Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors
Press Release

Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors Unveils Countywide Governement Reform Initiative

“OUR Milwaukee County” Aimed at Comprehensive, Inclusive and Local Government Reform

By - Feb 8th, 2013 01:56 pm

Milwaukee – County Board Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic and Supervisors today announced the launch of “OUR Milwaukee County,” a local government reform initiative, at the MLK Community Center, located at 1531 W. Vliet St., in Milwaukee.

The word “OUR” of OUR Milwaukee County stands for “Outreach for Unified Reform.” The goals are to discuss reform of Milwaukee County government and to create dialogue and listening sessions, inviting everyone whose daily lives are touched by Milwaukee County government.

“We are delivering on the promise of government reform discussion that is local and inclusive,” said Chairwoman Dimitrijevic. “We are eager to listen to our constituents – people who live throughout Milwaukee County – to hear their ideas for efficiency and effectiveness. It’s time to think big.”

The initiative, which proposes a consistent agenda designed to spark discussion and debate, is set to include a series of town hall meetings in all 18 Supervisory districts throughout the months of February and March as well as a nighttime public hearing in March.

The areas for discussion as outlined in the proposed agenda include: County Governance, Services Consolidation, Funding Sources and Mental Health.

In sharp contrast to the reform plans floated to-date by a select few, the OUR Milwaukee initiative will involve the active participation of local, community partners, such as religious groups, business leaders, members of African-American and Hispanic organizations, health care advocates and others.

“I’m proud that District 10 is hosting the kick-off of the OUR Milwaukee County initiative to illustrate the importance of having public discussions with the diverse people of Milwaukee County in their own neighborhoods – not behind closed doors and not in Madison,” said Supervisor David Bowen. “This initiative also focuses on evidence-based public discussion, not arbitrary numbers.”

Additionally, a key element of the initiative is the request and receipt of an independent audit of county governance overall; the scope of the independent review will be monitored by the office of the elected Milwaukee County Comptroller to ensure the use of independent auditing standards.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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