Wisconsin
Why isn't Wisconsin car registration cost based on miles driven?
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Wisconsin funds its state transportation system mostly through a gas tax and various vehicle registration fees. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a proposal to study a mileage-based fee system in 2019, but national efforts are underway to expand such systems as vehicles become more fuel-efficient.
Wisconsin charges $85 to register an automobile with the state, with certain larger vehicles — tractors, trucks, buses — costing more.
It costs an extra $75 to register a hybrid vehicle and $175 to register an electric vehicle, an amount that increased $75 in the most recent state budget. Hybrid and electric vehicle owners pay more to make up for losses in gas tax revenue.
Certain municipalities and counties also assess additional “wheel taxes.” In Madison, for example, in addition to the $85 state fee, residents must pay a $40 registration fee to the city and another $28 to Dane County.
Wisconsin’s main source of road funding is the gas tax, currently 31 cents per gallon, which accounts for 45% of funding. The vehicle registration fees cover 30%.
In the 2019-21 budget the Republican-controlled Legislature approved spending $2.5 million for the Department of Transportation to study mileage-based vehicle registration fees. But Evers vetoed it because he objected “to the financing of another study that will show, yet again, that the motor fuel tax is the most effective way to approximate a user fee of roadway use and the most cost-effective way to collect revenue.”
The 2021 federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act included $75 million for state and local grants to pilot mileage-based vehicle registration programs. The latest round of grant applications is due May 27.
The state Department of Transportation did not respond to questions about whether it plans to apply for the pilot. Evers’ office noted the last three budgets have taken multiple steps to increase road funding, including most recently dedicating $800 million for road projects and moving the amount of electric vehicle sales tax revenue from the state’s general fund to the transportation fund.
Other U.S. states assess vehicle registration fees in a variety of ways. Some charge based on the type of vehicle. Others charge based on the vehicle’s weight. In some places, registration costs change as a vehicle gets older.
Last year Hawaii became the first state to adopt a mandatory mileage-based registration fee system. The state already requires annual vehicle inspections, and now electric vehicle owners must switch from set fees to a mileage-based system by mid-2028. Other vehicles will be required to do so by the end of 2033.
Oregon, Utah and Virginia have an opt-in mileage-based system primarily for electric vehicles, and Connecticut has a program for trucks, according to Barbara Rohde, executive director of the Mileage-Based User Fee Alliance, of which the Wisconsin DOT is a member.
“There’s interest in Wisconsin,” Rohde said based on feedback she got from a panel discussion in Madison last year. “The gas mileage in all the vehicles that we’re driving are getting so much better fuel efficiency and that has an impact. … I’m hopeful that Wisconsin will be really a part of a real trajectory in the Midwest to look at this.”
Wisconsin Watch readers have submitted questions to our statehouse team, and we’ll answer them in our series, Ask Wisconsin Watch. Have a question about state government? Ask it here.
(WLUK) — Several Northeast Wisconsin dairy companies have received new state funding, Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday.
Dairy Processor Grants were awarded to 13 companies by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). These grants are designed to help local dairy processors with projects that modernize and grow their businesses, produce new products or expand their markets, while also improving profitability. The goal is to sustain the long-term viability of Wisconsin’s dairy processing industry.
“We must be doing everything we can to ensure Wisconsin remains on top as America’s Dairyland,” said Evers, in part, in a news release.
I’m proud to have secured additional investments for this critical program in the most recent state budget I signed, and I’m glad to see these funds going out the door to ensure our dedicated dairy producers have the support and resources they need to compete and be successful.
A total of $600,000 was available for this year’s grants, with a maximum of $50,000 allowed for each company. Grant recipients are required to provide a match of at least 20% of the grant amount.
