Here & Now

Mayor Eric Genrich on Property Tax Bills and School Vouchers

Frederica Freyberg:
Harkening back to the Marquette poll, when asked which is more important, a majority of registered voters, at 58%, say they are more concerned about property taxes, while 41% are more concerned about funding for K-12 public schools. This is voter sentiment as residents recoil over hikes in property taxes that largely go to fund schools. And the April 7 ballots will see more than 70 school referendum questions seeking additional funding from taxpayers. The squeeze is the result of an increase in per pupil revenue limits, without accompanying state funding and underfunded costs of special education, but some districts want residents to see what else is contributing to the cost: private voucher schools. Green Bay is the first municipality in the state to show those costs on residents’ property tax bills. Mayor Eric Genrich was the tie breaking vote to show that line item on the bills and mayor, thanks very much for being here.

Eric Genrich:
Of course. Thanks so much for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:
So there’s a lot to unpack here with all of this, but what has been the reaction in Green Bay of people’s property tax bills this year?

Eric Genrich:
Well, you know, I think we’re feeling the crunch like everyone is across the state of Wisconsin, not just with property taxes, but just the cost of living generally. And I think that’s why we’re seeing some of those answers that you were highlighting through the Marquette Law poll. People are really struggling with the cost of living these days, and property taxes are a pretty big number, and they’re really tangible and people see those annually. And so we’re certainly feeling that feedback as well. You know what we’ve advocated for both for public education, but more specifically with municipal government funding, is more assistance from the state of Wisconsin. We’ve made some progress in that regard with some reforms made to the shared revenue program, but we’d love a more diversified revenue stream with local sales tax options being available to, to pull down those property taxes, which are, you know, they’re just out of line when you compare the state of Wisconsin to a lot of other states across the country.

Frederica Freyberg:
I see that Green Bay schools will not go to referendum on April 7 but is looking at a deficit and will seek one in November. Why is this the same all over Wisconsin?

Eric Genrich:
Well, I think you referenced, you know, the school funding formula really is broken in the state of Wisconsin and has been broken for some time. Green Bay Area Public Schools is also involved in a lawsuit that Law Forward is bringing forward with some other school districts across the state to essentially make that case to our, our courts and ultimately probably to our state Supreme Court to say that, you know, we have our kids and our residents have a constitutional right to a sound basic education in the state of Wisconsin. And, and we don’t feel as though — I don’t feel and I think a lot of people don’t feel that the state is meeting its obligation in that regard.

Frederica Freyberg:
How well do these explanations resonate with your taxpayers?

Eric Genrich:
I think people appreciate it. You know, nobody ever really likes paying a property tax bill, but they want to know where those funds are going. And so when this was brought forward to our common council, that really was the winning argument. It’s something that our public school district has been calling for for several years. Our previous council shot it down. This council moved it forward and allowed us to work with the Department of Revenue, with our county treasurer to figure out exactly, you know, how we could place this information on the bill. But, you know, for Green Bay area taxpayers, $14 million is going for this purpose, just under 10 million for the City of Green Bay proper. So that’s a big number. You break it down to the average homeowner, you know, $300,000 home. I think that’s about $270 going for this voucher program.

Frederica Freyberg:
So again, I was going to back up and suggest that what you’re talking about there is the line item of the voucher schools on the property tax bill. And again in your mind, why is that important to delineate?

Eric Genrich:
Well, again, this was something that our school district felt very strongly about for, for some time. They brought it to our common council. And we just felt like transparency is really the best answer here. I think a lot of people assume public dollars are going to public schools. When you show this to them, it tends to raise some questions. But even if you’re an advocate of private voucher schools, you know, I think this enables one to, to make that argument. You know, the system that we have in place is the one that voucher advocates have asked for at the state of Wisconsin. And so if they’re not comfortable with it, you know, they should bring forward an alternate way of funding education in the state of Wisconsin. And I know that, you know, public school advocates have been doing that for some time. And we’re certainly looking forward to seeing how that lawsuit moves forward and how the Legislature responds to this debate in the next session.

Frederica Freyberg:
Meanwhile, it looks like Green Bay schools will be even worse off deficit wise in the ’27-’28 school year when your last referendum money runs out. What kind of cost cutting measures have your schools had to undergo do you know?

Eric Genrich:
Significant. You know, just over the last few years, numerous schools have been closed in the district. Now, some of that is related to demographic change that we’re seeing in cities across the state of Wisconsin and nation are really seeing. But the way that that vouchers are funded, you know, exacerbates this funding crunch for our districts. And so even more hard questions are going to have to be asked, not just in this budget cycle, but as you said, in years to come where that deficit gets even larger and worse.

Frederica Freyberg:
And it’s my understanding that the caps on the voucher program come off soon?

Eric Genrich:
Correct, yeah, I mean, that’s my understanding too. You know, obviously not a, not a state policy maker these days, but that’s my recollection as well that in ’26-’27, you know, that that number actually, you know, gets removed. So we’ve already seen, I think, a 900% increase in the levy growth that is devoted to voucher school spending here in the district over the last ten years. So you can, you know, if we continue on that trajectory, it’s really just not sustainable.

Frederica Freyberg:
All right. Well, we will be watching the referendum results as they come in on April 7 and be looking toward Green Bay as well. Mayor, thanks very much.

Eric Genrich:
Thanks for having me.