Eau Claire: More Fees. More Taxes. Less Accountability.
We are organizing concerned residents to educate their neighbors, improve public policy at the local level, and lessen our tax burden. Are you in?
Eau Claire's economic burden: By the numbers
Eau Claire's city government is more than doubling the wheel tax, a flat annual vehicle fee that hits every registered vehicle owner in the city, whether you own property or not. When leadership can't justify raising property taxes enough to cover their spending, they invent a new bill instead.
Eau Claire's median property tax bill already runs $937 higher than the national median, with an effective rate of 1.46% higher than both the Wisconsin state median and the national average.
In 1995, property taxes made up just 25% of the city of Eau Claire's revenue. Today, it's 60%, and city leadership admits it. Three decades of local budget decisions have steadily shifted the financial burden onto property owners, and now onto vehicle owners too.
Eau Claire's 2026 city budget grew 4.5% to $198 million — and even with a bigger budget, leadership introduced a new paid downtown parking program and the wheel tax hike to close the gap. More money keeps going in. The bills to residents keep going up anyway.
What's Driving It
Policy Failures
Local Officials Are Using Fees to Get Around Tax Caps
Wisconsin law limits how much cities can raise property tax levies each year, tied mostly to new construction. Rather than living within that limit, Eau Claire's city government is doing an end-run around it — introducing a doubled wheel tax and new downtown parking fees, both of which aren't subject to the same caps.
A 25-Year-Old State Funding Formula Nobody's Fixed
Wisconsin's shared revenue formula, the state aid cities rely on to avoid leaning entirely on property owners, has been left virtually frozen since 2000, even as inflation rose 86% over that period. Eau Claire's city government openly says it now gets less real per-capita state aid than it did a quarter-century ago.
Years of Debt-Funded Spending Are Coming Due
Eau Claire city and county governments have been carrying real structural deficits for years, $3.9 million in 2024, still $1.8 million in the red heading into 2026, with $86 million in capital debt now projected over the next five years for large-scale projects. This is the result of years of local spending decisions made without fully accounting for their long-term cost and now residents are being asked to cover it
We Need Leaders Like You
Communities like yours need leaders to change children's outcomes. They're protected by driven residents who show up, speak out, and take action.
Education
Learn how the city council functions, how to speak at community events and to board members directly.
Connection
Connect with a growing network of neighbors who share your concerns and are ready to stand together and demand change.
Action
Get practical tools to participate in school board and other city government meetings, submit public comments, and hold local officials accountable.
Support
Ongoing help from experienced community advocates who've successfully driven change across Eau Claire and other parts of Wisconsin.
Are You In?
Submit your information and our team will personally reach out to you.
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