% >> ACROSS THE STATE, REPUBLICANS
% ANNOUNCE THEIR PROPOSAL FOR A
% SIGNIFICANT BUMP IN SHARED
% REVENUE.%THE AMOUNT OF MONEY
THE STATE
% DISTRIBUTES TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
% WHICH HASN'T SEEN INCREASES IN
% NEARLY TWO DECADES.
% COMPOUNDED WITH LIMITS ON HOW
% MUCH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CAN RAISE
% TAXES, WISCONSIN COMMUNITIES
% HAVE BEEN STRAPPED.
% ONE MAYOR RECALLED, I WILL NEVER
% FORGET THE YEAR THAT WE
% CONSIDERED SHUTTING OFF EVERY
% OTHER STREET LIGHT IN THE CITY
% OF WATER TOWN TO SAVE $250,000.
% IN MILWAUKEE, ASSEMBLY SPEAKER
% VOS GAVE THE BROAD STROKES OF
% THE PLAN AS WELL AS THE CITY
% MAYOR.
% >> ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE ALSO
% HEARD FROM OUR LOCAL PARTNERS IS
% THEY NEED TO HAVE AN ONGOING
% REVENUE SOURCE THAT IS NOT
% STAGNANT BUT GROWS AS THE
% ECONOMY GROWS.
% THIS FUND ACTUALLY WILL TAKE THE
% INCREASE IN SALES TAX OVER TIME,
% IT WILL BE RUN THROUGH A FORMULA
% WHERE THERE ARE DIFFERENT BUGHTS
% AND EACH OF THOSE BUCKETS WILL
% GROW AS THE SALES TAX AND OUR
% ECONOMY CONTINUES TO EXPAND.
% WE ALSO FOCUSED ON PUTTING MONEY
% INTO HELPING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
% CHANGE HOW THEY OPERATE.
% IN ADDITION TO THE ALMOST $225
% MILLION THAT WILL BE INVESTED IN
% SHARED REVENUE INCREASE
% PAYMENTS, WE ARE ALSO CREATING
% SOMETHING CALLED THE INNOVATION
% FUND.%IT MEANS THAT THERE WI
LL BE $300
% MILLION ALLOWED FOR LOCAL
% GOVERNMENTS WHO CHOOSE ENTIRELY
% VOLUNTARY TO COOPERATE WITH EACH
% OTHER, TO SHARE SERVICES,
% IMPROVE THE DELIVERY THAT WE
% GIVE TO OUR CONSTITUENTS,
% HOPEFULLY ALL AT A LOWER PRICE.
% >> I'M PLEASED THAT WE MADE SOME
% SIGNIFICANT STRIDES TOWARDS
% REMEDY TO THE CITY'S FISCAL
% ISSUES.%FROM THE OUTSET, THA
T'S BEEN
% PARAMOUNT, A PARAMOUNT GOAL OF
% MINE, AND THIS LEGISLATION
% STARTS TO DIVERSIFY REVENUE
% SOURCES FOR THE CITY OF
% MILWAUKEE.%IT STARTS TO INCRE
ASE THE AMOUNT
% OF SHARED REVENUE THAT GOES TO
% THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE AND OTHER
% UNITS OF GOVERNMENT ACROSS THE
% STATE.
% IT PUTS MILWAUKEE ON A PATH TO
% RESOLVE ITS ONEROUS PENSION
% OBLIGATIONS
% >> UNDER THE PLAN, 20% OF THE
% STATE'S SALES TAX WILL GO TOWARD
% INCREASING LOCAL GOVERNMENT
% FUNDING.
% ACCORDING TO AUTHORS OF THE
% PROPOSAL, THIS WILL MEAN A
% ROUGHLY $500 MILLION INCREASE
% STATEWIDE AND EVERY COMMUNITY
% WILL SEE AN INCREASE OF AT LEAST
% 10%.%SPEAKER VOS APPOINTED ME
MBER OF
% THE JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE
% REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE TONY
% KURTZ TO COME UP WITH A PLAN AND
% HE JOINS US NOW.
% THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US
% >> MY PLEASURE.
% >> DESCRIBE HOW NEEDED THIS
% BOOST TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS.
% >> WELL, THE ORIGINAL SHARED
% REVENUE FORMULA WAS ACTUALLY
% FROZEN BACK IN 2004 AND SOME
% COMMUNITIES IN MY DISTRICT HAS
% TOLD ME THEY'VE ACTUALLY LOST
% MONEY OVER THE YEARS DUE TO
% INFLATIONARY PRESSURES, AND SO I
% THINK IT'S LONG OVERDUE.
