% >> AT THE STATE CAPITOL THIS
% WEEK, LAWMAKERS FROM THE SENATE
% CONSIDERED THEIR VERSION OF THE
% SHARED REVENUE BILL TO INCREASE
% FUNDING TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AS
% THE VERY SURVIVAL OF THE BILL
% HANGS IN THE BALANCE.
% THE TIPPING POINT, WHETHER OR
% NOT TO BRING A REFERENDUM
% QUESTION BEFORE MILWAUKEE VOTERS
% TO INCREASE THE SALES TAX BY 2%
% FOR THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE AND
% BY.375% FOR THE COUNTY TO PAY
% FOR OUTSTANDING PENSION
% OBLIGATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN
% GROWING FOR YEARS.
% LAST WEEK, ASSEMBLY SPEAKER
% ROBIN VOS SAID THEIR VERSION OF
% THE BILL REQUIRES THE REFERENDUM
% AND THEY ARE DONE NEGOTIATING.
% SENATE MAJORITY LEADER DEVIN
% LeMAHIEU TOOK ISSUE WITH THAT,
% CONCERNED THAT THE REFERENDUM
% COULD FAIL.
% SPEAKING BEFORE THE SENATE
% COMMITTEE THIS WEEK WAS
% MILWAUKEE MAYOR KAVA A LOT OF CR
% JOHNSON.
% HE JOINS US.
% THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.%>>
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO FROM YOUR UNDERSTANDING,
% WHERE DOES THIS SHARED REVENUE
% BILL STAND AS OF THIS MOMENT?
% IS THERE ROOM FOR NEGOTIATION?
% >> FREDERICA, I WOULD IMAGINE
% THAT THERE IS ROOM FOR
% NEGOTIATION.
% LOOK.%I'VE NOT HAD THE ABILI
TY, THE
% PRIVILEGE TO SERVE IN A
% BICAMERAL LEGISLATIVE BODY SUCH
% AS WE HAVE IN OUR STATE
% LEGISLATURE, BUT MY
% UNDERSTANDING, THOUGH, IS THAT
% ONE HOUSE CREATES A BILL, AND IF
% THERE'S ANY DIFFERENCE WITH THE
% OTHER HOUSE, THEY COME TOGETHER,
% THEY CONFERENCE THE BILL.
% THAT'S NEGOTIATION.
% AND SO I WOULD SUSPECT THAT
% THERE STILL WOULD BE ROOM FOR
% BOTH THE ASSEMBLY AS WELL AS THE
% SENATE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY
% TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AND PUT
% FORWARD A BILL THAT CAN PASS
% BOTH HOUSES THAT CAN GET THE
% SUPPORT THAT IT NEEDS IN THE
% LEGISLATURE THAT CAN ALSO BE
% SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR.
% >> WHAT ARE YOU SPECIFICALLY
% LOBBYING FOR?
% >> LOOK.
% IN THE BILL, THERE ARE A NUMBER
% OF THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN
% LOBBYING FOR.
% YOU MENTIONED THE ISSUE ABOUT
% WHETHER IT'S A REFERENDUM OR
% WHETHER IT'S ENABLING
% LEGISLATIVE ALLOWING FOR BOTH
% MILWAUKEE COUNTY COUNCIL AS WELL
% AS MILWAUKEE COUNTY BOARD TO
% PASS LEGISLATION GOING TO BE
% SIGNED BY THE EXECUTIVES IN
% THOSE JURISDICTIONS, MYSELF
% BEING ONE OF THEM.
% LOOK.
% I'D LIKE FURTHER TO BE
% CONSISTENCY HERE.
% WHEN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN
% ALLOWS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO
% IMPLEMENT OR INCREASE A TAX,
% WHETHER IT'S A COUNTY SALES TAX,
% .5% SALES TAX, THAT'S 68 OF OUR
% 72 COUNTIES HAVE IMPLEMENTED,
% THOSE HAPPEN BY A SIMPLE
% MAJORITY OF THE LEGISLATIVE
% BODY.%THEY ARE NOT SENT TO R
EFERENDUM.
