Some county board members are speaking out against an ad from County Executive Tom Nelson, over the proposed half-cent county sales tax.
County Board Chair Jeff Nooyen joined several other supervisors for a press conference this morning. He says he started getting calls from board members, after the ad was released. He says they believe it’s misleading and it needed to be addressed.
Nooyen says it’s important for people to hear from both sides of the story — “what Executive Nelson is saying, and what the facts are.”
Nooyen says it’s unprecedented in Outagamie County government for someone to run an ad that you see in federal or state campaigns. He says it’s also unwelcome.
Nelson argues he’s trying to let people know about the proposal. He says he’s asking the county board to delay next Tuesday’s vote.
A county study found the sales tax could bring in $20 million in revenue next year. The proposal calls for it to be used to lower property taxes, reduce debt, pay for capital projects, and provide new funding to communities and school districts.
The study shows the average household would pay about $104 per year because of the half-cent tax. But after the property tax reduction, the average property taxpayer would see an overall savings of $58 in the first year.
Nelson paid to run the ad on WHBY.
