>> 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 WILL 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, THAT'S BEEN
PARAMOUNT, A PARAMOUNT GOAL OF
MINE, AND THIS LEGISLATION
STARTS TO DIVERSIFY REVENUE
SOURCES FOR THE CITY OF
MILWAUKEE.
IT STARTS TO INCREASE 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 MEMBER 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 THOSE AREAS
TARGETED.
LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIRE
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 TRUE, 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,