The selected winners in Northeast Wisconsin are:
- Briess in Chilton to invest in an upgrade of control systems
- Milk Specialties Company (Actus Nutrition) in Fond du Lac to investigate the potential of Milk Basic Proteins (MBP) as a value-added dairy ingredient
- Pine River Dairy in Manitowoc to modernize butter packaging equipment to increase production capacity, enhance product quality and expand market reach
- Pine River Pre-Pack in Newton (Manitowoc County) to install a natural gas line and replace the existing fuel oil-burning boiler and tank water heater at the processing facility
- Rosewood Dairy Inc. (Renard’s Cheese) in Sturgeon Bay to construct a stand-alone building to house several self-serve AI “smart coolers”
- Widmer’s Cheese Cellars in Theresa (Dodge County) to complete a new and improved milk intake design proposal
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Since 2014, DATCP has received 283 proposals for Dairy Processor Grant, requesting more than $12 million. 148 of those proposals were funded, totaling $3.8 million.
Some of the best Milwaukee concerts and comedy shows this winter
Here are some top shows to check out in Milwaukee from December 2025 through February 2026.
Three rising country artists who delivered some of the buzziest shows in Milwaukee in 2025 have graduated to Country Thunder Wisconsin headliner status for 2026.
Gavin Adcock, the Red Clay Strays and Riley Green – and longtime country A-lister Keith Urban – will headline the Academy of Country Music Award-winning festival in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, July 16 to 19, festival officials announced Dec. 4.
Adcock and Green both performed for some of the largest side-stage crowds at Summerfest in Milwaukee this year, while Red Clay Strays headlined a sold-out show at the BMO Pavilion in August.
The Country Thunder lineup also boasts the first Wisconsin performance from Shaboozey, whose blockbuster hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” was the most streamed song on Spotify in Milwaukee last year. Other confirmed acts include Gretchen Wilson, Ian Munsick, Nate Smith, George Birge, Mark Chesnutt, Dasha, Corey Kent and more.
Tickets and camping passes are available at countrythunder.com/wi-tickets, with weekend passes ranging from $320 for general admission to $790 for a “weekend platinum circle” experience.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin mom battles stage 4 cancer while grieving loss of newborn son; family loses health care coverage
CEDARBURG, Wis. — A Wisconsin family is facing an unimaginable tragedy as 29-year-old Amanda Patron battles an aggressive form of breast cancer while grieving the loss of their newborn son, who died just one day after birth.
Amanda was diagnosed with breast cancer in November. By the time doctors discovered it, the cancer had already spread to her spine, ovaries, liver and bone marrow.
“They determined it was stage 4, making it incurable,” said Chris Patron, Amanda’s husband.
Patron family
Amanda was pregnant with their son at the time of her diagnosis. Due to complications, she had to give birth at just 25 weeks.
“We were able to hold him—me and the other grandparents and Amanda—until we removed the breathing tube and let him pass,” Chris said with glossy eyes.
Elijah Thor passed away on Tuesday, less than a day old.
Patron family
“It’s definitely been a long road, and as hard as it is for me, I know Amanda’s suffering even more, which kills me inside,” Chris said.
Watch: Wisconsin mom battles stage 4 cancer while grieving loss of newborn son
Wisconsin mom battles stage 4 cancer while grieving loss of newborn son
The couple also has a 1-year-old daughter, Maliyah, who just started walking — a milestone her parents have had to miss while spending time at the hospital.
Patron family
“I spend a lot of nights just watching her in the hospital bed, hoping that she’ll be able to have a conversation,” Chris said.
Now that Amanda is no longer pregnant, doctors can begin more aggressive cancer treatment.
“Hopefully we can have her last as long as possible…for the one [child] we have left,” Chris said.
The Patron family started a GoFundMe that has already raised over $17,000 in just a few days.
“It’s been received tenfold,” Chris said, smiling softly
However, that amount will only put a small dent in the medical bills Chris now faces after losing health insurance coverage. The family will also host a fundraiser at Sheboygan’s Pizza Ranch on December 17 from 4-8 p.m.
Pizza Ranch Sheboygan
Right now, Chris is taking things one step at a time, much like his daughter Maliyah, who resembles Amanda so well.
“She’s been in so much pain, and so strong. It’s the thing I’m going to tell Maliyah about when she gets older,” Chris said.
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