Village Government
Village Committees, Boards and Commissions
Much of the initial discussion of matters coming before the village board takes
place in the board's committees and in the village's boards and commissions,
all of which make recommendations to the village board. Only trustees may
serve on the board's standing committees, but other committees, as well as
boards and commissions, are composed of both trustees and individual citizens.
All appointments to these bodies are made by the village president with
confirmation by the village board in April of each year.
Click Here (PDF) for a list of these committees, boards and commissions.
Their meeting times are
available by clicking here.
In addition, citizens wishing to serve on one of the boards and commission
should contact
the village administrator or the village president.
The governing body for the village of Mt. Horeb is the board of trustees,
elected
at-large by the voters of the village for two-year terms. Elections are held on
a
non-partisan basis in April of each year, preceded by a February primary if
there
are more than two candidates for the same office. Half of the trustees are
elected
each year to provide continuity for the board.
The village board serves as the legislative branch of city government, enacting
ordinances and resolutions, approving the annual budget, setting policies and
taking other actions to guide the operations of the village.
Village voters also choose a president, who by virtue of the office, is a
trustee.
The president presides and votes at all meetings of the board and signs
ordinances
and other official documents.
The village board appoints a village administrator who oversees the day-to-day
operation of the village government, including the village utilities.
Village Board Meetings
The village board regularly meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30
p.m.
on the second floor of the municipal building. All meetings are open to the
public, except
when the board meets in closed sessions to discuss a subject permitted by the
Wisconsin Open Meetings Law to be held in such sessions.
Any citizen may appear before the village board on any issue. Because of the
need to comply with the Open Meetings Law, any matter for which board or
committee action is required must appear on the published agenda. Letters,
petitions, reports and other written documents are always appreciated so that
they can be distributed in advance for information and study.
Property Tax Information
The Village of Mt. Horeb collects property taxes from Mt. Horeb residents from
late December until the end of January. Beginning on Feb. 1, the Dane County
Treasurer's Office is responsible for collecting property taxes for Mt. Horeb
and
the other 59 units of local government in the county. The Dane County Treasurer
can be reached at 266-4151.
In 2003, about 35% of the property taxes paid by Mt. Horeb residents were used
to fund the services provided by the Village of Mt. Horeb. The largest
percentage
of the property tax dollar was used to fund the Mt. Horeb Area School District
(45%) and 13% of the tax dollar-funded services provided by Dane County. The
remainder funded the Madison Area Technical College (MATC) district (6%)
and the State of Wisconsin (1%).
The 2003, property taxes on a home assessed at $150,000 were $3,327. Of this
amount, $1,497 went to fund the school district, $1,164 funded village government
services, $433 funded county government services, $200 went to fund the MATC
district and $33 went to the State of Wisconsin.
The property tax is distributed among property owners according to the assessed
value of their land and buildings. Mt. Horeb contracts with Gardiner Appraisal
to do the
assessing of all property in the village, and property owners with a question or
concern about their assessed valuation should contact village hall to review
their
assessment and that of other comparable properties. An adjustment can be made at
that time of open-book review, if warranted. Property owners not satisfied
with the results of that process may appeal the assessment with the village's
Board
of Review.
The Property Tax Dollar
How It Gets Distributed
35% Village of Mt. Horeb
1% State of Wisconsin
6% Madison Area Technical College
45% Mt. Horeb Area School District
13% Dane County