County Executive David Crowley Public Testimony on Senate Bill 301
MILWAUKEE, WI – Today, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley testified in front of the Senate Committee on Shared Revenue, Elections, and Consumer Protection on the importance of local revenue reform for Milwaukee County. The following are his remarks delivered to committee:
“Good morning Chairman Knodl, Ranking Member Spreitzer, and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to this committee on this important piece of legislation. I want to thank all of you for the robust consideration that you’ve given this bill, because – as I’ve said – this is truly one of the most pivotal pieces of legislation affecting local governments in a generation. I want to personally thank Majority Leader Lemahieu and Senator Felzkowski for their dedication and good-faith efforts in creating a bill that works not just for Milwaukee County, but – most importantly for everyone here today – for counties and municipalities statewide.
“Within that same time frame, state-mandated services will also grow to consume our entire local levy. As a result, we would have to make over $100 million in cuts to provide the same level of service that we do now – after already cutting approximately $300 million already in the past decade.
“For context, reductions in roughly $109 million in levy expenditures for Milwaukee County is greater than the levy funding we put into our courts, sheriff, medical examiner, District Attorney, pre-trial services, emergency management, transit, paratransit, and parks combined.
“Milwaukee County has implemented significant reforms, efficiencies, and cost reductions to address our budget crisis. We have reduced our workforce by nearly 4,000 employees since 2000, reduced our physical footprint by 3 million square feet, and redesigned our behavioral health system, but we still face an insurmountable challenge without state partnership to enable Milwaukee County to address our pension crisis and place us on a path of fiscal sustainability.
“I want to again thank everyone for their hard work on this bill – I know some of you have probably seen too much of me up here in the last few months, but it is truly very appreciated. And I know that we will continue having these frank, good faith discussions in the coming days and weeks as we work to structure a package that ensures that Wisconsin’s local governments can remain financially strong and continue serving our residents for generations to come.
“Thank you again for your time, and I am happy to take any questions from the committee.”
Learn more about Milwaukee County’s effort to avoid a devastating fiscal cliff on MoveForwardMKE.com.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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
Mentioned in This Press Release
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How did Milwaukee County eliminate 4,000 employees since 2000? Part-time? Full-time? Something else? This makes no sense.
ZeeManMke, let me break down the numbers. (1) This is a 23-year timeframe. If there 100 retirements and 100 persons leaving county employment AND those positions were not filled that’s 4,600 positions. If 3 PT positions were combined into one full time position, that’s 1 FTE eliminated (assuming part time positions were 20-hours a week.) (2) look at the number county park employees let go; the closing of the Mental Health Complex and privatizing emergency services also results in a huge decrease in FTEs. (3) Full time equivalent is not the same as reduction in personnel.
So if you have been following the budgeting process over the last 10 years, it is very easy to see how 4,000 FTEs were eliminated.
@mkwagner I thank you for taking the time to describe that. Your analysis seems to depend on countless “ifs.” Likewise, closing the County Mental Health Complex may have resulted in fewer county employees but no savings to the public. The County is now paying private companies whose services at one location have been rated “dismal” and “unsafe.” Google reviews and @ https://madison.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/safety-concerns-mount-at-milwaukee-county-s-granite-hills-psychiatric-hospital/article_65dff6b4-8bd6-5741-98b5-4c7dd62ccb06.html
It is time for politicians to stop playing games and making statements that seem true but are only cover for the truth. The County website states it has 6,000 employees in 2023. If it had 10,000 and now has 6,000, that would mean a huge reduction in payroll and budget – that has not occurred. Both have risen every year since 2000. If CE Crowley needs help from the state and wants the public’s support, he needs to speak the truth.