On the General Election ballot on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, resident taxpayers for the City of Green Lake will be asked a referendum question on whether or not the City should be allowed to exceed its property tax levy limit for the purpose of maintaining or expanding public safety protection services. 

To help Green Lake residents better understand this important referendum, the City of Green Lake is emailing a weekly purposeful series of educational information which will lead you to the reason for the referendum. Our goal is to keep everyone informed and ensure transparency about this municipal financial matter.

Here are the first two emails in the series if you missed them - Week 1 & Week 2

Mayor Radis and Adam Ruechel, the City’s municipal financial consultant with 

Baird, will host an open meeting during which you can ask questions and have 

more clarity on the need for the referendum. We encourage you to attend 

and to invite your Green Lake friends and neighbors to join you.

Why did 2024 taxes go down?

General Obligation Promissory Notes cannot be taken out to cover deficits in city operational cost related towards salaries and day to day operational needs. Short-term borrowing to cover capital projects is not a long-term financial solution. City of Green Lake taxpayers saw a reduction in their overall tax bill for 2025 due to efforts made to shift borrowing to a longer-term financing plan to better match the useful life of the capital projects versus previously issuing short term loans to cover the costs within a one-year period. This reduction caused the city operational tax rate to drop 27.12 % from $6.12 to $4.46 per $1,000 of assessed value. 

What happens if the referendum doesn’t pass?

If the referendum is not successful, city staff and elected officials have discussed potential reductions that would be required to be made to reduce its operation levy. City staff in prior budgets have already accounted for reductions in non-personal cost reductions leaving the City’s only option being to further reduce services and staff in the areas of City Hall, Public Safety and Public works to include law enforcement, street maintenance, library, parks and recreation. 

Are there future revenues expected from currently planned development

that will eventually assist the city with the levy?

In 2024 the City of Green Lake created Tax Incremental District #7 where tax incremental financing is being proposed for the current location of the Bayview Motel & Marina. A developer is proposing to develop 7 townhouses with estimated square footage of 2300-2600 sq ft, 2 car attached garages, and walk out access to a private balcony. The developer is also proposing to create a 10-unit flat complex with estimated square footage between 1250 and 1600. The complex is proposed to have underneath parking in conformity with the City’s building codes.

Tax Incremental Financing may also be utilized for the redevelopment of other properties slated for future commercial or residential redevelopment within the district and the half mile boundary radius. The proposed and potential new developments will generate additional property taxes (tax increment) that will be used to offset the cost of the public investments resulting from, or needed by, the new developments. 

The City projects land and improvement values (incremental value) of approximately $17,000,000 will be created in the TID by the end of 2027 and an additional $10,000,000 of potential redevelopment between the years 2030 and 2031. This additional value will be a result of the improvements made, and projects undertaken within the TID which will assist the City with increasing net new construction and in turn the ability to increase the levy limit.

Stay tuned for more information next week.