Milwaukee County Deserves a Budget that Prioritizes the Needs of the People

[Milwaukee, WI] – At 6:30PM tonight, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors will hold its annual town hall meeting to receive input from members of the public regarding the County Budget. Much has been detailed about the County’s financial situation, which looks quite bleak. Regardless of how much County officials try to save money, the disaster that Act 12 has meant for Milwaukee will ensure that the County experiences a financial disaster.

Act 12 was not the solution to the County’s fiscal issues. A rogue Sheriff’s Office exceeding its overtime budget by millions of dollars each year, not holding its officers accountable for the mistreatment and death of the people in their care, and routinely interfering in any transparency efforts for how they function is the main reason the County is heading towards a fiscal disaster.

The County Board of Supervisors have a responsibility to represent the interests of the people of Milwaukee County. No one wants to continue seeing millions of the dollars they pay in taxes go towards a Sheriff’s Office that functions in these ways. We want to see improved parks, safe recreational opportunities for our youth, better access to mental health services, and so much more that can be funded with the millions that go to the Sheriff’s Office. If the Sheriff’s Office is to continue operating the way it is, we are raising the following demands to the County Board of Supervisors:

• Cutting the size of the MCSO to keep the healthcare costs affordable for county employees
• Transparency and community input during the jail audit process
• Support for a policy similar to Standard Operating Procedure 575 at the County-level

A fiscally sustainable budget is necessary for the safety of Milwaukee County, but this cannot be possible with the overfunding of the Sheriff’s Office. We need to change this now!

The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) campaigns against police crimes committed primarily against the poor and Black, Indigenous, and people of color. We demand the creation of a civilian police accountability council, or CPAC, to ensure that our community is in direct control of our police force.

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.