Price County Board Passes 2027 Budget With 5.23% Levy Bump,

Price County’s 2027 budget heads to a public hearing with the tax levy up 5.23% while the mill rate falls slightly, after the Board of Supervisors approved a final draft Tuesday that rests on $500,000 of short-term borrowing for equipment and buildings. The board also passed a pet-waste ordinance, disallowed a $50,000 claim from a Phillips couple, and heard public objection to Flock license-plate cameras — all on unanimous votes, with the sharpest exchange saved for the borrowing.

“Just because technology can collect information about us doesn’t automatically mean our government should collect it,” Pastor Larry Tennant of Flambeau and Lugerville told the board during public comment, asking supervisors to look into the long-term consequences of the county’s camera network.

Quick Answer: The Price County Board of Supervisors met October 13, 2026, and approved a 2027 budget that raises the total levy 5.23% but nudges the mill rate down 0.06%, because equalized property value rose 5.29%. The board authorized up to $500,000 in short-term borrowing for seven capital items, passed an ordinance requiring pet owners to bag animal waste at county campgrounds, and disallowed a $50,000 claim tied to an unpermitted garage-to-dwelling conversion. The 2027 budget now goes to a public hearing before the board sets a final levy in November.

What did the board decide on the 2027 budget?

Last updated: October 2026

The board approved the final draft budget and forwarded it to a public hearing, on a 13-0 vote with no discussion beyond a single comment that “for what we have to work with, I think it looks pretty good.”

The levy rises 5.23%, equalized value climbed 5.29%, and the mill rate falls 0.06%. In plain terms, the county will collect more in total property tax, but the rate applied to each dollar of assessed value holds roughly steady — because the tax base grew almost exactly as much as the levy.

Two changes shaped the final draft since the last meeting. The UW-Extension Committee recommended making the shared 4-H educator a full-time position, adding about $12,000, a move the board made contingent on Taylor County doing the same. And the $500,000 in capital borrowing approved earlier the same morning was folded into the budget once it passed.

Loan interest rates came in around 4.85% to 4.87%, the administrator reported — just under 5% and close to what the county had estimated. The number the board forwarded breaks into six to eight categories in the published legal notice, so residents can compare year over year. The public hearing is the last chance for citizens to argue for or against a line item, though the administrator cautioned that adding to one area means taking from another.

What is the $500,000 in short-term borrowing for?

Bar chart of Price County's seven 2027 capital projects funded by $500,000 in short-term borrowing, led by a $300,000 five-yard loader — Price County’s seven authorized 2027 capital projects. Bar length shows each item’s share of the $500,000 total.

Resolution 26-26 authorizes up to $500,000 in short-term debt for 2027 capital projects, with a stated fiscal impact of $505,925. It passed 13-0.

The list covers seven items, and the largest by far is a $300,000 five-yard loader. The others: $47,000 to replace a 2017 Dodge Caravan and $45,000 for a 2016 Chevy Traverse in Health and Human Services, $30,000 to redo the roof, electric, and siding on the Tim’s Hill shelter, $30,000 for hazers, $25,000 for high-density storage in the sheriff’s evidence room, and $23,000 for snow removal equipment.

The high-density storage question drew the most explanation. It is a rail-mounted shelving system for the sheriff’s evidence room, similar to what large record offices use — shelves slide together so only one aisle is open at a time. “Having every shelf six feet apart” wastes space, an official explained; the moving system reclaims it.

The borrowing grew out of a highway department request for roughly half a million dollars of “yellow equipment.” Rather than hand the whole amount to one department, the county spread the number across priority requests from several departments. The administrator said the list comes from the same annual capital-request process departments use every year, and that a future board could decline the three-quarter vote needed to keep borrowing — the pressure point, since the debt levy is what lets the county sidestep its operational levy cap.

Why did the board disallow a $50,000 claim?

Resolution 27-26 disallowed a claim from Jason and Heather Cleaves of Phillips, on a 13-0 vote, clearing the way for the county’s insurer to defend any lawsuit. It was the first such claim the board has handled in years, the chair noted — the last ones landing in 2019, 2021, and 2017.

The claim grew out of a 40-by-60 garage that a previous owner converted to a dwelling without permits and paired with an illegally installed septic system. The zoning administrator walked the board through the sequence: the prior owner got a permit for a garage, built it, then converted it to living space and installed his own septic system despite being a licensed plumber. The well required no county permit. The property later sold to the Cleaveses, who the county says did not know nothing had been permitted correctly.

The claim alleged the property was taxed as residential without being permitted for residential occupancy, among other complaints. The county’s position, and its insurer’s recommendation, was to disallow. The zoning administrator said the assessor had already lowered the assessment at the town’s board of review, and that a separate claim against the previous owner is pending. He added that he has filed a complaint with the state Department of Safety and Professional Services seeking to revoke the prior owner’s plumbing license.

