A Premier Resort Area Tax for Sturgeon Bay and three other communities did not make the final cut in the budget approved by the legislature last week, but First District Representative Joel Kitchens says he is not done yet. Rep. Kitchens and 34th District Assemblymember Rob Swearingen plan on introducing legislation that would allow a PRAT to be instituted in Sturgeon Bay and Minocqua. Neither community currently qualify for the PRAT since tourism-related retailers do not make up at least 40 percent of its equalized assessed property value. City residents overwhelmingly passed a referendum in support of the PRAT last year, something Rep. Kitchens did not forget.
If instituted, the funds from the PRAT would go towards infrastructure improvements. City Administrator Josh Van Lieshout will give an additional update about the PRAT during Tuesday’s Sturgeon Bay Common Council meeting.
