Milwaukee County 2010 budget levy up 2.18% over 2009

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors worked its way through a list of 35 line item vetoes to the 2010 budget returned to them by County Executive Scott Walker. After five hours of spirited debate, the board overturned 22 of Walker’s vetoes, covering such quality of life issues such as lakefront parking meters, privatization of housekeeping and security at county buildings, swimming pools, community centers and retaining transit services.

Based on their actions on the floor of the boardroom, the Milwaukee County 2010 budget levy is $263,264,740, an increase of $5.6 million or 2.18% over the 2009 tax levy.

It takes 13 out of the total 19 supervisory votes to overturn Walker’s vetoes.

Walker’s plan to install parking meters on Lincoln Memorial Drive and in lakefront parking lots, requiring motorists to pay $1 per hour to park. He said the move would reduce the tax levy by $450,000, through increased revenues.

Supervisor John Weishan Jr. (16th district) pointed out that this initative is just Walker’s way to get every nickel and dime out of taxpayers, without raising an actual tax. “Be clear, this is Scott Walker’s proposal, and not our idea.” He and other supervisors said the parking meter plan was getting the most calls at the courthouse.

Supervisor Paul Cesarz (9th district) said the proposal would give access to those who can’t use the lakefront because people park for 10-12 hours a day for free. He said something could be worked out with UWM, which currently pays for students to use the lakefront parking, to continue low cost parking for the school. But he suppported Walker’s measure becasue the meters would reduce the tax levy and eliminate the gridlock on Lincoln Memorial Drive.

Cesarz’ speech didn’t sway many supervisors, who voted down Walker’s proposal 15-4.

The board restored the county’s Farm and Fish Hatchery, located in Franklin. Walker had sought the elimination to save $89,000 for a corrections worker to oversee the inmate help at the farm and hatchery, also noting the program is not essential to public safety. But Supervisor Patricia Jursik (8th district) reminded supervisors that program has zero impact on the levy, since the Hunger Task Force puts money into the farm and hatchery, plus the program provides food to local food banks, stock fish for the county’s parks and provides feed to the county zoo penguins.

A measure by Walker to impose a $6 per day room and board fee on inmates at the Community Correctional Facility-South (formerly known as the House of Correction) was sustained by the board on a 12-7 vote. Supervisor Peggy West (12th district) spoke against the measure, saying it would create a vicious cycle of that places people in jail for failing to pay court fees, diverting funds provided to inmates for phone cards to room and board, creating more debt for inmates, leading those people back into court and jail for failing to pay the jail housing fees. However, her pleas failed to change enough votes, leading to a new method to raise revenues and reduce the tax levy by approximately $100,000.

West spoke in favor of restoring funding to the county community centers. “Our parks department is there to provide for recreation, health and the neighborhoods of Milwaukee County,” she said. “In today’s economic times, it just makes sense to use a center that allows you to enroll your child for summer programming for $6.”

Walker instead proposed closing the Kosciusko and Martin Luther King Jr. community centers, for a savings of $804,000 to the tax levy. The board overturned Walker’s veto and restored the community centers for public use.

The board also overturned Walker’s veto of improvements and expansion of indoor and outdoor pools throughout the county. The approved budget will include $6 million to construct indoor aquatic centers at the Pulaski and Noyes pools and to retain outdoor pools at Jackson, Pelican Cove, Washington Park and Holler. However, Walker’s desire to add splash pads at Holler, Jackson and Kosciusko and the development of a south-side aquatic center.

The board was unable to overturn the privatization of housekeeping services at the courthouse, behavioral health center and the juvenile justice center. This sets in motion Walker’s plan to eliminate county positions and hire private firms to provide cleaning and security. According to county board documents, this will reduce the 2010 budget by $1.1 million in county payroll costs. Walker has said this move will not reduce jobs, only move them in to the private sector.

The board did sustain county security jobs at the courthouse, stalling Walker’s bid to privatize that workforce. Many supervisors mentioned the need for county security guards who are familiar with the buildings and personnel, as opposed to private security services, prior to casting their votes.

Walker did get his wish to expand the number of furlough days for county employees in 2010 from eight to twelve. While some supervisors said that the increase in furlough days should be negoitiated, not politically dictated, they still voted to sustain Walker’s desire citing the county’s weak fiscal position.

Supervisor Christopher Larson (14th district) told his colleagues that services to the neediest members of our community and the overall increase in the budget would only cost a property taxpayer an average of $7.65 per year. He added that there is no proof of savings to eliminate the services, such as AODA contracts, case management and community support and voted yes to restore the funding throughout the afternoon.

After being challenged by another supervisor to explain why he was upholding Walker’s vetoes, Supervisor Joe Sanfelippo (17th district) explained that he was voting to uphold Walker’s vetoes because of the “asinine spending in the overall budget.”

In the end, the board overrode Walker, restoring funding to community AODA, case management, support programs, detox, and day treatment programs, at a cost of $1.5 million.

Walker’s veto to eliminate 39 full-time equivalent park maintenance workers was vocally opposed by Marina Dimitrijevic (4th district). She said she received no calls describing the parks in such great shape that the county should cut back on maintenance. “People are calling me saying they want more services. And the people voted for a sales tax to save our parks. This just doesn’t make sense. The executive is a jobs killer, parks killer….”

Supervisor Elizabeth Coggs also supported the parks and encouraged votes to override the vetoes. She reminded her colleagues that the county parks had just won national accolades and it was foolish to cut funding at this time. “Everyone deserves to have green-space in their community.”

The final vote on the parks maintenance veto was 15 yes and 4 no, overriding Walker and restoring the workers to the parks department. The fiscal impact of this keeps $1.27 million for 2010.

The board sustained Walkers plan to levy $2.2 million dollars for the operation of and improvements to the Milwaukee County Transit System. The board had wanted to use long-term bonds to cover the operating expense, incurring $200,000 in annual interest payments. Instead, Walker demanded and received, better fiscal management by using levy funds for daily expenses. Walker also explained in his veto documents that the $2.2 million in levy directed to MCTS would be found in cuts he had made to other areas of the 2010 budget.