% I KNOW YOU'VE HAD COMMENTS FROM
% SPEAKER VOS ABOUT THIS HAS BEEN
% LONG OVERDUE, AND I THINK IT'S
% THE RIGHT TIME, PARTICULARLY
% WITH THE INFLATIONARY PRESSURES
% OF SO MANY SMALL COMMUNITIES.
% WHY I GOT INVOLVED IS I HAVE A
% VERY SMALL RURAL COMMUNITY AND
% THEY'VE SUFFERED AS WELL, AND IN
% THE ORIGINAL FORMULA, FORMULATED
% YEARS AGO, ACTUALLY KIND OF HURT
% SMALL COMMUNITIES AND I KNOW
% THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE
% FOCUSED ON WITH THIS PACKAGE
% >> SO WHAT AREAS WERE DEEMED
% PRIORITIES IN THE PROPOSAL WHERE
% THE MONEY IS RESTRICTED TO FOR
% USE?
% >> WELL, I THINK -- I THINK
% ABOUT IT, WHAT -- IN THOSE
% COMMUNITIES, WHAT DO THEY NEED?
% OBVIOUSLY, CITIES, VILLAGES,
% THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVE MORE LAW
% ENFORCEMENT, E.M.S., THOSE TYPE
% OF PROVIDERS.
% IN OUR COUNTIES, IT'S HIGHWAY
% DEPARTMENTS, IT'S SHERIFF'S
% DEPARTMENTS, BUT IN TOWNSHIPS,
% IT'S A LOT MORE E.M.S.-RELATED
% AND ALSO ROADS.
% YOU HEAR THAT FROM ALL
% TOWNSHIPS, ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE
% NEED TO INVEST IN ROADS.
% SO WE'VE KIND OF TAILORED THIS
% NEW MONEY, THE NEW $227 MILLION
% THAT WE'RE GOING TO PUT INTO
% TOWNS, VILLAGES AND CITIES AND
% COUNTIES.%WE WOULD LIKE THOS
E AREAS
% TARGETED.%LAW ENFORCEMENT, F
IRE
% DEPARTMENTS, OUR E.M.S.
% PROVIDERS, YOU KNOW, OUR
% DISPATCH, ALSO PUBLIC WORKS AND
% TRANSPORTATION, AND I THINK,
% TRUST ME, WHAT I HEAR FROM MY
% CONSTITUENTS AND MISCHARACTERIZE
% LOCAL OFFICIALS, THEY CAN -- AND
% FROM MY LOCAL OFFICIALS, THEY
% CAN USE THAT MONEY IN THOSE
% AREAS, DEFINITELY, AND ONE OF
% THE FEED-BACKS I GOT TODAY FROM
% SOMEBODY, THEY SAID I CAN ONLY
% USE THIS IN MY SHERIFF'S
% DEPARTMENT.% WELL, THAT'S T
RUE, BUT NOW YOU
% CAN USE THIS MONEY TO FUND YOUR
% SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, WHICH
% SHOULD, IN TURN, MAYBE FREE UP
% MONEY ELSEWHERE THAT YOU CAN USE
% THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
% SO I THINK THEY CAN BE CREATIVE,
% BUT OUR GOAL WAS TO DEFINITELY
% SUPPORT THOSE KEY COMPONENTS OF
% OUR LOCALS
% >> SO IS THERE ANY PERCENTAGE OF
% THE MONEY THAT IS UNRESTRICTED?
% >> WELL, ONCE AGAIN, EVERYBODY
% IS GOING TO THEIR CURRENT NEW --
% THEIR CURRENT AMOUNT OF SHARED
% REVENUE, AND LIKE I MENTIONED
% BEFORE, AND LIKE YOU SAID
% EARLIER, EVERYBODY IS GOING TO
% SEE AT LEAST A 10% INCREASE.
% A LOT OF COMMUNITIES,
% PARTICULARLY SOME OF OUR SMALLER
% CITIES, VILLAGES AND TOWNSHIPS,
% THEY'RE GOING TO SEE A MUCH
% LARGER INCREASE.
% AND SO OBVIOUSLY WITH THAT
% INCREASE, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO USE
% THAT MONEY FOR THE NEEDS THAT
% THEY HAVE IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL
% COMMUNITIES%>> THE PLAN ALSO
CALLS -- OR
% ALLOWS THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE TO
% IMPOSE A NEW LOCAL 2% SALES TAX
% IF VOTERS AGREE.
