When the budget finally made it to his desk, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle used his extensive veto powers in a lot of ways.  The most significant of which was arguably the line-item veto of the Milwaukee Transit Authority and the proposed 0.65% sales tax increase for Milwaukee County.  Doyle did not veto SERTA, the authority which is to run the KRM commuter rail line, and the $18 rental car tax.  This veto puts back on the drawing board Doyle’s proposal for a three-county sales tax to fund the KRM and bus service in Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee Counties, while at the same time not delaying the KRM development process.

The move, which many see as a slam of Milwaukee by Doyle, arguably shouldn’t be completely viewed that way.  Doyle did propose a three-county sales tax of up to 0.5% for Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha Counties to establish an authority that would operate all of the transit in the area including the KRM.  Doyle’s reasoning for the veto was that the MTA didn’t have a regional approach.

Some have speculated that this was done as part of Doyle’s potential re-election bid.  That it was an attempt to position himself against Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker.  I don’t buy that, Doyle had proposed the sales tax in his budget previously, and he wouldn’t have allowed the KRM to continue to move forward because, Walker will surely run all over rural Wisconsin talking about “Doyle’s choo choo,” sales tax or no sales tax.  If Doyle was that desperate to position himself against Walker, he would have vetoed the KRM as well.  I can’t speak for Doyle, but I think this was a clear statement to southeastern Wisconsin to get its act in order and come up with a functional, regional solution.

So what’s next? Something has to happen as the 2010 MCTS funding crisis is quickly approaching.  The word on the street is that Doyle is pushing the legislature for a real regional sales tax for Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee Counties to be introduced as its own legislation.

Now is the time for the Milwaukee caucus to actually deliver for their constituents and get this done.  We’ve watched Lena Taylor and Pedro Colon settle on the Joint Finance Committee for a compromise that gave Racine and Kenosha a free ride as a way to protect Racine Senator John Lehman, but now is the time for real action, real solutions.  Because with the funding crisis looming, and Scott Walker probably willing to cut off his own arm to avoid raising taxes, it’s now or never time.

Unfortunately, what is the Milwaukee caucus doing right now?  Pouting.  Taylor, Colon, and Grigsby led the charge on the Joint Finance Committee to vote down a small spending allotment of $35,000 to further study the KRM.

Even worse, Milwaukee County Board Chair, Lee Holloway has given a series of statements which sound more like a whining teenager, than someone who is determined to leverage his friends in the legislature to go out and get a real funding solution for a real crisis.

Meanwhile, Holloway said he would work against the KRM line by appointing himself and an ally to the transit authority board.

“We are going to vote against the KRM, right down the line,” Holloway said.

“It’s just terrible,” Holloway said. “I’m very critical of (Doyle). I thought he was a friend of Milwaukee County.”

It’s time for our Milwaukee caucus to bring home a real dedicated funding solution for transit in southeastern Wisconsin.

TransitNow is hosting a film-watching event at Transfer Pizzeria & Cafe on Mitchell Street with fellow transit advocates to unveil Gridlock, Mark Irving’s look at Milwaukee’s transportation system.

See the premier broadcast of Gridlock: Public Transit in SE Wisconsin this Thursday July 2nd, at 6 PM on WMVS Milwaukee Public TV.

Gridlock will give you an intimate look at our transit dilemma and accomplishments–and a snapshot of what is happening in some other cities. Many local leaders and grassroots advocates are featured in this documentary!  See the full press release below.

Join us at the Transfer Café at 5:30 on July 2nd to enjoy the premier of Gridlock amidst the warmth of transit friends and advocates, and tasty eats and drinks. Please RSVP to me at kthomas@transitnow.org by Thursday July 2 at noon.

Enjoy the six-minute trailer.

The June 24th, 2009 Public Works Committee Meeting was a good day for the efforts to rebuild S. 2nd street as a complete street.  The Department of Public Works presented three options as possibilities for the rebuilding of S. 2nd Street.  The first option was to simply resurface the street, with essentially no pedestrian improvements.  The second option would resurface the street at the same width, but would included painted bike lanes, reduced travels lanes, and street trees.  The third option was the closest to being a complete street, it included narrowing the roadway with wider sidewalks, a street reconstruct, one travel lane in each direction, bike lanes, and street trees.  Clark Wontoch, of the Department of Public Works, indicated the department is open to the complete street option.

