Town of Harrison eyes becoming a village to protect borders, tax dollars
By: Millaine Wells
Updated: July 30, 2012
TOWN OF HARRISON, Wis. (WFRV) - A local community is losing land and tax revenue to its larger neighbors.
The Town of Harrison is the largest community contained in Calumet County, 34 square miles.
To keep it that way, Town leaders want to incorporate part of the town into a Village to have more power to protect property.
"Slowly over the years, the surrounding cities and villages have been annexing land. What happens then is they annex tax base from the town" says Travis Parish, Harrison Town Administrator.
Recently a Japanese restaurant and gas station were absorbed into Appleton.
"That is tax revenue we use to provide snow plowing, improve our streets and roads" explains Parish.
Government leaders say incorporating is the only permanent solution.
The proposed Village of Harrison would be 4.6 square miles and home to about 7,400 people.
According to Town Chairman John Slotten "one of the biggest concerns people have raised is that taxes will automatically go up".
Parish says " we actually provided and proposed budget, and tax rates would remain the same".
Mailing addresses will not change and neither will emergency services. The village and town plan to share.
"They will have the same plow truck driver the same garbage pickup" says Slotten.
Incorporation is a long process that started more than two years ago.
Residents will get the final say in a referendum expected early next year.
"This is showing that we are progressing as an area, as a community. There is so much more we can do with our neighbors if we have that village in place" says Slotten.
There is a final public hearing Tuesday at the Darboy Club.
It runs from 1:00 pm until 7:00 pm.
For a closer look at the maps, and answers to other questions click here.
