City council schedules three referendum informational meetings

TOMAHAWK – With a funding referendum question set to appear on Spring Election ballots, the City of Tomahawk Common Council is providing residents with several opportunities to learn more about the spending request.

The council has scheduled three public informational meetings, each at the SARA Park Activity Center, 900 W. Somo Ave.

The meetings will be held on Wednesday, March 4, at 1 p.m.; Saturday, March 7, at 10 a.m.; and Thursday, March 19, at 6 p.m.

City residents will vote on the measure in the Tuesday, April 6 election.

The city’s Finance Committee and the council in January each gave the green light to placing the referendum question on spring ballots.

The referendum, if approved by voters, would increase the city’s 2026 levy by $276,760.00 to fund day-to-day services, including salaries, supplies, utilities and insurance; to maintain city services; and to manage budget shortfalls from inflation, according to a resolution approved by the Finance Committee and the council.

The 20% levy boost would result in an increase of roughly $75.00 per $100,000.00 of assessed property.

The referendum question’s appearance on Spring Election ballots follows several years of difficult budget processes for the city, caused in part by inflation outpacing state-imposed levy limits.

The referendum is the latest in a series of steps taken by the city in recent years to generate additional revenue.

Efforts to implement a Premier Resort Area Tax (PRAT) in 2019 were unsuccessful following the failure of necessary legislation at the state level, and the council in 2022 indefinitely delayed taking action on putting a transportation utility fee in place after a judge ruled that an Outagamie County township’s fee violated state levy limits.

The city has also sought to sell numerous city-owned properties in an effort to return them to the tax roll.

After the council’s approval of the referendum question last month, the city said it would shift its focus to community outreach. Along with the informational meetings, the city also plans to mail out an informational document to city residents and utilize social and traditional media in helping further inform residents about the ballot measure.