Rob Henken

Museum Days Returns to Milwaukee

Experience world-class cultural institutions at discounted prices Jan. 18-28 in the Greater Milwaukee area

New Study Analyzes Ways City, County Could Share Services, Save Money

"Promising possibilities" says Wisconsin Policy Forum report.

Forum announces Salute to Local Government award winners

Milwaukee Faces Future Budget Challenges

Act 12 didn't solve all of city's fiscal woes says Wisconsin Policy Forum.

New Report Finds Milwaukee’s Criminal Justice System In Peril

Arrests are down, felony charges are down and a court backlog remains

Will Common Council Approve Sales Tax?

State deal requires two-thirds vote of council. Seven of 15 members have expressed concerns.

Think Tank Studying Ways to Finance Parks Maintenance

Massive backlog of county parks infrastructure projects requires creative solutions.

MPS Faces Future Financial Crisis

System will see deficits explode beginning in 2026-27 school year.

Momentum Growing For More State Shared Revenue

State flush with cash. One proposal gives one-fifth of sales tax back to local governments.

Milwaukee Faces Construction Worker Shortage?

$3 billion in major projects planned or underway could face shortage, report says.

Supervisor Says Republicans Planning Incentives for Consolidated City, County Government

Conervative Deanna Alexander described a specific plan that would "reward the entities for consolidating."

City, County Will Study Merging Services

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos pushing for this as prerequisite for more shared revenue for Milwaukee.

Johnson, Donovan Spar Over City’s Future

Candidates for mayor differ on streetcar, partisan politics and who favors defunding police.

Johnson Calls on State To Help City

Acting mayor asks Legislature to use tax surplus to fund public safety efforts in city.

How To Save The City, One Block At a Time

Study evaluates challenges, successes with Northwestern Mutual's Amani project.

How Can Milwaukee Save Its Parks?

Policy researchers, public officials say new tax revenue, and public-private partnerships.

County Can’t Afford Park System

Fewer local tax dollars available for parks. Officials call for new revenue sources.

Forum Names 2021 Local Government Award Winners

Five of winners picked by Wisconsin Policy Forum are local organizations and individuals.

Fire, EMS Workers Struggle to Meet Needs

Increased call volumes and problems maintaining staff across the state, report finds.

ARPA Funding May Delay City’s Fiscal Cliff Says Policy Forum

Non-partisan organization reinforces need for state support to address Milwaukee's structural financial issues.

Leaders Celebrate New Mental Health Center

Huge gathering of officials for project lauded as momentous, exciting and historic.

“Last Mile” Program Connects Workers to Jobs

WEDC, Waukesha County and United Way fund pilot program connecting city workers to suburban jobs.

How Does Police Reform Compare To Other Cities?

New report finds four areas for improvement.

Report Finds Affordable Housing Problems

Wisconsin Policy Forum says more housing for low-income renters needed, particularly near suburban job centers.

City Will Conduct Mental Health Survey

Seeking information about impact of pandemic on residents.

Evers’ Budget Proposal Would Allow Milwaukee Sales Tax

City and county officials have been pursuing option for over a year.

Will Foxconn Pay Taxes Pledged to Racine County?

If company doesn’t the state may have to bail out local taxpayers.

Can Police Be Defunded?

Milwaukee spends 125 times more on cops than violence prevention. Chief Morales fights call to change funding priorities.

$1.6 Billion in School Funding Voted on Tuesday

Results of these referendums may not come until April 23.

Barrett, Taylor Debate Remotely for Mayor

Barrett says he's a stable hand in tumultuous time. Taylor she's already leading.

Bauman Wants 1.5 Percent Sales Tax

Additional funding would be dedicated to transit service, end what the alderman calls a "death spiral"

City Tops in TIF Money for Streetcar

State tax system forced Milwaukee’s dependence on TIF, WPF report finds.

State Heavily Reliant on Property Tax

Report: Wisconsin ranks seventh nationally in reliance on property taxes to fund municipal services.

Wisconsin Policy Forum Makes Statewide Educational Data Easy to Compare

New School DataTool Includes Enrollment, Student Performance, Other Measures

Coalition Pushes Efforts to Prevent Evictions

I in 10 renters evicted in city's worst census tracks, study found.

MPS’ 2019 Budget Challenges Reflect Long-Term Structural Issues

Short-Term Fixes May Avert Major School Cuts in 2019, But Fiscal Pressures Remain

Jason Stein Named Wisconsin Policy Forum Research Director

Longtime Capitol Reporter Will Lead Nonpartisan Research Team

Why County Needs New Fees

Revenue shortfall can only be made up with a higher wheel tax, parking fees or bus fares.