The complete street option is valuable, because it takes people in mind when constructing a street, not just automobile traffic, with the thought of creating a livable community, and spurring economic development.  Juli Kaufmann, a partner with Pragmatic Construction Co., described the concept saying “it looks at street as, a community, a neighborhood in itself,” and added that “it’s an economic opportunity.”  The idea being that a complete street is more than a street, it is a place, where people are comfortable to walk, sit out, chat, and interact.  It accomplishes this goal by utilizing street trees to create shade and shelter from the rain, by narrowing streets and minimizing travel lanes to slow traffic and increase pedestrian safety, and with aesthetic improvements to make the overall experience more appealing.  Alderman Witkowiak explained that by making these type of improvements “we can have some real quality development, if we treat the street properly.”  The idea of utilizing TIF funds if the state wasn’t to support the project was suggested and championed by Alderman Bauman as a way to insure this project moves forward.

Beyond rebuilding the street with people in mind, the investment itself sends a signal to developers and potential entrepreneurs that the City of Milwaukee is willing to invest in this area.  For an area of the city that hasn’t seen a lot of public investment, this could be a catalytic project that spurs new private investment and grows the neighborhood.  Nathan Bernstein, a property owner on S. 2nd Street, suggested that this plan could accelerate his plans to redevelop his property.  Although today it might not be obvious that the potential for economic development along S. 2nd Street is there, it is clear that local property owners and developers see the potential, and that with a push from the city the redevelopment of S. 2nd Street could begin.

To get and idea of the buildings that currently exist along S. 2nd Street, and the potential for redevelopment we’ve provided a photo gallery of the area.

The recently opened Zilber Park is a functional, and useful shared feature of The Brewery project. This park might not strike many people as a park in the Milwaukee sense of the word, meaning it has lots of grass and trees, but this is a creatively designed urban park that respects its location, and creates an outdoor space ready for activation. This park has clearly been planned as a gathering place, will benches and tables to gather around, a small hill to sit with friends, and trees that when mature will provide some shade for park goers. The park utilizes granite rocks that make up the multi-purpose wall which visually screens the parking lot, and delineates the space. Crushed granite is used throughout the park as the walking surface, and a bronze statue of Joseph and Vera Zilber gives thanks to the Zilber family for creating this new urban neighborhood.

To see for yourself we’ve provided a photo gallery, but better yet stop at The Brewery and enjoy this new public space.

It has been fun, it has been a great flight, but this is the end of Midwest Airlines as we know it.  The Republic Airways’ buyout of Midwest Airlines certainly will accelerate their slow transition from a luxury first class airline, to an inexpensive low cost carrier.  Sure, the name might stick around for awhile, but for starters our hometown, local airline, isn’t local anymore.  At one time Midwest Airlines was a uniquely positioned airline that differentiated themselves by offering far superior services at reasonable prices, any hint of those days is coming to an end.  Yes, the cookies will stay for now, and it looks like Republic Airways will be adding more non-stop destinations to the schedule, but soon enough we won’t recognize the airline with Midwest Airline’s name on it.

In addition to the change in business model and ownership, Midwest is facing two new competitors that are sure to impact the market place. AirTran’s recent expansion in to Mitchell International has already begun eroding Midwest’s market share, and it’s almost guaranteed that with Southwest’s arrival at Mitchell International in November, Midwest’s market share will continue to erode.  That said, this is actually a benefit for Milwaukee, as Mitchell Field will likely see what is known as the “Southwest Effect.”  For a community this generally means lower fares, more flights, and more travelers.  Yes, the airfare wars are coming to Milwaukee.

This combination of new rivals and cost cutting measures that are sure to come with the buyout make it likely that the few remaining luxury services that Midwest has left, will soon be abandoned.  Milwaukee might be losing out on “Signature Service,” and maybe down the road chocolate chip cookies, but that might not be the end of the world because in the near future residents of Wisconsin will be “free (well inexpensive) to move about the country.”

