County Board 2013 Budget Blast: October 25, 2012
The Milwaukee County Board’s Finance, Personnel & Audit Committee is holding a series of budget hearings throughout October on the County Executive’s 2013 Recommended Budget.
The Milwaukee County Board’s Finance, Personnel & Audit Committee is holding a series of budget hearings throughout October on the County Executive’s 2013 Recommended Budget. On Tuesday, October 23, Wednesday, October 24 and Thursday, October 25, 2012, the Committee considers budgets amendments of specific functional areas of the Recommended Budget.
Today, the Committee approved the following:
Legislative and Executive
· (Amendment number 1A013) Amendment approved 7-2 (No: Schmitt, Alexander) to approve an appropriation of $50,000 to allow the County Board to access outside legal counsel opinions that may be needed as the part of the role of the policymaking body.
· (1A045) Amendment approved 6-3 (No: Schmitt, Romo West, Lipscomb) to create an interactive, web-based community calendar for public use.
· (1A001) Amendment approved 9-0 to establish a policy in which the fiscal note for all Milwaukee County resolutions must include a box that must be checked to determine if the Office of Community Business Development Partners has reviewed the contract for compliance with disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) requirements.
· (1A037) Amendment approved 9-0 to create a Small Business Opportunity Initiative that includes a $100,000 loan fund for small businesses; the training of small business at the Milwaukee County Research Park; a micro-loan program of loans ranging between $1,000 and $5,000 and other business-building components.
· (1A038) Amendment approved 9-0 to issue a request for proposals for the implementation of web-based software to allow the Office of Community Business Development Partners to track contracts in real-time, to generate reports and other activities related to its mission.
· (1A044) Amendment approved 8-1 (No: Johnson) to eliminate two newly proposed positions (Special Initiatives Advisor and Intergovernmental Relations Manager) in the County Executive’s office, thereby removing $204,982 from the tax levy.
Administration
· (1A009) Amendment approved 5-4 (No: Schmitt, Romo West, Alexander, Johnson) to attempt to assist Corporation Counsel with capping spending on outside counsel.
· (1A046) Amendment approved 7-2 (No: Schmitt, Cullen) to deny the abolishment of one Claims Adjuster position in the Risk Management Department.
· (1A010) Amendment approved 8-1 (No: Alexander) to eliminate the position of Economic Development Director and to create the new position of Director of County Economic Development, effective January 1, 2013. The new position would be subject to the Milwaukee County residency requirement unless waived by the Board.
· (1A039) Amendment approved 9-0 to make a contribution of $7,500 is budgeted for the Aerotropolis Corporation.
County-Wide Non Departmentals
· (1C002) Amendment approved 9-0 to strike language the following language from the County Executive’s Recommended Budget: For 2013, all employees eligible for health care benefits will be required to work a minimum of 30 hours per week, as compared to 20 hours per week in the past.
· (1C004) Amendment approved 7-2 (No: Schmitt, Jursik) to direct the Employee Benefits Workgroup to study the merits of creating an on-site health clinic for employees, retirees and dependents.
· (1C009) Amendment approved 9-0 to strike budget language regarding the backdrop and requiring a legal decision prior to any changes.
· (1C013) Amendment approved 9-0 to direct the Employee Benefits Work Group to develop a specific plan for implementing a wellness program.
· (1C010) Amendment approved 9-0 to maintain the Milwaukee County contribution to the active employees flexible spending accounts in 2013; to reduce the annual deductible from the County Executive’s Recommended Budget; to lower the employee wage increase to 1.5 percent for most employees from 3 percent in the County Executive’s Recommended Budget; to delete the $500,000 appropriation for the Total Rewards Program; to create two investigator positions in the District Attorney’s office with a focus on domestic violence cases for a savings to the tax levy of $224,067.
Capital Improvements and related amendments
· (1B001) Amendment approved 7-2 (No: Alexander, Schmitt) to reinstate the Milwaukee County Public Art Program by designating .5 percent of total budgeted funds for all eligible capital projects exceeding $250,000 to be used for public art related to those projects.
· (1B008) Amendment approved 5-4 (No: Schmitt, Jursik, Lipscomb, Alexander) to restore a 2011 appropriation of $2 million for Moody Pool to complete Phase 1 of the renovations and developments of a three-year scooped plan to fully restore the indoor pool facility in 2013.
· (1B007) Amendment approved 9-0 to retrofit 326 buses with bus driver protector shields.
Departmental Org
· (1A041) Amendment approved 9-0 to direct DAS-Facilities management to begin negotiations with MATC to provide culinary and food services in the Courthouse.
· (1A036) Amendment approved 8-1 (No: Schmitt) to increase the EMS subsidy paid to specific Milwaukee County municipalities by $500,000 to $2 million from $1.5 million.
· (1A047) Amendment approved 7-2 (No: Schmitt, Alexander) to appropriate $100,000 for the purchase of a service contract with the Aids Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) to provide HIV prevention services.
· (1C012) Amendment approved 5-4 to increase Appropriation for Contingencies by $1 million.
Other Operating Budgets, Capital Improvements or Amendments to the Recommended Budget per the discretion of the Co-Chairs
· Amendment approved 8-1 (No: Cullen) to appropriate $812,460 of tax levy to pay Milwaukee County’s proper portion of the 2013 budget of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC).
· (1A048) Amendment approved 6-3 (No: Schmitt, Jursik, Lipscomb) to provide a one-time payment of $463,062 to support the full transition of cellular emergency 9-1-1 dispatch for cellular class originating in the City of Milwaukee from the Milwaukee County Office of the Sheriff to the City of Milwaukee. The $463,062 payment is intended to support the transition of the two final carriers and will be paid upon receipt of confirmation that the last two carriers have been transferred.
· Approval 8-1 (No: Schmitt) of a 2013 property tax levy of $278, 731, 993 — an increase of 1.2 percent, which is less than inflation. The majority of the levy comes from public safety investments.
· Approval 8-1 (No: Schmitt) of the 2013 Budget as Amended.
Click here to access the 2013 budget meeting schedule
Click here to watch live video from the meetings (available while meetings are in progress)
Click here to access the Budget Overview presented by County Board Staff
The County Board of Supervisors, under the leadership of Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic, is set to adopt the 2013 Budget on Monday, November 5 at 8:30 a.m. in Room 200 of the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
The County Board’s Annual Public Hearing on the 2013 Budget is scheduled for Monday, October 29, 2012 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, located at 929 N. Water Street in Milwaukee. The hearing begins at 6:30 p.m.; doors open at 6 p.m.
Free parking, including handicapped accessible stalls, will be available in the Marcus Center structure.
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.
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