In your opinion, what changes should be made to Wisconsin if you could make them? (Appleton: neighborhood, property taxes)

[yo vanilla]

Originally Posted by Trabbz

Also, I found out that Wisconsin is one of the very few states who do not use sobriety checkpoints to check for drunks. I think things would change, and a lot of people driving late at night would be in trouble if they started doing this.

i am not for drunk driving in any way, shape or form. i dont drink myself, not a drop. however i've heard enough stories from stone cold sober people getting harrassed at "sobriety checkpoints" to hope i never, ever see one.

[World Citizen]

Regarding drinking....

Talk about an ethical delimma?...

What can you do about drunk driving in Wisconsin when there's a family bar on every corner... cities host drunk fests every weekend all summer long.... and, of course, Milwaukee's the home to Miller Brewery and how many others?

What would happen if they actually address the problem?

Talk about lost tax revenue...

[escapetacoma]

Originally Posted by World Citizen

You obviously believe that you are right.... you're not.

There was another discussion recently on Wisconsin tax rates on city data forums for anyone seeking facts about Wisconsin Taxes.

Wierd. All that I did was ask you for clarification about whether you were talking about property tax rate by itself or total tax burden.

The OP's question was "In your opinion, what changes should be made to improve Wisconsin?..."

My opinion is that the Property Taxes are Too HIGH, The Dog Laws are unfair and I don't like Doyle... the governor.

Is there a reason that my opinion must be argued?

No, but there's also no reason that they can't be discussed. The problem has been trying to get clarification on what you see as the problems (other than the governor - that one's clear.)

[ekg56]

I miss all the waysides that we once had. There were so many small ones along the highways. Now they are nice but farther apart.

[Doll212]

Right next to Alabama.

[Wellstone]

Originally Posted by Trabbz

I agree, what is up with the taxes in Wisconsin. Maybe it is just my own ignorance, but does Wisconsin have anything great to show for all the money the state, and its counties and cities steals by extremely high taxes? High taxes seems to be the first thing people complain about when they move in from out of state.

people love to ***** about taxes and think wisconsin is the worst but overall it is not that much different from most states. a higher percentage of the total tax comes from property tax but sales tax is very low and income tax is lower than some other states. the whiners tend not to notice where they are paying less on their tax, only what they believe is high. when you factor the total tax burden it's merely in the upper 3rd which for the level of education you get in wisconsin is not too bad.

the other thing people don't always understand when it comes to property taxes, being based on property values means that the rates will be higher in wisconsin because the property values are so low. the costs that the taxes are covering are not significantly less because the cost of living is less. it costs a similar amount to provide education in wisconsin as it would in washington d.c. but you aren't going to tax a guy in D.C. ten times more just because his modest two bedroom condo costs 10 times more than a 1500 square foot house in green bay.

take for example a 2000 square foot house in the twin cities. that is going to cost on the order of $280,000 and the taxes somewhere around 3,000 a year. a similar 2000 square foot house in green bay costs $175,000 and the taxes are also around $3200. The tax rate is higher but you pay about the same. now if you take a $280,000 house in minnesota and compare it to a $280,000 house in green bay, the tax difference is going to be huge but so will the standard of living. you are looking at a 3500 sq foot house and taxes of around $4500 which still isn't that bad

you can always go to kentucky and pay lower taxes but then your kids get a kentucky education, nuff said.

[World Citizen]

Originally Posted by Wellstone

people love to ***** about taxes and think wisconsin is the worst but overall it is not that much different from most states. a higher percentage of the total tax comes from property tax but sales tax is very low and income tax is lower than some other states. the whiners tend not to notice where they are paying less on their tax, only what they believe is high. when you factor the total tax burden it's merely in the upper 3rd which for the level of education you get in wisconsin is not too bad.

the other thing people don't always understand when it comes to property taxes, being based on property values means that the rates will be higher in wisconsin because the property values are so low. the costs that the taxes are covering are not significantly less because the cost of living is less. it costs a similar amount to provide education in wisconsin as it would in washington d.c. but you aren't going to tax a guy in D.C. ten times more just because his modest two bedroom condo costs 10 times more than a 1500 square foot house in green bay.

take for example a 2000 square foot house in the twin cities. that is going to cost on the order of $280,000 and the taxes somewhere around 3,000 a year. a similar 2000 square foot house in green bay costs $175,000 and the taxes are also around $3200. The tax rate is higher but you pay about the same. now if you take a $280,000 house in minnesota and compare it to a $280,000 house in green bay, the tax difference is going to be huge but so will the standard of living. you are looking at a 3500 sq foot house and taxes of around $4500 which still isn't that bad

you can always go to kentucky and pay lower taxes but then your kids get a kentucky education, nuff said.

You'll pay about 3500 per year on a home valued at 150K in Milwaukee county..

Gas for your automobile cost .20 cents more per gallon than most places because of taxes....

Education...??? MPS education.... gangs, guns... and "what is a bubbler???" and "a stop and go light??"

Glad you feel you're getting what you pay for. You forgot the wonderful garbage service!

[Wellstone]

Originally Posted by World Citizen

You'll pay about 3500 per year on a home valued at 150K in Milwaukee county..

Gas for your automobile cost .20 cents more per gallon than most places because of taxes....

Education...??? MPS education.... gangs, guns... and "what is a bubbler???" and "a stop and go light??"

Glad you feel you're getting what you pay for. You forgot the wonderful garbage service!

the gas tax is about 10 cents difference between wisconsin and minnesota. wisconsin also has a lot better roads than minnesota too and hasn't had a bridge fall down due to trying to operate on the cheap.

and how big is that 150k house in milwaukee county. it is probably about the same size as the one with the same tax bill in minnesota.

as for the condition of the milwaukee public schools, the state needs to step in and provide some aid there. the tax base there just isn't strong, too many low income folks there that can't pay and when you have middle to upper income people leaving that county in droves that is what you end up with.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Wellstone

the gas tax is about 10 cents difference between wisconsin and minnesota. wisconsin also has a lot better roads than minnesota too and hasn't had a bridge fall down due to trying to operate on the cheap.

and how big is that 150k house in milwaukee county. it is probably about the same size as the one with the same tax bill in minnesota.

as for the condition of the milwaukee public schools, the state needs to step in and provide some aid there. the tax base there just isn't strong, too many low income folks there that can't pay and when you have middle to upper income people leaving that county in droves that is what you end up with.

Minnesota doesn't tax based on the size of the house, it taxes based on the value of the home/property. As for road conditions, I disagree with you on that as well. Schools overall in both states are very good.

Wisconsin overall is much less expensive then Minnesota. Housing prices are half of what they are here in most parts of the state. Home and auto insurance is less then half of what we pay in MN. Yes, your property taxes are higher but our income tax is higher so depending on how much you make, MN ends up being a LOT more expensive.

[BacktoNE]

After this morning, I also want to know why there are no sidewalk plows in Appleton? I've never heard of homeowners having to shovel their own sidewalks until we moved out here. It's crazy that those high property taxes don't cover plowing the sidewalks.

Anybody here know why there are no sidewalk plows?