County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson
Press Release

Nicholson Calls for Better City-County Coordination of Services

Proposed "ONE Milwaukee" Task Force will bridge infrastructure gaps and align services to improve outcomes for residents.

By - Jan 21st, 2020 02:59 pm

MILWAUKEE – Supervisor Marcelia Nicholson is calling for a systematic approach to improving service and resource coordination between Milwaukee County, the City of Milwaukee, and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) in order to improve the lives of residents.

 In coordination with the Milwaukee Common Council and MPS, Nicholson is helping lead an effort to form the ONE Milwaukee Taskforce, which will work to improve coordination between the three governments and help residents overcome barriers to opportunity, economic security, quality education, stable housing, and better health outcomes.

“We can do a better job serving our constituents if we improve coordination and collaboration among local governmental entities,” said Nicholson. “The County, the City, and MPS all want to improve the lives of our residents, but we’re too often engaged in parallel efforts when we should be working in tandem with each other.

The ONE Milwaukee Taskforce will identify opportunities to coordinate existing infrastructure and align resources to share costs and bridge gaps in services.

In addition, the Taskforce will focus on Promise Zones and seek to advance the goals of the County’s Racial Equity initiative, the City’s MKE Elevate agenda, and the Blueprint for Peace. 

A recent example of the type of coordination envisioned is the joint effort to provide doula services to mothers in the 53206 ZIP code with a goal of improving maternal health and birth outcomes. The County’s Department of Health and Human Services provided funding and marketing services for the program, while the City’s Health Department administers it.

Supervisor Nicholson plans to introduce a resolution to create the Taskforce at the County Board’s Intergovernmental Relations Committee on January 23, which would proceed to the full County Board on February 6. The Milwaukee Common Council will vote on a similar resolution on January 21, while the MPS Board of School Directors is expected to consider the measure on January 30.  The initiative would not proceed until all three bodies approve.

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.

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