50 cents for a property valued at $100,000.
A memorandum released by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau of the Wisconsin Legislature reports that the net tax bill increase, for local residents, resulting from creation of the proposed Aldo Leopold National Wildlife Refuge could be less than 50 cents for a property valued at $100,000.
The Bureaus memorandum is a preliminary assessment of the potential economic impact of the refuge that is being proposed in Sauk and Columbia counties in southcentral Wisconsin. The refuge, as proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, would encompass 8,120 acres near property once owned by the late Aldo Leopold, a leading conservation advocate. Exact boundaries are still tentative pending an Environmental Assessment. The Assessment will incorporate public comments received throughout the planning process, including two open house events recently conducted in Portage and Baraboo. The Services policy is to buy land only from willing sellers and the entire process of acquiring land could take as long as 20 years.
According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimate, creation of the proposed refuge could remove almost $6 million from local property tax rolls. However, the Bureau also states that federal payments, through the Refuge Revenue Sharing Act, would offset some of the impact of this loss in the affected towns, counties and technical college district. The federal Refuge Revenue Sharing Act provides local units of government with annual payments in lieu of taxes based on one of three formulas: multiplying the total refuge acreage that is located within a town, township or county by 75 cents; three-quarters of 1 percent of the fair market value of the land; or 25 percent of the net receipts collected by the federal government from the operation or management of the refuge. The formula that generates the highest amount paid to the local unit of government will determine the annual payment amount.
In analyzing the potential fiscal impacts of the proposed refuge, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau projected that small tax increases would be offset by higher school aid payments and lower school tax rates, resulting in an estimated tax bill increase of less than 50 cents for a property valued at $100,000. The Bureau also noted that its analysis reflects the impact of all land acquisitions, state aid changes and federal aid payments in 1998-99. In reality, these changes would occur over a number of years, which would result in a phase-in of the tax base, aid and levy effects, the Bureau states. The Bureau also notes that the taxable value of the affected property is likely to continue to decline as use value assessment continues to be implemented.
Even with a loss in the tax base, a refuge might be less costly for local communities than residential developments, according to Steve Lenz, project coordinator for the proposed refuge. Residential developments cost communities in terms of water and sewer lines, road construction and law enforcement, Lenz said. Property taxes do not make up 100 percent of those costs.
Refuges are often a source of economic benefit for surrounding communities. Banking on Nature, a study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the economic benefits of wildlife refuges, found that national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge visitors annually contribute $400 million to local economies throughout the United States.
Because the future taxable land value and purchase prices of property included in the refuge are unknown, precise economic impacts are impossible to determine at this time. The Service is beginning work on an Environmental Assessment that, in addition to evaluating the effect of various alternatives on wildlife, will study economic and social impacts in greater detail.
In the proposed Aldo Leopold National Wildlife Refuge, the Service proposes to restore a drained wetland basin containing wooded swamps, wet prairies and associated uplands to provide breeding habitat for sandhill cranes, waterfowl and shorebirds. As proposed, the refuge would also reestablish a cold water fishery, improve water quality and decrease downstream flooding. The areas substantial natural value, potential for enhancement and the proximity of the historic Leopold property were factors in the Services decision to propose this site for a national wildlife refuge.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprising more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries and 78 ecological services field stations.
The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://www.fws.gov/r3pao/
