Allouez approves 2025 budget

ALLOUEZ – The 2025 budget for the village of Allouez was unanimously approved by the Village Board at its Tuesday, Nov. 19, meeting.

The approved budget includes $7,753,037 in the general village levy — with $6,068,440 in the general fund, $110,000 in the public bus services fund, $30,000 in the compensated absences reserve fund, $1,519,597 in the debt service fund and $25,000 in the parks capital projects fund. —and $352,828 in the TID #1 levy for a total levy of $8,105,865.

That amount represents a 1.17% increase over last year’s total levy, which came in at $8,012,327.

In regards to that increase and recent claims made about increases to Allouez’s tax levy, Trustee Christopher Sampson reminded Allouez residents to consider the numbers in context and to be aware of the hard work put into each budget.

“During the recently concluded election, Allouez residents were being bombarded daily by political postcards and TV commercials, including some ads that seemed to suggest that village leadership is free-spending and hooked on raising taxes,” said Trustee Christopher Sampson. “I was disappointed to hear those ads, not just because their target was primarily a valued colleague and fellow board member who was running for state senate… I was mainly disappointed because there was an insinuation that the village of Allouez isn’t as careful as it should be about holding the line on taxes. That, to me, ignores reality and it ignores the hard work of many fine people over many years… Our total municipal tax levy has generally been at or below the overall rate of inflation for two decades, if not much longer than that. In sensational claims about a steep 20% hike, what the ads didn’t tell you was that it was over a 10-year period — that’s less than 2% per year. The context matters and you don’t get that from an ad or a postcard… Everybody in the local government is fiscally conservative. You have to be. Money is tight, and nowhere more than here in landlocked, heavily property tax-dependent Allouez… Our administrator, our finance director, our department heads, staff members, the people on this board and also the citizen committee volunteers who give their time, that dedication is truly impressive… We’re always seeking new ways to deliver high quality municipal services to the taxpayer at the best possible price. To suggest we’re not doing that or to leave that out of the equation does all these people a disservice.”

The 2025 tax rate amounts to $6.61 per $1,000 of assessed value — a 2.08% increase over last year’s $6.48 rate.

“While I was reviewing for today, I saw that on a $200,000 home, the portion of the Allouez tax bill that goes to the village of Allouez would be about $1,300,” Village President Jim Rafter said. “So for a little over $100 a month, you get the parks, you get the roads, you get the sewer and water and you get public safety — your police and your fire. That’s not a bad deal.”