State’s New Top Policy Wonk

Rob Henken will run merged WisTax and Public Policy Forum. Oh, the attacks he will face.

Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance and Public Policy Forum Unveil New Name Merged Organization Will Be Wisconsin Policy Forum

The two organizations will officially merge on January 1.

Public Policy Forum and Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance to Merge

Researchers at the new group will continue to focus on issues important to state government, local government, schools, Metro Milwaukee, and Wisconsin’s economy.

Opioid Crisis Still Growing

Are there solutions? Panel of experts share views on epidemic of overdoses, deaths.

State Unfair to Big Cities, Henken Says

At MU interview series, Public Policy Forum leader says Milwaukee needs a sales tax.

Public Policy Forum president Henken goes ‘On the Issues’ at Marquette Law School

He will discuss how other cities are generating revenue, and whether any of those approaches might work in Milwaukee.

“Shining Example”: Public Policy Forum Praises County Executive Abele’s #EngageMKE Initiative

The Engage MKE initiative allows County residents to balance their own budget for Milwaukee County.

New City Tax Needed, Officials Say

Reacting to new report, area legislators say Milwaukee needs sales or income tax.

State Bike Summit Held May 4

Annual summit in Milwaukee a must for bike lovers and advocates.

Menomonee Valley Lacks Transit

Valley's employers have transit needs similar to suburbs, study says.

City Residents Hiring Program Falls Short

Promising effort employs minorities in construction, needs more monitoring and funding.

Crime Rate Like “a Third World Country”

Officials at Greater Milwaukee Committee call for solutions to homicides, juvenile crime.

Blacks Bear Brunt of Pot Arrests

New study shows blacks are 39% of city’s population but 72% of arrests for marijuana possession.

Do Millennials Oppose the Streetcar?

Not really, but a new survey is fueling misunderstandings. What do millennials really want?

Report Finds Mental Health Care Issues

Public Policy Forum says system improved but hard to navigate.

Mental Health Care Reform Still Has Issues

Milwaukee County struggles making transition to a community-based mental healthcare model.

Milwaukee’s Infrastructure Challenges

Public Policy Forum panelists agree: Federal money is becoming a less reliable source of infrastructure funding.

Federal Funds Decline for Area Non-Profits

PPF study finds 7 of 9 local community groups suffered at least 10 percent cut.

Transit Expansion Urged

Milwaukee is far behind other cities, which will make it harder to attract young workers, experts at conference agreed.

Marquette Law School, Public Policy Forum launch website to explore Milwaukee’s entertainment and cultural needs

Site lets users set funding priorities, explore financing solutions

City Considers Lowering Penalties for Marijuana

Study shows 86% of those convicted of pot possession are African American.

Public Policy Forum, Marquette Law School partner to launch new website focused on Milwaukee’s entertainment and cultural needs

Site to be unveiled during June 4 “On the Issues” presentation

Why City Workers Can’t Get to Suburban Jobs

Milwaukee County Transit has reduced service by 14% since 2000, and 13% of city households lack a car.

Streetcar Backers Say They Have the Votes

Aldermen Witkowski and Perez now favor it, and touted plan to extend the line into their south-side districts.

County Mental Health Board’s Slow Start Prompts Questions

Volunteer board and emphasis on community-based care has worked in other cities but going slow here.

Visiting Leaders Pitch Pro Stadiums — And Transit!

MMAC organized event to sell NBA arena, but speakers from Cleveland, Denver and OKC said Millenials want transit, too.

We Need Better Transit!

Suburban officials and business leaders at Downtown conference on transit call for better connections to the city.

Fox Point Decrees: Pedestrians Must Wear Reflective Clothing

The village with no sidewalks or street lights will require pedestrians to be visible at a distance of 500 feet.

The Disconnected City

New study shows no way for workers to get to jobs. What are its solutions?

Every Politician in Town

Well, not quite, but the City's Birthday Party had a big turnout of politicians and insiders.

Good Government Geeks

For 100 years the Public Policy Forum has worked to improve the efficiency of local government. Jeff Bentoff's new book recounts its history.

Who’s Right in County Budget Battle?

County Board Chair Marina Dimitrijevic trashes Abele’s budget. But did she improve it?

Ament’s Sweetheart Insurance Deal For An Old Crony

Accusations about cronyism in the Ament administration just keep coming.

How Ament Prevented Any Research of the Pension Plan

Over and over the question has recurred: why would county supervisors, most of whom will not get the more lucrative pension payoff for veteran workers, approve this deal?