People Have Jobs in Caledonia, But The Village Needs Tax Revenue

From a jobs standpoint, Caledonia is the envy of the state with the lowest unemployment rate of 3.5 percent.

But the Village finances are in a challenging spot. Facing increased costs, and a 50 percent cut in state aid, Village Board members are painfully aware of the the tax base without burdening the property owner.

To address those concerns, the Village works with the Racine County Economic Development Corporation, which has two goals – get people working and diversify the tax base.

Gordy Kacala, executive director for RCEDC, said Caledonia looks good from an unemployment standpoint. However, the people living in Caledonia often work in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties, which makes it difficult to talk about Caledonia independent of those areas.

Still, diversifying the tax base means attracting commercial and industrial businesses, and expanding existing businesses to help ease the tax burden on property owners.

“Too much of the tax burden is resting on the shoulders of property owners,” he said. “And we need to focus on attracting industrial and commercial development to ease that burden.”

Kacala said taking a second look at land use plan would make a difference in how the community develops.

“When the first one was done, it was a whole different environment,” he said. “At the time there was a strong push to maintain green space. So much so that now Caledonia is no longer competitive.”

Revamping the land use plan to include areas that could provide for industrial and commercial development and having a community that is in agreement with those plans will go a long way, Kacala said. “… It also insures that development will be more balanced and that it will continue.”

Expanding the business park in Franksville would need to offer enhanced access to Highway K to make the area more marketable. Better signage, curb and gutter, and landscaping, would also make the area more appealing, he said.

Kacala also points to expansion projects in Caledonia including one with BEI and WisCon. There are also others in the works, but Kacala didn’t said those are still in the works.

“I’m happy with the progress we’ve had, but I would like to have more to offer,” he said.