Winnebago County Board says NO to sales tax

During yesterday's budget hearing, Winnebago County Board supervisors soundly rejected the supervisors soundly rejected the idea of a half-percent county sales tax. After hearing much commentary from the public and deliberating among themselves, supervisors defeated the sales tax proposal 10-27. But those voting for the tax preserve the right to have the measure reconsidered later in the budget session going on throughout this week.

One of the arguments made against the sales tax came from Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce CEO John Casper, who told the board that "the problem is not that we tax too little, but that we spend too much." Casper also asked the board to make substantial cuts before giving the sales tax proposal further consideration.

I think our local governmental bodies are pretty frugal when it comes to holding the line on taxes and spending, but I agree with Mr. Casper that there are things they spend money on that they probably shouldn’t. In Oshkosh I still believe the Leach Amphitheater is one such example.

Taxpayers were put on the hook for millions of dollars for this project by the approving city council members with very little discussion and at a time when budgets were already getting tight and we all knew they would be getting tighter. And that project isn’t done yet, we’re told. How much more, for example, will Oshkosh taxpayers be expected to put into this project before it is finally completed? Or will there always be something else to add to it that, as a community, we just can’t live without?

But just as I find certain projects funded at such large taxpayer expense unnecessary, there are others who think they are vital to the community. John Casper was one of them when it came to the Leach project (mind you he does not live in Oshkosh and, therefore, has no responsibility to pay for it). Mr. Casper and the chamber group are also adamantly opposed to a $1.00 per ticket user fee/facility charge at the Leach. Sounds like Mr. Casper wants it all, unless it might come out of his pocket or those of his friends at Waterfest; then the elected officials need to spend less.

As for the sales tax issue itself, it may be dead for the moment. But as cuts become less available, a property tax freeze remains in place and shared revenue continues to get cut further, we can certainly expect it to come up again. And since it is possible to re-consider the issue during this very budget session, and nearly $800,000 in cuts won't be easy to find, it just might be sooner rather than later.