A new analysis from the Wisconsin Policy Forum found that state voters weighed in on more than 250 referendum questions this November, approving some types of them in record numbers and shifting the course for their local governments for years to come. In all, 104 of the referenda asked voters to allow a school district, town, city, village, or county to exceed state limits on local property taxes. In approving 78.8% of them, voters authorized at least an additional $11.4 million in municipal and county property taxes for services, as well as up to $299.6 million to operate K–12 schools and up to $1.4 billion in new debt for school buildings and other projects. The successful referenda to exceed state-imposed property tax and school revenue limits confirm the growing importance of these ballot measures and suggest they could become a long-term feature of the state’s political landscape.
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