County Board Set to Begin Public Deliberations on 2018 Budget

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee County Executive declined an invitation to present his budget to the Board of Supervisors today at their September meeting, again breaking with longstanding tradition and opting to deliver a budget address at Mitchell International Airport.

“There is a concern that County Executive Abele has failed to recognize that, like a typical household, he must learn to budget within our community’s means,” said County Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb, Sr.

“County Executive Abele continues to ignore the will of the voters, who opposed his $60 wheel tax by a landslide 72% margin in April.

“Supervisors will hold numerous public meetings, invite public testimony, and listen to our constituents before adopting a responsible budget for 2018.”

Supervisors will review the County Executive’s proposed 646-page budget, which was released this morning shortly before the start of the Board’s September meeting, and then consider changes that reflect what citizens have communicated.

County Executive Abele has accepted an invitation to appear before the County Board on October 2 from 4:00pm to 5:00pm, where he will talk about his proposed budget before taking questions. Supervisors are asking that he extend his appearance for more than one hour to allow for more discussion.

Supervisors will begin their formal deliberative review of the annual Milwaukee County budget during the second week of October with a series of public meetings at the county courthouse and in the community.

The Finance & Audit Committee will host a public hearing at the Washington Park Senior Center on October 16 at 6:00pm.

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors will host a public hearing at the Marcus Center on October 30 at 6:30pm.

Additionally, several supervisors will hold in-district town hall meetings to hear from constituents and community leaders about their priorities for the 2018 county budget.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.