Documents Show Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Behind Push to Eliminate Taxing Authority of State Tech Colleges

Thursday, June 22nd, 2023 -- 9:00 AM

(By Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio) Documents obtained by Wisconsin Public Radio show that Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, is behind a push to eliminate taxing authority of state technical colleges.

According to Rich Kremer with Wisconsin Public Radio, the measure was added as an amendment to an unrelated bill, which could see a vote Wednesday in the Assembly. On Thursday last week, the Republican-led Assembly Committee on Ways and Means was set to vote on a bill eliminating personal property taxes.

But much of that language was included in a bipartisan shared revenue bill passed by the Legislature the day before. Instead, Ways and Means committee chair Rep. John Macco, R-Ledgeview, introduced a sweeping amendment that replaced the prior bill with language that would remove the ability of technical college boards to levy taxes to pay for operations and maintenance.

Under the amendment, that funding would be replaced by state aid. According to the state Legislative Fiscal Bureau, tech colleges across Wisconsin raised around $250 million for operations from local property taxes in the current fiscal year.

While Macco was listed as the author of the proposal, drafting files requested by WPR show Vos requested the amendment, with the instructions to increase property tax relief aid to technical colleges and "eliminate the operating levy for technical colleges beginning with the 2023-24 fiscal year." 

Staff with Vos' office did not respond to WPR requests for comment on his amendment. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers told WPR he thinks the proposal is "a little shaky" unless there is additional revenue in the state budget to make up for the loss of local tax money for tech colleges.

Technical college leaders and others were blindsided by the major policy proposal. On Friday, Wisconsin Technical College System President Morna Foy said it would mark the biggest shift in how the schools are funded in more than 100 years.

She said neither the system nor individual colleges were consulted ahead of Thursday's vote. The bill was approved by the committee on a party line vote on Thursday.

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