Negotiations Continue On Local Government Funding Plan
Assembly committee passes initial plan on party lines, but amendments are expected.
Wisconsin State Capitol. Photo by Mariiana Tzotcheva.
Republican lawmakers say a massive overhaul of the way the state funds local governments remains a work in progress.
The Wisconsin Assembly’s Local Government Committee voted along party lines Thursday to pass the bill Republican lawmakers unveiled last week. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has vowed to veto the plan unless there are changes.
Speaking after the committee’s vote, Rep. Todd Novak, the panel’s chair, told reporters that Assembly Republicans were still negotiating with the governor’s office and the Senate over the final details.
“They’re still knee-deep in negotiations,” said Novak, a Republican from Dodgeville.
The version of the plan Republicans passed out of committee would dedicate 20 percent of the state’s sales tax to local government funding, which is the same benchmark Evers called for in the shared revenue proposal he released as part of his budget. But the Republican bill directs a larger share of the new money to smaller communities instead of bigger cities.
Under the GOP bill, every community would see at least a 10 percent increase in state funding, but larger cities like Green Bay and Racine receive millions less than they would under the governor’s plan. Some small towns would see increases of several hundred percent, though the total dollars they’d receive would be relatively modest.
“I’m not hearing anything about a big change in the formula,” Novak said of the ongoing negotiations. “But that may change.”
The Republican bill also attaches far more strings for local governments to receive the money. They include:
- A provision that would require local approval of projects funded through the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program north of Highway 8, which runs east to west across the northern tier of the state.
- Requirements that local governments either maintain the number of police on staff or maintain the number of tickets they write and people they arrest.
- A ban on local advisory referendums on issues ranging from whether the state should legalize marijuana to whether all-terrain vehicles should be allowed on local roads.
- New restrictions on the power of local health officers that would prevent them from unilaterally closing businesses for more than 14 days to control an outbreak or epidemic.
- A variety of new restrictions specific to Milwaukee, including a ban on using state funding for the city’s streetcar and a requirement to bring armed police officers back to its public schools.
Ahead of the vote, Democrats on the committee tried to amend the plan to remove many of the new restrictions.
“I’m deeply concerned with the policies that are put into this bill,” said Rep. Clinton Anderson, D-Beloit. “This is not just a shared revenue bill. This is a shared revenue bill with a lot of strings that prevent local control.”
The Democratic amendment failed on a party-line vote.
Democrats did not attempt to remove another controversial provision that would require Milwaukee and Milwaukee County to get voter approval before they increase local sales taxes. If voters give the OK, the GOP plan would let Milwaukee add a new 2 percent sales tax and let Milwaukee County increase its sales tax by 0.375 percent.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has warned that if those referendums fail, it could force him to fire hundreds of police and firefighters, but Assembly Speaker Robinn Vos, R-Rochester, has been adamant that the voter approval requirement remain in the final bill.
Novak said that Assembly Republicans’ changes would be ready in time for the full Assembly to pass the bill Wednesday. The Senate and governor would still need to sign off.
While Republicans are passing the local government funding as a standalone bill, Novak indicated that it would affect state budget negotiations, which are also happening now.
“This is such a big part of the state budget that it really needs to be done now so the rest of the budget can be done,” Novak said. “Because this we’re talking very large amount of money.”
Negotiations continue at Wisconsin Capitol over local government funding plan was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
More about the Local Government Fiscal Crisis
- City Hall: Sales Tax Helps Fire Department Add Paramedics, Fire Engine - Jeramey Jannene - Jan 8th, 2024
- New Study Analyzes Ways City, County Could Share Services, Save Money - Jeramey Jannene - Nov 17th, 2023
- New Third-Party Study Suggests How Milwaukee Could Save Millions - Jeramey Jannene - Nov 17th, 2023
- Murphy’s Law: How David Crowley Led on Sales Tax - Bruce Murphy - Aug 23rd, 2023
- MKE County: Supervisors Engage in the Great Sales Tax Debate - Graham Kilmer - Jul 28th, 2023
- MKE County: County Board Approves Sales Tax - Graham Kilmer - Jul 27th, 2023
- County Executive David Crowley Celebrates County Board Vote to Secure Fiscal Future and Preserve Critical Services for Most Vulnerable Residents - County Executive David Crowley - Jul 27th, 2023
- MKE County: Supervisors Seek to Delay Sales Tax Vote - Graham Kilmer - Jul 27th, 2023
- Transportation: Without Sales Tax Hike Paratransit Will Shrink - Graham Kilmer - Jul 26th, 2023
- Murphy’s Law: Time for County Board to Guts Up - Bruce Murphy - Jul 24th, 2023
Read more about Local Government Fiscal Crisis here
Hmm, how is it that the Republican proposal grants Waukesha County a 500% increase but Milwaukee County only a 15% increase? Vote-buying? Crooked ‘ALEC’ Vos isn’t even trying to hide his corruption anymore.
