Tomahawk residents will head to the polls on April 7th to decide whether their city can raise property taxes by 20% — a decision that could determine the future of municipal services from police equipment to City Hall staffing.
The referendum asks voters to approve a $276,000 annual increase to the city’s base property tax levy. For the average homeowner, that translates to about $75 more per year on a $100,000 property.
It’s a tough pill to swallow in a region where folks already know Wisconsin’s property tax bite. But city officials say they’re caught between inflation that won’t quit and state rules that tie their hands.
The Math Behind the Squeeze
Here’s where things get real: over the past decade, inflation has climbed 35% while Tomahawk’s tax levy has only grown 11.6%.
Steve Bartz, who’s served on the Tomahawk City Council for 16 years, laid out the numbers at an informational meeting at Sara Park. The city is running about 20% behind the inflation rate, and that gap shows up in ways residents can see.
Between 2020 and 2025, the city’s levy increased just $85,000 — and that came entirely from new construction. Everything else? Frozen unless voters say otherwise, thanks to Wisconsin’s levy limits.
City Treasurer Amanda Bartz knows the impacts firsthand. Her department lost a full-time administrative assistant position that used to keep things running smoothly across all departments.
That position provided daily operational support across all the departments and helped us to ensure more effective service to the public.
When Budget Cuts Hit Public Safety
Police Chief Al Elvins delivered maybe the most sobering example at the meeting. The department’s Automated External Defibrillators are being discontinued — five units at $2,500 each that the city can’t afford to replace.
Those AEDs sit on quads and in the police office, ready for cardiac emergencies. Elvins says they’ve already saved at least three lives in Tomahawk.
Without the referendum passing, decisions like this get harder. Do you cut equipment that saves lives? Reduce patrol hours? Let infrastructure slide another year?
Why Wisconsin Cities Keep Coming Back to Voters
Tomahawk isn’t alone in asking residents to dig deeper. Property taxes across Wisconsin are climbing to levels not seen in decades.
The state sets limits on how much cities can increase their tax levies each year. It’s meant to protect taxpayers, but it also means municipalities can’t adjust for rising costs without voter approval.
Meanwhile, the state legislature froze general school aids and kept per-pupil revenue limits modest — decisions that pushed more of the tax burden onto local property owners. This time around, lawmakers didn’t include offsetting property tax credits like they have in previous years.
The result? Statewide property tax levies are on pace to rise about 5% this year, with school districts driving much of that increase. Counties like Vilas are seeing smaller bumps — around 1.8% — but the overall trend has homeowners feeling the squeeze.
- Inflation has outpaced allowable city revenue growth by roughly 20% over ten years
- State rules require voter approval for levy increases beyond construction growth
- Wisconsin property taxes are among the highest in the Midwest
- Rural communities face particular challenges with smaller revenue bases
What Tomahawk Residents Are Saying
The informational meetings brought out strong feelings on both sides. One resident raised concerns about the city selling land originally granted by Tomahawk’s founder, William H. Bradley.
When asked about the value of Bradley Park, city officials responded that it couldn’t be quantified — which seemed to satisfy at least that particular voter enough to end the conversation.
Others worry this could become a forever tax with no end date. Some residents think the state should step up and help communities navigate these pressures, rather than leaving every small town to fight the same budget battles alone.
Fair questions, all of them. The challenge is that cities across the Northwoods face the same math: rising costs, limited revenue growth, and tough choices about what matters most.
Three Chances to Learn More Before You Vote
City officials scheduled three informational sessions throughout March to make sure residents can ask questions and hear details straight from department heads.
The first meeting already happened on March 4th at 1pm. The next session is Saturday, March 7th at 10am, with a final evening meeting on March 19th. All three take place at Sara Park.
The city’s also sending fact sheets with utility bills and using social media to spread the word. If you’ve got questions about how this affects your property specifically or what gets cut if it fails, those meetings are your chance to get answers.
The April Decision
If the referendum passes, Tomahawk keeps running as-is — which means maintaining current police services, keeping City Hall staffed at today’s levels, and replacing equipment when it wears out.
If it fails, the city faces cuts. Which services? That’ll be the tough conversation officials are hoping to avoid.
For a community that values its small-town character and outdoor access — the lakes, the trails, the forests that make the Northwoods special — maintaining basic municipal services matters. But so does keeping property ownership affordable for year-round residents and seasonal visitors alike.
It’s the kind of decision that doesn’t come with easy answers. Just neighbors trying to figure out the best path forward, together.
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