In March, I explored the idea of rebuilding Grand Avenue Mall into a self-sustaining retail center.  One of the things that I didn’t expect to be on the table was simply giving away a retail stall for free.  Grand Avenue Mall appears set to do just that now with a business plan competition.

The winner will receive free rent for a year, an interior design concept from Kahler Slater, advertising at OnMilwaukee.com, and logo design from Spark Milwaukee.

While this won’t completely reinvent how the mall operates, this is a good idea.  My only question is why stop at one store?  Why not give away two or three?  It doesn’t appear anyone will be renting the spaces anytime soon, and turning them into active businesses can only help other tenants.

The Shops of Grand Avenue website claims it will have more information soon.

Like the temperature outside, the Hoan Bridge reconstruction debate will heat up over the next few weeks.  Alderman Robert Bauman, who represents downtown Milwaukee and the north end of the bridge, recently issued a press release that details how the city will likely position itself on the issues with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).

The release indicates positions we have advocated for before, including the need for the bridge to better interact with the city at its northern terminus at Clybourn and Lincoln Memorial Drive.

One should not hold out hope that the city gets everything it asks for though.  As evidence of how little influence they city may have in the issue, Mayor Barrett and Common Council President Hines were mere attendees at the Marquette Interchange ribbon cutting.  They stood among the crowd, while Governor Doyle and Transportation Secretary Busalacchi unveiled their $800 million interchange.  There might not be better symbolism for highway building than that.  The city can yell all it wants, but will the state listen?

When

Bridge reconstruction is expected to be completed in 2013.  The timeframe for such a redevelopment is relatively fast.

Where

The entire structure is in need of serious maintenance in the form of a redecking.  Running from the eastern half of Interstate 794 downtown to the south end of the bridge where it touches down in Bay View.

Who Uses It

The bridge serves primarily Bay View, St. Francis, and other southside residents looking to enter downtown and nearby neighborhoods.  It likewise provides access for individuals downtown looking to get to the airport.

Who Builds It

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will award and manage contracts for bridge reconstruction.  The City of Milwaukee is not the project manager by any means.

Cost

Simply rebuilding the bridge as is was estimated at $200 million, and some sort of rebuild is viewed as necessary for safety reasons.  A considerable amount of money is going to need to be spent, even just to maintain the status quo.

Bauman’s Proposed Principles

Alderman Bauman’s press release revealed a series of principles to be introduced to the full Common Council on July 7th.

• The bridge and its approaches must use the existing right-of-way and substantially the same footprint.
• The bridge’s approaches must remain elevated over all land uses currently beneath the approaches, including but not limited to the Port of Milwaukee, MMSD and the Maier festival park.
• Any moveable bridge spans must have sufficient clearance over the (average) water level to minimize bridge openings for non-commercial vessels.
• Bridge openings must be limited to non-peak traffic periods, except in emergencies.
• The bridge and its approaches must accommodate pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
• The bridge and its approaches must be limited to two travel lanes and one distress lane, bicycle lane and pedestrian sidewalk in each direction.
• The lake shore interchange must be eliminated and replaced by an at-grade intersection or roundabout in the approximate location of Clybourn Street and Lincoln Memorial Drive.
• All new or reconstructed structures must be designed with lighting and architectural elements developed in consultation with the City of Milwaukee.

Conclusion

It seems perfectly reasonable to assume that the completely elevated bridge could be rebuilt in a fashion much more respectful to the city, that doesn’t impair motorists’ ability to enter downtown.  Drivers looking to enter downtown might actually have a better experience being dropped to street-level faster (the street grid gives options) at the north end of the bridge.  Also, while much of the land over which the bridge crosses isn’t developable, the land at the north end of the bridge holds a lot of potential.  A bridge that better interacts with the city could pay dividends in the form of a healthier neighborhood and increased tax base.

