ELM GROVE, Wis. — Another Waukesha County municipality floats the idea of a wheel tax. This time it is from Elm Grove. The week prior, New Berlin discussed the idea. So far no municipalities in Waukesha County have passed a wheel tax. When TMJ4 News asked people in Elm Grove about the possibility of new taxes, the response from a few was immediate.
"No, we pay enough taxes," said one resident who did not want to give her name.
The consideration comes as local governments across Waukesha County struggle with rising costs and limited revenue options. According to village documents, Elm Grove's City Manager Tom Harrigan received a memo from Village Clerk Crystal Turner that was included on the Committee of the Whole agenda. The memo explored adding a wheel tax as a new revenue source for the village.
The document notes that no referendum would be required to implement a wheel tax, and funds could be directed toward infrastructure costs, allowing property tax revenue to be redirected to other core services. Currently, the committee is only exploring the idea without a formal proposal. One resident says she would be willing to consider the tax if that’s what Elm Grove needed for services.
"I don’t have whole lot of things against a wheel tax. But I would like to know what the wheel tax is," said Mary, an Elm Grove resident.
Meanwhile, Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow explained that the county had previously considered a sales tax last year to address financial challenges both at the county level for cities and villages.
"Our goal was to use some of the sales tax to offset some of the concerns from the local municipalities," Farrow said.
He doesn’t know if having a sales tax whose revenue would change whether or not other municipals need to seek outside revenue options. But Farrow says as the county budget get closer, residents in Waukesha County need to discuss their choices. He sees a a couple options.
Watch: Elm Grove considers wheel tax as Waukesha County municipalities seek new revenue sources
"Referendum or sales taxes, those are the two that we continue to look at," Farrow said.
He noted that a wheel tax likely wouldn't work for the county because those funds couldn't be used for essential services like public safety.
But the idea of choosing between taxing options upset one Waukesha County resident.
"I don't like any of it," Katy said. "No more taxes."
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