At their meeting Dec. 13, the Dodge County Commissioners approved a levy increase of 4.2%. This includes the addition of one full time employee in the Information Technology department and a half time position as an Extension Education. The net levy is $16,509,099.

This is a reduction from the preliminary budget approved in September which had a 5.8% increase over 2022 for a total levy of $16,760,011. This is also a 1.6% decrease from the budget figures used in the Proposed Tax Statements sent out last month.

Taxpayers may see larger increases in their property taxes this year because of the increase in property values in the county.

Director of Land Records/County Assessor Ryan DeCook explained, “The increase in taxes the residents saw on their residential value in Dodge County increased 22.43% for the 2022 assessment (taxes payable in 2023). Looking forward, at the 2023 assessment, we are seeing a more moderate increase in residential value.”

The booming real estate market in neighboring counties drove land and home buyers into Dodge County which contributed to this spike in valuations.

Ryan also noted that an increase in property taxes of over 12 percent makes property owners eligible for a special property tax refund for one year. He urged property owners to remind their tax preparers of this.