Cost is something to consider, and dropping the bridge to an intersection at the north end would likely mean the loss of the Interstate designation and some amount of federal funding.  That isn’t a reason not to do a highway rebuild though, as the state has shown by spending $400 million rebuilding Highway 26 from Janesville to Watertown, which includes the addition of by-passes around towns smaller than the Bay View neighborhood.

Unfortunately, S. 2nd Street has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently.  Despite the shameful shooting of two police officers by an unstable person, S. 2nd Street is still an up-and-coming district.  Hopefully this past weekend’s Thank You Milwaukee Police Department festival was the start of the healing within the Milwaukee Police Department and the neighborhood.  Through this tragic event we saw neighborhood citizens, provide emergency medical assistance to the injured offices, help the police department find the perpetrator, and hold an event that raised funds for the officers while showing off the greatness of this neighborhood.

Unfortunately, high profile random acts of violence can sometimes create an unwarranted negative perception of an area, especially to those who infrequently visit the city.  Sometimes this can lead to disinvestment in an area, and bring real decline.  In the case of the former Northridge Mall, an allegation was made that a woman was attacked by an African-American in the parking lot.  Later this was proven to be untrue, but the perception remained. With this in mind the Milwaukee Police Department was quick to point out that this was a rare act, and although the area has had issues in the past, this level of violence is far from the norm.

As this truly is a neighborhood on the rise, not decline, Walker’s Point should work to move forward on projects such as the proposed redesign of S. 2nd Street, because it could be the catalyst to propel the area to the next level.  As a first step in this effort Alderman Bauman has scheduled a communications file which will be presented by the Department of Public Works at the June 24th meeting of the Public Works Committee.  This file should help paint a clearer picture regarding the City of Milwaukee’s future plans for S. 2nd Street, and might be an opportunity to encourage the Department of Public Works to help remake S. 2nd Street for the better.  Clearly the City of Milwaukee is facing serious budget issues, and to suggest rebuilding a street sounds like a new cost that we don’t need and can’t afford, but this is a project worthy of the investment.  It is worthy of investment in the long run to insure future investment by businesses and residents, and long-term growth to the tax base of the city.  Further, S. 2nd Street is likely to see repaving in the next year or two so the timing to do is right.  At the very least, it is time to get things planned so Walker’s Point can move forward in the future.

The Wisconsin state budget is now at a point where it will go to a conference committee after the Senate approved their version of the budget yesterday.  The conference committee will reconcile the difference between the Assembly and Senate versions, and send the budget off to Governor Doyle.  Doyle will then use his line-item veto power on certain language he doesn’t like, and Wisconsin have a budget.

The item of most interest to most Milwaukeeans, outside of income tax levels, is the proposed Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority.  We have created a chart to track the changes that have been made to the proposal, and included a more in-depth explanations into each step below.

What will come out of the conference committee to merge the two budgets, we cannot guess.  In regards to stimulus funds, the amount of money for high-speed rail jumped up to $8 billion, from previous considerations of around $2 billion.  Conference committees are a bit unpredictable sometimes.  It looks like the KRM will get done, one way or another, and that a new sales tax is coming for Milwaukee County.

We’ll update you when we know more, but for now here is a look at how it got to the way it is.

RTA Board, Governor’s Budget Proposal

Governor Doyle stuck his neck out to include the recommendations of SEWISRTA in his original budget proposal.  Those recommendations, as a refresher, were up to a 0.5% sales tax to fund the KRM and transit services in Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee Counties and remove transit from the property tax.  Also included was the ability for municipalities to enact a .15% sales tax for public safety, which was included to gain the support of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.  When Doyle issued his recommendations, he removed Barrett’s 0.15% sales tax.

RTA Board Recommendations
Governor Doyle Budget Recommendation

Joint Finance Committee

The Joint Finance Committee of the Wisconsin State Legislature then took up the Governor’s proposed budget, and made their changes.  The Joint Finance Committee RTA changes were made in the middle of the night , with a number of Republicans (who hold the minority in both the Senate and Assembly) heading out to the bars while waiting for Democrats to finish caucasing behind closed doors.

