RESPONSE: Your property taxes went up this year due to changes from several taxing bodies—not because of a new decision by the Mellen School District. The school portion of your taxes only changed within the normal state funding formula, not because of any added spending or new referendum. The increase you saw is separate from any future school funding decisions and was not caused by the district. Here is a great video resource that better explains Wisconsin school finance: https://youtu.be/Jy2bueJvq_Q 

Only the normal, state‑controlled school funding portion went to the Mellen School District—not an extra amount. 

Wisconsin sets a strict limit on how much money every school district is allowed to collect each year. This is called the revenue limit, and it combines: 

• State funding, plus 

• Local property taxes 

If the state does not increase its school funding enough in a given year, the local share automatically rises to make up the difference. This is built into Wisconsin’s funding formula—not something the district chooses. 

So while a portion of your overall increase does go to the school district, it is only the amount required under the state funding system, not a new increase created by the district itself. 

There have been no new referendums or new tax‑raising actions by the Mellen School District that would cause a sudden spike.