MATC Increases Tax Levy by 8.6 Percent

MATC increases tax levy by 8.6 percent
Deborah Ziff | dziff[at] madison [dot] com | 608-252-6234 | Posted: Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Taxes on an average single family home in Madison will rise $21.85 next year for Madison Area Technical College, under a tax levy adopted by the MATC District Board on Wednesday night.

That means the MATC tax on an average single-family home, valued at $245,424, will be $322.25. That does not include other portions of the tax bill, such as the city of Madison, Dane County, and local schools.

In total, MATC will collect $94.9 million in taxes next year, an 8.6 percent increase over this year.

The higher tax levy is in large part due to the rising cost of salaries and fringe benefits, a new Far West Side campus, and debt payments for equipment and maintenance, said Roger Price, vice president for infrastructure.

The Board also approved a $2 million spending increase Wednesday night for extra staff members and services that will help the college accommodate a 13 percent increase in enrollment.

The impact on taxpayers is slightly less than the college initially estimated in June because of an increase in state aid.

MATC is still about $23 million below the tax levy limit placed on technical colleges by the state Legislature.

The Madison area district includes most of Columbia, Dane, Jefferson, Marquette, and Sauk counties, and specific school districts in seven other counties.