Taxes & Budgets

Through January 31, make a full payment or a partial payment to the Village of Union Grove using one of the payment options below.  After January 31, tax payments must go to the Racine County Treasurer’s Office. Property tax payment options:

• Mailed to the Village of Union Grove, 925 15th Avenue, Union Grove, WI 53182.
• In-person at the Union Grove Municipal Center between the hours of 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Placed in the drop-box located at 925 15th Avenue. (No Cash Please)
• Payments can be made via debit/credit card or e-check online here. (2.95% fee will apply for card or $1.50 flat fee per check.)
• All checks should be made payable to the Village of Union Grove.

If your taxes are paid by your mortgage company and the escrow amount is greater than the full tax payment, the Village will issue you a refund check in approximately 15-30 days.

Annual property tax bills include tax amounts assessed by several different jurisdictions, including Racine County, Union Grove Union High School, Union Grove Elementary School, Gateway Technical College and Village of Union Grove. A breakdown of tax amounts is provided on the property tax bill, along with a list of any referendums printed near the middle of the page. About 26% of the annual tax bill goes to the Village of Union Grove for services like public safety, road maintenance, garbage/recycling collections and other local services.

The Lottery and Gaming Credit is a credit that provides direct property tax relief to qualifying taxpayers on their property tax bills. To qualify for the Lottery and Gaming Credit, you must be a Wisconsin resident, own a dwelling and use it as your primary residence as of the January 1 certification date of the year the property taxes are levied. To receive the credit, an eligible property owner must file an application with the county treasurer where the property is located.

An audit of the Village’s finances is completed by an independent auditor on an annual basis, and an overview of the financial statements is presented to the Village Board in a public meeting. Annual audits include all Village funds and utilities. Copies of recent audits are provided below:

• Financial Statements for Year-Ending December 31, 2022
• Financial Statements for Year-Ending December 31, 2021
• Financial Statements for Year-Ending December 31, 2020

The Village has developed a Long-Range Financial Plan (2020-2030) to serve as a roadmap for maintaining service levels and completing necessary infrastructure improvements in a fiscally responsible manner. The plan was adopted by the Village Board on August 17, 2020 and has been updated with the 2021 Budget. The plan accounts for the following four main objectives:

1. Plan for rising costs of operations and capital improvement needs, while:
2. Maintaining a stable property tax rate;
3. Maintaining a General Fund balance that meets our Fund Balance Policy (25% of prior year expenditures); and,
4. Meeting the goal of our Debt Policy as it relates to General Obligation debt limits (75% of less of statutory limit).

The Village of Union Grove utilizes tax incremental financing (TIF) to help generate economic development in the community. Tax incremental financing is considered the most effective tool Wisconsin cities and villages have for economic development and job creation. Municipalities have been using TIF successfully since 1975.

The TIF process allows a municipality to pay for public improvements and other eligible costs within a designated area, called a tax incremental district (TID), using the future taxes collected on the TID’s increased property value to repay the cost of the improvements. The rationale behind TIF is that the public investment will promote private development, jobs, and tax-base growth that would not otherwise occur absent the TID. The creation and amendment of all TID’s require approval from both the State of Wisconsin and a local Joint Review Board, which is made up of representatives from Racine County, school districts, Gateway Technical College and Village of Union Grove. All Joint Review Board meetings are open to the public.

Union Grove currently has four active TIDs. For more information about the purpose and projects associated with each TID, review the project plans below:

• TID #4 Project Plan (2006)
• TID #5 Project Plan (Amended 2019)
• TID #6 Project Plan (2019)
• TID #7 Project Plan (2021)