Town Hall · Shell Lake

Shell Lake, WI town hall & government

Shell Lake spent $3.1 million in the year to December 31, 2022, about $2,323 per resident.

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

Town budget

Where Shell Lake's money goes

Spent
$3.1 million
fiscal year to December 31, 2022
Per resident
$2,323
typical Wisconsin cities: $2,033
Long-term debt
$3.8 million
$2,898 per resident
Parks & libraries
$508,00017%
Sewer & trash
$436,00014%
Police
$299,00010%
Roads & transportation
$286,0009%
Water & other utilities
$274,0009%
Administration & buildings
$197,0006%
Fire
$186,0006%
Interest on debt
$168,0005%
Health & welfare
$35,0001%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$5,000<1%
Other
$668,00022%

Where the money comes from

  • Property taxes 53%
  • Fees & charges 22%
  • From the state 7%
  • From other local governments 7%
  • Utility sales 6%
  • Interest, fines & other 4%
  • Other taxes & licenses 1%
  • From the federal government <1%
Town workforce

Who works for Shell Lake

Full-time staff
9
17 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$63,000
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
3
full-time, with power of arrest
Administration & buildings
2 full-time9 part
Roads & transportation
4 full-time2 part
Parks & libraries
0 full-time6 part
Police
3 full-time

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

Schools · school year 2023–24

Shell Lake School District

Shell Lake's K–12 school district, shared with Barronett, Dewey, Bashaw, Sarona, Roosevelt and Beaver Brook. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$15,985
Wisconsin: $16,459
Students
618
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$11.9 million
at year end

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

  • Local 43%
  • State 44%
  • Federal 13%

Of the $15,985 per pupil, $9,333 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.

Property tax

What homeowners in Shell Lake pay

Typical tax bill
$3,483
a year · Wisconsin typical $3,792
Effective rate
1.52%
of home value · Wisconsin 1.42%
Typical home value
$229,400
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 Shell Lake's government

Town hall & decisions in Shell Lake →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Shell Lake

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

All of Shell 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.

You’re browsing

Shell Lake

Wisconsin · WI
View town boundary →
Township / city / CDP overlaps possible.
Loading boundary…

Shell Lake is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01