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Cudahy Adopts $25 Wheel Tax After Narrow Vote as Wisconsin Senate Backs Referendum Rule

The council opted for the fee to avoid deep service cuts detailed in a city memo after a $1.1 million shortfall.

Overview

  • The Cudahy Common Council approved a $25 vehicle-registration fee on a 3–2 vote after a heated meeting packed with opponents.
  • Public commenters uniformly opposed the tax, and 1st District Alderwoman Miranda Levy advanced the $25 compromise that ultimately passed.
  • City Administrator JJ Larson’s memorandum warned that without the fee the city would leave a sworn police officer position unfilled, shift funding for the July 4 celebration and National Night Out to donations, and trim smaller public works projects.
  • An earlier $50 wheel tax proposal, rejected after backlash, was estimated to raise about $600,000 toward the budget gap.
  • The Wisconsin Senate approved Senate Bill 467 to require local wheel taxes to go to voters, a measure authored by Sen. Rob Hutton that passed largely along party lines.