valued at $237,200 will translate to a $9.64 increase in the Village portion of the tax bill.
The funds will cover Village services such as fire and rescue, police, community development, road improvements, and snow plowing. The proposed 2021 budget includes inflationary increases across most departments, but no new positions or additional programs are being added. Proposed capital purchases include road improvements of $2.3 million, replacing two fire engines with a quint engine, Pleasant Prairie Park Improvements, designing a new law enforcement facility, replacing police vehicles, and land acquisitions for the Highway 50 reconstruction project.
The Village will also consider an additional tax levy of $1.5 million to assist RecPlex with the facility’s $2.5 million annual debt service payment. The RecPlex was the hardest-hit Village-owned entity in 2020 due to COVID-19. Since October 2000, when the Village initially issued General Obligation Debt to construct the comprehensive workout center, the RecPlex has remained self-sufficient with its revenues. For the first time in 20 years, the sports complex requires Village tax dollar assistance due to the pandemic. Adding the RecPlex debt to the levy would result in another $119.65 increase for the median-valued home. The total Village portion of the property tax payment would increase from $1,051 in 2020 to $1,180 in 2021.
“This is a temporary but necessary solution due to the pandemic.” said Nathan Thiel, Village Administrator. “2020 should have been a celebratory year for the RecPlex, but despite this year’s struggles, I am confident the Village will come together to support this incredible community asset.”
A public hearing for the 2021 General Government Budget is planned for Monday, November 30, at 5:00 p.m. The hearing will be held virtually; visit
PleasantPrairieWi.gov/Goto to register for the meeting.