Town Hall · Bear Lake

Bear Lake, WI town hall & government

Bear Lake spent $314,000 in the year to December 31, 2022, about $480 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Bear Lake's government.

Town budget

Where Bear Lake's money goes

Spent
$314,000
fiscal year to December 31, 2022
Per resident
$480
typical Wisconsin towns: $433
Long-term debt
$394,000
$602 per resident
Roads & transportation
$195,00062%
Administration & buildings
$53,00017%
Fire
$52,00017%
Interest on debt
$12,0004%
Other
$2,0001%

Where the money comes from

  • Property taxes 62%
  • From the state 38%
Town workforce

Who works for Bear Lake

Full-time staff
1
5 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$57,200
a year, before benefits
Administration & buildings
1 full-time5 part

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2022. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Rice Lake Area School District

Bear Lake's K–12 school district, shared with Haugen, Oak Grove, Rice Lake, Doyle, Rice Lake and Long Lake. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$15,567
Wisconsin: $16,459
Students
2,177
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$13.6 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Wisconsin districts overall: 39% local, 50% state, 11% federal

  • Local 43%
  • State 46%
  • Federal 10%

Of the $15,567 per pupil, $9,275 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Also serving Bear Lake: Cumberland School District ($15,931 per pupil).

Property tax

What homeowners in Bear Lake pay

Typical tax bill
$3,195
a year · Wisconsin typical $3,792
Effective rate
1.21%
of home value · Wisconsin 1.42%
Typical home value
$263,700
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the survey estimate has a wide margin.

Local

Contact Bear Lake's government

Town hall & decisions in Bear Lake →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Bear Lake

Bear Lake is represented in Congress by Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin and Representative Thomas P. Tiffany. Tony Evers is governor.

All of Bear Lake's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Bear Lake

Wisconsin · WI · Barron County
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