What Happened to Local Decision-Making?
Why Should Votes in Madison Replace Votes in Milwaukee County?
Milwaukee County Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb, Sr. today expressed opposition to Assembly Bill 885. He urged the Legislature to reject the proposal and allow local decisions to be made by local elected officials, calling the bill “a rehash of the debt-collection scheme that was cooked up last year by the County Executive behind closed doors in Madison as a way to help publicly finance a new private arena for a few billionaire owners.”
The proposed mandate targets Milwaukee County, the state’s most diverse community. Current law allows all Wisconsin communities to determine their debt collection process locally.
“If other local elected officials truly are the County Executive’s partners, the solution is that he work together with us, not run to Madison and demand his way,” Lipscomb said. “He should do his job in Milwaukee County, make a proposal, sell his ideas, and engage in open debate so we can take a vote locally. Why should votes in Madison replace votes in Milwaukee County?”
Lipscomb added that the independently elected County Treasurer, the Clerk of Circuit Court and the County Comptroller all provided testimony in opposition to the bill earlier this week.
“The County Executive should demonstrate leadership here in Milwaukee County and have these conversations at the local level subject to examination by locally elected officials and his constituents about whether his proposal actually makes fiscal sense for Milwaukee County and property taxpayers,” Lipscomb said.
The bill is currently scheduled for a vote in the Assembly tomorrow, Thursday, February 18.
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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