% BUT AGAIN, RESTRICTS SOME OF HOW
% IT CAN BE SPENT.
% LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, NO MONEY
% TOWARD STREET CARS.
% WHY IS THAT PROVISION IN THERE?
% >> WELL, LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT
% ABOUT MILWAUKEE.
% MILWAUKEE AND THE MAYOR, AND I
% GIVE THE MAYOR A LOT OF CREDIT,
% HEBREWSHE HAS BEEN AT THE TABLES
% BEEN VERY HELPFUL AND IT'S BEEN
% REFRESHING TO WORK WITH HIM, TO
% BE HONEST WITH YOU, AND ALSO THE
% COUNTY EXECUTIVE, DAVID CROWLEY,
% WHO I WOULD CONSIDER A GOOD
% FRIEND OF MINE.
% IT'S BEEN VERY REFRESHING TO
% WORK WITH BOTH OF THEM.
% BUT THE CITY PARTICULARLY IS IN
% FINANCIAL STRESS.
% I MEAN, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT
% DO THEY -- IF THEY WOULD NEED TO
% DECLARE BANKRUPTCY, IT'S A
% MATTER OF WHEN THEY WOULD NEED
% TO DECLARE BANKRUPTCY.
% SO I THINK OUR POSITION IS IF
% YOU'RE IN SUCH DIRE STRAITS
% FINANCIALLY, WHICH THEY ARE,
% MAYBE YOU JUST NEED TO FOCUS
% THOSE -- THAT MONEY IN AREAS
% THAT YOU TRULY NEED IT.
% NOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S
% NOT GETTING TOLD IS WE'RE NOT
% SAYING YOU CAN'T FUND THAT TO
% USE THIS MONEY.
% YOU CAN STILL GET FEDERAL
% GRANTS, YOU CAN STILL GET
% PRIVATE DONORS.
% THERE'S STILL WAYS TO FUND THAT,
% ESPECIALLY THE CITY OF
% MILWAUKEE, THEY'RE VERY
% CREATIVE.% MAYOR CAVALIER I
THINK IS VERY
% RESOURCEFUL, AND I THINK IN THE
% END, FEPTS TO GET THAT STREET
% CAR IF HE WANTS TO GET THAT
% STREET CAR FUNDED, I THINK HE
% CAN DO THAT
% >> VERY QUICKLY, THIS IS A
% BIPARTISAN EFFORT.
% DUH WORK WITH GOVERNOR TONY
% EVERS ON THIS, WHOSE PLAN THAT
% HE ANNOUNCED IN THE BUDGET
% MIRRORED THE 20% OF STATE SALES
% TAX?
% >> WELL, THE MAJORITY LEADER
% ACTUALLY ON WEDNESDAY EVENING,
% MET WITH THE GOVERNOR, AND I
% PERCEIVED MANY MORE MEETINGS IN
% THE FUTURE AND, LIKE I SAID A
% FEW MINUTES AGO, DAVID CROWLEY,
% THE MAYOR, I MEAN, WE'VE MET
% QUITE A BIT OVER THE LAST SIX
% MONTHS ON THIS ISSUE, AND I GIVE
% THEM A LOT OF CREDIT.
% MY COUNTERPART ON JOINT FINANCE
% COMMITTEE, EVAN GORKY FROM
% MILWAUKEE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT
% THIS.%HE'S BEEN IN THE ROOM
FOR THE
% LAST MONTH.
% WE DO WANT THIS TO BE A
% BIPARTISAN BILL.
% WE WANT BUY-IN.
% THAT'S WHY WE BROUGHT THEM EARLY
% ON INTO THE PROCESS, AND THE
% LAST MONTH, WE'VE HAD SOME VERY
% GOOD DISCUSSIONS.
% SOME BACK AND FORTH, AND IT'S
% BEEN VERY HEALTHY, VERY
% RESPECTFUL.
% PERSONALLY, I'M VERY PROUD OF
% WHAT WE'VE DONE.
% WE'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT MORE WORK
% TO DO, TO BE FAIR, BUT I THINK
% WE'RE IN A GOOD SPOT, AND I
% THINK FOR MY AREA, THIS IS A
% WONDERFUL PACKAGE THAT WILL
% DEFINITELY HELP RURAL WISCONSIN
% >> THAT'S GREAT NEWS.
% REPRESENTATIVE TONY KURTZ,