When the meeting finally started, Senator Lena Taylor, Representatives Pedro Colon and Tamara Grigsby had helped turn the southeastern Wisconsin RTA in two RTAs.  One “regional” transit authority for Milwaukee County only, that was funded by a 1% sales tax, and was in charge of supporting transit, parks, EMS, and culture.  The amendment included no clear dividing lines between areas, so it wasn’t clear if Milwaukee County would have parks paved with gold or the best-staffed EMS department in the world.  Of that 1%, 15% would go directly to the City of Milwaukee, with no apparent restrictions on how it could be spent.  This was somewhat similar to the referendum that was narrowly approved by Milwaukee County voters on November 4th.

The second RTA created was the KRM authority, which would operate the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail line.  The motion was sponsored by Senator John Lehman, Senator Lena Taylor, Representiave Cory Mason, and Representative Pedro Colon.  Instead of using the RTA board recommended, and Governor proposed .5% sales tax to fund both buses and the commuter rail line, the rail line was to be funded by a $16 rental car tax (per transaction).  A pork stop for Pedro Colon was included to have the train’s first stop out of the Intermodal Station be at East National Avenue (originally called West in the motion that was distributed), a mere mile out of the station.  A stop would make sense in such a location for a light-rail or streetcar vehicle, but not a heavy rail train.  Additionally, the make-up of the board was extremely partisan in nature, with the Milwaukee and Kenosha County Board Chairs appointing their county’s representative as the County Executives in each respective county is a Republican.  Racine County would have had their member appointed by the County Executive.  Bonding authority for the KRM was also reduced to $50 million.  The motion was approved on a party line vote, 12 aye, 4 no.

Representative Robin Vos (R) from Racine County proposed a motion to require a referendum be held in each county to approve the KRM and to exclude western Racine County from the rental car tax.  It was defeated on a party line vote, 4 aye, 12 no.  Vos also moved to amend the KRM authority to have county members of the authority appointed by the county executives.  This was again defeated on a party line vote.

Motion 218 - Southeast RTA
Motion 223 - KRM Authority
Motion 226 - KRM Authority
Motion 228 - KRM Authority

Wisconsin State Assembly

On June 10th, 2009, the Wisconsin State Assembly approved their version of the budget.  They approved a version of transit services more similar to what the Governor and RTA board had recommended than the Joint Finance Committee’s approval.  In brief, the Assembly approved a few key changes to the Joint Finance Committee motions.

• Rename KRM authority SERTA (South Eastern Regional Transit Authority).  Designate it the only entity in Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha that can apply as an RTA to the FTA.
• Rename the Milwaukee Regional Transit Authority the Milwaukee Transit Authority (MTA).
• Authorize the Milwaukee County Board to assess a .65¢ sales tax for Milwaukee County. Mandate ½ ¢ has to go to the Milwaukee Transit Authority for transit.
• If the sales tax is adopted, existing funding for transit must be removed from property tax levy.
• Authorize the Milwaukee County Board to approve up to .15% (NOTE: Urban Milwaukee believes this should be cents, not percent, as that would be 9.75 cents as written) of the sales tax go to Milwaukee County municipalities prorated on a formula based on the number of police and fire employees within each municipality.
• Increase the approved car rental tax to $18. Designate that $1 per vehicle from this vehicle rental tax will go to the City of Racine for the Belle Urban System & $1 per vehicle go to the City of Kenosha for the Kenosha Transit Authority to support their local transit systems. Each city will then be required to generate new funds to match new car rental tax revenues. The $1 for the respective cities will not be released by SERTA until the City of Racine and the City of Kenosha have demonstrated an established funding source to produce the matching funds.
• Add a KRM stop in the City of Milwaukee at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Bay Street. (NOTE: This is a long-discussed stop in Representative Jon Richards district)
• Include language specifying that municipalities in Racine and Kenosha Counties, outside of the cities of Racine & Kenosha, shall not have a KRM transit stop in those municipalities until they each provide for a sustainable mechanism to generate new funding to contribute to the Belle Urban System or the Kenosha Transit Authority.
• Restore the language from Governor Doyle’s budget proposal to provide $100 million in bonding
  authority.

