Referendum to Merge the Town and Village of Bloomfield

Voters in the town and village of Bloomfield will have a referendum on the april 7th ballot that if accepted would implement the merger between the two municipalities and could raise property taxes. Town officials have calculated that the owner of a $100 thousand dollar home would see their property tax bill increase from $438 to around $538 under the plan to combine the town with the village. The town and village announced last December that a boundary agreement was being considered merging the 1600 residents of the the town and 4700 residents of the village of Bloomfield. The merger according to officials would protect against unwanted annexations by Lake Geneva or Genoa City, it would also streamline local government and greater control of land use. The Village which is carrying about 6 million in debt, is spending about 800 thousand a year to repay its past loans, if the merger happens the property taxes could go up or there is a scenario in which the town, like the village takes on debt and increases its own property taxes unrelated to the merger proposal. If the referendum passes and the merger goes through the town of Bloomfield would be dissolved and become part of the Village.