% WHEN STATE OF WISCONSIN ALLOWS
% LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO ENACT A
% PLEA MERE RESORT AREA TAX,
% PREMIER, THOSE ARE IMPOSED VIA A
% BOAT OF THE LEGISLATIVE BODY.
% THEY ARE NOT SENT OUT TO THE
% MASSES VIA REFERENDUM.
% SO I'M LOOKING FOR CONSISTENCY
% HERE FROM THE STATE LEGISLATURE
% IN ALLOWING US TO IMPLEMENT 2%
% SALES TAX IN THE CITY OF
% MILWAUKEE ALLOWING THE COUNCIL
% TO BE ABLE TO VOTE ON THAT AND
% THEN ME, AS THE EXECUTIVE OF
% THIS GINGERBREAD, TO BE ABLE TO
% SIGN THAT INTO LAW AND IMPLEMENT
% IT.%THERE ARE SOME OTHER
% MILWAUKEE-SPECIFIC ITEMS IN THE
% BILL AND MY REQUEST HAS BEEN ON
% THOSE THINGS TO ALLOW LOCAL
% OFFICIALS TO MAKE THOSE
% DECISIONS THAT PURELY AFFECT US
% AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
% >> WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT
% TAKING THAT EXTRA 2% SALES TAX
% TO VOTERS?
% DO YOU THINK IT WOULDN'T PASS?
% I HAVE GREAT CONCERNS ABOUT
% WHETHER OR NOT A REFERENDUM
% WOULD BE ABLE TO PASS IN
% MILWAUKEE.
% A NUMBER OF CONCERNS ABOUT IT.
% THE QUESTION, I THINK, POSED
% WOULD BE TOO LARGE, TOO OVERLY
% CONFUSING, TOO OVERLY CUMBERSOME
% FOR US TO BE ABLE TO EDUCATE THE
% PUBLIC ABOUT THE DIRE NEED
% THAT'S AVAILABLE HERE, AND THEN
% THERE ARE A COUPLE OF OTHER
% REASONS WHY.
% I'VE GOT SEVERE CONCERNS.
% IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE, IN
% YEARS PAST, WHAT WE HAD DONE
% BEFORE WE IMPLEMENTED A WHEEL
% TAX, THAT'S 20 BUCKS A YEAR THAT
% PEOPLE PAY WHEN THEY REGISTER
% THEIR VEHICLE, WE ESSENTIALLY
% HAD A REFERENDUM WHEN THE
% DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS WOULD
% GO TO A PARTICULAR STREET IN THE
% CITY TO RECONSTRUCT THAT STREET.
% WE WOULD SENDS OUT A POSTCARD TO
% THE RESIDENTS ON THAT BLOCK AND
% SAY, HEY, WE'RE COMING TO
% RECONSTRUCT THE STREET.
% IT'S GOING TO COST YOU ROUGHLY
% $3,000.%THAT WAS A REFERENDU
M AND FOLKS
% WOULD VOTE THOSE DOWN
% CONSISTENTLY BECAUSE THEY
% WOULDN'T WANT TO PAY THE
% ADDITIONAL DOLLAR.%WHAT HAPPE
NED, THOUGH, WAS THEN
% THAT WE WOULD HAVE A STREET AND
% SEVERAL STREETS THROUGHOUT THE
% CITY THAT WOULD BE REDUCED TO
% GRAVEL.
% SO THERE ARE THOSE SORT OF
% CONCERNS ABOUT A REFERENDUM.
% WE NEED THE MONEY TO BE ABLE TO
% DO THESE THINGS, TO BE ABLE TO
% PROVIDE CITY SERVICES, JUST LIKE
% WE DID BEFORE WITH FIXING THE
% STREET.%THE OTHER THING THAT
I HAVE A
% GRAVE CONCERN WITH IS THAT IN
% MILWAUKEE, TALKING ABOUT ISSUES
% AROUND PENSIONS, I THINK IT'S
% TABOO.
