(The Center Square) – Providing more than $1 billion in property tax relief is possible because of common ground, says the top Republican in the Wisconsin Assembly.
He also says there is one big catch.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says he’s open to Gov. Tony Evers’ proposal to provide $1.3 billion in property tax relief this year.
“That’s definitely one of the things we’re looking at,” Vos told a state media outlet. “I assume we’ll use a substantial part of that for additional relief, and I hope Governor Evers agrees. I mean, he came out and said he was wanting, I think, $1.3 or $1.4 billion in property tax relief. It seems like a reasonable number to me. Maybe we could even get there.”
The governor proposed a property tax relief plan earlier this month. Evers said he wants to help homeowners in Wisconsin who have double-digit increases on their property tax bills this year.
“Under this proposal, we can make sure the average homeowner does not see a property tax increase – period,” Evers said on Jan. 13.
But Vos said before there is any agreement on a tax relief plan, he wants the governor to undo his 400-year veto that led to Wisconsin’s property tax increases.
“I want to work on that first because filling a bucket that has holes in it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” Vos added. “We’ve got to first plug the holes in the bucket. Then you begin to refill it, so I want to have those conversations before I make any kind of promise.”
Vos did not say if he’s had any one-on-one conversations with the governor, or if any are planned.
Evers has said he may be open to rolling back his veto and tax increase, but said he wants to make sure there is more money for the state’s public schools first.
Time may also play a role.
Vos and the Assembly are scheduled to wrap up for the year sometime next month. They only have a handful of session days on the calendar.
After that, lawmakers are looking at a busy summer of campaigning for the November election.