The town of Emery received the same letter and faces a parallel $50,000 claim, the board heard. Disallowance starts a six-month clock for the claimant to sue under Wisconsin Statute 893.80.

What does the new pet-waste ordinance do?

Ordinance 2026-03 amends Chapter 398, the parks and forests code, to spell out that anyone bringing an animal onto county property in scope — including campgrounds — must bag the animal’s waste and put it in a proper receptacle. It passed 13-0 and takes effect 30 days after publication.

The rule came from a campground complaint: campers arrived to a site “full of animal feces from the prior people that had been there,” an official said. The penalty tracks the existing refuse provision in the same section, so no new fee schedule was created. One public hearing commenter opposed the change believing it covered fish guts, but the board noted that language has been in the ordinance since it was written and fish remains permitted.

What did the Catkins shelter tell the board?

Tanya Bellinger, manager of Catkins, gave the board an annual update on the animal shelter’s partnership with the county. Catkins has taken in about 400 animals so far this year, against roughly 500 for all of last year, and has placed more than 325.

She described a shelter working at capacity. Long waiting lists of Price County residents want to surrender pets, driven by the cost of food and veterinary care and by landlords who no longer allow pets. Cats make up about two-thirds of intake and dogs one-third, though dogs take far more space and staff time, she said. Roughly 2,000 stray, neglect, and abuse calls flow through the county humane officer.

The shelter runs a donation-based Price County Pet Food Pantry, open once a month to county residents, and its new facility is nearly complete — funded entirely through fundraisers and private donors. Bellinger said a priority is reaching southern Price County, where Catkins is an hour away, possibly by parking the shelter’s van in Ogema once a month. She invited supervisors to tour the facility.

What was said about Flock cameras?

The only camera discussion came in public comment. Pastor Larry Tennant asked the county to study the “long-term consequences” of a system that records “the movement of ordinary citizens who have done nothing wrong.”

He raised four questions he said the county has not answered: who can access the data, how each search is monitored, what prevents use beyond criminal investigations, and what guarantees citizens have that their movements are not shared. He acknowledged the cameras may help solve some crimes but argued public safety must be balanced against civil liberties. The chair suggested Tennant take his concerns to the law enforcement committee chair, where the topic could be placed on a future agenda. This follows earlier county debate over Flock data-sharing, which the executive committee took up in September.

Other business from the October 13 meeting

Board of Adjustment seats filled

The board confirmed Jeff Hallstrand and Mark Diston to the Board of Adjustment as regular members, with terms running to July 1, 2029. Two alternate seats remain open. Dave Schmidt, who chairs the adjustment board, asked for the appointments during public comment so the body reaches full strength, and requested refresher training for members. He also explained that a third appointee had to step aside because a state statute bars residents of incorporated areas from serving on the board.

County finances: cash down, sales tax up

The administrator’s financial summary put county cash at $6,261,000 at the end of September, 36% below the same point last year — a timing effect, he said, because the county paid major asphalt bills early. July sales tax came in at $129,949 versus $120,223 a year earlier, up 3.6%. Stumpage revenue sat at $695,500 against $1.2 million last year. Health insurance is the county’s biggest long-term worry: the fund stands negative $100,000, after a $281,000 deficit in January, and the administrator estimated the county will need to find about $800,000 over the next two years just to break even.

Land auction starts October 14

The county’s delinquent-tax land auction opens October 14, with 15 parcels combined into 12 auction items. Officials paired some adjoining lots to avoid selling a landlocked parcel to one buyer and the access road to another.

District 5 election will proceed

The board chair reported that a judge denied a request for a temporary restraining order seeking to halt the November 3 election over the District 5 supervisor’s April 22 resignation. The election proceeds, though the chair said the matter is not over and warned the county’s insurer is reluctant to cover the legal fees.

Next meeting

The board’s next regular meeting is November 10, 2026, where the 2027 budget returns for its public hearing.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Price County tax levy going up for 2027?

Yes, 5.23%. But because equalized property value rose 5.29%, the mill rate falls about 0.06%, so the rate per dollar of assessed value is essentially flat. The county’s own fiscal impact line for the capital borrowing is $505,925.

Why is Price County borrowing $500,000?

For seven 2027 capital items, led by a $300,000 five-yard loader. The board approved the debt to fund equipment and building projects without drawing the money from the operational levy. Interest rates came in near 4.85% to 4.87%.

What happened to the Cleaves claim against Price County?

The board disallowed the $50,000 claim 13-0, following its insurer’s recommendation. The claim traces to a garage converted to a dwelling and an illegally installed septic system by a previous owner. Disallowance gives the claimants six months to file suit.

When is the 2027 budget public hearing?

At the board’s next regular meeting, November 10, 2026. Citizens can speak for or against line items before the board sets the final levy.

Sources

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