Spending increases do not mean increased tax bills for Madison

Dean Mosiman and Matt DeFour report in Madison property tax bills reflect rate drop of 1.1 percent that:

Despite city and school spending increases, many Madison taxpayers aren't having a sticker shock compared to other municipalities when opening tax bills.



Madison's equalized tax rate dropped 1.1 percent for 2008 while the average of cities, villages and towns in Dane County showed slight increases between 0 and 1 percent, new county tax information shows.



Change in equalized tax rates ranged from a 10.69 percent increase in the town of Deerfield to a 9.76 percent decrease in the town of Blue Mounds. Equalized means all properties are assessed at fair market value.