To the editor,

I know many get that wonderful Christmastime present with red ink that shouts TAX STATEMENT. I always have anxiety, especially this year as I knew the next four-year Plum City escalating school operating referendum picked up right where the last one left off, albeit a few million dollars more. When I muscled the courage to open it, I was shocked. 

When I attended school board meetings/public hearings -for the last two referendums passed, I was assured that for every $100,000 in property values, the new referendum would be around $20 or $30. I was never an A student in math, but I must not have paid attention during classes covering fractions. I also may have been missing my hearing aids during public forums reassuring us it was just a few dollars for every $100,000 of property owned/value. 

When I opened this year’s holiday envelope, I could plainly see that my commitment just to the Plum City School District had gone up from $5,500 to just under $7,200 this year. I added up what the last year of the last $3.3 million referendum in 2024-2025 and added up the new four-year $7.9 million referendum that escalates each year through 2028-2029. I will pay a whopping $34,000 give or take between last year and over the next four remaining. There’s no way that can be right? I checked it again and again and it is $34,000.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Plum City’s enrollment as of November 2025 was 215 students in K4-12. That puts taxpayers on the hook for $11.2 million, for dwindling enrollment. According to another article at sfs.dpi.wi.gov our mill rate is the second highest in the state with Gresham being the highest at 13.50; we have a shot at being number one next year as our projected mill rate in 2026 is 13.57.

These referendums financially are taking a toll on everyone.

I love where I live and I love and support all the local schools with gift cards and money from my business, along with local FFA chapters, churches, school carnivals, senior lock ins, American Legions, fire and ambulance, many good charities or nonprofits that need help. Happy to do it. But when it comes to these school referendums, I’ve had it. They need to run schools as a business. If they can’t make it, they must figure it out, make hard decisions, or merge with another school and share expenses. Plum City athletics is already merged with Elmwood…why not the whole school? 

It’s sad to think about closing a school to merge with another. The good of the students is paramount, and I’ll always support that best I can. But these tax handouts the school boards propose every couple of years have gotten way out of hand; this continued money train from taxpayers must be slowed. 

I encourage everyone if you haven’t done so already, to take a closer look at your statement and add up what is going out to these schools. With my lack of math skills and perhaps laziness, I paid it and thought nothing of it. 

I will what I owe to the Town of El Paso and Pierce County, but until I can have a good conversation with the Plum City School Board to get real justification on where all this money is going, I refuse to pay a dime more. Maybe that’s worth paying penalties and interest that I will now owe on my unpaid tax to the school district. 

If I end up arrested and in jail, bring chocolate chip cookies. Again, enough is enough.

Larry Brenner

Maiden Rock