MacIver News Minute: Evers Left Holding Bag

Governor Evers thought he’d play a game of chicken with the legislature over school funding, and last week, he lost big time. Unfortunately, Evers wagered your property taxes. When he pulled that line-item-veto stunt last session, Evers enabled school districts to increase their revenue limits by $325 per student every year for the next 400 years. That comes out to about a quarter of a billion dollars each year with the state’s current student population. School districts can get that extra money through one of two ways: more state aid or higher property taxes. Evers thought it was a safe bet that lawmakers would increase state aid, so that most taxpayers would never have a clue about his unprecedented power grab and his absurd 400-year-line-item veto. Instead, the legislature took a pass and left Evers holding the bag. So now when you get that higher property tax bill this December, be sure to thank gov. Tony Evers.