The Assembly made adjustments to the KRM after key members met with members of Herb Kohl’s staff and communicated with FTA officials to learn what it would take to get federal approval for the project (federal funds are key to the development of the KRM).

Full Assembly KRM Amendment

Wisconsin State Senate

The Wisconsin State Senate approved a budget closer to that of the Joint Finance Committee than the Assembly on June 18th, 2009.  In brief, their key changes included the following.

• Delete the Milwaukee County Regional Transit Authority (RTA) proposed under the substitute amendment. Remove the reference to the Milwaukee County RTA as an eligible applicant under the southeast Wisconsin transit capital assistance program and, instead, make Milwaukee County an eligible applicant under that program.
• Grant Milwaukee County the ability to enact an additional 1% sales tax for transit, parks, culture, and emergency medical services, and require the property tax levy be reducing by $67 million (NOTE: this would be about half of what the sales tax brings in).
• Require Milwaukee County to distribute the other 15% of the new sales and use tax revenues to the municipalities in Milwaukee County. Require the municipalities to use these funds to support police, fire, and emergency medical services. Specify that the funds would be allocated among the municipalities in Milwaukee County on a per capita basis.
• Rename the KRM Authority, as proposed in the substitute amendment, the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SERTA). Modify the appointments to the SERTA board by specifying that the Kenosha County board chair, rather than the Kenosha County Executive, would appoint the Kenosha County member to the board. Specify that SERTA would be an eligible applicant for the southeastern Wisconsin transit capital assistance program that would be created under the substitute amendment. Require that the KRM commuter rail project include a stop in the City of Milwaukee at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Bay Street.

Full Senate Budget - Page 65 for RTA

Massive layoffs, extended furloughs, service cuts, significant tax and fee increases all are possibilities in the next year for the City of Milwaukee.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but with the gap in the pension fund, a decline in the assessed value of property in the city, and a likely decline in state shared revenue the fiscal picture for the City of Milwaukee doesn’t look so bright.  At today’s Common Council meeting the debate around a snow and ice fee increase and the furloughing of city employees were brought about by this startling economic outlook for the City of Milwaukee.  These efforts are surely just the start of the city’s efforts to create a surplus this year with the goal of propping up next year’s budget.  So it’s time to seriously think about how the City of Milwaukee can find $90 million to plug the hole.  It easy to say layoff the workers and “cut programs,” but the realities of city government shows specific ideas are needed, not blanket talking points.

It’s also likely that the Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee Fire Department won’t see big cuts despite representing such a large part of the budget.  Yes, next year Mayor Barrett’s efforts to reduce the number of firefighters will continue, but these cuts will just be one small piece of the puzzle.  Potentially, closing all the libraries could save the city $22 million, which by itself is not enough to plug the budget hole, and definitely isn’t a desirable solution.  City Comptroller, Martin “Wally”Morics , had been requested by the Steering & Rules Committee to look into privatizing the Milwaukee Water Works with the hopes of creating an endowment to prop up the budget, but it appears due to public uproar that this effort has stalled.  Personally, I’d rather not see the Milwaukee Water Works privatized, anyone laid off, or the libraries closed, but to fill the budget hole, solutions are going to be needed, and clearly fixing this problem is going to require a lot of service cuts.

To alleviate next year’s pain the city has started taking actions to create a surplus in this year’s budget.  The two day furlough is an unfortunate but necessary start, but the city must act more aggressively and immediately.  Nobody has the magic bullet solution to the problem, but I’ll offer one small potential savings.  Further, I’m no accountant, and I’m not a real estate developer, but it seems to me that by closing the East Side library, on North Avenue, the city can save money this year, sell what has to be valuable land, and put this land on the tax roles.  It surely is a unfortunate thing to suggest a library closing, but the East Side can afford to be without a library more than some of our less-fortunate, inner-city neighborhoods.  Further, when the economy improves and the budget issues are resolved a new library would be great tenant as part of a mixed-use development, but right now it’s time to save money.  Clearly, this isn’t the magic bullet but as it’s likely all sorts of across the board cuts are coming next year small ideas like this are needed.  What’s yours?