Author: Insights

Even as income levels rise across Wisconsin, the revenue generated from those gains is not keeping pace. That’s the message embedded in municipal data released by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, which reveals a growing gap between what residents earn and what they pay in state income taxes. In 2023, the total adjusted gross income (AGI) reported by residents of Wisconsin cities and villages rose by 3.3%, topping $168 billion. This continues a trend of strong income growth over the last three years, following increases of 6.2% in 2021 and 8.0% in 2022. Yet the amount of individual income tax...

Wisconsin municipalities are holding the line on borrowing, even as rising property values expand their capacity to take on more debt. Data from the Wisconsin Policy Forum’s 2025 MuniTool shows that general obligation (G.O.) debt across all cities and villages grew just 2.9% in 2023, the smallest annual increase in the past decade. That modest rise pushed total G.O. debt statewide to $8.8 billion, but most individual municipalities did not contribute to the increase. In fact, only 33.7% of cities and villages reported taking on more debt last year, while the majority held steady or reduced their liabilities. The...

For fans of George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire,” the phrase “Winter is Coming” has transformed into an ironic mantra for an endless wait. After 13 years of anticipation for the sixth installment, “The Winds of Winter,” Martin has delivered an admission many fans dreaded: he does not know if he will ever finish the book. In a recent public interview, Martin finally acknowledged what critics and readers alike have long suspected. “Unfortunately, I am 13 years late [with book six],” Martin confessed. “Every time I say that, I think, ‘How could I be 13 years...