The countdown to potentially spending a little more on some purchases will begin Tuesday, when the Sturgeon Bay Common Council holds its first ordinance reading to institute a Premier Resort Area Tax in the city.
The 2025-27 state budget allowed the city, along with the town of Minocqua, to join other tourist-oriented communities such as Ephraim, Sister Bay and Wisconsin Dells in charging an additional 0.5% tax on items typically associated with tourism, excluding essentials such as gasoline and groceries. The city has sought for about a decade to institute a PRAT to help fund infrastructure improvements.
In 2018, 70% of Sturgeon Bay voters approved the PRAT in an advisory referendum. Even if the ordinance is approved by the end of the month, Mayor David Ward said it likely will not take effect until July, in accordance with state statutes.
Ward said he hopes the PRAT will help spread the burden of repairing the city’s roads, an area in which the city has fallen behind.
In addition to its consent agenda, the Sturgeon Bay Common Council will consider adding a spring primary to the election calendar when it meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
