% CITY MAYORS ARE IMPLORING
% LEADERS TO ALLOCATE MORE FUNDING
% FOR MUNICIPALITIES KNOWN AS
% SHARED REVENUE.%RAI
% RAISIN -- THE RACINE MAYOR SAID
% NOW THE TIME TO FUND POLICE AND
% ESSENTIAL SERVICES.
% THE MAYOR JOINS US NOW.
% THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
% >> MY PLEASURE, THANKS FOR
% HAVING ME.
% >> WE EXPECT WHEN HE ROLLS OUT
% HIS TWO-YEAR BUDGET
% GOVERNOR TONY EVERS WILL
% PROPOSE SENDING 20-PERCENT OF
% THE STATE'S SALES TAX BACK TO
% LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN
% SHARED REVENUE. WHEN YOU HEARD
% HIM ANNOUNCE THAT -- WHAT WAS
% YOUR REACTION?
% HAVE YOU DONE THE MATH? WHAT
% WOULD THAT MEAN FOR RACINE?
%
THE GOVERNOR'S SHOWN REAL
% LEADERSHIP.
% WE HAD FUNDS TO LOCAL SERVICES
% FROZEN MORE THAN A DECADE.
% FOR THE CITY OF RACINE WE GET
% LESS THAN A DECADE AGO AND THAT
% MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN
% SERVICES WHEN COSTS CONTINUE TO
% RISE.%THE GOVERNOR COMMITTIN
G THAT % KIND OF A FUNDING SOURCE I
N
% TERMS OF INCREASE AND ALSO ITS
% SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN THE FUTURE
% OBVIOUSLY MYSELF AND MAYORS ARE
% EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT THAT.
% >> HAVE YOU DONE THE MATH ON
% THAT AND WHAT THE NUMBERS MIGHT
% MEAN OR COULD MEAN?
% >> THAT'S WHERE THE DETAILS WILL
% COME OUT BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY
% THERE'S DIFFERENT LEVELS OF
% GOVERNMENT HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS
% HOW THE INCREASE WOULD BE BUT AN
% ADDITIONAL HALF BILLION BACK TO
% LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
% HOW THAT'S DISTRIBUTED THROUGH
% CITIES, VILLAGES AND TOWNS AND
% COUNTRIES IS A DIFFERENT
% CONVERSATION.
% A GENERATION AGO HALF WENT TO
% THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND KNEW WE
% GET 5% WITH NEED INVESTMENT.
% >> Frederica: WHAT THAT HAS
% MEANT IN TERMS OF LOCAL
% SERVICES?
% >> THERE'S REAL STRESS ON LOCAL
% SERVIC
% SERVICES AND HEALTH CARE COSTS
% GROUP 10%, 15% A YEAR IF
% REVENUES REMAIN FLAT IT'S A
% MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THERE'S
% REAL TENSION BETWEEN GIVING
% WORKERS THE RAISES THEY DESERVE
% TO MAINTAIN THEM AND MAINTAIN
% SERVICES IF YOU HAVE BUDGETS
% FROM 10, 12, 15 YEARS AGO.
% >> THERE'S THE LEVY LIMITS AND
% THE ONLY WAY UNDER THE
% LEGISLATIVELY IMPOSED LIMITS IS
% TO GO TO A REFERENDUM FOR TAX
% DOLLARS.
% RACINE PROPOSED THIS BUT ARE YOU
% READY TO SUPPORT THAT.
% >> WE'RE IN NEGOTIATIONS BUT THE
% RAISES ON THE TABLE EXCEED OUR
% ABILITY TO MAINTAIN THOSE FUNDS
% IN THE FUTURE.
% WE HAVE TO PUT REAL OFFERS ON
% THE TABLE THOUGH BECAUSE WE NEED
% TO MAINTAIN A POLICE FORCE AND
% EMS AND FIRE FIGHTING FORCE.
% IT'S AT A CRISIS POINT FOR
% COMMUNITIES LIKE RACINE.
% WE KNOW THERE WERE DOZENS OF
% PUBLIC REFERENDUMS.
% 80% PASSED UNFORTUNATELY OURS
% WAS ONE THAT DIDN'T.
% THOSE ARE TWO OPTIONS GOING TO
% REFERENDUM OR GETTING THE STATE
% TO REINVEST IN ITS COMMITMENT TO
% FUNDING LOCAL SERVICES.
% EVERYBODY AGREED FUNDING A
% POLICE WAS A PRIORITY.
% EVERYBODY AGREED ABOUT THAT.
% THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE
% LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR TO MAKE
% GOOD ON THE COMMITMENT THE
% GOVERNOR LAID OUT BEFORE US.
% >> Frederica: HAVING SERVED IN
% THE LEGISLATURE YOURSELF WHAT IS
% YOUR EXPECTATION HOW THE
% REPUBLICAN MAJORITY TO REACT.
% >> IT DEPENDS ON WHEN THEY PASS
% IT IN THE BIANNUAL BUDGET AND I
% DO KNOW IN CONVERSATIONS THE
% LEGISLATURE IS HAVING
% CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE MODEL
% ABOUT THE 20% SALES TAX GOING.
% SO IF THE GOVERNOR AND
% LEGISLATURE AGREE ROUGHLY ON THE
% FRAMEWORK AND WHAT THEY NEED TO
% DO IS NEGOTIATE WHAT THE DETAILS
% ARE I FEEL MORE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT
% SHARING REVENUE THIS YEAR THAN I
% HAVE IN A LONG TIME.
% >> Frederica: WHAT IS YOUR
% MESSAGE NOW TO BUDGET WRITERS AT
% THE STATE CAPITAL?
% >> IF YOU WANT SAFE AND HEALTHY
% COMMUNITIES YOU HAVE TO INVEST
% IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PUBLIC
% SAFETY.
% THEY KNOW THAT.
% THE CITY OF RACINE AND
% COMMUNITIES ALL OVER THE STATE
% NEED THE RESOURCES AND NEED THE
% STATE TO MAKE GOOD ON ITS
% COMMITMENT TO FULFILL IT'S
% RESPONSIBILITY TO FUND LOCAL
% SERVICES.%AT THE END OF THE
DAY EVERYBODY
% AGREES TO THAT AND I'M HOPING
% WITH THE NEW FRAMEWORK LAID OUT
% BY THE GOVERNOR UNDER HIS
% LEADERSHIP THE LEGISLATURE WILL
% FIND A MODEL WE CAN AGREE ON BUT
% THEY CAN'T KICK THE CAN DOWN THE
% ROAD FURTHER.
% IT'S GETTING TO PROVIDING BASIC
% SERVICES IS BECOMING HARDER AND
% HARDER FOR COMMUNITIES LIKE MINE
% AND MANY OTHERS ALL OVER THE
% STATE.