Another dark store loophole settlement on the way in La Crosse

Another settlement agreement is on the way between the City of La Crosse and a big box store over taxation.

The city will refund Menards $35,000 for property taxes paid for 2016 and 2017, according to the settlement the city council is voting on next month.

It’s the latest case getting settled between the city and a big retailer in disputes about excessive assessments.

The city has already spent about $400,000 for refunds on legal fees on this case and several others including Sears, Wal-Mart and Walgreens, with more cases pending.

Retailers have successfully sued under the so-called dark store loophole, which allows active stores to be assessed at the same value as vacant buildings.

A court decision allowing those open and active stores to be assessed at the same level as vacant buildings, is behind the recent settlements.

The money the city doesn’t collect from the businesses simply gets added on to the property tax bills of other property owners.