Sturtevant Taxes: Find Out Where Your Money Goes

You asked, so we're trying to answer: Just where does your property tax money go?

The answer, of course, can depend on a variety of factors from year-to-year like how much state shared revenue flows to municipalities and the cost of gas to fuel snow plows. But, overall, the percentage of how much each department gets stays relatively stable.

In 2013, village property owners will pay a total of $23.16 per $1,000 of assessed value for all taxing bodies, including the county, the state and the school district.

Homeowners with a house valued at $150,000 - about the average in Sturtevant - will pay a total bill of $3,474 for the year. 

Racine Unified nets almost half of that - 44 percent - while the village keeps about 35 percent. Racine County takes 17 percent and Gateway and the State of Wisconsin each come in at about 7 percent.

How Your Taxes Get Around

Only $8.20 of that $23.16, though, comes back to Sturtevant, or a total of $1,230 for the year for the home assessed at $150,000.

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Of that amount, over half - 59 percent ($2,243207) - pays for both the police and fire departments. Public works, which includes caring for village parks, plowing streets, and some road repairs, nabs 11 percent - $422,572 - of the village budget.

Other expenditure allocations include:

• Office (10% or $369,419) for legal services, municipal court, the clerks’ salaries; and elections;
• Garbage and recycling (7% or $266,870);
• Other (4% or $161,579) for street lights, the health department and economic development; and
• Village hall and risk management at 3% each.