Ha Ha Ha. These terms are outrageous.
That is why some in Milwaukee want them.
Why the ban advisory referendums, they mean nothing legally.
Because they draw people to the polls and we know who can’t
win without cheating. Speaking of polls, this time next year
we will have a lot of new faces in City Hall. Decade after
decade all they know how to do is tax more and spend it on
frivolous things. How can the city have all these new developments
downtown and have no money? They have been saying it was going to
be great. It’s a bust.
When people fall on hard times they sacrifice. They don’t like it but
they do it. It’s that time in Milwaukee. Sometimes they can’t borrow
because their credit is lousy. Is the City’s credit lousy? Yes!~
https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2022/12/23/city-of-milwaukees-credit-rating-cut-again/
Next, they look around and see what they can sell. Here are some ideas:
—that silly toy train?
—City Hall, Ziggler Building & the one with grass on the roof? Downscale!
—bake sale, scrap metal, there must be lots of stuff to sell. Nobody wants
to but they do it. They don’t sit around crying about those mean people
in Madison. Sell all the parking meters? Chicago got $1 billion for theirs.
People sacrifice all the time. Time for the big shots in city hall to get into it.
Stop playing games and think city leaders, think!
What is up with Bathroom Bob? An alderman for 20 years. He hasn’t been
gone a year and he’s already putting the screws to the City. What a whack
job. That’s the thanks he gives us for riding the gravy train on our dime.
We’ll be back and he will come begging for something, like our water. That’s
when we return the favor. So, stop complaining and start thinking of how to
raise some money. Those who don’t will be looking for new jobs this time
next year.
I don’t like the street train either, but it’s seldom a good idea
to scavenge city assets, and less so when they’re down.
Milwaukee won’t be strong unless it provides what it’s citizens need.
It’s time to get tough with God’s Other Plague in Madison.
I posted the following before, and this time I’m going to send it
to at least 2 members of Milwaukee’s Common Counsel
Milwaukee citizens are US citizens,
a higher jurisdiction than Wisconsin.
So note:
Stated with GREATER EMPHASIS than the who, what, when, where,
and how of the Constitution is the WHY.
(Preamble)
We the People of the United States, in Order to
……, promote the general Welfare,……
NOTE – It does not state you should merely observe, ponder or permit,
but PROMOTE the general Welfare! The etymology of the word
promote has not changed since the Constitution’s ratification..
It means to bring into existence some thing or some situation,
or to aid in that bringing into existence.
ALSO –
Article VI
….3: The Senators and Representatives before mentioned,
will AND THE MEMBERS OF THE SEVERAL STATE LEGISLATURES,
AND ALL EXECUTIVE AND JUDICIAL OFFICERS,
BOTH OF THE UNITED STATES AND OF THE SEVERAL STATES,
SHALL BE BOUND by Oath or Affirmation,
TO SUPPORT THIS CONSTITUTION;….
I hope it’s not necessary to train the Wisconsin
State legislature in constitutional law, but
you gotta do what you gotta do!
@Marty – Yes! I’m just tossing out ideas. All we are hearing is that raising taxes is the ONLY way out of this problem. There are always many ways to deal with problems. More shared revenue will not happen. So, instead of focusing 100% on one idea, they need to think of other ways at City Hall. People don’t like selling things like their cars, but if there is no other choice they do it. The problem is this city government does things to force people to sell off things they need. The sacrifice is always on the people. I do not know anyone who wants to sacrifice something precious for the city, but the city has no problem doing it to us. Thousands of city employees do not even live here. We should sacrifice for them? No thanks!