State GOP leaders deliver property tax relief proposal to Evers that includes school and Foodshare funding, tax rebate plan
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The state's Republican leadership has delivered a proposal to Governor Tony Evers that outlines a plan to return state budget surplus money to taxpayers.
The proposal includes new school funding and property tax cuts.
CBS 58's AJ Bayatpour secured the letter that is signed by both Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.
The negotiations started ramping up just in the past few weeks.
After some stops and starts, it now appears the GOP leaders are on the same page.
But it's unlikely Gov. Evers will join them.
At various times, LeMahieu and Vos describe their offer to ease the property tax burden on Wisconsinites and return part of the state's $2.4 billion surplus as "in the spirit of compromise," "generous," and a "good-faith attempt."
In the letter to the governor, the leaders acknowledge Evers has yet to work with them on previous proposals. "We accept that," they write, before outlining new suggestions:
- They agree to Evers' $200 million request for special education funding
- They propose $500 million more to schools via the School Levy Tax Credit
- They also propose a $300 tax deduction for educators to pay for school expenses
- "We further agree to Foodshare funding and positions to help ensure our error rate remains low via fraud and overpayment detection"
- And they agree to provide disaster assistance: $10 million for households and $20 million for businesses
In exchange, the Republicans write, "We propose returning the surplus to taxpayers via an income tax rebate." The plan calls for $500 for individuals or $1,000 for joint filers, or their tax liability, whichever is less. They estimate that would return nearly $1.5 billion to Wisconsinites in 2026-2027.
But it's unlikely the governor will agree to it.
The GOP plan does not include an increase in K-12 general funding, which was in a compromise plan an Evers spokesperson shared with us last week.
Last week, Vos told reporters he's open to a short-term plan instead: "Again, look, I think it's wrong, but if Gov. Evers is saying he would rather have the money stay in Madison if we don't repeal the veto, I'm not going to say I agree with leaving it sit here. I want the money to go back to people so they can deal with rising costs."
But the joint Republican proposal marks a reversal for LeMahieu, who said last week, "In order to do anything for school funding or running it through school aids, we're going to need to repeal the 400-year veto."
Less than a week later, that has apparently changed. The letter reads, "Majority caucuses in both houses have agreed to this plan in principle."
We reached out to the governor's spokesperson for a response to the Republican proposal. We will update this story if we get one.