Public Safety Referendum

Our public safety staff have gone above and beyond to address the increasing needs of our County. They have adapted to address these needs by working smarter, creating efficiencies, collaborating with stakeholders and community members, utilizing special funding sources, and prioritizing what types of service we provide. Despite our best efforts, it is increasingly difficult to meet the growing demands for service without additional personnel.

In 2005, the state of Wisconsin adopted property tax levy restrictions that limited the ability of local governments to increase their property tax levies annually. Local government’s ability to raise revenue is limited to the level of net new construction in the County or approval by voters through referendum. Due to these tax levy restrictions, counties are limited in the amount of money available to provide the services we all count on every day like protection from law enforcement, road repair and snow removal, just to name a few of the many services provided by the County.

As the population has grown and the need for services has increased, the County has had to choose between what the community wants and what the budget provides. After many years of finding creative ways to bridge this ever-widening gap we have fallen far behind on the demand for services in public safety.

The positions involved in this referendum work closely together to keep the people who live, work, and visit St. Croix County safe. The number of personnel it takes to provide the level of service you deserve has not kept up with the demand of our growing County. The information in the following tabs will help put these needs into perspective.

Since 2007, calls for service to the Sheriff’s Office have increased by 18%. This Calls for Service Graph shows the 15-year trend for all calls for service involving Sheriff’s Office Deputies. Any call within a town, village, or city involving a deputy is counted.

When compared to our neighboring counties, in 2021, St. Croix County had the highest number of calls for service per deputy. The St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office responded to 24,947 calls for service in 2021. This number increased to 25,094 calls for service in 2022. 

The Calls for Service per Deputy Graph below shows that there were 580 calls for service per deputy in our County, the highest of all 8 agencies included. Agency representatives provided total calls for service numbers based on their records management systems.

Many of the calls the Sheriff's Office receives have a mental health component leading to a safety and welfare check. Since 2007, we've seen a 70% increase in these types of calls. The addition of mental health co-responders has and will help reduce the amount of time the Sheriff's Office and local polices department s spend at these types of calls.

The increase in cases doesn’t just impact the Sheriff’s Office. This referendum will help address the increasing workload on our Circuit Courts and District Attorney’s Office, and Justice Support Service. In 2022, there were 8,909 cases filed in St. Croix County Circuit Courts.

The general increase in number of cases and the complexity of criminal felony cases puts a strain on the time and resources of our District Attorney’s Office and their state-funded attorneys, that are already understaffed. In 2008, the District Attorney’s Office reviewed 81 search warrants. In 2022, they reviewed 441. Additionally, there was a 30% increase from 2019 to 2022 in the number of crimes (misdemeanor and felony) referred from the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office to the District Attorney’s Office for charging purposes. In 2019, of the cases referred, 462 of them were felony cases. Compared to 548 felony cases in 2022, an increase of over 18% from 2019.

While we don’t have control over the funding of state positions, we can work to lessen the load on our DA’s Office through adding an Attorney to our Corporation Counsel’s Office to handle CHIPS (Child in Need of Protection and/or Services) cases. Cases involving the protection of children increased from 27 to 116 cases over the past 10 years. This move will give the District Attorney's Office more time to focus on the increasing complexity of criminal felony cases and cases with a digital element.

Behavioral health professionals who ‘co-respond’ with law enforcement to mental health crisis events, help prevent high-cost hospital detentions, reduce law enforcement time responding to mental health crisis events, and provide compassionate, appropriate care to the person in crisis.

St. Croix County currently has 2 co-responders whose positions are funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. These funds are set to expire in 2024. Funding through this referendum will keep this service available for the individuals and families struggling with mental health.   

Over the past year, these 2 co-responders assisted on 117 crisis calls. Calls for service to the co-responders came from all over the County with 36% coming from the Sheriff’s Office followed by the New Richmond Police Department at 19%. Over 60% of the calls resulted in a community plan with the individual(s) to connect them the treatment and resources they need. This is the optimal outcome of these calls.

To pay for the additional 24 public safety positions, property taxes would increase starting in 2024 based off your equalized property value. If approved, there will be a one-time permanent increase of $3,536,507 to our annual tax levy. This increase is spread out throughout the entire County. Property taxes would increase by $24.97 per $100,000 of your equalized value.

Our property taxes are determined by the County’s Mill Rate. The Mill Rate for St. Croix County has decreased every year since 2013.

We know that no one likes seeing their property taxes increase, but did you know that County taxes account for 21%* of the average property tax bill? That's means less than 20 cents on every dollar you pay in property taxes goes to fund important services like 9-1-1 dispatch and our Sheriff’s Department, Court Services, and keeping our roads clear in the winter. The expansion will help ensure our services keep up with the growing needs of our County.

*Percentage updated the most recent data from 2022 taxes.