At its July 7, 2026 meeting, the Grand Chute Town Board unanimously approved a vehicle Wheel Tax by amending Town Ordinance 57. The Board created this new tax without seeking any input from Town residents in any manner whatsoever.
The first discussion of a potential Wheel Tax came at a Special Town Board meeting held on June 23, 2026, at 9:00 AM. Only two residents, myself and one other, were in attendance at the special meeting. That means, with only one discussion, and without seeking any resident input, the Board, in a vacuum, created a new Town tax in just a two-week period. This special Town Board meeting raised several issues:
- Why was a Special Town Board meeting held to discuss a new tax? Why wasn’t the topic introduced and discussed at a regularly scheduled Board meeting, where more residents might attend?
- Why was the June 23 special meeting held at 9:00 AM, when many residents are at work?
- Why did the June 23 Agenda Packet of information available for residents to review in advance of the special meeting not include any information about a potential Wheel Tax?
- Even though no information was included in the June 23 special meeting Agenda Packet, Interim Administrator Greg Peterson somehow knew that a Wheel Tax discussion was going to occur, because he brought information to the meeting revealing that Grand Chute has 20,700 registered vehicles that could potentially be subject to a Wheel Tax. With no Wheel tax information in the Agenda Packet, some Board member or members had to have instructed Peterson to bring Wheel Tax information to the meeting. This strongly suggests problematic, non-transparent meetings may have taken place. How else would a Board be prepared to approve a new town-wide tax after having only one known discussion of the tax, where no research was performed on the topic, and where no information was shared with the public?
- How did Chair Beth English change course — voting in opposition to a Wheel Tax on June 23, then voting to approve a Wheel Tax on July 7 — without there being behind-the-scenes influence and discussions occurring in the meantime.
Chair English campaigned on a promise to conduct an open and transparent government. Instituting a totally new tax without any public awareness and without inviting public involvement is not open and transparent government.
At the July 7 Town Board meeting when the Board approved the new tax, resident and former Town Chair Jason Van Eperen criticized the actions of the Board during a public input period statement. Van Eperen felt that a Wheel Tax might “possibly” work, but he expressed concern about the approach used by the Board to implement the tax. He believes “the right approach would be to go to a referendum.” it. He considered the Board’s non-transparent actions to involve “taking money without asking for it,” which in his opinion involves “stealing.”
Van Eperen reminded the Board about its 2024 Road Funding Survey. The survey asked residents for input about three road-funding options, none of which was a Wheel Tax.
Van Eperen questioned whether the real motive for implementing a Wheel Tax without obtaining public opinion was to bring in a new stream of revenue to help fund roads that would allow the transfer of current debt service road funds for use in financing multiple costly municipal building projects desired by the Board, including a new Public Safety Building and various remodeling projects involving the current Town Hall. A new $4 million Public Works storage building was also recently approved.
Van Eperen also expressed concern that creating a Wheel Tax — especially in such an abrupt and clandestine manner, and also at a time when sources of funding are being considered to fund desired new municipal building projects —may enable the Board to shift other current road funding revenue, such as bond funding revenue, to help pay for the planned building projects. If that were to happen, Wheel Tax revenues collected to help pay for additional needed road maintenance, would essentially be used for other purposes.