% FOLKS RECALL ABOUT TWO DECADES
% AGO OR SO SOME OF THE CHALLENGES
% THAT HAPPENED AROUND PENSIONS IN
% MILWAUKEE, AND I DON'T WANT
% THOSE BAD FEELINGS FROM THE PAST
% TO BE INTERMINGLED WITH WHAT WE
% NEED TO ACCOMPLISH HERE RIGHT
% NOW IN TERMS OF GETTING MORE
% REVENUES TO US AT THE LOCAL
% LEVEL SO THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN
% SERVICES HERE IN THE CITY OF
% MILWAUKEE, INCLUDING MAKING SURE
% THAT WE MAINTAIN AND INCREASE
% POLICE SERVICE, THAT WE MAINTAIN
% AND INCREASE FIRE SERVICE, AND
% ALSO THAT WE MAINTAIN OUR
% LIBRARY SYSTEM THAT MEANS SO
% MUCH TO CITIZENS ALL ACROSS THE
% CITY.
% >> WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO THE
% PEOPLE OF THE STATE ABOUT HOW
% DIRE THINGS ARE FISCALLY IN
% MILWAUKEE RIGHT NOW IN THE
% ABSENCE OF ANY KIND OF EVEN
% OVERALL BOOST IN SHARED REVENUE
% FROM THE STATE?
% >> WELL, FREDERICA, WHAT HAPPENS
% IN MILWAUKEE HAS AN OUTSIDE
% IMPACT ON THE STATE OF
% WISCONSIN.
% IT REALLY, REALLY DOES.
% YOU THINK ABOUT THE SERVICES
% THAT WE PROVIDE HERE.
% THEY ARE GOOD, NOT JUST FOR MY
% CONSTITUENTS, THE RESIDENTS IN%
THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE; THEY'RE
% GOOD FOR OUR REGIONAL ECONOMY
% AND WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW,
% THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO DRIVE
% INTO THE CITY EACH AND EVERY
% SINGLE DAY FOR WORK AND FOR
% DINING AND THE LIKE, AND FROM
% THE WAUKESHA, WASHINGTON COUNTY
% SUBURBS.
% WE, IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE AND
% MILWAUKEE GENERALLY, WE'RE THE
% LARGEST TOURISM DESTINY IN THE
% STATE OF WISCONSIN, ABOUT A
% QUARTER OF ALL TOURISTS WHO
% INTERFACE WITH OUR STATE AND
% THEN THEREFORE PAY SALES TAX
% THAT GO TO MADISON AND THEN ARE
% DIVERTED TO OTHER COMMUNITIES
% AROUND THE STATE.
% THEY COME TO MILWAUKEE.
% RIGHT?
% AND EXPERIENCE THE HOSPITALITY,
% THE TOURISM THAT WE HAVE HERE IN
% THIS CITY.
% AND THEN OF COURSE SOME OF THE
% MOST ICONIC BUSINESSES IN THE
% STATE OF WISCONSIN ARE LOCATED
% RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF
% MILWAUKEE.
% NOW, IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO
% PROVIDE ALL OF THOSE CITY
% SERVICES THAT ALL OF THOSE
% CONSTITUENCIES DEPEND ON, THAT
% WOULD PUT NE US IN A DIRE SITUAN
% WHERE THOSE BUSINESSES DON'T
% COME, WHERE THOSE BUSINESSES
% DECIDE TO LEAVE, AND IF THOSE
% THINGS WERE TO HAPPEN, THE
% RIPPLE EFFECT DOESN'T JUST
% HAPPEN IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE.
% IT HAPPENS IN THE REGION AND IT
% HAPPENS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE
% STATE OF WISCONSIN AS WELL.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% WE LEAVE IT THERE.
% MAYOR CAVALIER JOHNSON, THANKS