Government

The Village of Prairie du Sac honored Sauk Prairie Police Chief Jerry Strunz last month, recognizing him for his First Responder of the Year award and his long-time service to the community. Pictured is Strunz with Prairie du Sac Board President Cheryl Sherman.

A grant for the West Park fishpond path has been received from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) the Arena Village Board learned at their December meeting. The 50/50 grant is in the amount of $3,952 and includes the cost of the path and a light along the path.

The Village of Prairie du Sac ticked several to do items off the list at their last meeting, with decisions ranging from construction contracts to snowmobile routes again.

Sewer rates will be going up for residents of Prairie du Sac, with a 5 percent increase coming next year. The Sauk Prairie Sewerage Commission this year increased their fees by 3 percent for the villages. In order to meet its needs and cover the costs of the increase, the village needs the 5 percent increase.

Black Earth will soon have its own ice rink this winter in Veteran’s Park; the village is waiting on materials to arrive. Village Administrator Shellie Benish wrote up a grant proposal for the project, which was approved, and the Village was awarded $2500 from Sauk Prairie Healthcare’s Healthy Life Initiative Grand.

Taxes are dropping in both Black Earth and Mazomanie for next year.

Mazomanie tax bills will decrease by 3.49 percent. In Black Earth, there will be a 4.13 percent drop.

Flood mitigation and recovery continues to be the focus for the village of Mazomanie as grant proposals roll out and potential projects lie on the horizon.

A full breakdown of the current situation is as follows:

114 Curtis Street: purchased in May 2021, fully funded by outside sources. 

The tax levy of $439,244 for 2021 was set by the Arena Village Board at their November meeting. Only two members of the public attended the budget hearing to learn details of the 2022 budget. Expenses in the 2022 budget, $698,849, are $376 more than last year.

It was one of the toughest budget cycles yet for Sauk County. Despite that, taxpayers will get a break next year.

It’s budget season for local villages and with that residents will know what to expect for taxes next year. It’s a mixed bag this year, with one village seeing an increase, one seeing a drop, and two to be determined.

Here are the details:

Black Earth